WESTERN BIRDS C«ckoo 



done, a reliable eye-witness reported that he had. With 

 its powerful bill the bird worried and injured the snake, 

 giving it no chance to strike, and keeping out of its way, 

 until it was exhausted and finally killed. 



When angered, the bird raises its crest, snaps its bill 

 and gives a peculiar rattling guttural series of notes hard 

 to describe, but unmistakable. It has other loud, rather 

 mournful calls that remind one of its relationship to the 

 Cuckoo. 



GENUS COCCYZUS : CALIFORNIA 

 CUCKOO. 



California Cuckoo: Coccyzus americanus occiden- 



talis. 



FAMILY— ROAD-RUNNERS AND CUCKOOS. 



The California Cuckoo is the western representative 

 of the Yellow-billed and differs from it chiefly in being 

 larger. 



The adults are about thirteen inches long and have 

 rich brown upper parts which have a slightly greenish 

 gloss; wings more rufous except at tips; tail graduated; 

 outer tail feathers black, deeply tipped with white, mak- 

 ing conspicuous thumb marks on the underside of closed 

 tail; under parts white, or ashy; upper mandible black, 

 lower yellow, except at tip. 



The western Cuckoo is only locally abundant on the 

 Pacific Coast and in most localities can be listed as 

 rare. In California it is most abundant in the low wil- 

 low thickets of the interior. Willett says that in the 

 southern part of the state it is a fairly common resi- 

 dent of the willow regions of the lowlands but its 

 secretive habits render it easily overlooked. It probably 

 arrives early in May and leaves mostly in September. 



3 



