WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 185 



387 a. CALIFORNIA CUCKOO. — Coccijzus americanus 

 occidentalis. 



Family : The Road-runners and Cuckoos. 



Length: 13.00. 



Adults: U{)per parts grayish brown, slightly glossed with greenish; 



under parts white, tinged with gray on chest ; lower mandible yellow ; 



tail with broad white thumb-marks on the tips ; middle tail-feathers 



brown, tipped with black ; remainder iridescent blue-black. 

 Young : Similar to adults, but duller. 



Geographical Distribution : Western United States and Lower California. 

 Breeding Range : In California the breeding range seems to be confined 



to the willow bottoms. 

 Breeding Season : May, June, July, and August. 

 Nest : A loose platform of sticks ; sometimes lined with leaves and 



catkins. 

 Eggs : 3 or 4 ; glossy light bluish green ; paler in the incubated than in 



the fresh laid. Size 1.27 X 0.89. 



The California Cuckoo, or Western Yellow-billed 

 Cuckoo, breeds extensively along the willow bottoms of 

 the interior valleys of the State. ^Irs. Eckstrom says : 

 " As a nest-builder the cuckoo is no genius ; or, if a 

 genius, he belo.igs to the impressionist school. The 

 nest is but a raft of sticks flung into the fork of a 

 bough." Indeed so frail and so loosely put together is 

 it that one may see the eggs from underneath. Occa- 

 sionally an individual will be found wlio aims at better 

 things and has made some slight attempt to line her 

 cradle with grass. Most of these twig platforms are so 

 shallow that an effort to peep into them will result in 

 spilling the contents, and a windstorm often scatters the 

 eggs over the ground in spite of the mother's care. 

 When this happens, or when the eggs have been stolen, 



