In the Woods. 185 



portions of the year. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is found as far north as New- 

 Brunswick, Canada, and Minnesota and breeds throughout its North Ameri- 

 can range, wintering in Central America. The Black-billed Cuckoo breeds 

 as far north as Labrador and Manitoba and winters in Central America 

 and South America. 



Both kinds of Cuckoos are great insect hunters, destroying multitudes 

 of such caterpillars as infest our fruit and shade trees. While both are essen- 

 tially woodland birds they also frequent the shade trees and orchards and are 

 conspicuous when flying, and by their peculiar notes. But when in a tree 

 few birds are better concealed by their color and quiet method of working. 



The Mangrove Cuckoo is a bird of the West Indies that is of regular 

 occurrence but not at all common on the Florida Keys and the southwest 

 coast of that State. It is rather larger than the Yellow- 

 Mangrove Cuckoo, i^jjjg^ Cuckoo and somewhat more heavily built than that 



Coccyzus minor (Gmel.). 



bird. 



Of a similar color above, the feathers are more glossed. Below how- 

 ever these birds are deep buff, sometimes almost tawny, becoming lighter on 

 the belly and on the feathers below the tail. The middle tail feathers are 

 like the back, the rest beino- black with a broad area of zvhitc at their ends. 

 The region about the ears is dusky or blackish. The bill is similarly colored 

 to that of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 



The building, breeding, and eggs are almost identical in the two 

 birds. 



Maynard's Cuckoo is a bird allied to the Mangrove Cuckoo, and is 

 found, so far as known, in the Bahamas and on the Keys of the southern 



Maynard's Cuckoo. ^^^^^^ °f Florida. 



Coccyzus minor maynardi It is a bird about the Same size as the Mangrove 



(R.dgw.). Cuckoo, but has the under parts pale gray or ashy white 



on the throat and breast, usually faintly washed with pale buff on the sides 



and belly. The bill is not so robust. These birds are of regular occurrence 



and much more common than the Mangrove Cuckoo in Florida. 



This is a black cuckoo with a curiously thin bill, compressed laterally 



