104 



TWENTIETH CENTURY CLASSICS 



XXX.— YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



Coccyzus americanus (Linn.). 



A summer resident ; common. Arrive early in May ; 

 begin laying tlie last of May ; return early in September ; 

 a few occasionally linger until the first of October. 



Habitat. Eastern Xorth America; south from New 

 Brunswick, Canada, etc., to the West Indies and Costa 

 Rica; west to eastern Mexico and the edge of the Great 

 Plains. They are known to breed within their range as 

 far south as the West Indies. 



Iris brown; legs and feet bluish olive; claws horn 

 blue. 



This species is generally known as the ^' Rain Crow " 

 or ^^ Cowbird " ; the latter on account of its call notes : 

 " Kow, kow, kow, kow, kow," uttered rapidly ; the former 

 because the birds are more noisy when the atmosphere is 

 moist and warm, and their oft-repeated notes are there- 

 fore thought to be an indication of falling weather. Their 

 notes are occasionally heard at night. They inhabit alike 

 the deep, solitary woods, the open groves and prairie 

 thickets. Their flight is noiseless, smooth and swift, 

 gliding with ease through the thick trees and branches. 

 The birds feed upon nearly all forms of insect life ; even 

 the ugly caterpillar is devoured with a relish. When the 

 breeding season is over they feed freely upon berries. 



The males arrive about eight days in advance of the 

 females; their courtships are of short duration, and they 

 soon commence making preparations for housekeeping. 



Their nests, a loose, frail, flat structure made of sticks 

 and weeds, with at times a little grass, are placed in 



