THE BIRD BOOK 



386. 



Mangrove Cuckoo 



Yellow-billed Cuckoo 



386. MANGROVE CUCKOO. 



Coccyzus minor minor. 



Range. West Indies, Mexico and South 

 America, north regularly to southern Florida. 



This species is very 

 similar to our common 

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 

 but the whole under- 

 parts are deep buff. It 

 is a common species and 

 nests abundantly in the 

 West Indies, but occurs 

 only in limited numbers 

 in southern Florida. 

 Their nests are shallow 

 platforms of twigs and rootlets, placed in 

 bushes and low trees, and upon which they lay 

 three or four pale greenish blue eggs, similar 

 to those of the Yellow-billed species but averag- 

 ing smaller; size 1.15 x .85. 



[386a.] MAYNARD'S CUCKOO. 



Coccyzus minor maynardi. 



Light greenish blue 



Range. Bahamas; accidental on Florida Keys, 

 and paler form than the preceding. 



This is a slightly smaller 



387. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. Coccyzus americanus americanus. 



Range. United States east of the Plains and from southern Canada south- 

 ward. 



This species is generally abundant in all localities in its range, which afford 

 suitable nesting places of tangled underbrush or vines. It may be distinguished 

 from the Black-billed variety by its larger size (12 inches long), blackish tail 

 with broad white tips, and yellowish lower mandible. They are often regarded 



by the superstitious as forecasters of rain, and as 

 omens, probably because of their gutteral croaking 

 notes. 



Their nests are made of twigs, lined with shreds 

 of grape vine bark or catkins; the nests are gener- 

 ally very shabbily made and so flat on the top that 

 the eggs frequently roll off. They are located near 

 the ground in bushes or low trees. The three or four 

 eggs are deposited at intervals of several days, and 

 frequently young birds and eggs are found in 

 the nest at the same time. Like the Flicker, this 

 bird will frequently continue laying if one egg is 

 removed at a time, and as many as twelve have been taken from the same nest, 

 by this means. The eggs are light greenish blue. Size 1.20 x .90. They are 

 usually laid during May or June. 



244 



Pale greenish blue 



