Family Cnculidce Yellow-Billed Cuckoo 151 



87. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO ; RAIN CROW 



(Coccyzus americanus.} 



Upper parts olive gray, shading into reddish brown on the wings ; 

 under parts white ; tail much rounded, very long, and with the 

 outer quills marked with large, conspicuous white tips. Beak 

 long, upper mandible much decurved and almost entirely black, 

 lower mandible almost entirely yellow ; feet dark. Bird about 

 the size of a robin. Sexes similar. 



THE yellow-billed cuckoo is in general habits 

 similar to the black-billed. He is with us a rarer 

 bird, and ordinarily inhabits high, dry, and wooded 

 land. 



The notes are similar to those of the more famil- 

 iar species. 



According to Burroughs, although he is rarely to 

 be seen by day, he wanders freely about at night. 

 " His peculiar guttural note, now here, now there, 

 may be heard almost any summer night in every 

 part of the country, and occasionally his better 

 known cuckoo call." 



