CUCKOOS 



(386) Coccyzus minor minor 



iOmei) (Or., a cuckoo; Lat., smaller). 



MANGROVE CUCKOO. Above 

 grayish; below buffy; tail feathers 

 with broad white tips; auriculars 

 blackish. Shown by the upper left 

 hand bird. L., 12.50; W., 5.40. 



Range — West Indies and Fla. 



(386a) MAYNARD'S CUCKOO 

 (C. m. maynardi), a Bahaman species, 

 casual in the Fla. Keys. 



(387) Coccyzus americanus 

 americanus {Linn.} 



YELLOW - BILLED CUCKOO. 

 Plumage as shown. Brownish-gray 

 above; whitish below; outer tail 

 feathers black, with broad white 

 tips; primaries rufous on the inner 

 webs. Lower mandible yellowish. 

 L., 12.25; W., 5.70; T., 6.20. 



Range — Breeds from N. B., Ont., 

 and Minn, southward. 



They are often seen in company with grackles and, at 

 first glance, might readily be mistaken for such. Their 

 usual note is a rather clearly whistled "plee-co, plee-co, 

 plee-co, " sounding to me most like the call notes of flocks of 

 quail. 



Ani nests are rather large and bulky, but loosely made, 

 structures of twigs. The birds go in companies of a dozen 

 or more and all the females unite in building and occupying 

 this nest. Sometimes fifteen or more of the chalky-covered 

 blue eggs will be found in one nest, although it is doubtful 

 if a single female lays rnore than two or three. 



CUCKOOS are gray and brown birds having peculiar 

 croaking notes which, combined with their rather stealthy 

 manner of progressing through underbrush or trees, cause 

 ignorant, superstitious persons to regard them as birds of 

 "ill omen. " The truth of the matter is that they are one of 

 the most useful famiUes of birds that we have, for they 

 destroy quantities of fuzzy caterpillars that are very destruc- 

 tive to our trees, but are eaten by very few other birds. 



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