THE AMERICAN YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 59 



Genus COCCYZUS Vieill. 



Coccyzus Vieillot, Analyse nouv. orn. , p. 28 (1816 — Monotype: " Coucou 

 de la Caroline Buffon," i.e. Cuculus americanus L.). 



No crest. Nostrils longitudinal. Bill more compressed than 

 in Cuculus and Clamator. Tarsus entirely bare. Third and fourth 

 primaries longest. Rump-feathers much less copious than in 

 Cuculus. Underside not barred, uniform whitish or buffy. Sexes 

 alike. Seven species with several subspecies. North and South 

 America, including West Indies and Galapagos Islands. 



Key to species of genus Coccyzus. 



Inner webs of primaries rufous, outer rec- 



trices blackish with wide white tips . . C. americanus, p. 59 



Inner webs of primaries brown, edged with 

 buff, outer rectrices brownish -grey, nar- 

 rowly tipped with dull white .... C. erythropthalmus , p. 61 



COCCYZUS AMERICANUS 



228. Coccyzus americanus americanus (L.) — THE 

 AMERICAN YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



CcrcuLUS americanus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. Ill (1758 — 



Carolina). 



Coccyzus americanus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, 11, p. 414 ; Saunders, p. 290 



(in text). 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Whole upper- 

 parts brown with a slight bronzy gloss ; fore -head, lores and line 

 over eye washed grey ; ear-coverts dark .brown ; whole under- 

 parts extending to cheeks and lower part of ear-coverts white, 

 chin tinged buffish, throat and breast tinged ashy-grey, axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts creamy-buff ; tail : central pair as upper- 

 parts but with rather more gloss, next pair same but darker especially 

 on distal half and with small whitish tips, three outer pairs brown- 

 black with long white tips and narrow white edging to inner and 

 outer webs (white tips are longest on outermost pair which also 

 has more white on outer webs) ; wing -feathers : distal portions 

 and most of outer webs brown as upper-parts, central portions, 

 extending more or less on to outer webs of primaries, chestnut 

 becoming buff on inner edge of inner webs especially basally and 

 often creamy -white at base of secondaries, first primary often 

 without chestnut and inner secondaries without chestnut or with 

 only a tinge in centre of feathers ; primary -coverts brown marked 

 rufous on middle portions of inner and outer webs ; rest of wing- 

 coverts as upper-parts but with varying amount of rufous tinge 

 on outer feathers. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 



