Grey-capped cuckoo facts for kids
The grey-capped cuckoo (Coccyzus lansbergi) is a special kind of bird from the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It's known for its unique grey cap! You can find this bird mainly in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Sometimes, it even visits islands like Bonaire and the Galápagos Islands.
Quick facts for kids Grey-capped cuckoo |
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| Conservation status | |
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Coccyzus
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| Species: |
lansbergi
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Contents
About the Grey-capped Cuckoo Family
Scientists group living things into families and groups. The grey-capped cuckoo belongs to the Coccyzus group. It is more closely related to cuckoos found in the Caribbean. This bird is a single species, meaning it does not have different subspecies.
What Does the Grey-capped Cuckoo Look Like?
The grey-capped cuckoo is about 25 to 28 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long. That's about the length of a ruler! Half of its length is its tail. Males usually weigh between 46 to 56 g (1.6 to 2.0 oz).
This bird has a strong, slightly curved black beak. Sometimes, there's a gray or yellow spot near the bottom of its beak. Both male and female cuckoos look the same.
- Head: They have a slate-gray cap that goes down to just below their eyes.
- Body: Their upper body and wings are a reddish-brown color.
- Tail: The top of their tail is black. The underside of the middle tail feathers is black, and the other tail feathers are black with white tips.
- Eyes: A thin ring of bare skin surrounds their eyes. This skin can be yellow, white, or yellowish-gray.
- Underparts: Their belly and chest are a dark reddish-brown color.
Young cuckoos look similar to adults. However, their cap is brown, and they have less white on their tail.
Where Do Grey-capped Cuckoos Live?
The grey-capped cuckoo lives in two main areas. One group lives in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. The other group lives in western Ecuador and the very northern part of Peru.
These birds sometimes travel far from their usual homes. They have been seen visiting Bonaire, an island near Venezuela. They have also been spotted in the Galapagos Islands.
What Kind of Places Do They Like?
Grey-capped cuckoos live in many different types of places. They can be found in:
- Wet and dry tropical forests
- Dry forests
- Forests along rivers (called gallery forests)
- Bushy grasslands (savannas)
They usually live from sea level up to certain heights. In Peru, they are found up to 800 m (2,600 ft). In Ecuador, they can be found up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft). In Colombia, they live up to 600 m (2,000 ft), and in Venezuela, up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft). Sometimes, they are seen at even higher places.
Grey-capped Cuckoo Behavior
Movement and Migration
The grey-capped cuckoo is a bird that moves around a lot. It might even migrate, meaning it travels to different places during the year. However, scientists don't know exactly when or where they go. Their travels might be within their own living areas rather than between the two main groups.
What Do They Eat?
The grey-capped cuckoo loves to eat insects! Caterpillars and some types of wasps make up most of their diet.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The breeding season for the grey-capped cuckoo in Ecuador might last from January to June. However, not much is known about their breeding habits in other areas.
- Nests: They build a simple nest. It's a platform made of twigs and lined with lichens. They place their nests on a horizontal branch. The nests are usually hidden by leaves. They are built between 0.4 and 5 metres (1 and 20 ft) above the ground.
- Eggs: A female cuckoo usually lays two to five eggs.
- Raising Young: Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs. This is called incubation. It takes about nine to 12 days for the eggs to hatch. The young birds leave the nest (fledge) eight to 13 days after they hatch. The eggs hatch at different times, so the baby birds are not all the same size.
How Do They Communicate?
The grey-capped cuckoo has a special song. It's a fast series of six to eight hollow, falling "cu" notes. Often, there's a small pause before the very last note. For example, it sounds like "cucucucucucucu-cu." They might repeat this song several times in a row.
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has looked at the grey-capped cuckoo. They have listed it as a species of Least Concern. This means that, for now, they are not worried about it becoming endangered.
However, scientists don't know the exact number of grey-capped cuckoos. They believe the population might be getting smaller. No specific threats to the bird have been found yet.
The places where these birds live are not fully mapped out. They are thought to be quite common but only in certain areas of western Ecuador. They are rare in other places. More research is needed to find out exactly where they live and how many there are.
