Striped cuckoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Striped cuckoo |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Tapera
|
| Species: |
naevia
|
 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Cuculus naevius Linnaeus, 1766 |
|
The striped cuckoo (Tapera naevia) is a special type of bird. It is the only member of its group, called Tapera. This cuckoo lives in many places. You can find it from Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina. It also lives in Colombia.
Striped cuckoos like open areas. They live where there are trees or bushes. You can also find them near the edges of mangrove forests.
Contents
What Does the Striped Cuckoo Look Like?
This bird is about 27 centimeters (11 inches) long. It weighs around 40 grams (1.4 ounces). The adult bird is mostly grey-brown on its back. It has black and buff streaks, which are like thin lines.
It has a light stripe above its eye. It also has a crest on its head that is chestnut and black. This crest can be raised when the bird is showing off. Its belly is off-white. The tail is long and gets narrower at the end. Young striped cuckoos have buff spots. They are also more reddish-brown on their back and wings.
What Does the Striped Cuckoo Eat?
The striped cuckoo eats large insects. It mainly eats grasshoppers and caterpillars. It often finds its food on the ground.
How Does the Striped Cuckoo Live?
This bird is usually alone. It is also quite shy. It tends to stay hidden in bushes. But it will sing from higher, more open spots. Its call sounds like a whistle. It usually has two or three notes, like wu-weee or wu-wu-wee. People can attract the bird by copying its call.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The striped cuckoo is one of the few brood parasitic cuckoos in the Americas. This means it lays its eggs in other birds' nests. It does not build its own nest. Its usual hosts are spinetails. But it also uses the nests of wrens and other birds. These host birds build large nests shaped like domes.
The female cuckoo lays one, or sometimes two, eggs. The eggs can be white or bluish. The eggs hatch in about 15 days. The young cuckoo then stays in the host nest for about 18 more days. During this time, the young spinetails (or other host chicks) often disappear.
Brazilian Folklore
This bird is very important in Brazilian stories. It is linked to the legend of the saci. The saci is a mischievous, one-legged creature. The striped cuckoo is also known by many other names in Brazil. Some of these names include matinta-pereira, pitica, crispim, and peixe-frito.
The matita-pereira is even mentioned in a famous song. It is in the song Águas de março by Tom Jobim.
