(This post originally published in September 2010)
Let’s ask the Cuckoo bird!
During one of my last kayak outings, I had another Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) fly in and land in an overhead branch. These birds, although not often seen due to their shyness, are really an interesting bird to be able to watch. In fact, when this cuckoo flew in, he was flying very erratically. I then noticed he was chasing a dragonfly; as they both flew through the tree branches, the dragon eluded the cuckoo and kept flying, while the cuckoo decided to stop for a rest, giving me the opportunity to grab a few images:
One of the unusual things about this bird is the underneath tail markings, as you can see in the above image. The tail is very long with a series of white spots.
Their unique call is a staccato clatter that slows down after an initial quick burst, and is one of the thrills of being with this bird. But I’ve never heard it “Cuckoo”, or give me the time! :o)
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