Mangrove Cuckoo
A species of Spot-tailed Cuckoos and Lizard-cuckoos Scientific name : Coccyzus minor Genus : Spot-tailed Cuckoos and Lizard-cuckoos
Mangrove Cuckoo, A species of Spot-tailed Cuckoos and Lizard-cuckoos
Botanical name: Coccyzus minor
Genus: Spot-tailed Cuckoos and Lizard-cuckoos
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Amado Demesa , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown. There is a yellow ring around the eye. This bird is best distinguished by its black facial mask and buffy underparts. Although the scientific name is minor (meaning "small"), this species is on average the largest of North America's three Coccyzus cuckoos. Adults measure 28–34 cm (11–13 in) in length, weigh 64–102 g (2.3–3.6 oz) and span 38–43 cm (15–17 in) across the wings. The most common call heard is a guttural "gawk gawk gawk gawk gauk gauk". It will also call a single "whit". 
Size
28-33 cm (11-13 in)
Nest Placement
Tree
Clutch Size
1 - 4 eggs
Feeding Habits
Mangrove Cuckoo's diet consists of caterpillars, various insects, spiders, snails, small lizards, and fruit. They forage mainly in tree canopies, actively searching for prey, which they capture with quick movements after careful observation. They also hunt on the ground, especially during the dry season when they target lizards. Larger prey is subdued and prepared before consumption, often involving beating against branches and removal of inedible parts.
Habitat
Mangrove Cuckoo are typically found in a variety of dense, shrubby, and wooded habitats. They favor environments with warm climates and flourish at low altitudes in places such as mangrove swamps and tropical hardwood hammocks. In Florida, mangrove Cuckoo prefer areas populated by black and red mangroves and can also adapt to beach scrub. Their range extends beyond the United States into tropical habitats such as scrubby lowlands, orchards, gardens, swamp forests, rainforests, and cloudforests. These birds are also common in West Indian regions with limestone-based vegetation, including coppice and dry forests. Mangrove Cuckoo's adaptability is evident in their use of disturbed and second-growth areas, which offer abundant prey like large insects and small lizards.
Nest Behavior
Mangrove Cuckoo nests in areas with suitable dense cover. Egg-laying and nest building are timed with local environmental cues, and both parents may help with nest construction and care for the young.
Nest Characteristics
Mangrove Cuckoo builds its nest along a branch or in a tree fork, typically 4-10 feet high, in dense or thorny vegetation, often near water. The nest, a flat platform of twigs, averages 7.9 inches wide and 2.6 inches tall, with a shallow 3.9-inch-wide depression.
Dite type
Carnivorous
General Info
Behavior
Mangrove Cuckoo are typically secretive and difficult to spot due to their preference for dense mangrove swamps and coastal habitats. They are mostly sedentary, with daily activities centering on foraging for insects and small vertebrates. Interaction with their habitat is intimate as they maneuver adeptly through mangrove thickets. A distinguishing behavior is the male's courtship display, offering food to females and engaging in unique mating rituals. Both sexes collaboratively build the nest, incubate the eggs, and share in feeding their offspring, reflecting a relatively egalitarian parental division compared to other bird species.
Distribution Area
The mangrove cuckoo is a resident of southern Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, both coasts of Mexico and Central America, and the Atlantic coast of South America as far south as the mouth of the Amazon River. The mangrove cuckoo is generally fairly common in its specialized range. This bird could be threatened by human development of mangrove habitat.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
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