Black-bellied Cuckoo vs Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Black-bellied Cuckoo

Piaya melanogaster

Medium103 gForest

The average length of adults is between 38 and 40.5 cm. The beak is of an intense purple/red color, the iris is dark red with a blue orbital skin and one yellow mole at the anterior side of each eye. The head is grey and contrasts with the ruffled back. The throat and chest are brown-reddish, cinnamon color and the belly and undertail coverts are black. The tail is black with conspicuous white stripes. The juveniles resemble adults. P. melanogaster occurs within the range of the similar squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana). Black-bellied cuckoos are distinguished by a dark face and grey crown. Voice: Their characteristic song is "dyerií-dyu, dyerií-dyu, dyerií-dyu…" sometimes repeated for a few minutes. It is often difficult to trace their position as they typically remain motionless in the forest when singing. They also produce faint grunts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tom Field · CC BY 4.0

Common Squirrel Cuckoo

Piaya cayana

Medium102 gForest

This large and extremely long-tailed cuckoo is 40.5–50 cm (15.9–19.7 in) long and weighs 95–120 g (3.4–4.2 oz). The adult has mainly chestnut upperparts and head, becoming paler on the throat. The lower breast is grey and the belly is blackish. The central tail feathers are rufous, but the outer are black with white tips. The bill is yellow and the iris is red. Immature birds have a grey bill and eyering, brown iris, and less white in the tail. It resembles the little cuckoo, but that species is smaller and has a darker throat. There are a number of subspecies with minor plumage variations.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-bellied Cuckoo and Common Squirrel Cuckoo.