Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

ForestPlatform nestMedium · 102 g

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 2 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 3 — Photo: (c) Sandino Guerrero, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 4 — Photo: (c) Francisco Farriols Sarabia, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 5 — Photo: (c) Javier Hernandez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 6 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Javier Hernandez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 8 — Photo: no rights reserved · CC0

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 9 — Photo: (c) Erick Vélez Sánchez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya mexicana), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Francisco Farriols Sarabia, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

ID tip

This large and extremely long-tailed cuckoo is 45.6 cm (18.0 in) long and weighs 103–108 g (3.6–3.8 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 with white tips. The bill is yellow and the iris is red. The sexes are similar. It differs from the common squirrel cuckoo in having a rufous rather than a black feathers under the tail. The bill is shorter and the skin around the eye is usually greenish gray rather than greenish yellow.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 1 country with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Mexico

Recorded as a rare visitor in Venezuela, Colombia.

About the Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo

The Mexican squirrel cuckoo is a large species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats in western Mexico. The species was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the common squirrel cuckoo.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black-bellied CuckooPiaya melanogasterThe average length of adults is between 38 and 40.5 cm.

Common Squirrel CuckooPiaya cayanaThis 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).

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