Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus
On 2 June 1990, a brown bird suddenly flew up from the grass along a row of bushes and spruce trees in Badgerow Park, and perched silently in a low branch. A birder edged cautiously toward it. “At first I think thrush, then see the long tail and glimpse a pure white breast – a cuckoo. Now, which one? For once, a partial glimpse pays off; though it sits with its back to me, it is looking back at me over its shoulder in full sun. It has a prominent red eye ring – black-billed. “And that’s all I get to see of it.” (Marcotte diary entry)Black-billed Cuckoos, like their Yellow-billed cousins, “are quite distinctive in appearance,” Eaton observed. “Their long slim forms and soft unmarked colors, as well as the gently curved beaks and long rounded tails, furnish such an individual appearance that they at once impress even the casual observer as unusual.” Their addiction to caterpillars, he added, places them among our most beneficial birds. (Eaton II: 130-131)  This is also one of our more furtive birds, preferring open woodland areas, brushy pastures, and hedgerows. Like the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, it is more common during outbreaks of gypsy moth and tent caterpillars.
Background
Although this retiring, skulking bird shares much in common with its Yellow-billed cousin, it is generally more northerly in distribution and, even where ranges overlap, it prefers more densely wooded areas and can be found more frequently within conifers, notes Janice M. Hughes in her profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. Its vocal night flights on the breeding ground, contrasting with its quiet, sluggish behavior during the day, “has lead some ornithologists to suggest that the Black-billed Cuckoo is nocturnal in summer.” Onset of breeding is apparently correlated with insect outbreaks, especially those of caterpillars and cicadas. Young birds are particularly robust. Within three hours of hatching they can raise themselves onto twigs using their feet and bills. “At six days of age they resemble porcupines, with their long, pointed feather sheaths. Just prior to (fledging) on the follow day, the sheaths burst and the chick becomes fully feathered, a process once likened to the commotion in a corn popper.” When threatened, young birds assume a “bizarre” defensive posture that resembles that of the American Bittern. Observers in the late 1800s wrote of flocks of cuckoos descending on caterpillar-laden trees, and not departing til every caterpillar was consumed. Now, cuckoos are rarely seen more than singly. Pesticides used to control caterpillar outbreaks may cause mortality in adults in addition to reducing available prey and, in turn, reducing cuckoo nesting success. Particularly severe declines are believed to have occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. (BNA 587: 1-2)
Local history
This species probably moved into New York as a result of the clearing of the forests, which left more of the edge habitat it prefers. (Andrle, p. 196)Eaton (1910) listed this as a common summer resident in Wayne County, fairly common in Monroe and also occurring in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated average counts of one to three birds, with a maximum count of five, on dates ranging from 12 May to 13 September.When Leo Tanghe examined the results of 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951 to 1954, this was reported only 59 times, actually less than Yellow-billed (75). Most of the sightings of Black-billed – 26 – were during the last half of May. Average counts were only one to two birds. (KB 5: 69: 4A-4B) In 1953 Tanghe listed this as an uncommon breeder in our area, specifically mentioning Ballantyne Road and Bergen Swamp as nesting locations. (GOS, May/August 1953)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon to fairly common summer resident. Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this regular uncommon summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 17 March to 28 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 13 to 21 May. Spring maxima: 8 on 22 May 1959 (Listman) at Island Cottage. (KB9:79)
Summer/breeding status: The first BBA project found evidence of breeding in most of the region, except eastern Wayne and parts of Livingston counties. During the second project, this species was better represented in eastern Wayne, but absent from many blocks in Monroe County where it had been reported during the first project. Ongoing loss of habitat in Rochester’s suburban areas due to development may have been a contributing factor, but observer effort and this species’ furtive behavior may also have affected results. During both projects, confirmations were few because of its secretive nesting habits.

Summer maxima: 5 all June 1978 (Lenhard et al) at Penfield. (GNR) 5 on 8 July 1959 (McNett, Sunderlin) Lake Road, Webster. (GNR) 8 on 22 July 1967 (GOS hike) west lakeshore. (GOS, October 1967)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 22 August to 15 November, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 18 September to 3 October.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus
Birders will readily identify with Eaton’s observation (1914) that “one is rarely aware” of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s presence “except by a passing shadow or the rustle of a leaf as it alights, or as a slim, soft colored shape glides noiselessly into the tangle beside one, or as it sits sedately among the foliage peering about for some luckless insect.” (Eaton II:132-133) These sluggish birds are more easily detected by their unique calls, including a series of hard, guttural “kuk-kuk” notes, ending with a series of “kyow kyow.”
Background
These birds are “furtive, retiring, and watchful by nature,” and their presence may be revealed only by their hollow, wooden call: ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp, notes Janice M. Hughes in her profile of this species for The Birds of North America series. It nests in open woodlands with clearings, overgrown orchards and low, dense scrubby vegetation across much of the U.S. Breeding is triggered by an abundant food supply; once initiated, it progresses rapidly, with only 17 days elapsing from egg-laying to fledging of young. It will lay its eggs in the nests of other Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and occasionally in nests of other species, such as American Robin, Gray Catbird and Wood Thrush. This species is declining precipitously throughout its range, especially in the west. In California, for example, numbers have declined from 15,000 pairs to about 30 pairs in less than 100 years because of loss of riparian habitat. (BNA 418: 1-2, 4, 17)
Local history
Eaton (1910) listed this as a fairly common summer resident in both Monroe and Wayne counties, and also occurring in Livingston. (Eaton I: county charts)R. E. Horsey, in his listing of birds seen at Rochester and Monroe County from 1913 to 1936, indicated single birds were the norm, with a maximum count of three, on dates ranging from 21 April to 4 October.This species is somewhat more southerly in distribution than Black-billed, and is usually less common here than its cousin. However, when Leo Tanghe analyzed the tallies from 1,665 outings by Genesee Ornithological Society members from 1951-1954, he found this species reported 75 times within a 50-mile radius of Rochester, compared to 59 times for Black-billed. Like Black-billed, average counts of only one to two birds were the norm. (KB 5: 69: 4A-4B)In 1953 Tanghe listed this as an uncommon breeder in our area, and mentioned only the Burroughs Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary as a nesting location. (GOS, May/August 1953)
Status
The Monroe County annotated list (1985) described this as a regular, uncommon summer resident.Livingston County, Fox (1998) considered this regular uncommon summer resident.
Occurrence
Spring: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of arrival dates from 21 April to 22 May, with a mid range, or “normal arrival time” of 11 to 17 May.
Summer/breeding status: “The record for late nesting this year at least . . . must go to the Yellow-billed cuckoo,” William L.G. Edson reported in 1928. “On Sept. 8, my attention was called to a nest containing three eggs, and on the 12th there were three lusty babies occupying it. The hairy caterpillars, such as fall web-worm, are very abundant as yet, so these babies should be well fed with their favorite food and should grow fast. I am wondering, however, if cold weather will not be here before they are able to start south toward their winter home…” (“Yellow-billed Cuckoo Late in Starting Housekeeping,” D&C, 17 September 1928)Evidence of breeding by these reclusive birds was found in only two-thirds as many blocks as Black-billed in our region during the first project, but this species closed that gap considerably during the second project. However, it remained equally difficult to confirm.

Summer maxima: 6 all June 1978 (Lenhard et al) at Penfield. (GNR) 6 on 4 June 1960 (GOS hike) in the Powder Mills Park area. (KB10: 102) 5 on 6 June 1973 in the yard of Mrs. Edward T. Munson of Penfield. (BA, 7 June 1973) 7 on 13 June 1976 (Linehan, M. Carlson, Perrigo) along Eular Road, Ogden. (LG, July 1976)
Fall: The Monroe County annotated list (1985) indicated a range of departure dates from 15 August to 16 November, with a mid range, or “normal departure time” of 17 September to 12 October. The record late bird was one that lingered until 16 November 1959 (Listman) at Manitou at “almost the same spot” where one had been seen 15 November the year before. (KB9:162)

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