Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusPiaya (Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos)
- SpeciesPiaya cayana (Squirrel Cuckoo)
About the Squirrel Cuckoo
The common squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. The species was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Mexican squirrel cuckoo (Piaya mexicana).
In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the common squirrel cuckoo in the fourth volume of his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. He used the French name Le coucou de Cayenne and the Latin name Cuculus cayanensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson in his Ornithologie. One of these was the common squirrel cuckoo. Linnaeus included a terse description, coined the binomial name Cuculus cayanus and cited Brisson's work. The common squirrel cuckoo is now placed with the Mexican squirrel cuckoo and the black-bellied cuckoo... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Squirrel Cuckoo in Amboró National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Squirrel Cuckoo in Amboró National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Squirrel Cuckoo sighting in Amboró National Park, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Squirrel Cuckoo in Amboró National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Squirrel Cuckoo in Amboró National Park in our monthly data.