Great Lizard-Cuckoo
Saurothera merlini
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)
- GenusSaurothera
- SpeciesSaurothera merlini (Great Lizard-Cuckoo)
About the Great Lizard-Cuckoo
The great lizard cuckoo (Coccyzus merlini) is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is found in the Bahamas and Cuba. The great lizard cuckoo and three other lizard cuckoos were for a time considered a single species. Individually they were previously placed in genus Saurothera that was later merged into the current Coccyzus, and they are considered a superspecies. The North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and the Clements taxonomy assign it these four subspecies:
C. m. bahamensis (Bryant, H., 1864) C. m. santamariae (Garrido, 1971) C. m. merlini (D'Orbigny, 1839) C. m. decolor (Bangs & Zappey, 1905) During part of the 19th century C. m. bahamensis was treated as a separate species, the Bahama lizard cuckoo, and the other three subspecies were collectively known as the Cuban lizard cuckoo. BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World has reverted to that two-species treatment.
The great lizard cuckoo is the largest species in genus Coccyzus. It is 42 to 54 cm (17 to 21 in... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Great Lizard-Cuckoo in Ciénaga de Zapata
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Ciénaga de Zapata
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Great Lizard-Cuckoo in Ciénaga de Zapata?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Great Lizard-Cuckoo sighting in Ciénaga de Zapata, based on 980 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Great Lizard-Cuckoo in Ciénaga de Zapata?
July has the highest sighting rate for Great Lizard-Cuckoo in Ciénaga de Zapata in our monthly data.