Cocos Cuckoo

About the Cocos Cuckoo

The Cocos cuckoo (Coccyzus ferrugineus) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Cocos Island, an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of Costa Rica.

The Cocos cuckoo was at one time treated as a subspecies of the mangrove cuckoo (C. minor), and the two are now considered sister species. The pearly-breasted cuckoo (C. euleri) and yellow-billed cuckoo (C. americanus) are also closely related to those two. The Cocos cuckoo is monotypic.

The Cocos cuckoo's generic name coccyzus is from the Ancient Greek kokkuzo, meaning a common cuckoo's cry. The specific epithet ferrugineus is derived from Latin and means "rusty", referring to the color of its upperparts.

The Cocos cuckoo is 32 to 33 cm (13 to 13 in) long, about half of which is the tail, and weighs about 70 g (2.5 oz). Their bill is stout and somewhat decurved. Its maxilla is black and its mandible yellow to yellow-orange with a black tip. Males and females have the same plumage. Adults' forehead and crown are slate gray and their upperparts grayish brown. Their wings are rufous. The upper surface... Wikipedia →