Order: Cuculiformes - Familiy: Cuculidae Status: Summer visitor - Breeding. Habitat: Woods

All records since January 2014

Sounds
© Diego Caiafa

Adult
© Jorge García Vicente Cinnamon underparts © Cristian Bannier Brown upperparts © Cristian Bannier Ash-gray crown. Black mask © Carlos González Ledo White-tipped rectrices

Juvenile
1 1 13 © Eduardo Haene	1 1 13 © Eduardo Haene
© J. Simón Tagtachian
23 1 16 © Silvia González

Diet
11 2004 © Alberto Gurni Eating a caterpillar

Amelia and Pablo tell us that they were watching this Dark-billed Cuckoo feed for a long time. It moved about the tree, jumping from one branch to the other in search for the spittle masses, caught the bug and ate it. Last November I wrote on the biology of the spittlebug (See South American tipu tree). In this opportunity the spittlebug is a link in the food chain, being predated on by this cuckoo. What surprises me most is how malleable the spittle is that it kneads into a spaghetti-like string and keeps sticky without breaking. Photos © Amelia Besana

More photographic records since January 2013

Previous records
25 11 12 © Pablo Mosto	23 10 12 © Pablo Serur
1 1 12 © J. Simón Tagtachian	5 11 11 © Pablo Serur
6 1 11 © Claudia Furman	14 11 09 © Amelia Besana
12 2006 © Jorge García Vicente	11 2006 © Jorge García Vicente
11 2006 © Marcelo Rodríguez	11 2006 © Hugo Hulsberg
11 2005 © Silvia Vitale	5 3 05 © Roberto Ares
11 2004 © Alberto Gurni	1 2003 © Roberto Güller