Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cuckoos

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

LCLeast Concern
Family
Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Order
Cuculiformes

Overview

The yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a member of the cuckoo family. Common folk names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain showers or thunderstorms. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek kokkuzo, which means to call like a common cuckoo, and americanus means "of America".

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Breeds Canada to Mexico and West Indies; winters to northern Argentina.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.