Coccycua minuta
The Little Cuckoo (Coccycua minuta) is a captivating, if often elusive, resident of the Neotropical lowlands, renowned for its petite stature and distinctive plumage. Measuring approximately 25-28 cm (10-11 inches) in length and weighing a mere 30-45 grams, it is one of the smallest cuckoos in its extensive range. Its field marks are striking: dusky olive-brown upperparts contrast sharply with vibrant rufous-chestnut underparts, extending from throat to undertail coverts. A prominent black ma...
Primarily inhabits tropical and subtropical lowland forests, preferring dense secondary growth, forest edges, riverine thickets, and mangroves, typically below 1200 meters in elevation.
Feeds predominantly on large insects, particularly caterpillars (including hairy varieties often avoided by other birds), grasshoppers, crickets, mantises, and stick insects, occasionally consuming small vertebrates or berries.
This diurnal species is notoriously secretive, often found singly or in pairs, skulking deep within dense vegetation, making visual encounters rare. It forages deliberately, moving slowly through tangles and foliage, gleaning insects from leaves and branches, frequently employing an 'upside-down'...
The Little Cuckoo is a widespread resident species spanning a significant portion of the Neotropics. Its distribution extends from eastern Panama south through Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana), Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, encompassing vast areas of Brazil, Paragu...
Least Concern
- The Little Cuckoo is one of the smallest cuckoos in the New World, measuring only about 25-28 cm (10-11 inches) in length. - Unlike many Old World cuckoos, the Little Cuckoo is not a brood parasite; it builds its own nest and raises its own young. - Its distinctive rufous-chestnut underparts ar...