Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo

Piaya mexicana (Swainson, 1827)

Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya mexicana, breeds in western Mexico and lives in wooded and semi-open country there. It is a cuckoo of Middle America, usually found below 1,200 m but recorded up to 2,300 m. The bird is notable for its habit of moving along branches and making short glides rather than long flights. It has long tail feathers, and the adult shows chestnut upperparts, a paler throat, grey lower breast and a blackish belly. The bill is yellow and the iris is red.

Order

Cuculiformes

Family

Cuculidae — Cuckoos

Breeding range

Middle America: w Mexico