: Breeds. mid Jun-mid Aug preferring edges and clearings of young deciduous and mixed woodlands, often in wet areas. Typically quiet and secretive. Numbers and distribution fluctuate with the abundance and distribution of tent caterpillars and fall webworms.
: , or more accurately rarely detected, but late May-early Jun and again late Aug-late Sep with to mid-Nov.
Miscellany: Breeding Black-billed Cuckoos are usually detected when singing, often at night, a repeated, hollow ‘cu-cu-cu...' Listen here
Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos are famous for their ability to eat the hairiest of caterpillars. The bristly spines of these caterpillars pierce the cuckoo's stomach lining giving it a furry coating. When the mass obstructs digestion, the entire stomach lining is sloughed off and regurgitated as a pellet.
Last Updated: May 20th, 2022