: mid Jun-late Jul. Breeding not confirmed but we are in the breeding range of the species albeit at the extreme northeast end.
: Wonderland Trail Apr 14, 2024. mid May-mid Nov with records in each month. On several occasions since 1950, and always tied in with powerful autumn tropical storms, large numbers of Yellow-billed Cuckoos were blown north and deposited in eastern Maine and the Maritimes. Oct 8, 1954, Oct 10, 1987, and Oct 10, 2020 were three such occasions with cuckoos reported widely for days after, with many struck by cars.
Miscellany: We've rejected many summer records lacking a photo, sound recording, or an accurate description of the bird and/or call. Some of the latter can be quite similar to some vocalizations from Black-billed Cuckoo.
Yellow-billed Cuckoos are well-known for eating caterpillars. One was watched eating almost 50 tent caterpillars in five minutes. Young cuckoos are thought to spend less time in the nest than any other bird, nine days as an egg and eight more after hatching before nest departure..
Last Updated: April 15th, 2024