Bird Album
Common Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana (Linnaeus, 1766)
102 gWeight
The common squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad.
Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil
Where and when it's recorded
Common Squirrel Cuckoo has been recorded at 927 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 21 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Estación Biológica La Selva-OTSCosta Rica7,083 records
- Black Rock LodgeBelize3,444 records
- Curi-Cancha Refugio de Vida SilvestreCosta Rica2,661 records
More places
- Parque Ecológico El HayaMexico2,480 records
- Rancho NaturalistaCosta Rica2,359 records
- PN Carara-Entrada principal [senderos Quebrada Bonita y Universal]Costa Rica2,312 records
- Parque Natural MetropolitanoPanama2,287 records
- WildSumaco LodgeEcuador2,206 records
- Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto)Panama1,992 records
- Refugio mixto Caño NegroCosta Rica1,990 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The common squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. The species was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Mexican squirrel cuckoo (Piaya mexicana).
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo weighs around 102 g.
Where does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: widespread. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil.
When is the best time to see the Common Squirrel Cuckoo?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Squirrel Cuckoo as Least Concern.
What does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo in?
It belongs to the family Cuckoos (Cuculidae), order Cuculiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 102 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 146 mm
- Tail
- 279 mm
- Bill
- 32 mm
- Tarsus
- 35 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuckoos Cuculidae
- Genus
- Piaya
Other birds in the genus Piaya
Black-bellied CuckooPiaya melanogaster
Guira CuckooGuira guira
Greater AniCrotophaga major
Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
Striped CuckooTapera naevia
Pheasant CuckooDromococcyx phasianellus
Pavonine CuckooDromococcyx pavoninus
Lesser Ground CuckooMorococcyx erythropygus
Greater RoadrunnerGeococcyx californianus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Roberto González. ↗
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