On a warm, sunny June morning, Bob and I set off to explore Forks of the Credit Provincial Park near Caledon, in Ontario, Canada. We were excited to see what species we might discover. As we followed the movements of an Eastern Towhee, lo and behold, we caught sight of a Black-billed Cuckoo.
The day we visited this park, numerous walkers and birdwatchers could be spotted along the trails, but the expansiveness of the area meant that we were by ourselves most of the time.
Kettle Lake, a remnant from the last ice age, sits prettily tucked at the base of a circle of gently sloping hills in the park. That topography is referred to as kettle and kame, with a kame hill being an irregular shaped hill that resulted from glacial deposits as a glacier retreated, and a kettle lake being carved by the same glacier.
It was along a section of the Bruce Trail, where it connects to the Meadow Trail, that Bob and I came across this very large bird secretively perched near the top of a tree. The first thing we noted was the bird’s snowy white breast.
From our position below the tree, we primarily had a view of the cuckoo’s underparts, so the pattern on the underside of the tail was noted, as well as the white tips of the tail feathers. Together with the red eye ring, visible in the first photograph, I believe this cuckoo is an adult since young cuckoos do not show a red eye ring.
As the breeze jostled the leaves, the cuckoo literally was bounced about by the bobbing branch upon which it sat. That is when we had a clear view of the cuckoo’s extremely long tail and pointed wings. This was a bird that we had never seen before, but I recognized it as a cuckoo because of the down-turned bill.
In our video you get to see the cuckoo hanging on tightly as the tree sways in the breeze.
Cuckoos are notorious for sitting still at length, waiting for prey, and then will hop or run to get at it. They typically eat caterpillars, grasshoppers, cicadas and katydids. One interesting fact is that the spines of spiny caterpillars often get stuck in the lining of the cuckoo’s stomach, so periodically the lining of the stomach is shed to get rid of the problem.
Black-billed Cuckoos are alternately referred to as “Rain Crows” because they are known for calling more frequently when rain is imminent. It is a wonder that the cuckoo didn’t exercise its song the day we saw it because thereafter, we had days of rain.
Considering that Black-billed Cuckoos are rather secretive, more often heard than seen, we were extremely lucky to have the opportunity to sight this slender bird with the warm-brown plumage in Forks of the Credit Provincial Park.
Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean
Only sometimes, do they engage in nest predation. Many times they will build their own nest in low shrubs or on the ground.