IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES:

Black-billed Cuckoo

HOW MANY:

One

REPORTER:

Bob Davis
173 Stone Run Ln
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
208-525-9452

REPORTER EMAIL:

rhdavis@srv.net

OTHER OBSERVERS:

It was seen by Marty Collar, Darren Clark, Dave Trochlell, RL Rowland, the Dave and Elise Faike and a few others.

DATE REPORT PREPARED:

June 26, 2007

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:

May 26, 2001

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:

Camas, NWR, near Hamer, Idaho

HABITAT:

Streamside

CONDITIONS:

A few minutes. Swift 8x42 ultralight binocular. Weather was good, clear, warm. Distance to bird was about 30 when first seen in shadow, and about 50 feet when later seen perched and flying in good light.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:

Yes, later the same day

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?:

Yes, during the observation

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

National Geographic Society Field Guide

DESCRIPTION:

This is a copy of the notes I took shortly after the sighting: "Several people were there looking for the good warblers recently seen. Marty had set up a water dripper in the dry creek bed. I was sitting on the bank hoping the ovenbird would show up. As people were getting ready to go look elsewhere, I saw something in the brush across the creek. I put my bins up to my eyes and saw a bird we hadn't been seeing all day; clearly something different. A look of about 3 seconds told me it was a cuckoo. I called to the others to look. Marty and Dave Trochlell saw it before it flew away, but none could say for certain if it was black-billed or yellow-billed. I did not see any yellow in the bill, but it was in shadow, so I declined to make the call. Dave Faike walked along the road to try to flush it. Finally Marty got his CD player and played both calls. After a few minutes, it flew back into view as it crossed the creek, but we still couldn't tell. Played the songs a few more times and at last it came into view and landed on the big cottonwood next to the HQ building. We all got a good look at it. Red eye ring, no rufous on the wing, and no yellow on the lower mandibill."

BEHAVIOR:

No interaction with other birds. Perched in foliage when first seen, then flew into undergrowth. Later flushed and perched high in a nearby tree.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

I knew immediately it was a cuckoo, from the overall size, shape of bill, long tail. The clincher was the combination of red eye ring, no rufous on the wing, and no yellow on the lower mandibill.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?

No yellow in the bill or the eyering, no rufous in the wings. This eliminates both Yellow-billed and Mangrove.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES):

I'd never seen one before, but their shape among NA birds is pretty distinctive

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:

Birding about 12 years. I'd rate myself an advanced intermediate.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?:

None