Black-billed Cuckoo

Yesterday, as I washed the lunch dishes I watched a Northern “Baltimore” Oriole fly into a wooded ravine across the hollow behind my home. This evening, with the intention of trying to relocate the Oriole, I walked into the area, set up my folding chair and sat a spell. I was fortunate in that I was able to observe the female Oriole busily engaged in nest building while the male stood guard; but that is a story for another post.

As I was returning home a jay sized bird flitted through the underbrush and landed where I was able to capture this image. I couldn’t identify the bird so upon loading the images on the computer I referred to Audubon’s field guide.

I learned that this bird, the Black-billed Cuckoo is quite reclusive, spending most of it time in the thick underbrush and is rarely seen. The favored food of the Black-billed Cuckoo is hairy caterpillars with the gypsy moth listed along with tent caterpillars. The gypsy moth outbreak underway this year will keep these birds well fed over the coming weeks.