Mainly insectivorous, the cuckoo predominantly preys on hairy caterpillars and cicadas. Their diet also includes bird eggs, snails, small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards, berries and some fruit. The young mainly eat regurgitated insects from parents. These cuckoos are monogamous in their breeding patterns. Pair bond behavior includes the offering of sticks and other nest materials by the male to the female.
Courtship feeding is also common.
The calling male will mount the perched female's shoulder and place food in her mouth. The male then copulates with the female. The nest is made of twigs, lined with roots and dried leaves, and rimmed with pine needles. It is incomplete at the onset of laying. Expected clutch size is four, but can range between one and eight, depending on certain biotic and abiotic factors, such as food availability and temperature.