They have whitish eyebrows and streaky brown bellies, a little like their neighbors, Bewick's wrens Thryomanes bewickii. Coccyzus americanus These are common birds throughout the south, and even fairly common where I grew up in New england. The other cuckoo I met at Santa Ana was the groove-billed ani Crotophaga sulcirostris, a social and sociable tropical chap. American cuckoos, including the roadrunner, are non-parasitic. The European common cuckoo lays its eggs in other birds nests, but American cuckoos have their own nests.
Anis have communal nests, and adolescents help their parents raise the babies.
In the Americas, the main nest parasites are cowbirds, including the bronzed cowbird Molothrus aeneus, common in south Texas. It's important to mention that some of the good food of Mexico has rubbed off on Texas. I like these peppers, though they are admittedly pretty powerful, and I finished a jar of them during my short trip to the lower Rio Grande valley. The carrot sticks are spicy, too. Back to Sloo's home page .