Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

The yellow-billed cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo family. Common folk names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain or thunderstorms.

Rain crowStorm crow
Yellow-billed cuckoo eating spotted lanternflies in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Photo shared on Wikipedia by Rhododendrites.
Yellow-billed cuckoo eating spotted lanternflies in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Photo shared on Wikipedia by Rhododendrites.
📚

No guides yet

Care guides for Yellow-billed Cuckoo will appear here once they're added

Community Sightings

Recent observations from the iNaturalist community

Yellow-billed Cuckoo observed by sheridanc
Jul 18, 2026
Mustang Island, Port Aransas, TX, US
bySheridan Coffey
Research Grade
· 1 ID
Yellow-billed Cuckoo observed by johnfrisch
Jul 17, 2026
Chisholm Creek, Wichita, KS, USA
byjohnfrisch
Research Grade
· 1 ID
Yellow-billed Cuckoo observed by traceefugate
Jul 17, 2026
Calvert County, MD, USA
byTracee Fugate
Research Grade
· 1 ID
Yellow-billed Cuckoo observed by hpeterson527
Jul 17, 2026
CR-2159, Fayetteville, AR, US
byhpeterson527
Research Grade
· 2 IDs
View all 15,614 observations on iNaturalist
Back to all Wildlife Directory