Coccyzus americanus

On our way to lunch today I almost ran over this baby Yellow-billed Cuckoo that ran out into the road in front of my car. Thankfully I was able to stop in time but it was REALLY close. Our guess was that the bird may have fallen out of its nest during the storms that had just passed. We herded the bird off the road and into the vegetation along the side of the road where if finally sat a few feet off the ground. We snapped a couple of photos then heard an adult cuckoo calling over our heads. We took that as our cue to leave the bird with its parents so it would have a better chance of surviving. I have never seen one this young before; I thought it was interesting that it has an all black bill at this stage in life.

www.texastargetbirds.com

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