Striped Cuckoo
Encyclopedia
The Striped Cuckoo is a near-passerine bird, the only member of the genus Tapera. This resident cuckoo
is found from Mexico
and Trinidad
south to Bolivia
and Argentina
.
The Striped Cuckoo is found in open country with trees or shrubs, and the edges of mangrove
forests. It is among the very few brood parasitic cuckoos of the Americas
(only other are Dromococcyx
), and typical hosts are spinetails
, but often also wren
s, and other species with domed nests. The female cuckoo lays one, sometimes two, white or bluish eggs in the host’s large stick nest. The eggs hatch in 15 days, with a further 18 days until the cuckoo fledges. The young spinetails disappear.
This species is about 27 centimetres (10.6 in) long and weighs 40 grams (1.4 oz). The adult is mainly grey-brown above, streaked with black and buff. It has a pale supercilium and a chestnut and black crest which is raised as part of its display. The underparts are off-white, and the tail is long and graduated. Immature birds are spotted with buff and are more rufous on the back and wings.
The Striped Cuckoo eats large insect
s, often taken off the ground. This is a solitary and fairly shy species which tends to keep to the cover of bushes, although it will sing from more open perches. It has a whistled call usually of two or three notes, wu-weee or wu-wu-wee, and can be attracted by imitations of this.
, or matita-perê. Other than the name saci, the bird is also known as matinta-pereira, pitica (Pará
), crispim, fenfém, martim-pererê, matimpererê, matintapereira, matintaperera, matitaperê, peitica, peito-ferido, roceiro-planta, seco-fico, sede-sede, saci-do-campo, sem-fim, fém-fém, tempo-quente, peixe-frito (Bahia
), e peixe-frito-seu-veríssimo. http://www.eln.gov.br/Pass500/BIRDS/2birds/p129.htm http://www.sosaci.org/aparicoes59.htm
Matita-pereira is famously mentioned in Tom Jobim's song Águas de Março.
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
is found from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
south to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
The Striped Cuckoo is found in open country with trees or shrubs, and the edges of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forests. It is among the very few brood parasitic cuckoos of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
(only other are Dromococcyx
Dromococcyx
Dromococcyx is a genus of uncommon to rare cuckoos found in forests and woodlands of the Neotropics. They have strikingly graduated tails, and are among the few cuckoos of the Americas that are brood parasites ....
), and typical hosts are spinetails
Ovenbird (family)
Ovenbirds or furnariids are a large family of small suboscine passerine birds found in Mexico, and Central and South America. They form the family Furnariidae...
, but often also wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
s, and other species with domed nests. The female cuckoo lays one, sometimes two, white or bluish eggs in the host’s large stick nest. The eggs hatch in 15 days, with a further 18 days until the cuckoo fledges. The young spinetails disappear.
This species is about 27 centimetres (10.6 in) long and weighs 40 grams (1.4 oz). The adult is mainly grey-brown above, streaked with black and buff. It has a pale supercilium and a chestnut and black crest which is raised as part of its display. The underparts are off-white, and the tail is long and graduated. Immature birds are spotted with buff and are more rufous on the back and wings.
The Striped Cuckoo eats large insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, often taken off the ground. This is a solitary and fairly shy species which tends to keep to the cover of bushes, although it will sing from more open perches. It has a whistled call usually of two or three notes, wu-weee or wu-wu-wee, and can be attracted by imitations of this.
Brazilian folklore
This bird is very important in Brazilian folklore, being related to the legend of the saciSaci (Brazilian folklore)
The Saci is considered the most popular character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes...
, or matita-perê. Other than the name saci, the bird is also known as matinta-pereira, pitica (Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
), crispim, fenfém, martim-pererê, matimpererê, matintapereira, matintaperera, matitaperê, peitica, peito-ferido, roceiro-planta, seco-fico, sede-sede, saci-do-campo, sem-fim, fém-fém, tempo-quente, peixe-frito (Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
), e peixe-frito-seu-veríssimo. http://www.eln.gov.br/Pass500/BIRDS/2birds/p129.htm http://www.sosaci.org/aparicoes59.htm
Matita-pereira is famously mentioned in Tom Jobim's song Águas de Março.
External links
- "American Striped Cuckoo" videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
) with RangeMap - Striped Cuckoo photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
- Photo; Article guyana.org–"Birds of Guyana"
