Striped Cuckoo (Tapera naevia)
Carajás, Pará, BrazilOctober 2005
The range of the Striped Cuckoo extends from southern Mexico to northern Argentina where it is found in scrubby and open areas or in forest clearings.
It has a conspicuous crest and a long, graduated tail. It has a whitish supercilium and a dark malar stripe. Above it is greyish brown with black streaks while below it is dull white.
It is one of the few American cuckoos that is a brood parasite and it favours birds which build domed nests such as spinetails and thornbirds. Because the egg is laid in a domed nest it is assumed that the cuckoo chick does not evict the hosts eggs but it is reported to kill the host's chicks within 24 hours of hatching using its sharp bill.
There are illustrations in HBW, Volume 4, Pages 524 and 604; Ridgely & Greenfield, Plate 34; and Hilty & Brown, Plate 12.
There are some recordings on the excellent Xeno-Canto site.
