The song of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a series of throaty clucks, repeated in rapid succession.  This vocalization often occurs just prior to a rainstorm, hence the local name "raincrow".  The "kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk" call may be the best way to detect these secretive birds as they furtively slip from one sheltered tangle of foliage to another and are seldom seen.

The breeding habitat consists of moist thickets, open woodlands, overgrown pastures and orchards across the eastern two thirds of the United States.  The bird winters in South America from Bolivia to northern Argentina.

During courtship the calling male lands next to the female mounts the shoulder and places food in her bill. 

This species is prone to population extremes, becoming very abundant every few years.  Their nests are usually a rather flimsy saucer of twigs.  Unlike other songbirds, the female begins incubation with the laying of the first egg, resulting in considerable size differences among the young.  The eggs are bluish-green in color and clutch size ranges from 2 to 4.  Eggs are incubated for 9 to 11 days and the young are able to walk about on branches within one week and can fly three weeks after hatching.  The first fledglings are attended by the male with later fledglings attended by the female.

Cuckoos are especially fond of large hairy caterpillars, many of which are listed among our most injurious insects.  Cuckoos are among the few birds that relish eating the destructive tent caterpillars.  They will also eat bird eggs, frogs lizards, berries, and fruit. 

Length 10 1/2 to 12 1/2 inches