black-billed cuckoo

[blak-bild]

noun

1. a black-billed North American cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus, that, unlike most cuckoos, constructs its own nest and rears its own young.

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-billed cuckoo¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Led by Molly Adams, its founder, the group clocked over 80 species in under 10 hours, including one black-billed cuckoo and a cerulean warbler.

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The yellow-billed cuckoo and its close cousin, the black-billed cuckoo, arrive at the height of bird migration — right about now in New York City — and remain in numbers through the end of June.

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The black-billed cuckoo's voice is softer, and its cow notes run together, otherwise their "songs" are alike.

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First, however, let me relieve my conscience by putting on record the bravery of a black-billed cuckoo, whom I was obliged fairly to drive from her post of duty.

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