yellow-billed cuckoo

American  

[yel-oh-bild] / ˈyɛl oʊˌbɪld /

noun

1. a North American cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus, that has a yellow bill and, unlike many cuckoos, constructs its own nest and rears its own young.

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Etymology

Origin of yellow-billed cuckoo

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

Like a snapping turtle or a yellow-billed cuckoo, we humans, Homo constructus, would perish on the roads we built.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

Environmentalists said the work in the Coronado National Forest imperiled endangered or threatened species like the western yellow-billed cuckoo and the Mexican spotted owl.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2023

Keep your head on a swivel for a flash of color, and you just might see a yellow-billed cuckoo, green heron or red-headed woodpecker.

From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2022

It would also lower the water table and potentially hurt a nearby population of endangered Arizona hedgehog cactus and other species, including the yellow-billed cuckoo and the endangered gila chub, a small, colorful fish.

From National Geographic • Jan. 15, 2021

They’re all friendly enough, but it’s the yellow-billed cuckoo that gets my attention.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon