The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a slim, long-tailed, secretive bird that slips quietly through the leafy canopy of summer woodlands, often detected only by its distinctive call — a hollow, wooden, knocking "kow-kow-kow-kowlp-kowlp" that slows and drops at the end. Brown above and clean white below, it shows a yellow lower bill, a flash of rusty in the wings, and bold white spots on the underside of its long tail. It moves slowly and deliberately, sometimes sitting motionless for long stretches, which adds to its reputation for being hard to see.
This cuckoo has a special appetite for hairy caterpillars — including tent caterpillars and other outbreak species that most birds avoid — and its numbers can rise locally in years when such caterpillars are abundant. It is sometimes called the "rain crow" from an old belief that its calling foretells rain. Yellow-billed Cuckoos breed in deciduous woods, thickets, and orchards across southern and central Michigan, arriving late in spring and departing early for South America.
Specializes in caterpillars, including hairy and spiny species like tent caterpillars that most birds avoid, and its stomach lining periodically sheds to rid itself of the accumulated hairs. It also eats cicadas, katydids, other large insects, and some fruit, foraging deliberately through foliage.
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo often calls on hot, humid days, and an old folk belief held that its knocking call foretold rain, earning it the nickname "rain crow."
The Yellow-billed has a yellow lower bill, rusty flashes in the wings, and large bold white spots on the underside of the tail. The Black-billed has an all-dark bill, a red eye-ring, and small, indistinct tail spots.
Mostly caterpillars, including hairy and spiny kinds that other birds shun, along with cicadas and other large insects. Its numbers can increase locally during caterpillar or cicada outbreaks.
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