Photo: Alejandro Bayer Tamayo from Armenia, Colombia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Common Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) — Cuckoos & Turacos of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 14 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a member of the Cuculidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 102 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Cuculiformes
- Family Cuculidae Cuckoos
- Genus Piaya
- Species cayana
Quick facts
- Weight
- 102 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a species of bird in the Cuculidae family, part of the order Cuculiformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 102 g, with a wing length of about 14.6 cm and a tail of around 27.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 13.4 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 102 g.
Where does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo live?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA widespread, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo belong to?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) belongs to the Cuculidae family, in the order Cuculiformes.
What does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo eat?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo migrate?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Common Squirrel Cuckoo make?
1 real field recording of the Common Squirrel Cuckoo — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Common Squirrel Cuckoo's range?
The Common Squirrel Cuckoo has a mapped global range of about 13.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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