Guira Cuckoo

The Guira Cuckoo is a New World cuckoo. It measures around 40 cm, with almost half of it being the tail. It weighs between 120-160 grams. There is no sexual dimorphism. The first thing that strikes is the crested head and the long tail. The crown has red tuft feathers that can become erect and form a crest when the bird is agitated. The eye, which ranges from white to orange, is set in a yellow face. The beak is strong, yellow at the base and orange at the end. The upper parts are blackish-brown finely striped with white. When the bird opens its wings or flies away, a large white area is revealed that extends from the back to the tail, invisible when the wings are closed. The lower parts are whitish-brown finely striped with brown at the throat, sides of the neck and chest. The tail, as long as the body, is black and white. It has three bands on the underside, a brown one on the top, a black one in the middle and a white one at the end. The legs are gray. The young have a dark grey beak and a black eye.