Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Often on restoration workdays with Citizens for Conservation, participants share sightings of mammals, insects, reptiles, birds, plants they have seen recently. We also pause at times to study something discovered by a fellow worker as we collect seed or plant wetland plugs or pull invasive plants – perhaps an unusual butterfly or a leopard frog or a moth cocoon. My ears are always open to birdsong and I like to point out nearby vocalizations so that others can familiarize themselves with the sounds.
This summer, once workdays resumed under COVID-19 protocols, one bird species has offered such frequent accompaniment that just about everyone involved has learned to identify its sound. It can hardly be called a song, but it is rather more of a chant which ornithologist David Sibley calls guttural. The vocalization belongs to the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), a good-sized, elegantly shaped bird that populates the Barrington area only in summer and whose favorite food is caterpillars.
I’m always happy to hear or see cuckoos – they come in both yellow-billed and black-billed varieties – but can sometimes go an entire nesting season without seeing one. This year has been different. I’ve seen Yellow-billed cuckoos on bike rides, bird walks, in my yard, at CFC workdays at Flint Creek Savanna. A Conservation Corps intern asked me in June about a largish bird she’d spotted flying on the slope above Spring Creek Prairie, telling me it was brown with white underparts. While I was puzzling over the question, she spotted it again and we were both able to watch, at relatively close range, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo perched on a fallen log. Everything about that sighting was unusual: the species rarely is seen near the ground and it rarely perches in plain view, especially for more than a few seconds. Most often it disappears mysteriously into tree foliage even though you KNOW where it landed!
The intern was right. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is brown, though it has conspicuous chestnut flight feathers. It has a remarkably long tail and a graceful, gliding flight. It can be difficult to tell the two cuckoo species apart. But if the impression is rufous, it’s a Yellow-billed. Another distinction is the tail, if you get to see it: the Yellow-billed Cuckoo has large white spots on its black tail feathers. And of course its bill is mostly yellow, not black like its cousin’s.
An additional difference is the voice. I have to admit that I have a hard time remembering, from year to year, which call belongs to which cuckoo. This summer, after listening to so many Yellow-bills, I believe I’ll not again mistake its dove-like chant nor its accelerating ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-kwol-kwol for the notes of the Black-bill.
Soon the Yellow-billed Cuckoos that have nested locally will reverse their long spring migration and fly south, usually via Central America, to winter throughout the Andes-Amazon region as far south as Bolivia. They will linger in our area until late August and September. Good places to watch and listen for them include wooded forest preserves, CFC’s Flint Creek Savanna, and other little-populated, wooded sites. Listen for their hollow chants, stop when you hear them, and see if you can get a glimpse of this enigmatic, sleek, fascinating bird.
About Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson has lived in Barrington Hills since 1975, and has led bird walks in the area for many years. She re-established the Nature Lady program in the Barrington 220 school district and St. Anne’s in the late 70s, under the auspices of The Garden Club and Little Garden Club of Barrington. Wendy developed the education program for Citizens for Conservation, initiated and edited its newsletter, and has been an active volunteer with CFC for over 30 years.
Wendy Paulson
During interludes in New York City and Washington, DC, Wendy taught classes about birds in the public schools and is helping to develop a similar program in Chicago public schools with Openlands. She is chairman of The Bobolink Foundation, serves on the board or advisory committee of multiple conservation and bird-related organizations, both domestic and international, and is former chairman of IL and NY chapters of The Nature Conservancy.
Wendy and her husband Hank have two grown children and are avid hikers, cyclists, and kayakers.
CLICK HERE to explore all of the local bird profiles Wendy has authored in our Birds of Barrington series at 365Barrington.com.
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-crowned Kinglet
In a bleak year, the natural world stirs hope
Barrington Christmas Bird Count Helps Map Population Trends Globally
Annual Christmas Bird Count to Reveal New Insights on Barrington Bird Population
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Field Sparrow
New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Yellowthroat
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wilson’s Snipe
New Schedule of Spring Bird Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-breasted Merganser
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cooper’s Hawk
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Robin
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Bald Eagle
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Wood Peewee
Wendy Paulson’s Barrington Area Bird Hikes this Fall!
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Chimney Swift
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Yellow Warbler
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Goldeneye
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Of Music & Mourning Doves
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Shrike
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Tale of the Turkey Vulture
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Song of the Sedge Wren
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Dickcissel Discovery
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American White Pelican
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Woodcock
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Merganser
Barrington Area Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Tree Sparrow
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Golden-crowned Kinglet
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Blue Jay
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | American Goldfinch
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Black-billed Cuckoo
FIVE Memorial Day Weekend Deals at Ace Hardware Barrington
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Brown Thrasher
Spring Bird Spotting with Wendy Paulson
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Wood Duck
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Red-bellied Woodpecker
Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | White-throated Sparrow
365. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Horned Owl
311. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Pied-billed Grebe
266. New Schedule of Fall Bird Hikes With Wendy Paulson
265. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Common Nighthawk
235. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Cedar Waxwing
200. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Indigo Bunting
164. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Scarlet Tanager
163. Stunning Photos Captured During Annual Baker’s Lake Island Rookery Bird Count
126. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Eastern Towhee
97. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Return of the Red-winged Blackbird
61. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Upside-Down Bird
60. New Season of Spring Bird Walks & Hikes with Naturalist Wendy Paulson
43. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Downy Woodpecker Yawns at Dawn
13. The Ultimate Recycling Project Refreshes Heron Rookery with Christmas Trees
6. Recycled Christmas Trees Bound for Rookery Island
5. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Red-tailed Hawk
321. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: The Sandhill Crane
278. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
248. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Call of the Killdeer
228. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Barn Swallows Signal Autumn’s Approach
199. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington: Eastern Kingbird
153. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Baltimore Oriole
126. Wendy Paulson Highlights The Great Blue Heron, Barrington’s Official Town Bird
125. Hands of Hope’s 14th Annual Barrington Country Garden & Antique Faire
89. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Meadowlark, the Flautist of Prairies
66. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Northern Cardinal
64. Barrington Spring Bird Walks with Wendy Paulson
36. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Black-Capped Chickadee
18. Christmas Trees Transported to Refresh Nests at Baker’s Lake Rookery
337. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | ‘Tis the Season for Snowbirds
279. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Eastern Bluebird
201. Fall Bird Walks Scheduled with Wendy Paulson
186. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | The Bobolink
116. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Great Egret Spotting at Baker’s Lake
84. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | Finding the Northern Flicker
72. Wendy Paulson’s Birds of Barrington | An Eye on the Eastern Phoebe
Best unfettered view of Golf Course! Massive over-sized two car garage with extra attic storage! (A real bonus in the Carmel model). Walls have been removed to create an open flowing floor plan with updated kitchen, eating area with granite counter t
Featured
1 / 29
$519,000
3
BED
5
TOTAL BATHS
4,350
SQFT
126 Waterview Court Lake Barrington, IL 60010
Townhouse For Sale
- Active
BEAUTIFULLY remodeled Augusta unit with the best golf course location in Lake Barrington Shores, enjoy open views of the 12th fairway and water views over large pond! This home has been tastefully updated with so much to mention. Let's start in the k
Featured
1 / 22
$660,000
5
BED
4
TOTAL BATHS
3,629
SQFT
1 Burning Oak Trail Barrington Hills, IL 60010
Single Family Home For Sale
- Active
Stunning home on 2.6 acre wooded lot with private pond and creek! Gleaming hardwood flooring throughout most of first floor. Gourmet kitchen with center island and adjacent hearth room with cozy fireplace are the hub of every day living. Great room f
Featured
1 / 10
$330,000
COOK
COUNTY
113 South Cook Street Barrington, IL 60010
Commercial For Sale
- Active
Retail storefront in prime pedestrian location in downtown Barrington surrounded by Village shopping, restaurants, and steps to the Metra train station. Great opportunity to own a high visibility space, currently vacant, ready for you to move in and
