Coccycua is a small genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

  of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s in the cuckoo

Cuckoo

The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...

 family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Cuculidae. Its three species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are found in the tropical Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

.

Formerly, they were divided among in Coccyza (two species) and Piaya

Piaya

Piaya is a small genus of relatively large and long-tailed cuckoos, which occur in Mexico, Central America and South America. The two species in taxonomic order are:* Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana* Black-bellied Cuckoo, Piaya melanogaster...

(one species), or the former were assigned to Micrococcyx and only the latter to Coccycua. Following the discovery that they form a monophyletic lineage equidistant to both related genera, Coccycua has been revalidated.

Species

The species are:

• Little Cuckoo
  Little Cuckoo
  The Little Cuckoo is a species of bird in the cuckoo family from South America and Panama. It was formerly placed in the genus Piaya but a monotypic genus Coccycua was once erected for it...
  
  , Coccycua minuta
• Dwarf Cuckoo
  Dwarf Cuckoo
  The Dwarf Cuckoo is a tropical American bird species of the cuckoo family .It was formerly placed in the genus Coccyzus or Micrococcyx. Following the discovery that it belongs to a distinct lineage around the Little Cuckoo, the genus Coccycua has been reinstated for these.It is found in Brazil,...
  
  , Coccycua pumila
• Ash-colored Cuckoo, Coccycua cinerea

Synonyms

The genus name Coccycua has often been believed to be a mis-spelling, and various emendations have been proposed. However, the name as originally written is valid. The junior synonyms are:

• Coccicua Lesson, 1837 (unjustified emendation)
• Coccygua Fitzinger, 1856 (unjustified emendation)
• Coccyzaea Hartlaub, 1842 (unjustified emendation)
• Coccyzusa Cabanis & Heine, [1863] (unjustified emendation)
• Micrococcyx Ridgway, 1912