Piaya
Encyclopedia
Piaya is a small genus
of relatively large and long-tailed cuckoo
s, which occur in Mexico
, Central America
and South America
. The two species in taxonomic order are:
The Little Cuckoo
has been found to be closer to some species traditionally placed in Coccyzus
or Micrococcyx. These are now again separated in Coccycua
.
s are birds with relatively slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Black-bellied Cuckoo is essentially restricted to rainforest, but the more widespread Squirrel Cuckoo also occurs in other forest types, woodlands or mangrove
s.
Piaya cuckoos, unlike many Old World
species, are not brood parasite
s; they build their own nests in trees and lay two eggs. Parasitic cuckoos lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine
hosts, but the non-parasitic Piaya species, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs.
These are vocal species with persistent and loud calls. They feed on large insect
s such as cicada
s, wasp
s and caterpillar
s (including those with stinging hairs or spines which are distasteful to many birds). Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos are large and powerful species, and occasionally take vertebrate
prey such as small lizard
s.
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 relatively large and long-tailed 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...
s, which occur in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The two species in taxonomic order are:
- Squirrel CuckooSquirrel CuckooThe Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana, is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad.-Description:...
, Piaya cayana - Black-bellied CuckooBlack-bellied CuckooThe Black-bellied Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is found in the Amazon Rainforest and the Guianas. It is generally uncommon, but locally fairly common...
, Piaya melanogaster
The 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...
has been found to be closer to some species traditionally placed in Coccyzus
Coccyzus
Coccyzus is a genus of cuckoos which occur in the Americas.-Species and taxonomy:The species in taxonomic order are:* Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus* Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus...
or Micrococcyx. These are now again separated in Coccycua
Coccycua
Coccycua is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Its three species are found in the tropical Americas.Formerly, they were divided among in Coccyza and Piaya , or the former were assigned to Micrococcyx and only the latter to Coccycua...
.
Description and ecology
These birdBird
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 are birds with relatively slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Black-bellied Cuckoo is essentially restricted to rainforest, but the more widespread Squirrel Cuckoo also occurs in other forest types, woodlands or mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s.
Piaya cuckoos, unlike many Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
species, are not brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
s; they build their own nests in trees and lay two eggs. Parasitic cuckoos lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
hosts, but the non-parasitic Piaya species, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs.
These are vocal species with persistent and loud calls. They feed on large insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s such as cicada
Cicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
s, wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
s and caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s (including those with stinging hairs or spines which are distasteful to many birds). Squirrel and Black-bellied Cuckoos are large and powerful species, and occasionally take vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
prey such as small lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s.