Guira Cuckoo
Scientific Name
Class
Order
Range
Habitat
Estimated Wild Population
More Information
Physical Description
Guira cuckoos have dark brown, white-striped wings; a long white-tipped tail; and spiky crest feathers. They bear some resemblance to the iconic roadrunner, another member of the cuckoo family. Highly social, these bird are often seen in flocks of six to 20 individuals. They prey on frogs, eggs, insects, and even small mammals, including chicks of other bird species.
Interesting Fact 1
Guira cuckoos breed communally, with several females from a flock laying up to 20 eggs in a single nest.
Interesting Fact 2
Due to aggressive competition between parents within the same nest, only one-fourth of eggs survive to fledging.
Interesting Fact 3
During courtship dances, these birds spread and raise their crest and tail to display their patterned plumage.
Commitment to Care
Lincoln Park Zoo prioritizes individual well-being over everything else. Guided by scientific research, staff and volunteers work to provide the best welfare outcomes for each individual in the zoo’s care.
Support Your Zoo
Animals Depend On People Too
When you ADOPT an animal, you support world-class animal care by helping to provide specially formulated diets, new habitat elements, and regular veterinary checkups.
Wish List
The Wish List is full of one-of-a-kind items for the zoo’s animals, including nutritious snacks and enrichment items to keep them active and healthy.
Take Action With Us
Wildlife face many daunting challenges—some global, like planet-wide climate change, and some that affect individuals, like an animal ingesting plastic—but now is not the time to despair. None of these problems are too big for us to come together and solve.
