An arboreal cuckoo of elegant appearance and considerable size. The back, wings and neck are an intense reddish-chestnut. The belly is bluish-gray. The tail is very long, with an alternation of chestnut and white feathers at the tips that is very striking in flight. The eyes are bright red with a red peri-ocular ring. The bill is yellow-green. It measures 40 to 48 cm. The way it moves through the branches, with agile, almost mammalian movements, earned it the nickname "squirrel of the trees."
Behaviour
Solitary and discreet. It inhabits the interior and edges of the gallery forest. It moves nimbly through the mid and upper branches of the canopy in search of hairy caterpillars and other large insects. A specialty: it can eat toxic hairy caterpillars that other birds avoid. It also eats small lizards, frogs and small snakes.
How and when to see it
Year round in the portals with well-preserved gallery forest. Detected by its explosive calls and whistles in the canopy.
Where to see it in the Iberá
The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where squirrel cuckoo has confirmed presence:
Tours to see it
Verified providers operating at the gateways where squirrel cuckoo lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.
- Esteros Ñe’é
Experiences with local storytelling and a cultural take on the marshes.★ 5.0 - Gaucho Argentino
Horseback journeys across a network of refuges in Iberá. Multi-day rides with overnight…★ 5.0 - Jurassic Plant - Night Tour
The only carnivorous-plant garden in Argentina and a pioneer in Latin America. A guided…★ 5.0 - Irupé Excursiones
Guided hiking. Guided visit to museums, historic sites, chapels and trails of the town…★ 5.0
Species profile
- Common nameSquirrel Cuckoo
- Scientific namePiaya cayana
- GroupBird
- StatusNative
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