Coccyzus ferrugineus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Cocos cuckoo (Coccyzus ferrugineus) is a Vulnerable species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Cocos Island, an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of Costa Rica.
The Cocos cuckoo was at one time treated as a subspecies of the mangrove cuckoo (C. minor), and the two are now considered sister species. The pearly-breasted cuckoo (C. euleri) and yellow-billed cuckoo (C. americanus) are also closely related to those two. The Cocos cuckoo is monotypic.
The Cocos cuckoo's generic name coccyzus is from the Ancient Greek kokkuzo, meaning a common cuckoo's cry. The specific epithet ferrugineus is derived from Latin and means "rusty", referring to the color of its upperparts.
The Cocos cuckoo is 32 to 33 cm (13 to 13 in) long, about half of which is the tail, and weighs about 70 g (2.5 oz). Their bill is stout and somewhat decurved. Its maxilla is black and its mandible yellow to yellow-orange with a black tip. Males and females have the same plumage. Adults' forehead and crown are slate gray and their upperparts grayish brown. Their wings are rufous. The upper surface... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isla del Coco National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
More parks will be added in future updates.
No species of the same family or order lives in Isla del Coco National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cocos Cuckoo sighting in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, based on 130 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 69 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and June
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Cocos Cuckoo in Isla del Coco National Park on a given day, against about 30% in September–October and December, the lowest months. May and July–August have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cocos Cuckoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Isla del Coco National Park, in our data
Isla del Coco National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Cocos Cuckoo sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cocos Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Isla del Coco National Park (130 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
