I picked this week’s bird, the Guira cuckoo, because I assumed it was a brood parasite like the cuckoo last week.  It is not.  Brood parasitism is apparently a characteristic more typical of Old World cuckoos.  The guira cuckoo lives in about half of South America, in parts of Brazil and Argentina, as well as Uraguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.  It lives in open grasslands and wetlands, and has gained significant range due to deforestation.  It has adapted well to living alongside humans, being found in suburban parks and gardens within its range.   The guira cuckoo lives in trees but is a poor flyer, and often will glide or hop between perches.  

“The guira cuckoo is an opportunistic predator, gathering small prey items on the ground or searching for them among branches. It feeds on worms, insects and other arthropods, tadpoles and frogs, eggs, small birds (especially nestlings) and small mammals such as mice.^[14] It also has been observed feeding on lizards.^[15]”  My two favorite facts for the week are that the guira cuckoo is related to the roadrunner, and that like the Crotophaga, the other member of its subfamily, it has a strong smell. Be kind to each other, friends. Its a tough world out there and we all need some grace.

Links: http://tinyurl.com/5n6ktcsu, http://tinyurl.com/46yrvcf2, http://tinyurl.com/2s3thv53, http://tinyurl.com/2s36hye9