| Striped cuckoo | |
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Tapera Thunberg, 1819 |
| Species: | T. naevia |
| Binomial name | |
| Tapera naevia (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
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| Synonyms | |
Cuculus naeviusLinnaeus, 1766 | |
Thestriped cuckoo (Tapera naevia) is anear-passerine bird, the only member of the genusTapera. This residentcuckoo is found fromMexico andTrinidad south toBolivia andArgentina andColombia.
The striped cuckoo is found in open country with trees or shrubs, and the edges ofmangrove forests. It is among the very fewbrood parasitic cuckoos of theAmericas (only other areDromococcyx), and typical hosts arespinetails, but often alsowrens, and other species with domed nests. The female cuckoo lays one, sometimes two, white or bluish eggs in the host's large stick nest. The eggs hatch in 15 days, with a further 18 days until the cuckoo fledges. The young spinetails disappear.
This species is about 27 cm (11 in) long and weighs 40 g (1.4 oz). The adult is mainly grey-brown above, streaked with black and buff. It has a pale supercilium and a chestnut and black crest which is raised as part of its display. The underparts are off-white and the tail is long and graduated. Immature birds are spotted with buff and are more rufous on the back and wings.
The striped cuckoo eats largeinsects (primarilygrasshoppers andcaterpillars),[2][3] often taken off the ground. This is a solitary and fairly shy species which tends to keep to the cover of bushes, although it will sing from more open perches. It has a whistled call usually of two or three notes,wu-weee orwu-wu-wee, and can be attracted by imitations of this.
This bird is very important in Brazilian folklore, being related to the legend of thesaci, or matita-perê. Other than saci, the bird is also known as matinta-pereira, pitica (Pará), crispim, fenfém, martim-pererê, matimpererê, matintapereira, matintaperera, matitaperê, peitica, peito-ferido, roceiro-planta, seco-fico, sede-sede, saci-do-campo, sem-fim, fém-fém, tempo-quente, bulhões, bolinhas, feijão, feijoada, jotalhão, gansolino, peixe-frito (Bahia), e peixe-frito-seu-veríssimo.[4][5]
Matita-pereira is famously mentioned inTom Jobim's songÁguas de março.
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