SAVING THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO

The yellow-billed cuckoo is sometimes called the "rain crow" because its song is often heard just before thunderstorms or summer showers. But this rare bird raises its voice less and less often in western North America, where it has been eradicated from most of its riparian habitat.

BACKGROUND

The cuckoo was once a common species from Lake Washington in Seattle to the San Pedro River in southern Arizona and countless places in between. Today, with the loss of gallery riparian forests to dams, livestock grazing, water withdrawal and other factors, the cuckoo is found in a mere handful of locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah.   

OUR CAMPAIGN

In 1998 the Center stepped in and petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to grant endangered species protection to the cuckoo. The petition led to a Service determination that western cuckoos should be treated as a “distinct population segment.” In 2000 the Center and allies filed a suit to force a listing decision, and the next year the Service determined the cuckoo's listing was “warranted but precluded” — meaning the bird's federal protection would be put off in favor of “higher priority” listings. 

Fortunately, in 2011 we reached a landmark agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service compelling the agency to make progress in protection decisions for 757 species, including the western yellow-billed cuckoo. Following that agreement, in 2014 the Service finally listed this beautiful bird as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

We've also advocated for critical habitat designation for this beautiful bird, and in 2021, the Service designated 298,845 acres in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.