Coccycua Explained

Coccycua is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Its three species are found in the tropical Americas.

Formerly, they were divided among in Coccyzus (two species) and Piaya (one species), or the former were assigned to Micrococcyx and only the latter to Coccycua. Following the discovery that they form a monophyletic lineage equidistant to both related genera, Coccycua has been revalidated.

Species

The species are:

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
Coccycua minuta Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, Amazon Basin, Guianas and western Cerrado
Coccycua pumila Colombia and Venezuela
Coccycua cinerea northern and central Argentina to Uruguay and São Paulo (state) ; winters north towards Amazonas

Synonyms

The genus name Coccycua has often been believed to be a misspelling, and various emendations have been proposed. However, the name as originally written is valid. The junior synonyms are: