ARIZONA NEWS

Threatened bird found in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

Oct 13, 2024, 9:00 PM

Petrified Forest National Park announced the sightings of Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a threatened bird a...

Petrified Forest National Park announced the sightings of Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a threatened bird along the Puerco River within the park. (Anita Allen photo)

(Anita Allen photo)

PHOENIX — Petrified Forest National Park announced the sightings of Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a threatened bird along the Puerco River within the park. 

One individual bird was heard on July 15 and another was observed during routine bird surveys on Aug. 15, according to a news release. The bird was previously seen on July 6 and July 25 of 2023. 

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a long-distance neotropical migrant bird in the cuckoo family. It is about 12 inches and weighs two ounces.

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo populations declined by 1.6 percent per year between 1966 and 2010 and western populations of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo were listed as threatened on Nov. 3, 2014 by the Fish and Wildlife service. This includes populations in Arizona, California, Western Colorado, Idaho, Western Montana, Western New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon. 

The western, Yellow-billed Cuckoo breeds in low to moderate elevation Cottonwood forests that line the rivers and streams of the western United States. During the 1970’s, the Yellow-billed Cuckoos were known to breed along a mile of river in the Petrified Forest National Park but the last sighting was in the 1980’s.

Surveys of the riparian areas of the park will continue in future years and restoration efforts along the Puerco River will include improving habitat for the bird.

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Threatened bird found in Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona