{"id":129511,"date":"2024-06-16T03:01:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T08:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=129511"},"modified":"2024-06-16T05:26:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-16T10:26:37","slug":"yellow-billed-cuckoo-aka-rain-crow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/16\/yellow-billed-cuckoo-aka-rain-crow\/","title":{"rendered":"Yellow-billed Cuckoo aka Rain Crow"},"content":{"rendered":"

In addition to getting Mississippi Kite images I liked on my last visit to Tishomingo NWR, I finally took some Yellow-billed Cuckoo photos that I enjoy too.<\/p>\n

\"Yellow-billedYellow-billed Cuckoo aka Rain Crow in Oklahoma \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/250, ISO 800, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are rather elusive; hiding in plain sight is one of their abilities. I am hearing these cuckoos frequently now at the refuges I visit and even at home from the trees that are a road south and east.<\/p>\n

These cuckoos can be especially hard to spot because they sit so still and blend in so well in their preferred habitats. I hear<\/span><\/a> them more than I see them, that is for sure.<\/p>\n

I stopped at the refuge to listen to some White-eyed Vireos calling when I noticed this Yellow-billed Cuckoo fly in and land in a nearby tree. I knew exactly where the bird was and still had a hard time finding it when I looked through my viewfinder.<\/p>\n

Once I locked onto the cuckoo, I let my camera do the work by adjusting my settings. The lighting conditions weren’t the greatest, but when it comes to these birds, I often have to do the best with the lighting conditions I have.<\/p>\n

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are also called Rain Crows and Storm Crows because of their habit of calling before storms roll in. My thanks go out to Steve Creek,<\/span><\/a> my dear friend and fellow photographer, for teaching me the colloquial name “Rain Crow” when I visited him in Arkansas last year. I’d never used that name and now I do!<\/p>\n

I used to enjoy hearing and seeing Yellow-billed Cuckoos<\/span><\/a> in my garden in Virginia. Sitting on my porch and hearing their calls was a joy. Once I believe I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. I never saw the bird so I never reported it except to a few friends.<\/p>\n

I need to make a whole new section in my bird photo galleries<\/span><\/a> to showcase these cuckoos. In time, I will.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In addition to getting Mississippi Kite images I liked on my last visit to Tishomingo NWR, I finally took some Yellow-billed Cuckoo photos that I enjoy too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,15144,13973,15021,15224],"tags":[4004,13985,13984,6577,15226,15227,15228,6583,4104,11783,15229,165,15230,4427,15225],"class_list":["post-129511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-johnston-county","category-oklahoma","category-tishomingo-national-wildlife-refuge","category-yellow-billed-cuckoos","tag-adult","tag-bottomland-hardwood-forests","tag-bottomlands","tag-branches","tag-coccyzus-americanus","tag-cuckoo","tag-cuckoos","tag-leaves","tag-perched","tag-prunus","tag-rain-crow","tag-spring","tag-storm-crow","tag-tree","tag-yellow-billed-cuckoo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/yellow-billed-cuckoo-adult-tishomingo-nwr-mia-mcpherson-4490.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-xGT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":149074,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/06\/20\/yellow-billed-cuckoo-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":129511,"position":0},"title":"Yellow-billed Cuckoo On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month I had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in my viewfinder for a few frames at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge on a sunny day in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/yellow-billed-cuckoo-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-6955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/yellow-billed-cuckoo-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-6955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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300mm Or Less","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Gray skies, freezing temps and the inversions are beginning to get to me so I thought I would share some bird images from warmer days on Fort De Soto County Park's north beach in sunny Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Atlantic Ghost Crabs"","block_context":{"text":"Atlantic Ghost Crabs","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/ghost-crabs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow-crowned Night Heron adult devouring a Ghost Crab, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/yellow-crowned-night-heron-ghost-crab-mia-mcpherson-1428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/yellow-crowned-night-heron-ghost-crab-mia-mcpherson-1428.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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It was taken taken earlier this week at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Indigo Bunting singing on a wild grapevine, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/indigo-bunting-male-sequoyah-grapevine-mia-mcpherson-3892.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/indigo-bunting-male-sequoyah-grapevine-mia-mcpherson-3892.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/indigo-bunting-male-sequoyah-grapevine-mia-mcpherson-3892.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/indigo-bunting-male-sequoyah-grapevine-mia-mcpherson-3892.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":43356,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/12\/05\/comparing-adult-ring-billed-and-california-gulls\/","url_meta":{"origin":129511,"position":4},"title":"Comparing Adult Ring-billed and California Gulls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For most of the year Ring-billed and California Gulls are some of the most common gulls here in northern Utah and for some people it might be challenging to tell them apart.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull taking an early morning stroll, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/ring-billed-gull-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7689.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128507,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/13\/common-checkered-skipper-butterfly-at-tishomingo-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":129511,"position":5},"title":"Common Checkered-Skipper Butterfly At Tishomingo NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm sharing this Common Checkered-Skipper butterfly photo I took two days ago at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge. 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