About Guira guira (Gmelin, 1788)
Guira cuckoo, with the scientific name Guira guira (Gmelin, 1788), has a total length of approximately 34 cm (13 in) and weighs around 140 g (4.9 oz). Males and females are very similar in appearance, with only the female being slightly larger than the male. Juveniles look quite similar to adult guira cuckoos. This species has dark brown upperparts streaked with white, and whitish-buff coloring on its throat, breast, underparts, and rump. Its tail is relatively long and broad, colored dark brown with a white tip, and its legs are dark gray. The eyes and beak range from yellow to orange, with a thin ring of featherless yellow skin surrounding the eye; this skin commonly fades when the bird is kept in captivity. A prominent orange-rufous crest is present on the head. The guira cuckoo's call is unmistakable, as it is long and shrill, falling somewhere between a long whistle and a wailing cry. Like other species in the subfamily Crotophaginae, the guira cuckoo produces a strong, pungent odor. The guira cuckoo is an opportunistic predator, that collects small prey on the ground or searches for prey among branches. Its diet includes worms, insects and other arthropods, tadpoles and frogs, eggs, small birds (especially nestlings), small mammals such as mice, and it has also been observed feeding on lizards.
