Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

The English name looks at its black bill; the scientific name looks at its eye: erythropthalmus means 'red eye,' for the red ring around it. 'Cuckoo' itself imitates the call of the European cuckoo.

Coccyzus comes from the Greek for 'to call like a cuckoo.' Erythropthalmus joins eruthros, 'red,' and ophthalmos, 'eye.'