Learning the Secrets of the Secretive Black-billed Cuckoo

November 9, 2023

New on Montana eBird from our partners at the University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab (UMBEL): Learning the Secretes of the Secretive Black-billed Cuckoo!

Black-billed Cuckoos are not easy to find in Montana- this cryptic species is regionally scarce, and vocalizes infrequently. As well, their populations have declined nationally by an astounding 67% from 1970 to 2019, based on Breeding Bird Survey data- making them increasingly hard to find and a priority to document. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks lists Black-billed Cuckoos as a species of high inventory need because current monitoring efforts are insufficient to determine their population status or trends in the state.

Anna Kurtin, a graduate student at the University of Montana, is using acoustic technology to help overcome the challenges of surveying the elusive species.

Learn more about her research- and her exciting preliminary results- in this new blog post on the Montana eBird site:

Learning the Secrets of the Secretive Black-billed Cuckoo