Birds · La Saladita, Guerrero

Common Squirrel-Cuckoo

Piaya cayana

Spanish: Cuco ardilla / Vaquero

Common Squirrel-Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)
Photographed by panza_rayada on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC · taken in Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, not near La Saladita

The squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. Some authorities have split off the western Mexican form as the Mexican squirrel-cuckoo (Piaya mexicana).

TaxonomyAves › Cuculiformes › Cuculidae
Local recordsNot recorded by research-grade iNaturalist observations within about 50 km; listed from the site's curated guide
Global records16,298 on iNaturalist

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Birds guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Common Squirrel-Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/piaya-cayana/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.