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Taken today in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

 

This first one was far away and the sun was bad.

The beak is kind of curvy. I thought the second bird might be the same kind of bird, though it was about a mile away from the first bird. The beak is close, but the yellow ring around the eyes I don't see on the first bird.

 

First bird: 

 

 

Second bird:

 

Whidden,

I'm pretty sure they are both Yellow-billed Cuckoos.  They have the yellow orbital ring and a curved black bill with yellow on the lower mandible. They also have some rufous in the wings.  Other photos I looked at sometimes showed the yellow around the eyes and sometimes it didn't show.

I'm sure someone will let us know for sure,

Nancy

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Nancy

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
-- William Cullen Bryant

Yellow-billed Cuckoos for sure.

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Bird man,

Do you know why sometimes the yellow around the eye shows and sometimes it doesn't?  

Is the yellow more on the eyelid so it depends on how far open the eye is?

Thanks,

Nancy

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Nancy

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
-- William Cullen Bryant

I think it has to do with the angle that the sun hits hits the eye. I believe this may be iridescent and therefore only obvious at certain angles ( like the gorget of a male hummer).It's an optical effect.

Nancy:

Bird man,

Do you know why sometimes the yellow around the eye shows and sometimes it doesn't?  

Is the yellow more on the eyelid so it depends on how far open the eye is?

Thanks,

Nancy

I think the amount of yellow is variable just like the Yellow-billed Magpie. When I was in California all my bird books showed that the yellow extended to under the eye of the magpie and not around the eye. The birds we saw obviously had yellow all the way around the eye.

 I don't think that it is like a hummingbirds gorget, just bare yellow skin.

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Thanks to everyone!

 

I'm very happy by the way. Never expected to see a Cuckoo of any kind. I guess I have this image of them in clocks. I imagined them more like a small fat woodpecker. This bird was sleak and cool and real fast. He snagged some bugs, and didn't seem that shy. Let me get pretty close before it took off.

 

I concur that it's a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, nice addition to your list

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"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
Immanuel Kant

I also agree with the YB-Cuckoo.  Did you get to hear it's "song"?  It is just as neat as seeing one.

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I didn't think I did, but I just went and listened to the birds song on this website, and I heard that a lot yesterday in the woods. I'm not good with bird songs, but I recall knowing that it was something I didn't normally hear.

Their song is terrific.  It  goes, "KAKAkakakakakowkowkowkow kowp kowp kowp"  with a molto ritard at the end.