Coccycua
| Coccycua | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ash-colored cuckoo (Coccycua cinerea) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | CoccycuaLesson, 1830 |
| Type species | |
| Cuculus monachus[1] Lesson, 1830 | |
| Species | |
3, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Numerous, see text | |
Coccycua is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Its three species are found in the tropical Americas.
Formerly, they were divided among in Coccyzus (two species) and Piaya (one species), or the former were assigned to Micrococcyx and only the latter to Coccycua. Following the discovery that they form a monophyletic lineage equidistant to both related genera, Coccycua has been revalidated.
Species
The species are:
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Coccycua minuta | Little cuckoo | Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, Amazon Basin, Guianas and western Cerrado |
 | Coccycua pumila | Dwarf cuckoo | Colombia and Venezuela |
 | Coccycua cinerea | Ash-colored cuckoo | northern and central Argentina to Uruguay and São Paulo (state) ; winters north towards Amazonas |
Synonyms
The genus name Coccycua has often been believed to be a misspelling, and various emendations have been proposed. However, the name as originally written is valid. The junior synonyms are:
- CoccicuaLesson, 1837 (unjustified emendation)
- CoccyguaFitzinger, 1856 (unjustified emendation)
- CoccyzaeaHartlaub, 1842 (unjustified emendation)
- CoccyzusaCabanis & Heine, [1863] (unjustified emendation)
- MicrococcyxRidgway, 1912