Striped Cuckoo (Tapera naevia)
Also known asSaci · Géocoucou tacheté · 纵纹鹃 · セスジカッコウ · کوکوی راهراه · وقواق مخطط · Четырёхкрылая кукушка · Gestreepte koekoek · Kukačka žíhaná · Stribet Gøg
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Our streaming copies are mirrored from the original xeno-canto file and transcoded to 96 kbps mono — a modification, so we note it here; the licence for each recording is named in its credit above.
3 recordings on this page · licensed CC BY-SA ×3 · mirrored on this server, free for commercial reuse · recorded in Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica and elsewhere · xeno-canto lists 385 recordings for this species in total.
A real field recording of the Striped Cuckoo. Press play and focus on the rhythm and pitch of each phrase.
About the Striped Cuckoo
The striped cuckoo (Tapera naevia) is a near-passerine bird, the only member of the genus Tapera. This resident cuckoo is found from Mexico and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Argentina and Colombia. The striped cuckoo is found in open country with trees or shrubs, and the edges of mangrove forests. It is among the very few brood parasitic cuckoos of the Americas (only other are Dromococcyx), and typical hosts are spinetails, but often also wrens, and other species with domed nests. The female cuckoo lays one, sometimes two, white or bluish eggs in the host's large stick nest. The eggs hatch in 15 days, with a further 18 days until the cuckoo fledges. The young spinetails disappear.
Ecology and behavior
As a member of the Cuculidae, this species is associated with woodland edges, scrub, reedbeds and parkland. It typically feeds by insects, caterpillars and, in some species, brood-parasitic breeding behavior. That combination of habitat and feeding behavior explains where the bird is easiest to find and why it may be heard more often than seen. Across its range, recorded examples are linked to Ecuador, Colombia. Local habitat can change the exact impression of the voice, but the useful field method stays the same: note the perch, surrounding vegetation, and whether the bird repeats one phrase or gives separate contact sounds.What to listen for
Simple repeated phrases and hollow or rounded notes are common; rhythm and the exact number of notes are important. The recordings on this page are labeled here as call. Compare each phrase in three passes. First follow the rhythm and repetition. Then judge whether the tone is clear, burry, buzzy, rounded or harsh. Finally notice the pitch direction and the spacing between statements. These three features are more reliable than trying to translate the sound into words alone. A useful field note should describe the whole phrase before naming the bird. For this species, write whether the sound stays level, rises or falls, how long each series lasts, and whether the bird seems exposed, hidden in cover, or associated with a particular edge between habitats. Those details make the recording transferable to a real outdoor encounter.A field note on this voice
When you are most likely to hear this voice
The recordings featured here were made in March, August. Those months may offer a useful seasonal clue, but vocal activity can vary widely across regions and years. Weather, latitude, food availability and local breeding cycles may all influence when a bird chooses to sing. Think of the timing as a starting point rather than a rule. The examples on this page come from recordings made in Ecuador. In the field, behavior and habitat often provide stronger evidence than the calendar alone.
Time of day
These particular recordings were made later in the day, usually around 13:00. Many birds are especially vocal in the early hours, when sound may carry well and singing can be a regular part of the morning. Birds may also vocalize later in the day while feeding, moving between perches, interacting with nearby individuals or responding to changes around them. Listening conditions can change how a sound is perceived. Returning to the same recording at different times and imagining the surrounding cover, light and weather can make the context easier to hear.
What this vocalization may suggest
This page contains call, duet. Songs are often longer, more structured and more repetitive than short calls. A clear phrase repeated at regular intervals can be associated with breeding activity or the defense of space, although the exact context is best confirmed by observation. Shorter notes may accompany movement, alertness or contact with nearby birds. Faster, louder or harsher delivery can sometimes reflect heightened interaction, while an evenly spaced performance may simply be routine. Notice the surrounding behavior before deciding what the sound might mean.
Understanding pitch
High notes do not automatically indicate courtship, and low notes do not necessarily signal alarm. Pitch works alongside rhythm, repetition, volume and tone. A high, clear phrase may be a territorial song, while high, irregular notes might suggest agitation; some low, soft sounds may simply help birds stay in contact. Rather than focusing on pitch alone, observe what the bird is doing before and after the sound. The most useful field note combines the voice with place, time and behavior.
Editor's note
These interpretations are intended as listening guidance based on the available recordings and context, not as proof of an individual bird's intent. Strong observations note the date and time, habitat, perch height, weather and behavior before and after the vocalization.
Similar species
- Asian KoelEudynamys scolopaceusrecording
- Common CuckooCuculus canorusrecording
- Dusky Long-tailed CuckooCercococcyx mechowirecording
- Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinusrecording
- Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostrisrecording
- Pacific KoelEudynamys orientalisrecording
Species grouped by shared genus, family and range. Family: Cuculidae.
More birds recorded in Ecuador
- Dusky Bush TanagerChlorospingus semifuscusrecording
- Dusky LeaftosserSclerurus obscuriorrecording
- Dusky PihaLipaugus fuscocinereusrecording
- Dusky SpinetailSynallaxis moestarecording
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculiferrecording
- Dusky-capped GreenletPachysylvia hypoxantharecording
- Dusky-chested FlycatcherMyiozetetes luteiventrisrecording
- Dusky-faced TanagerMitrospingus cassiniirecording
Every species xeno-canto lists for this country is on the full Ecuador list — 1,507 species, the ones with recordings marked ▶.