Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Hugo del Castillo and Myriam Velázquez and is used with their permission.
PAVONINE CUCKOO Dromococcyx pavoninus
The haunting whistles of the Pavonine Cuckoo are a familiar sound in Paraguayan forests, but the bird itself is not so well known. To the native Guaraní he is Yasy Yateré, one of seven mythical monsters who stalk the countryside, Yasy Yateré´s charge being the abduction of children, mesmerising them with his flutey sounds. Yet few Paraguayans realise that the singer is in fact the completely harmless cuckoo. The reason? The bird is hardly ever seen, let alone photographed!!!
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE1074PH) Adult, Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE3151PH) Adult dorsal, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Hugo del Castillo September 2011).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE3152PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3151PH) head detail (Hugo del Castillo September 2011).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE3153PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3151PH) head detail (Hugo del Castillo September 2011).
FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2

FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3

FIGURE 3
FIGURE 4

FIGURE 4
Dromococcyx pavoninus
1 (FPAVE1075RE) 4-note song recorded Santa Ines, PN San Rafael, Departamento Itapúa (Myriam Velázquez June 2001).
2 (FPAVE1076RE) 2-note song recorded Limoy Itaipú Reserve, Departamento Alto Paraná (Myriam Velázquez September 2000).
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.