Coccycua

Coccycua
Ash-colored cuckoo(Coccycua cinerea)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Coccycua Lesson,1830
Type species
Cuculus monachus Lesson, 1830
Species
3, see text
Synonyms
Numerous, see text

Coccycuais a smallgenusof birds in thecuckoofamily, Cuculidae. Its three species are found in the tropicalAmericas.

Formerly, they were divided among inCoccyzus(two species) andPiaya(one species), or the former were assigned toMicrococcyxand only the latter toCoccycua.Following the discovery that they form amonophyleticlineage equidistant to both related genera,Coccycuahas 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 nameCoccycuahas often been believed to be a misspelling, and variousemendationshave been proposed. However, the name as originally written is valid. Thejunior synonymsare:

• CoccicuaLesson, 1837 (unjustified emendation)
• CoccyguaFitzinger, 1856 (unjustified emendation)
• CoccyzaeaHartlaub, 1842 (unjustified emendation)
• CoccyzusaCabanis & Heine, [1863] (unjustified emendation)
• MicrococcyxRidgway, 1912