Michigan · Summer breeder

Yellow-billed Cuckoos in Michigan

When yellow-billed cuckoos are present in Michigan, when they nest, which native Michigan plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4a–6b yard.

Cuckoos (Cuculidae)Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus

Status in Michigan: Summer breeder
Nesting window: May–August
Broods: 1–2 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4a–6b

When to expect yellow-billed cuckoos in Michigan

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are summer residents in Michigan, arriving shortly before nesting begins in May and leaving after the young are independent.

Humid continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Nesting in Michigan

Across Michigan, yellow-billed cuckoos typically nest from May–August. Plan around that window: April for setup, August for clean-out.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

Yellow-billed Cuckoos don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as winterberry, eastern hemlock, flowering dogwood for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after August.

Native Michigan plants that attract yellow-billed cuckoos

Of the regional native plants we track for Michigan, these 8 provide food or cover yellow-billed cuckoos use:

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis · Tree

Seeds and dense winter shelter.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Staghorn sumac

Rhus typhina · Shrub

Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Feeding yellow-billed cuckoos through the Michigan year

Top foods: None — leave tent caterpillars for them.
In Michigan's summer: offer water and insect foods; natural food is abundant.

Full diet breakdown for yellow-billed cuckoos · Best feeder for yellow-billed cuckoos

Frequently asked

Are yellow-billed cuckoos in Michigan year-round?

No. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are summer breeders in Michigan and leave for the winter.

When do yellow-billed cuckoos nest in Michigan?

Nesting in Michigan typically runs May–August, with 1–2 per season. Clutches are 1–5 eggs, incubated for 9–11 days.

What native plants attract yellow-billed cuckoos in Michigan?

Winterberry, Eastern hemlock, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac, White oak are native plants in Michigan that provide food or cover for yellow-billed cuckoos.

Other backyard birds in Michigan

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay Eurasian Collared-Dove American Crow Common Raven Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wood Duck Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Scarlet Tanager Eastern Meadowlark Brown-headed Cowbird Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush Winter Wren Pine Grosbeak Red Crossbill Field Sparrow Gray Catbird Lark Sparrow Hooded Merganser Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Palm Warbler Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Eastern Wood-Pewee Least Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Eastern Whip-poor-will Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Green Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Black-backed Woodpecker Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Snow Bunting Lapland Longspur Horned Lark Dickcissel Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll White-winged Crossbill Bohemian Waxwing Bobolink Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Rock Pigeon

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.