Yellow-billed Cuckoo in August
Where yellow-billed cuckoos are in August, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
August in the Yellow-billed Cuckoo's year
August feels like summer but the year has turned. Southbound migration is quietly underway, many adults are molting into fresh plumage, and family groups are breaking up. Late nesters are still feeding young in the North while southern birds are already drifting toward wintering grounds.
For the Yellow-billed Cuckoo specifically, August is a summer month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 41 states and provinces where yellow-billed cuckoos occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where yellow-billed cuckoos are in August
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- summer breeder
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In August, yellow-billed cuckoos are absent in the South, summer breeder across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in August
August is inside the Yellow-billed Cuckoo nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: flimsy stick platform in a shrub or low tree. Clutch 1–5 eggs, incubation 9–11 days, 1–2 per season.
The southern nesting season has already wound down, but northern pairs are still raising young — the whole season shifts later as you go north. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in August
- Tent caterpillars, cicadas, katydids and beetles
Called the 'rain crow' for calling before storms; one of few birds that eats hairy caterpillars in bulk.
Molting birds look scruffy and often skulk — don't be surprised if familiar visitors briefly vanish. Keep water fresh in the heat.
Full Yellow-billed Cuckoo diet guide → · Best feeder for yellow-billed cuckoos →
Watching yellow-billed cuckoos this month
In August, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
The state guides below show exactly where in your region yellow-billed cuckoos are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo month by month
Yellow-billed Cuckoo by state
Frequently asked
Where are yellow-billed cuckoos in August?
In August, yellow-billed cuckoos are absent in the South, summer breeder across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do yellow-billed cuckoos nest in August?
Yes — August falls inside the Yellow-billed Cuckoo nesting season at mid-latitudes (a month earlier in the South).
What do yellow-billed cuckoos eat in August?
Tent caterpillars, cicadas, katydids and beetles.
Sources
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
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.