Breeding status of the yellow-billed cuckoo in the South Fork Kern River Valley, Kern County, California

"Over the past 12 years (1985-1996) we have been conducting a study of the breeding ecology of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) in the South Fork Kern River Valley. Each year we have conducted surveys to determine abundance and distribution of nesting pairs and to monitor nest success. In most years, we have also observed nesting behavior to obtain information on food supplies as they related to nesting success...The research objectives for the project were to: (1) census the yearly breeding population; (2) determine site tenacity through banding adults and young; (3) determine yearly nesting success; (4) determine nesting habitat use; and (5) develop and test a habitat relationships model"--Page 1.