The cuitlacoche piquicurvo (Curvirostre toxostoma) is a passerine bird of the Mimid family. It is also known as curved peak cuitlacoche or cuicacochi. In general, it is a bird that is located in the group of mockingbirds and cuitlacoches.
Of all the cuitlacoches in the deserts of the southwestern part, the piquicurvo is the most commonly seen. It is recognized by its song "uit-uit", which emits from the cup of mesquites.
It is a medium-sized bird that resides from the southern United States to Oaxaca in areas with semi-desert conditions. This bird is also commonly found in parks in urban areas of Mexico City. Feeds on small fruits, insects, mollusks, and worms.
The conservation status of this species suggests that there has been a slight decline in the southern United States in recent decades, while it is still abundant in the west..
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The Toxostoma curvirostre It is a bird that is about 28 cm long, which is considered a medium size. It has a brownish olive-colored head and back. His eyes are yellow-orange, and in the area of his throat they have a thin brown line on the sides.
For its part, the chest and abdomen are creamy white with many olive brown spots. Its wings have two narrow white lines. The tail of these birds is dark and has white tips that can be seen during flight. The underside of the tail is pale tan.
Also, the beak of these birds is black and curved. The legs are grayish. In their juvenile stage, these individuals have tan wings, and the points they show on the chest are of a more subdued hue..
The cuitlacoche is a bird that differs from other birds in the deserts that it inhabits because its song is heard as a “uit-uit” sound from the mesquite tree..
Toxostoma curvirostre it is not a migratory bird. It is a native bird of the United States and extends to Mexico.
The taxonomic classification of this species is as follows:
Animalia Kingdom
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Birds
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Mimidae
Gender: Toxostoma
Species: Toxostoma curvirostre Swainson, 1827
The cuitlacoche is distributed from the southern part of the United States. It lives in areas with shrub vegetation, in grasslands, and in desert areas. It is a bird that can be found in urban parks in Mexico, and in suburban neighborhoods, in places where the cholla cactus also inhabits..
It is a bird that lives in places with varied vegetation such as the Sonoran desert, in dry bushes, and especially in lowlands. In Texas, this bird lives in chaparrals where the prickly pear cactus grows; In addition, it can be seen in open grasslands with groups of cholla cacti.
The altitude limit for the flight of this species is 3300 meters. It is estimated that it can occupy an area of 2860000 kmtwo. It is a species that has suffered a small or negligible decline from a statistical point of view during the last 40 years in North America..
For this species of bird, there has been no recovery plan of action. However, a systematic monitoring scheme has been proposed. Also, in all the places it inhabits, the places have been identified.
It is not considered an invasive species, nor has it been an introduced species. It easily moves to the suburbs and cities as long as there is native vegetation, especially the cholla cactus, as it is its preferred nesting site..
Throughout the year, the cuitlacoches couple can be together in the same territory. In the spring, the male defends the inhabited territory with his song. The courtship of the cuitlacoche couple is characterized by the fact that the male follows the female while emitting a soft sound.
The nest is commonly built in a fork located in some cacti, between a height of 90 cm and 1 m from the ground. Also, these nests can be in yuccas, prickly pears, low trees, bushes with thorns, or on a mistletoe plant. Sometimes these birds reuse previously used nesting sites.
Regarding the individual that builds it, probably both the male and the female work in the construction of the nest, and for this they use small and thorny branches, fine grass, roots of small size, animal hair and feathers, while making a bulky bowl and flexible as a nest.
The eggs of this bird are light bluish-green in color, with small brown dots. They usually lay 3 eggs, and sometimes they can lay 2 or 4 eggs..
With regard to the care of the eggs, it has been observed that both parents are responsible for incubation during daylight hours. However, only the female cares for the eggs at night. In turn, the incubation of the eggs takes between 12 and 15 days.
As for the feeding of the young, both the male and the female feed them. In conditions of exposure to the sun, the female remains in the nest giving shade to her young.
With the passage of 14 to 18 days after hatching, the young leave the nest. Annually these birds can have two or three clutches.
This species of bird consumes forages mainly from the ground; uses its strong curved beak to dig into the ground, stirring fallen leaves to turn over small stones and other objects.
When digging in the hard earth, it supports its tail towards the ground and hammer downwards, striking strongly with its beak. The cuitlacoche feeds on small fruits, insects, mollusks, and worms.
In addition, part of their diet is also made up of insects and berries. The cuitlacoche can feed on a wide variety of insects and their larvae. The class of insects that they consume are beetles, ants, wasps, crickets, among others. In addition, it can consume spiders, myriapods (centipedes), some snails, and mealybugs..
As for the plants, it feeds on fruits and seeds of cacti, as well as saguaros and prickly pears..
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