The Yellow-billed Cuckoo's distribution in Canada is restricted mainly to southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. This species is monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey, which indicates a loss in abundance of more than 50% since 1970. The species was formerly an uncommon summer resident in British Columbia, but is now considered accidental (Campbell et al. 1990).
Although Canada's responsibility for this species is very low, there are concerns over steadily decreasing populations in the United States (Hughes 2015), where western populations have undergone major range retractions. The species is sensitive to habitat fragmentation and degradation of riparian woodlands (Hughes 2015). Increases in average localized temperatures, caused by climate change, are expected to lead to further population declines (Hughes 2015).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.