A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Eudynamys scolopaceus
The Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related Black-billed and Pacific Koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies. The Asian Koel is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, who raise its young. They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults.The name koel is echoic in origin with several language variants. The bird is a widely used symbol in Indian poetry.
The Asian Koel is a bird of light woodland and cultivation.
The Asian Koel is a large, long-tailed, cuckoo measuring 39–46 cm (15–18 in) and weighing 190–327 g (6.7–11.5 oz). The male of the nominate race is glossy bluish-black, with a pale greenish grey bill, the iris is crimson, and it has grey legs and feet. The female of the nominate race is brownish on the crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots. The underparts are whitish, but is heavily striped. The other subspecies differ in colouration and size.The upper plumage of young birds is more like that of the male and they have a black beak.They are very vocal during the breeding season (March to August in South Asia), with a range of different calls. The familiar song of the male is a repeated koo-Ooo. The female makes a shrill kik-kik-kik... call. Calls vary across populations. The Asian Koel is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg in the nests of a variety of birds, including the Jungle Crow and House Crow.
Spotted on Feb 16, 2012
Submitted on Feb 17, 2013
3 Comments
Excellent. They are so often seen as singles. Good to see a pair.
Great spotting!
Lovely spotting of the pair!