(Eudynamys scolopaceus)
Size: 39–46 cm.
Weight: 190–327 g.
Found: It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia.
Description: The Asian koel is a large, long-tailed cuckoo – 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.
Diet: The Asian koel is omnivorous, consuming a variety of insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates but adults feed mainly on fruit.
Comments: This bird 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 and is a widely used symbol in Indian poetry.
More in this category
