ASIAN KOEL

The 'Asian Koel' ('''Eudynamys scolopacea'''), formerly also 'Common Koel', is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes such birds as the roadrunners, the anis, and couas. It is found from southern Asia, China, and into Australia.
Like many cuckoos, it lays its eggs in other birds' nests.
The word ''koel'' also means "nightingale" in India because of the Indian Koel's melodious call. It is also colloquially known as the Rainbird or Stormbird in eastern Australia, as its call is supposed to foreshadow rain.

Contents

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

Diet

Galleria

Notes

References

External links

Description

The Asian Koel is a large, long-tailed, cuckoo at 45 cm. The male is bluish-black, with a pale green bill, rich red eyes, and grey legs and feet. The female is brownish above and whitish below, but is heavily striped and spotted brown on the underparts and white on the upperparts. She has an olive or green beak and red eyes.
Koels are very vocal, with a number of different calls.

Distribution and habitat

The Asian Koel is a bird of light woodland and cultivation. It is a mainly resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China and Australasia. Birds at the fringes of the range, such as much of Eastern Australia, and on high ground are summer visitors, migrating to warmer areas in winter.

Behaviour

It is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg in the nests of a variety of birds, including the Jungle Crow, Crows of the World, Goodwin D., , , Queensland University Press, St Lucia, Qld, 1983, ISBN 0-7022-1015-3 House Crow and various species of honeyeaters. May also parasitize Black-headed Orioles.^[1] The young Koel does not always evict its host's chicks, and initially calls like a crow. The adult koels however may not be leaving their offspring alone entirely:
This behaviour of brood parasites feeding their young has been noted in several other species.^[2] The note alluded to by Richard Lydekker is probably that of A. O. Hume which was noted by Fulton in 1904.^[3]

Diet

The Asian Koel is omnivorous, consuming a variety of insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates. It occasionally eats fruit. It has occasionally been known to take eggs of small birds.^[4]

Galleria

Notes

1. Sethi, V. K., Saxena, V and Bhatt, D. 2006. An instance of the Asian Koel ''Eudynamys scolopacea'' destroying the nest of a Black-headed Oriole ''Oriolus xanthornus''. Indian Birds 2(6):173-174
2. Janice C. Lorenzana and Spencer G. Sealy (1998) Adult brood parasites feeding nestlings and fledglings of their own species: A review. J. Field Ornithol., 69(3):364-375 [1]
3. Fulton, R. 1904. The Kohoperoa or Koekoea, Long-tailed Cuckoo (Urodynamis taitensis): an account of its habits, description of a nest containing its (supposed) egg, and a suggestion as to how the parasitic habit in birds has become established. Trans. N. Z. Inst. 36:113-148.
4. Uttangi, J. C. 2004. Robbing of eggs by female Koel, from the nest of Red-whiskered Bulbul (''Pycnonotus jocosus''). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 44 (5): 77.

References

★ Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

★ 'Grimmett', Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): ''Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6

★ 'Slater', Peter & 'Calaby', John H. (1970): ''A field guide to Australian birds (Non-passerines)''. Rigby, Adelaide. ISBN 0-85179-102-6

External links

★ Song of the Indian Koel

★ Asian Koel videos on the Internet Bird Collection