Greater Coucal

The greater coucal, or crow pheasant, is a large, crow-like member of the cuckoo order, about 48cm long with a long tail. The head, upper mantle and underparts are black glossed with purple, the back and wings chestnut-brown with no pale shaft streaks, and the eyes ruby red. Juveniles are duller black, with spots on the crown and whitish bars below and on the tail. Several geographic races differ in size, gloss and song, and some are treated by various authors as separate species (Wikipedia, general species account).

Unlike many cuckoos it is not a brood parasite. It is a weak flier, usually seen clambering through vegetation or walking on the ground as it forages for insects and the eggs and nestlings of other birds. It lives in habitats from jungle to farmland and town gardens, and its deep, resonant call is linked with omens in many parts of its range. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term increase of about 50% and a current rise of about 5.5% a year, and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).