Alternative name: Western Koel
- Eudynamys scolopaceus
Identification
39–46 cm (15¼-18 in)
Male:
- Bluish-black
- Pale green bill
- Red eyes
- Grey legs and feet
Female:
- Brownish upperparts with white spots
- Whitish underparts heavily striped and spotted brown
- Olive or green beak
- Red eyes
Distribution
Found from southern Asia, China, Indochina to the northern Moluccas (Indonesia).
Taxonomy
Formerly considered conspecific with Black-billed Koel and Pacific Koel.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- E. s. scolopaceus:
- E. s. chinensis:
- E. s. harterti:
- Hainan (southern China)
- E. s. malayanus (dolosa):
- E. s. mindanensis:
- Philippines, Palawan, Sulu Archaepelago, Sangihe Island and Talaud Islands and northern Moluccas (Morotai, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
Habitat
Light woodland and on the fringes of urban areas, mangrove, scrub, plantations, orchards, gardens, parks, rare in forests
Behaviour
Breeding
These birds are brood parasites, laying their eggs in nests of Large-billed Crow, and House Crow.
Diet
Whilst the adults feed mainly on fruit, such as figs, papaya and berries, their diet also includes insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates.
Vocalisation
Call: This is most unique. It consists of a series of 'tuhoo's wherein the 'hoo' is slightly drawn out. The repetitions are very quick, one after the other.
<flashmp3>asian_koel_sound.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Delhi, India, April-2012
Call given by a male, recorded in the neighborhood garden.
<flashmp3>asian_koel_sound_alok.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Recorded in an urban garden, Delhi, India, May-2018
High pitch burst by a female followed by crescendo of male, and female again in the end.
In Culture
Since the bird is most active just before the onset of monsoon, Indians believe that its arrival heralds the oncoming rains.
In Sri Lanka, they have a strong association with the traditional new year celebrations. In the literature around the festival, the song of the bird is regarded as heralding new year. They are called "koha" by the Sinhala speaking community.
Gallery
Click images to see larger version
Nominate subspecies female
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Delhi, India, May-2012
Nominate Ssp. Parasitic immature fed by House Crow parents
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Delhi, India, Aug- 2010
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum Member observations
- Payne, R. & Kirwan, G.M. (2020). Western Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54832 on 9 April 2020)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Asian Koel. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_Koel
External Links
