Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Cuculus
Species: C. micropterus
The cuckoo is a bird native to much of the world.
There are members of the cuckoo family on nearly
every continent, and each one is a little different. The
Indian cuckoo is native to forests in India and some
surrounding areas like Bangladesh and Nepal. This bird
is very common across India, especially in towns. These
birds are native to forests but have been able to adapt
to human presences by scavenging for food in towns.
Because of this ability, there is no concern for this
species going extinct.
Here are some facts about the Indian Cuckoo:
• They are also called an Asian koel.
• There are 54 species of cuckoos.
• They eat mostly fruit but sometimes eat caterpillars and other insects as well.
• It is a larger cuckoo with a very long tail.
• They are an average of 33 cm in length, up to 45 cm.
• They migrate, unlike many cuckoos.
• It is a very shy and solitary bird.
• The females have brown feathers with white or grey speckles.
• The male has a pale green bill and is a bluish-black.
• They both have bright-red eyes.
• Usually the breast and throat are a little lighter.
• It is a popular symbol in Indian poetry.
• Their feathers can get waterlogged from rain, so they often sun
themselves after a storm.
One trait that is common to nearly all species of cuckoos is being a brood parasite. This means that instead of making their own nests to lay eggs in, they just lay one egg in another bird’s nest called a host. The mother cuckoo never comes back for her egg; instead, she lets the host bird raise and feed her chick. In Asia, they usually lay the egg in a crow’s or a drongo’s nest. Often the cuckoo is the biggest chick in the nest because it will hatch first and grow faster. They only take 12-14 days to hatch. To help prevent the cuckoo egg from being pushed from the nest, the egg will sometimes mimic the color of the host egg. Sometimes the cuckoo mother will eat the host egg before laying her own.
