Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
Order: CUCULIFORMES
Family: CUCULIDAE Cuckoos
Scientific name: Centropus sinensis
English name: Greater Coucal
Characteristic: Size 53 cm. A slender-looking bird with a long tail. Body plumage is purple-glossed black with chestnut wings. Immature has dark barrings all over back and wings, and small greyish sports scattering over the dark parts.
Distribution: Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmer, Southern China, Hainan, Thailand, Indo-China, Malaysia, the Nicobars, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo and the Philippines.
Habitat: Generally seen skulking among the undergrowth, in thick vegetation along the stream and roadsides.
Habit: Secretive in habit, always hiding in thick foliages near water; frequently venturing out to forage in open bare ground or short grass field for insects, snails, small vertebrates and ripe fallen fruits. It breeds between April - May, when a female lays 3-5 eggs in a dome-shaped nest.
Status: A common resident.
