Centropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815)

A non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, they can often be seen clambering about on vegetaion or walking along the ground while foraging for insects.

A large, glossy black bird with chestnut wings and long, broad, black tail. It is territorial and likely to be seen in pairs or alone in deciduous scrub forest, scrub, and shrubbery in and around cultivation and habitation. It is often found in groves, orchards and urban gardens. As it stalks along the ground or clambers and hops amongst shrubs and bushes in search of food it can appear clumsy and reluctant to fly. It feeds on a wide range of food: caterpillars, large insects, lizards, birds’ eggs and young mice. Its call is a deep repeated, coop-coop-coop, and this is often heard in duet; as one bird begins, another within earshot joins in. The Coucal is a ‘non-parastic’ cuckoo and builds its own nest which is a large, untidy structure, oval-shaped and made of twigs and leaves.

An umistakable large black ground bird with brownish red wings, often seen on the ground as it is a poor flier. It is found in most forests and well wooded areas.

A large non-parasitic member of Cuckoo, it is crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings. They are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground while looking for food.

The season ranges between February and September, varying with local conditions. The Crow-Pheasant belongs to the group of terrestrial non-parasitic, cuckoos which shoulder their own domestic responsibility. The nest is a large untidy globular mass of leaves and twigs, with a lateral entrance hole, placed in the centre of a bush, or in the branch of a tree fairly low down. The eggs- three or four - are white, chalky, glossless and unmarked. Moth sexes share; in building the nest, incubation and care of the young.

That of the Jungle-Crow.

A clumsy, glossy black bird with conspicuous chestnut wings and long, broad black tail. Sexes alike.

The Crow-Pheasant is a dweller of open country, both hill and plain, which abounds in bushes and small tree growth, preferably interspersed with patches of tall grassland. It is commonlv found about cultivation and human habitations. It is met with singly or in pairs skulking its way through undergrowth in search of food, head lowered and tail almost trailing the ground, frequently opened and shut. The wings are short and rounded and its flight weak and laboured in consequence. In trees it hops from branch to branch witli agility, but it is essentially a ground loving species. The call is a, deep, resonant 'ook' repeated at slow bid regular intervals, especially during the hot weather, and can be heard a long way off. Besides this, it has a variety of harsh croaks and gurgling chuckles some distinctly weird uttered chiefly in the breeding season or when the bird is annoyed. When calling, the tail is partially raised and jerked from side to side ; the head is lowered, the throat putted out and the whole body quivers with each successive ooh. In the breeding season the cock goes through a fantastic display before his mate, ' fanning ' and cocking his tail over the back and strutting in front of her with drooping wings. Its food consists of grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, field mice, lizards and snakes. It is highly destructive to the eggs and young of other birds.

It is non-parasitic and makes its own nest, but sometimes feeds on the chicks and eggs of smaller birds. Its deep `coop coop coop...´ call is commonly heard throughout the monsoon months.

Its flesh is much esteemed by quacks as a cure for bronchial ailments.

Seen singly or pairs, stalking along the ground in undergrowth.

Seen in open forest,scrub and bush country interspersed with grassland and shrubbery and groves about human habitations.

Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1

IUCN Redlist Status: Least Concern