Profile
In flight
Cuckoos & Turacos
Asian Koel
Eudynamys scolopaceus
- uncommon
- 48 km/h
- Least Concern
A glossy black phantom in the canopy whose ringing 'ko-EL, ko-EL' announces the monsoon and unnerves every crow whose nest it has chosen. Heard far more than seen.
- Population
- very large and increasing; one of the most familiar cuckoos in urban Asia
- Habitat
- leafy groves, banyan and fig trees, mango orchards, woodland edges, gardens, and well-treed cities across South and Southeast Asia
- Diet
- ripe fruit (especially figs and banyan), berries, nectar, insects, caterpillars, occasional eggs and small lizards
- Size
- 0.43 m
- Wingspan
- 0.6 m
