Song of the Koel - Heralding the Avurudu with a call for mate

From the place we live in Rajagiriya, we can spot lots of birds, but for some reason the Asian Koel is not a frequent sighting with only a glimpse of flying Asian Koels only on 2 occasions for the past 6 months (also never heard them calling or singing during this period). However, a lonely Asian Koel started its melodious song on 08th of March. Afterward the bird could be heard once in a while singing for shorter periods. The song of the Asian Koel traditionally considered as marking the dawn of the Avurudu season. Please share your experience too whether you too can now hear Asian Koel's song for this season.  

You can read more about the Asian Koels by reading my article published on 2008.  

The koha, or Asian Koel, is widely considered the harbinger of the Avurudu season. Many Sri Lankans believe the koha is a migrant bird that visits our gardens expressly to convey the Avurudu message. But this is not so. The Asian Koel is around all year.

What happens around Avurudu time is that the male cuckoo starts calling and competing for a mate. The male Koel’s melodious song signals the start of the breeding season, which coincides with the April festive season.

The blackish, red-eyed Koel is often associated with a spotted bird, the thith koha (spotted koel), which is thought to be another cuckoo species. But the bird is in fact the female Asian Koel. The male and female are totally different in appearance, as these photographs show.

The Asian Koel demonstrates an interesting behaviour pattern known as brood parasitism: instead of building its own nest, it lays its single egg in the nests of other birds, usually those of the crow. It is believed that the male Koel distracts the crows from their nests so that the female can seize the opportunity to lay her egg.

The Koel fledglings usually hatch before the baby crows, and eat most of the food brought by the unsuspecting crow parent. However, when the crows detect the intruder, they eject it from the nest.

Published on SundayTimes on 13.04.2008 http://sundaytimes.lk/080413/Plus/plus00002.html