Centropus parroti
| Southern Coucal | |
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| Species: | C. parroti
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| Binomial name | |
| Centropus parroti | |
The southern coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus parroti), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds. They have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in many parts of its range.
Description
This is a large species of cuckoo at 48 cm. The head is black, mantle and underside are black glossed with blue and green. The back and wings are chestnut brown. There are no pale shaft streaks on the coverts. The eyes are ruby red. Juveniles are duller black with spots on the crown and there are whitish bars on the underside and tail. There are several geographic races and some of these populations are sometimes treated as full species.
- Race parroti Stresemann, 1913 is found in Peninsular India (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and southwards). The upper back is black and the juvenile has the wings without bars.[3]
The juvenile of race parroti is unmarked dull black on the underside (contra barred in the northern races) and much darker, dusky chestnut on the wings. Race bubutus found in Southeast Asia has a distinct call. Individuals from the Western Ghats are very similar in size to the lesser coucal Centropus bengalensis but the latter has a stubbier bill, shorter tail, wing tips extending beyond the tertials and a chestnut wing lining, dark eyes and a tail with green/bronze sheen.[4] Females of the race parroti develop dusky or sooty wing coverts between November and January and the northern boundary of the race is along the Punjab plains where it forms intermediates with the northern forms.[5]
The calls are a booming low coop-coop-coops repeated and with variations and some duets between individuals.[4] When duetting the female has a lower pitched call. Other calls include a rapid rattling "lotok, lotok ..." and a harsh scolding "skeeaaaw" and a hissing threat call.[6]
Breeding
The breeding season is after the monsoon in southern India but varies in other parts of its range but chiefly June to September.[7] Greater coucals are monogamous, and the courtship display involves chases on the ground and the male brings food gifts for the female. The female lowers her tail and droops her wings to signal acceptance. The nest is built mostly by the male over about three to eight days.[7][8] The nest is a deep cup with a dome in dense vegetation inside tangles of creepers, bamboo clump or Pandanus crowns. They can be built as high as 6m above the ground and the typical clutch is 3–5 eggs. The eggs (of size 36–28 mm weighing 14.8 g ) are chalky white with a yellow glaze when laid that wears off.[9] Both the male and the female take part in nest building. They lay 2 to 4 eggs that hatch after 15–16 days of incubation. The chicks take 18–22 days to fledge. A study in southern India found that 77% of the eggs hatched and 67% fledged. Nests with eggs were sometimes abandoned or marauded by the jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos.[7]
- ^ Template:IUCN
- ^ In Shaw's General Zoology 9, pt. 1, p. 51. (Type locality China, Ning Po.) per Payne (2005)
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Paynewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
rasmussenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Abdulali, Humayun (1956). "Some notes on the plumages of Centropus sinensis (Stephens)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 54 (1): 183–185.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hbkwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
natarajanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dhindsa, Manjit Singh; Toor, HS (1981). "Some observations on the nest of the Common Crow-Pheasant, Centropus sinensis (Stephens)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 78 (3): 600–602.
- ^ Baker, ECS (1934). "The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Volume 3". Taylor and Francis, London.
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