Indian Cuckoo
Cuculus micropterus
四声杜鹃
Introduction
A member of the Cuculiformes order of birds. Found across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and north to China and Russia. Inhabits forests and open woodland up to 3,600 m (11,800 ft). This solitary and shy species is a brood parasite. Conservation status is not assessed in the article.
Description
A medium-sized cuckoo with sexually monomorphic plumage. Upperparts are grey, while the underside displays broad black barring. The tail features a broad subterminal dark band and white tip. Juveniles are browner with broad white tips to head and wing feathers, and show white chin and throat contrasting with a dark face. The eye-ring is gray to yellow, and the iris ranges from light brown to reddish. Females are slightly paler on the throat, have more brown on the breast and tail, and show narrower belly barring than males. Nestlings possess an orange-red mouth with yellow gape flanges.
Identification
Medium-sized cuckoo with grey upperparts and distinctive broad black barring on the underparts. The combination of gray to yellow eye-ring (a feature shared with the common hawk-cuckoo), barred tail with white tip, and overall grey plumage helps distinguish it. Females appear slightly paler overall with more brown tones on the breast and tail.
Distribution & Habitat
Widely distributed across Asia from the Indian subcontinent eastward through Southeast Asia. Inhabits deciduous and evergreen forests, garden lands, and thick scrub. Some populations in India migrate south during winter, though breeding populations exist in southern regions. The Amurland population in Russia is migratory. Individuals have been recorded at night netting stations and lighthouses during migration.
Behavior & Ecology
Diet consists primarily of hairy caterpillars and other insects, occasionally supplemented with fruit. Forages in the upper canopy by gleaning insects, making aerial sallies for flying termites, or hovering near the ground. A brood parasite, the female removes and eats one host egg before laying her own. Hosts include drongos, crows, brown shrikes, black-headed oriole, and streaked spiderhunter. Eggs hatch in 12 days. Young exhibit instinctive egg-ejection behavior during days 3-4. Breeding season varies regionally: May-July in northern China, March-August in India, January-June in Burma. The loud four-note call is transcribed variously as 'orange-pekoe,' 'bo-ko-ta-ko,' 'crossword puzzle,' or 'one more bottle.'
Conservation
No conservation assessment provided in the article.
Culture
The loud four-note call has generated extensive cultural interpretations across its range. In Bengali, it is interpreted as 'bou-kotha-kao' (Bride, please speak). In Uttarakhand and Nepal, rendered as 'kafal pako' (the kafal fruit is ripe), coinciding with peak calling in May-June. Known as 'Vishupakshi' in Malayalam, with call interpreted as 'Kallan chakkayittu' (thief stole jackfruit). In the Kangra Valley, the call is believed to be the soul of a deceased shepherd asking 'where is my sheep.' Chinese interpretations include 'why not go home' and 'single lonely.' Vietnamese interpretation 'bắt cô trói cột' (take a woman and tie her to a post) stems from a Mảng ethnic legend. The Soliga people translate the call as 'Ketha died, his sons cried.'
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cuculus
- eBird Code
- indcuc1
Vocalizations
Subspecies (2)
-
Cuculus micropterus concretus
Vietnam to southern Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo
-
Cuculus micropterus micropterus
breeds India and Myanmar to southeastern Asia; winters to Greater Sundas
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.