Jubair Hussain
The cuckoos are generally medium-sized slender birds. The majority are arboreal, with a sizeable minority that are terrestrial. The cuckoos feed on insects, insect larvae and a variety of other animals, as well as fruits. Many species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, but the majority of species raise their own young.Morphology
The most important distinguishing features of the family are the feet, which are zygodactyls, meaning that the two inner toes pointed forward and the two outer backward. Almost all species have long tails which are used for steering in terrestrial species and as a rudder during flight in the arboreal species. The feathers of the cuckoos are generally soft, and often becomes waterlogged in heavy rain. Cuckoos will often sun themselves after rain, and will hold their wings open in the manner of a vulture or cormorant while drying. The young of some brood parasites are coloured so as to resemble the young of the host.
Distribution and habitat
The cuckoos have a cosmopolitan distribution, ranging across the entire world’s continent except Antarctica. They are absent from the southwest of South America, the far north and northwest of North America, and the driest areas of the Middle East and North Africa. The Cuculinae is the most widespread subfamily of cuckoos, and is distributed across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Oceania. Amongst the Phaenicophaeinae cuckoos the malkohas and Asian ground-cuckoos are restricted to southern Asia; the couas are endemic to Madagascar and the Yellowbill widespread across Africa.
Behaviour
The cuckoos are for the most part solitary birds that seldom occur in pairs or as part of groups. The biggest exception to this is the anis of the Americas which have evolved cooperative breeding and other social behaviors. For the most part the cuckoos are also diurnal as opposed to nocturnal, but many species will call at night. The cuckoos are also generally a shy and retiring family, more often heard than seen.
Feeding
Most cuckoos are insectivorous; and in particular are specialized in eating larger insects and caterpillars, including noxious hairy types avoided by other birds. They are unusual amongst birds in processing their prey prior to swallowing, rubbing it back and forth on hard objects such as branches and then crushing it with special bony plates in the back of the mouth. They will also take a wide range of other insects and animal prey.
Breeding
The cuckoos are an extremely diverse group of birds with regards to breeding systems. The majority of species are monogamous, but there are exceptions. The Guira C
uckoos lay eggs in communal nests, although this behavior is not completely cooperative; a female may remove others’ eggs when laying hers. The majority of cuckoo species build their own nests, although a large minority engages in brood parasitism. Most of these species nest in trees or bushes, but the coucals lay their eggs in nests on the ground or in low shrubs. Non-parasitic cuckoos lay white eggs, but many of the parasitic species lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine hosts. The young bird hatches quickly, in about 12 days. Non-parasitic cuckoos leave the nest before they can fly.
Some Bangladeshi cuckoos:
1. Chatak
It is native to Asia, from India and China to Indonesia. It is a fairly small cuckoo, 21-23.5 centimeters long. The adult male is grey-brown above and orange below with a grey head, throat and upper breast. There are white tips to the tail feathers. The legs and feet are yellow, the eye is red and the bill is black above and yellow below. The adult female is sometimes similar to the male but is reddish-brown above with dark bars. Juvenile birds are similar to females but are paler and have dark streaks rather than bars on the crown and throat. The male has several plaintive whistling calls. The Chatak inhabits forest edge, open woodland, scrub, grassland, farmland, parks and gardens. It feeds on invertebrates. It is normally solitary and is often difficult to see. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of cisticolas, prinias and tailorbirds. Small birds often mob the cuckoo to drive it away from their nests
2. Kanakua
The Kanakua is a widespread resident in Asia, from India, east to south China and Indonesia. This is a large species at 48 cm. The head is black, upper mantle and underside is purplish black. The back and wings are chestnut brown. The eyes are ruby red. Juveniles are duller black with spots on the crown and there are whitish bars on the underside and tail. The race intermedius of the Assam and Bangladesh region is smaller than the nominate race found in the sub-Himalayan zone. Local names include Hindi: Mahoka; Punjabi: Kamadi kukkar; Bengali: Kuka; Assamese: Kukoo sorai, Kukuha sorai, Dabahi kukuha; Cachar: Dao di dai; Manipuri: Nongkoubi; Gujarati: Hokko, Ghoyaro, Ghumkiyo; Kutch: Hooka; Marathi: Bharadwaj, Kumbhar kaola, Kukkudkumbha, Sonkawla’; Oriya: Dahuka; Tamil: Kalli kaka, Chembakam; Telugu: Jemudu kaki, Chemara, Mahoka kaki, Samba kaki; Malayalam: Uppan, Chemboth; Kannada: Kembootha; and Sinhalese: Atti kukkula, Bu kukkula. The Kanakua is a large bird which takes a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates. They are also known to eat bird eggs, nestlings, fruits and seeds.
3. Papiya
The Papiya breeds in Africa south of the Sahara Desert eastwards to India, Sri Lanka and Burma. Papiya is a bird of scrub, wetlands and cultivation. It is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg mostly in the nests of Turdoides babblers. It is a largish cuckoo at 33 cm. Adults has a prominent crest and a long, graduated tail. They occur in two distinct colour morphs: Adults of the light morph are black above with white underparts, whereas the dark morph is completely black except for a small white wing patch which occurs in both morphs. Juveniles are browner above and yellowish-white below. It takes a variety of insects and caterpillars. It is a noisy species, with a persistent and loud pipew pipew pipew call.
4. Bau-kotha-kou Pakhi
The Indian Cuckoo, Bau-kotha-kou Pakhi, is a common resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Pakistan and India, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia. It is a solitary bird, found in forests and open woodland at up to 3,600 m. The Bau-kotha-kou Pakhi is a brood parasite. It lays its single egg mostly in the nests of drongos and crows. Like other cuckoos, it eats a variety of insects and caterpillars. It is a large cuckoo at 33 cm length. Adults are grey-brown with a paler grey throat and upper breast. The underparts are white with dark barring and the tail is edged with prominent white spots. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are browner and have broad white tips to the head and wing feathers. The Indian Cuckoo is a noisy species, with a persistent four note Bo-ko-ta-ko call.
5. Asian Koel (Koel)
The word koel also means “nightingale” in India because of the Indian Koel’s melodious call. It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. Populations of this wide ranging species differ slightly and some subspecies are considered full species. They are brood parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of crows, with the young being raised by crows. They are unusual among the cuckoos in being largely frugivorous as adults.
6. Chokhgelo Pakhi
It’s another name is Common Hawk-cuckoo because of its resemblance to the Shikra hawk. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in foster nests. Its habitat is dry deciduous forests, mostly occurring singly. The Common Hawk-cuckoo is a medium to large sized cuckoo, about the size of a pigeon (34cm). During summer months, the call is easily detected by its repeated calls: a loud, screaming dee dee dit, repeated with monotonous persistency 5 or 6 times, rising in crescendo and ending abruptly. This in its various interpretations provides alternative names: brain-fever (English) or pee kahan (Hindi, “where’s my love”) or chokh gelo (Bengali, “my eyes are gone”) and paos ala (Marathi, “the rains are coming”). Its breeding season is March to June, coinciding with that of Turdoides babblers and Garrulax laughingthrushes. A single egg is laid in each nest, blue, like that of the host. The hatchling evicts the eggs of its host and is reared to maturity by foster parents.
7. Sirkeer Malkoha
The Sirkeer Malkoha or Sirkeer Cuckoo is a resident bird in the Indian subcontinent. All of the sub-Himalayan Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka; patchy in Pakistan and Rajasthan. Sometimes considered as three races, varying in colouration. A largish bird at 42 cm. It’s bill is hooked, bright cherry-red and yellow. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and barred above. Largely terrestrial, open scrub and thorn jungle, deciduous secondary jungle. Lives singly or in pairs. Stalks about amongst thickets like Crow-Pheasant, searching for food; insects, lizards, fallen fruits and berries, etc. Runs swiftly through undergrowth looking like mongoose. Normally a subdued “bzuk… bzuk” ; also an alarm call of “p’tang” with a metallic quality.
8. Green-billed Malkoha (Sabuj Kokil)
The Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis is a species of non-parasitic cuckoo found in peninsular India. The birds are waxy bluish black with a long graduated tail with white tips to the tail feathers. The bill is prominent and curved. These birds are found in dry scrub and thin forests.
9. Lalpakha Kokil
It is a Migratory Cuckoo. It is a breeding resident in the Himalayas and north-east India. It winters in Sri Lanka and southern India. Its length is 47 cm.
Source: Wikipedia