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Common KoelAlternative names: "Cooee-bird", "Flinders Cuckoo" |
Sightings
First seen by us when we moved to a new home 20 km east of Narrabri in December 2006. A couple of birds were feeding on a Californian pepper tree. The female was easily approachable and stayed for quite a while. However, the all-black male, which we also saw, was much shier.
Returned after their winter migration in late October 2007, later than most other migratory birds. In 2008 first heard calling in early October, at the end of a late cold snap, when a local pair of Magpie-larks was building its nest. Returned again in the 2009 breeding season.
Photos
Male Common Koel feeding in a native figtree (click on image for larger version); note the red eyes, similar to those of White-winged Choughs
Male Common Koel accompanied by an upset Noisy Friarbird
The constant pestering had the desired effect, when the Common Koel first squawked in irritation... (click on image for larger version)
... before deciding that it was indeed better to move on (click on image for larger version)
Female Common Koels exhibit the typical barred patterns common to basically all cuckoo species, which are not apparent in the plumage of the almost all-black males.
Frontal view of a female Common Koel in a pepper tree (click on image for larger version)
Lateral view of a female Common Koel (click on image for larger version)
Unobstructed view, showing more clearly how slender the bird is and the length of its widely fanned tail
Here a view of the back of a female bird
The two following photos were taken when a female Common Koel attracted attention to itself by issuing a loud call from the top of a tree. When disturbed there by a Magpie-lark, it flew into another tree, from where a male had been answering her calls.
Caught "in the act" - Common Koel mounting a female (click on image for full-size display)
Here the two go their separate ways again (click on image for larger version)
Habits
Together with other birds marking the boundaries of their territory by calling from vantage points, we noticed that the local Common Koels were quiet for two days during a late cold snap in late October 2008.
One male bird was heard by us calling from inside a huge native fig tree, on whose fruit it was feasting.