Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

GrasslandDomed nestMedium · 149 g

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 2 — Photo: Kalvin Chan · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 3 — Photo: Jason Alexander · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 4 — Photo: Jason Alexander · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 5 — Photo: PampaSorro · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 6 — Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 7 — Photo: sunnyjosef · CC BY 4.0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 8 — Photo: Yi-fan翊凡 · CC0

Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis), photo 10 — Photo: Kalvin Chan · CC BY 4.0

What the Lesser Coucal sounds like

Sonogram of the Lesser Coucal: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Mike Prince · Call · Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

This slightly smaller-sized and shorter-billed coucal has a very long hind claw, the longest within the genus. The overall plumage, as in many other coucals, is of a blackish bird with a long tail and rufous wings. They have two plumages, a breeding plumage in which the head and upper back are glossy with dark shafts to the feather and a duller non-breeding plumage in which the feather shafts on the head and back are whitish. The wing coverts also have pale shafts showing as whitish streaks on the brown feathers. The central upper tail coverts are barred and very long.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Lesser Coucal

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Lesser Coucal

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 19 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Taiwan India Indonesia Thailand Singapore Malaysia Cambodia Philippines China Hong Kong SAR China Nepal Vietnam Laos Timor-Leste Bangladesh Bhutan Myanmar (Burma) Brunei Macao SAR China

Recorded as a rare visitor in South Korea.

About the Lesser Coucal

The lesser coucal is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution range that overlaps with several other similar species. The habitat in which it is found is often marshy land with grass and tree cover. It is distinguished by its smaller size, less prominent bill, pale shaft streaks on the feathers of the head and back. It has a much longer claw on its hind toe and a distinct call. It is also among the few coucals that show season plumage differences but like in other coucals, the sexes cannot be distinguished in the field.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Pheasant CoucalCentropus phasianinus50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in) in length, the pheasant coucal is a large heavy-set bird adapted for living on the ground, reminiscent of a pheasant in shape.

Senegal CoucalCentropus senegalensisThis is a medium-sized species at 39 cm (15 in) in length.

Philippine CoucalCentropus viridisThe Philippine coucal is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.

Side by side: Greater Coucal vs Lesser Coucal · Lesser Coucal vs White-browed Coucal · Lesser Coucal vs Pheasant Coucal · Lesser Coucal vs Senegal Coucal

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