About the Sirkeer Malkoha
The sirkeer malkoha or sirkeer cuckoo, is a non-parasitic cuckoo found in dry scrub forest and open woodland habitats in the Indian subcontinent. The species is long-tailed, largely olive brown on the upper side with a distinctive curved red beak tipped in yellow. They forage singly or in pairs mainly on or close to the ground creeping between grasses and bushes, often on rocky habitats where they feed on small lizards, insects, and sometimes berries and seeds. They are very silent and the sexes are identical in plumage.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The sirkeer cuckoo is about 42–44 centimetres (16+1⁄2–17+1⁄4 in) long with dark olive brown on the back, wings and the central tail feathers. The underside is rufous. A greenish gloss is visible on the wing and dark parts of the tail feathers. The feathers have dark shafts which are especially prominent on the breast as streaks. The tail is graduated (with outer feathers being sequentially shorter) and tipped broadly in white. The upper tail coverts are long. The chin, throat and breast are pale. The most distinctive feature is the curved red bill with a yellow tip.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Sirkeer Malkoha sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Malagasy CoucalCentropus toulouThe Malagasy coucal is a medium-sized bird with the adult length being in the range 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in).
Chestnut-winged CuckooClamator coromandusThis dark and crested cuckoo has chestnut wings, a glossy black crest and a graduated tail (the feathers shortening in steps from the center outwards) whose terminal edges are white and inconspicuous unlike the white tips of the Jacobin cuckoo which is found in parts of its range.
Lesser RoadrunnerGeococcyx veloxThe lesser roadrunner is a slender bird that reaches a length of 46 to 51 cm (18 in), the tail itself accounting for about 24 cm (9.4 in).
Learn the Sirkeer Malkoha for real
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