The Greater Coucal Or Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis) Pictures and Detail

Greater Coucal, Coucal,
The Greater Coucal


The Greater Coucal Or Crow Pheasant (Centropus sinensis) Pictures and Detail 



I first time came across this bird on the roadside when I was driving. It is common to find Greater Coucal in all parts of Punjab state of India. This bird is also known as Crow Pheasant and its scientific name is Centropus sinensis.

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(Update 28/01/16 - Now, I often Greater_Coucal (Crow Pheasant) around because we can find this bird in good numbers. The picture below, I took a few days back when I was travelling to the fields. In this picture, I found a clear shot of Crow Pheasant with a few more pics. Though, I have lost my Greater_Coucal friend because of relocation to a new city; however, I still miss him.)
Greater Coucal, Crow Pheasant,
Greater Coucal in Outdoor

The first thing I noticed about this bird is its big size and shy nature. Later I found that a few Greater Coucal (Crow Pheasant) lives near my home too and they sometimes come home to eat leftovers from the dog's food. 
Greater Coucal, Forest
Greater Coucal in Forest
We can find Greater Coucal both in forests and near human population. In the picture above, you can see a Crow Pheasant in the forest and in the picture below, you see one who often comes to my home.
Crow Pheasant, Greater Coucal, Home,
Crow Pheasant on Backwall of my Home
I am following this bird for a long time and now, we have developed some trust and he comes close to me; though, he still remains alert. Moreover, it looks like Greater Coucal has developed a friendship with my dog too because my dog allows this big bird to eat his food in his presence.

Greater Coucal
Greater Coucal

In general, Greater Coucal works very silently and we hardly get any noise because of his presence. These birds are weak fliers and we can often see them walking.


Crow Pheasant (Greater Coucal) belongs to the Cuckoo family of birds and it is one of the largest in the family with a 48 cm in length. We can recognize this bird with a big size and black long tail. The colour of their head and bottom is Black with Purple shades and their top wings are Chestnut brown.

Greater Coucal, Spread of Tail
Greater Coucal with Spread of tail

Greater Coucal is a resident bird of Asia and we can find it in India, China, Indonesia and NepalWe also find some subspecies of this bird in Asia.

Greater Coucal, Wings, Spreaded
Greater Coucal with Full Spread of Wings
The other beautiful thing to notice in Greater Coucal is their beautiful red eyes. They do make loud calls coop-coop-coops. I often get the chance to hear their calls because they live on the trees backside of my home.
Greter Coucal, Face,
Greater Coucal Face
Greater Coucals are adaptable birds and they can eat lots of food items like the crow. They mainly eat insects, eggs of other birds, fruits, seeds, caterpillars, snails etc. We can easily notice these birds taking sunbathe in the morning, especially in winter.

Greater Coucal, Back,
Greater Coucal Back
In some cultures, this bird and its calls are associated with spirits and omens. Though I found Greater Coucal a nice and peaceful bird and I will love to take more of his pictures in the future.

Greater Coucal, Walking, Crow Pheasant,
Greater Coucal Walking


A Greater Coucal in Action Video -

Comments

  1. What fantastic photos ...thankyou for sharing the photos and information. Such a pleasure

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