Common Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus varius

uploaded by umang September 23, 2008 at 09:11 am
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Thanks for the ID
The Common Hawk-cuckoo Cuculus varius also popularly called the Brainfever bird is a medium sized cuckoo resident in South Asia. It is called a Hawk-cuckoo because of its resemblance to the Shikra hawk. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in foster nests.
The Common Hawk-cuckoo is a medium to large sized cuckoo, about the size of a pigeon (ca. 34cm). The plumage is ashy grey above; whitish below, cross-barred with brown. Broadly barred tail. Sexes alike. When flying into trees, they resemble sparrowhawks (Shikra and upon landing on the perch they shake their tails from side to side. 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"). Heard all through the day and frequently during moonlit nights. Common Hawk-cuckoos feed on hairy caterpillars and other insects, berries and wild figs, etc.
Like many other cuckoos, this species is a brood parasite, preferring babblers.It's 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.

Pic taken on 1st June at Mehsana, Gujarat, India

Photo Properties
NP! ID: 1715069
Title: Common Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus varius
File Size: 344 × 500 – 98.91 KB

Created: Tue, 09/23/2008 - 9:11am
Modified: Tue, 09/23/2008 - 9:11am

File Type: image (jpeg)

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