The Eastern Koel is definitely not a regular in the back yard although we hear them calling out all through spring and summer and especially when rain is around. This guy had obviously heard about the bird count and wanted to make sure it was included. Just wish it had made itself more available for a decent photograph.
The Eastern Koel migrates south from New Guinea and northern Australia to breed and spend the spring and summer months along the east coast of Oz as far south as the Illawarra in NSW.
It is commonly called the Storm Bird or Rain Bird as its call is more prevalent during stormy weather. Its call is an incessant Coo-oo which can go on continuously for hours, even during the night and drives some people nuts.
The Koel is a member of the Cuckoo family and is parasitic in that it lays its egg in the nest of another species of bird. Upon hatching, the Koel will kick the host bird's eggs or chicks out of the nest and the foster parents then spend all their energy and time in raising the much larger Koel.
She is a beauty. We have a male eastern koel in our garden at the moment (the black one) and he calls all day long. He can't seem to find a mate though so David said 'Trust us to get the ugly one' ha ha.
These too are calling outside as I write. The old crows don't like them and are flipping the one trying to hide in the mulberry tree. We must have a few in the area. I can hear at least three different ones calling.
At certain times of the year, we heard one screeching at Mallacoota in far eastern Victoria. It was so loud and woke us at daylight, so wasn’t very popular and we couldn’t find the bird, but just hear it.
November 9th, 2021
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
