Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



match its eggs with those of the intended 

 foster-mother, or that it selects a foster-mother 

 whose eggs shall match its own. He adds that 

 not one of his correspondents has advanced 

 this suggestion, and states that he has little 

 doubt that convenience of site and propinquity 

 to the cuckoo about to lay its eggs are the 

 main requisitions. 



Almost indistinguishable from the common 

 cuckoo in appearance is the Himalayan cuckoo 

 {Cuculus saturatus). The call of this bird, 

 which continues later in the year than that of 

 the common cuckoo, is not unlike the whoot- 

 whoot-zvhoot of the crow-pheasant or coucal. 

 Perhaps it is even more like the uk-uk-uk of 

 the hoopoe repeated very loudly. It may be 

 syllabised as cuck-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo. Not very 

 much is known about the habits of this species. 

 It is believed to victimise chiefly willow-warblers. 



The Indian cuckoo {Cuculus micropterus) 

 resembles in appearance the two species already 

 described. Blanford speaks of its call as a fine 

 melodious whistle. I would not describe the 

 note as a whistle. To me it sounds like where- 

 fore, wherefore, impressively and sonorously 

 intoned. The vernacular names Boukotako and 

 Kyphulfakka are onomatopoetic, as is Broken 



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