THE KOEL 
Hudyttamls scolopacea malayatta (Cab. and Heine) 
Description : — The adult male of this Jarge cuckoo is soon 
described for it is entirely glossy black or, let us say, black with 
a bhiish-g:rctn gloss. Admirable touches of colour are pro- 
vided by the soft parts for the iris is bright red, the beak dull 
i^reen and the feet grey. 
The female is quite a different bird. On the upper parts 
she is dark brown with a slight greenish gloss and below dirty 
whfte or very pale buff. Her most distinctive character is the 
presence of numerous white spots scattered over the whole of 
the upper parts and narrow brown bars on the imderparts. 
The tail is banded dark brown and white. 
Length about i6 inches; wing 8 inches. 
Distributiou : — Races of this species occur through India 
and up to China and then south through the Peninsula and east 
to Flores. Other members of the genus occur in the Philip- 
pines, Celebes and Australia, etc. 
Stattis in Singapore : —This is not a resident bird in Singa- 
pore and it would appear that its stay on the island is usually 
limited in duration, but when it does appear among us as a 
migrant we have always found it very cons])icuous. It turns 
up in all sorts of places, including the gardens in the town and 
is such a large bird that it usually attracts attention. 
Field jVof^j The koel is nearly as large as a pigeon with 
a much longer tail. The males appear in about equal numbers 
with the speckJed brown and white females. 
The voice is very distinctive when once learned and consists 
of a loud, penetrating double note. The birds are usually seen 
trying to take cover in some vegetation for they are not fond 
of the open. 
Other habits : — This is another cuckoo of parasitic habits, 
in Ceylon laying its eggs in the nest of crows. It is almost 
certain that the bird does not breed in Singapore. 
It is a fruit-eater and has a pleasant voice — not a song 
of course, but clear, arresting call notes from which the 
onomatopoeic '^koel** is derived. 
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