The Greater Coucal, is a very familiar bird in our area. It is a widespread and common breeding resident. Although closely related to the cuckoos, coucals make their own nests and rear their own young, mostly during the monsoon rains. But the Greater Coucal causes damage to birds in other ways. It is an inveterate stealer of other birds’ young and eggs and will even eat small adult birds. It also eats large insects, snakes and lizards, rodents and even fish if it can catch them. A typical sighting is of one or two birds majestically stalking over the ground with head and tail held high. They also draw attention to themselves by their persistent, gibbon-like “poop poop poop” call. This is reminiscent of the sound of water glugging out of a bottle, hence its popular name Waterbottle Bird.

Greater Coucals are found in a wide range of habitats including cultivation, woodland scrub, parks and large gardens. They are particularly fond of reed beds, including those in quite small marshes caused by canal seepage. In some areas they are considered a serious menace to small grass-breeding birds, such as prinias. Here they are typically seen crashing clumsily about in the reeds or, after rain or early morning dew, sitting about on the tops of reed clumps drying themselves. They have a characteristic low, rather laboured flight in which the broad, black tail is very obvious.