Common Hawk-cuckoo

Taxobox
name = Common Hawk-Cuckoo


status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
status_ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=47792|title=Cuculus varius|downloaded=11 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Cuculiformes
familia = Cuculidae
genus = "Cuculus"
species = "C. varius"
binomial = "Cuculus varius"
binomial_authority = (Vahl, 1797)
synonyms = "Hierococcyx varius"

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.

Distribution

The Common Hawk-cuckoo occurs in Punjab, Pakistan east across most of the Indian peninsula from about 800m in the Himalayas south; Bangladesh; Sri Lanka. It is generally resident but where occuring at high altitudes and in arid areas is locally migratory.

It's habitat is dry deciduous forests, mostly occurring singly.

Description

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 abruptlycite book
last = Ali
first = Salim
authorlink=Salim Ali (ornithologist)
coauthors = J C Daniel
title = The book of Indian Birds, Twelfth Centenary edition
year = 1983
publisher=Bombay Natural History Society/Oxford University Press
address = New Delhi] . 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.

Nesting

Like many other cuckoos, this species is a brood parasite, preferring babblerscite book
title = Photographic guide to birds of India
last = Grewal
first = Bikram
authorlink = Bikram Grewal
coauthors = Bill Harvey and Otto Pfister
publisher = Periplus editions / Princeton University Press
address = Hong Kong
year = 2002 p. 101] .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.

References

Gallery