Scientific Name: Hierococcyx varius Common Name: Common Hawk Cuckoo Other Name: Brainfever bird
Identifying Features: size similiar to that of pigeon, ashy grey above; whitish below, yellow eye ring, brown belly
Fun Facts:
- Like many other cuckoos these are brood parasites, laying their eggs in nests of babblers.
- Interpretations of the bird’s call include piyaan kahan in Hindi (“where’s my love”) or chokh gelo (in Bengali, “my eyes are gone”), moi keteki in Assamese (“I am Keteki”, Keteki being the Assamese name for the bird) and paos ala (Marathi, “the rains are coming”).
This image was clicked by Imran Shah – via Flickr.
Where have you seen this bird? Let us know in the comments below. You can also share a photo of this bird clicked by you by sending it to birdwatcher@delhigreens.org
