Scientific Name: Centropus sinensis

IUCN Status: Least Concern

A crow-like large bird (also called a Crow Pheasant) that can be seen hunting for snails, caterpillars and insects inside house gardens. The Greater Coucal is conspicuous in its dark chestnut/copper red upper plumage, and the underparts which are black, purple and velvet in color. The Greater Coucal belongs to the family of cuckoos. This species of bird can be found resident in South Asia including Sri Lanka and South East Asia. The Greater Coucal can be seen in patches of undergrowth in urban centers to thick scattered jungles, and is found flying at low heights and walking on manmade pathways. This bird has weak flight due to its cumbersome body and poor flying ability. In Sri Lanka, the Greater Coucal is largely attributed a role in snail-control due the diet of the bird comprising of many types of snails. They are also known to eat the toxic fruit of Yellow Oleander. The Greater Coucal is found island-wide in Sri Lanka and is called the Ati-Kukula locally.

The eye color of the Greater Coucal in these two images has a light green pigmentation which is different to the fiery red eye color of the adult bird. It is likely that this is a young bird whose eye color has not changed to being flaming red. In the adult bird, the darker underparts are strong in their level of contrast against the upper reddish plumage.