Pheasant Coucal Bird:

The pheasant coucal is a ground dwelling bird with short wings that are roundish in shape and a long tail. It is a species of cuckoos and belongs to the cuculidae family. When breeding, the plumage on the head, neck, and belly take on a black hue. The upper body and wings become reddish brown and are barred cream and black. Cream barring is present on the black tail. When breeding is over, the plumage returns to its chestnut color on the head and back. The under parts of the bird turn a cinnamon color with bold white streaks. The eyes are red and both sexes have a similar appearance, although the female bird is slightly larger than the male. The young ones have a paler appearance with orange spots on the upper body, neck and head. Pheasant coucals usually run instead of flying when disturbed. They may also begin to fly in a clumsy manner and plunge for cover. These birds are not nest parasites, like other types of cuckoos. Pheasant coucals are sedentary birds.

Pheasant coucals bird species are found in Australia, in the eastern and northern regions. They also live in East Timor and New Guinea. The birds usually live in dense under storey vegetated areas such as grasses, sedges, bracken and rushes. They are also commonly found in wetlands, woodlands and forests. Pheasant coucals may also be found around sugarcane fields around wetlands, thickets infested with weeds and farmlands with dense grass. They may also be seen along railway tracks and roads and in gardens and parks. Pheasant coucals, being ground dwelling birds feed on the ground. They eat insects, lizards, frogs and small mammals. They also feed on the eggs and chicks of other birds.

Pheasant coucals remain with their mates for life. Most other cuckoos are parasitic and have a developed a breeding strategy in which they deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds. Pheasant coucals are very different in this manner and build their own nests and also raise their own young. They construct their nests out of grass and sticks and line them with leaves. The nests are kept concealed in weed infested areas or thick grassy fields. The male bird is involved in the incubation of the eggs and also feeds the chicks, while the female helps with the feeding. In today’s times, Pheasant coucals have suffered from the negative effects of increasing urban development.