The Asian Koel, the bird you hear screaming everywhere in Thailand

Among the most strange and unexpected sounds you may hear while traveling in Thailand is the call of a peculiar bird: the Asian Koel. With its piercing and repetitive call that intensifies, it is often regarded as the loudest bird in Asia. Here’s a portrait of this unique bird…

What is an Asian Koel?

The Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus in scientific terms) is a species of cuckoo bird belonging to the Cuculidae family. It is found primarily in Australia, Southeast Asia, India, and China.

The Asian Koel primarily inhabits the canopy of trees, especially in densely vegetated areas where it likes to hide (it's an arboreal species) and feed on ripe fruits (one of the few cuckoo species that is frugivorous), insects, and nectar. It can also be spotted on the edges of coastal mangroves.

What does the Asian Koel look like?

The Asian Koel is a large cuckoo, measuring between 39 and 49 cm in length. Male and female birds have different physical characteristics but share some common features: intense red eyes, a slightly curved greenish-gray beak pointing downwards, relatively short wings, and a fairly long tail.

As for their differences, adult males are distinguished by their glossy blue-black plumage, while females are characterized by gray and brown feathers speckled with cream.

Juveniles resemble females more closely and have dark eyes.

A nest thief

Like other cuckoo species, the Asian Koel is a brood parasite. In other words, it steals the nests of other bird species to lay its eggs (or, rather, its single egg since the female lays only one egg at a time).

Indeed, the female Asian Koel places its egg in the nest of a crow that the male has previously identified. Why a crow's nest? Because the eggs of these two bird species are relatively similar,.

After laying its egg, the female quickly consumes one of the crow's eggs. This not only provides her with nutrients but also deceives the female crow, who will not notice the trickery. The egg is then incubated by the adoptive mother until it hatches.

With a short incubation period (about 12 to 16 days), Asian Koel eggs typically hatch before those of their nest mates. When the Asian Koel chick hatches, it may push the other eggs out of the nest. It also sometimes displaces other chicks if they have already hatched.

The chick is then fed by its adoptive parents, who often end up exhausted. This is because the Koel chick grows rapidly and quickly becomes much larger than its foster parents. By the time it leaves the nest, it can be up to ten times their size!

A talkative and very noisy bird

Most travelers setting foot in the Kingdom of Thailand for the first time ask the same question: what is the bird screaming everywhere in Thailand? It's the Asian Koel! Like all cuckoo species, the Koel is a talkative and very noisy bird. The word "Koel" actually means "nightingale" in India due to the melodious song of the Indian cuckoo.

Nevertheless, its call can be heard for miles around and is unmistakable. Its typical cry, "Ko-eeul," is emitted at repeated intervals and increases in intensity and pitch. It's no wonder it is often nicknamed "the most noisy and annoying bird in Asia."

Some find it irritating, others find it amusing. One thing is certain: the call of the Asian Koel does not go unnoticed and leaves no one indifferent.

Have you ever heard the call of the Asian Koel in Thailand or elsewhere in the world?

Florine Dergelet