Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Eudynamys scolopaceus
Family: Cuckoos · Status: Very common resident · Size: 40–44 cm · Conservation: Not Evaluated
Resident across the Indian subcontinent, southern China, and Southeast Asia. Some northern populations winter alongside residents in Southeast Asia.
Male is glossy blue-black overall with an ivory bill and red eyes. Female is dark brownish with white and rufous spots on upperparts and dense white streaks and barrings on underparts, tail barred. Juveniles resemble their respective adult male/female forms but have more white tips on feathers and rufous barring.
Forest edge, wooded areas, mangroves, parks and gardens.
A brood parasite of Large-billed Crow and House Crow. Primarily frugivorous, foraging in the canopy of fruiting trees, rarely comes to the ground, generally skulking within vegetation and difficult to observe despite size and loud vocalisations.