Pacific Koel
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Koel also known as the Eastern Koel, is a species of cuckoo
in the Cuculidae family. It has often been considered conspecific with the Asian
and Black-billed Koel
s, but they are increasingly treated as a separate species. Alternatively, the population breeding in Australia
has been considered a separate species, the Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephalus), with the remaining taxa then considered subspecies of the Asian Koel.
The Pacific Koel is found in forest, woodland, plantations and gardens from Wallacea
east to the Solomon Islands
and south to northern and eastern Australia. The Pacific Koel has not been rated by IUCN, but the Australian Koel (here included in the Pacific Koel) is considered to be of Least Concern
.
As its relatives, the Pacific Koel is a brood parasite
. In Australia, their hosts are mainly large honeyeater
s (especially Noisy Friarbird
s and Red Wattlebird
s). Unlike in other parasitic cuckoos, the young do not attempt to kill the host chicks. This trait is shared with the Channel-billed Cuckoo
, which – as in the Pacific Koel – are largely frugivorous as adults. A study of vocalization noted that the duetting behaviour may indicate the possibility of short-term pair-bonding in its otherwise polygynous mating system.
In Australia, it is colloquially known as the Rainbird or Stormbird, as its call is said to foreshadow rain.
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
in the Cuculidae family. It has often been considered conspecific with the Asian
Asian Koel
The Asian Koel is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. It is found in South Asia, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related Black-billed and Pacific Koels which are sometimes treated as subspecies...
and Black-billed Koel
Black-billed Koel
The Black-billed Koel is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is endemic to forest and woodland on the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Sula, Banggai, Togian and other smaller nearby islands. It has often been considered conspecific with E. scolopaceus, but they are increasingly treated...
s, but they are increasingly treated as a separate species. Alternatively, the population breeding in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
has been considered a separate species, the Australian Koel (Eudynamys cyanocephalus), with the remaining taxa then considered subspecies of the Asian Koel.
The Pacific Koel is found in forest, woodland, plantations and gardens from Wallacea
Wallacea
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and...
east to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
and south to northern and eastern Australia. The Pacific Koel has not been rated by IUCN, but the Australian Koel (here included in the Pacific Koel) is considered to be of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
.
As its relatives, the Pacific Koel is a brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
. In Australia, their hosts are mainly large honeyeater
Honeyeater
The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, but also found in New Zealand, the Pacific islands as far east as Samoa and Tonga, and the islands to the north and west of New Guinea known as Wallacea...
s (especially Noisy Friarbird
Noisy Friarbird
The Noisy Friarbird is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southern New Guinea and eastern Australia. It is one of several species known as friarbirds whose heads are bare of feathers. It is brown-grey in colour, with a prominent knob on its bare black-skinned head...
s and Red Wattlebird
Red Wattlebird
The Red Wattlebird , also known as Barkingbird or Gillbird, is a honeyeater; a group of birds found mainly in Australia and New Guinea which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding...
s). Unlike in other parasitic cuckoos, the young do not attempt to kill the host chicks. This trait is shared with the Channel-billed Cuckoo
Channel-billed Cuckoo
The Channel-billed Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Scythrops. The species is the largest brood parasite in the world, and the largest cuckoo....
, which – as in the Pacific Koel – are largely frugivorous as adults. A study of vocalization noted that the duetting behaviour may indicate the possibility of short-term pair-bonding in its otherwise polygynous mating system.
In Australia, it is colloquially known as the Rainbird or Stormbird, as its call is said to foreshadow rain.