Bird Album
Lesser Coucal
Centropus bengalensis (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
≈34 cmLength149 gWeight
It is a small coucal with a black body, long tail and chestnut wings, concealed among marsh grasses.
Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Singapore, India
Looks like Greater Coucal
How to identify
Field marks
- Black overall, with a long tail
- Wings rufous; coverts with fine white lines
- Hind-toe claw extremely long, the longest in the genus
- Iris dark brown, rather than dark red
Male, female and young
Sexes difficult to distinguish in the field; juveniles are more rufous, with black spots and barring.
Voice
A low, two-note “whoot-woot” or “kurook”, becoming faster and lower in pitch.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April · Most records: China, Singapore, India
Lesser Coucal has been recorded at 889 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)2,189 records
- Kranji MarshSingapore786 records
- Nanhui DongtanChina514 records
More places
- Phnom Krom – rice fieldsCambodia507 records
- Hualien River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)457 records
- Po ToiHong Kong (China)406 records
- Kerala Agricultural UniversityIndia385 records
- Neo Tiew Harvest LaneSingapore384 records
- Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)339 records
- Pingtung – Pingtung University of Science and TechnologyTaiwan (China)329 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution range that overlaps with several other similar species. The habitat in which it is found is often marshy land with grass and tree cover.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Lesser Coucal?
The Lesser Coucal is about ≈34 cm long and weighs around 149 g.
Where does the Lesser Coucal live?
Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: widespread. It is most often recorded in China, Singapore and India.
When is the best time to see the Lesser Coucal?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Lesser Coucal endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Lesser Coucal as Least Concern.
What does the Lesser Coucal eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Lesser Coucal in?
It belongs to the family Cuckoos (Cuculidae), order Cuculiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈34 cm
- Weight
- 149 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 155 mm
- Tail
- 185 mm
- Bill
- 28 mm
- Tarsus
- 39 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental, Australasia: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 1
- Centropus bengalensis lignator s, se China, Hainan and Taiwan (China)
Classification
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuckoos Cuculidae
- Genus
- Centropus
Other birds in the genus Centropus
Buff-headed CoucalCentropus milo
White-necked CoucalCentropus ateralbus
Ivory-billed CoucalCentropus menbeki
Biak CoucalCentropus chalybeus
Rufous CoucalCentropus unirufus
Green-billed CoucalCentropus chlororhynchos
Black-faced CoucalCentropus melanops
Black-hooded CoucalCentropus steerii
Short-toed CoucalCentropus rectunguis
Bay CoucalCentropus celebensis
Gabon CoucalCentropus anselli
Black-throated CoucalCentropus leucogaster
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by JJ Harrison. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.