Coucal in the Tree Nextdoor

I heard a scrabble in the discarded tree branches and saw a movement. Thinking it could be a snake, I moved closer, and a coucal flew out of a hollow in the trees and sat on a branch. Silently, I went inside and got my camera and took the first shots through the verandah posts. As the coucal stayed there, I slowly moved to get a better view and took some photos. He watched me warily, and deciding he had had enough, flapped his wing and flew away

You might recognise the Pheasant Coucal by its distinctive ‘oop-oop-oop-opp’ call. A coucal is one of about 30 species of birds in the cuckoo family. All of them belong in the subfamily Centropodinae and the genus Centropus. Many coucals have a long claw on their hind toe (hallux). The genus name from Greek kentron, a…