Asian Koel, locally known as koveli, is the most gracious bird that I have ever seen. Among the species of birds, the Asian Koel is a resident bird of the Maldives. I remember the calls of a tame koel before it landed on the hands of my cousins. First, it was the calls—k…aau…kaau. Then it will be seen perching on the huge mango tree of my uncle Rafeeqbe’s house. From the mango tree, the bird then descended onto the roof of the house. After a while it landed on the palm of my uncle, who will be feeding papaya to the bird.
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You will most likely hear an Asian koel long before you ever see one. This bird is renowned for the noisy sound it makes. And people regard it as an ‘alarm clock.’ The male bird is bluish-black while the female bird is brownish and has stripes and spots. According to experts, the calls of the Koel could be heard in December each year; then it tapers off and returns again in late March and April. This would be the time when the presence of the bird could be felt for a few weeks. In the months inbetween, hardly any calls are heard at all. It is not surprising that the Koel could also be spotted sporadically during this period.
The Asian Koel is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows and other hosts, where the young ones are raised by the foster parents. Crows incubate and hatch the eggs of Asian Koel. The koel chicks hatch earlier than the host’s and are sometimes fed by the adult female koel. The koel resembles the crow. But the koel has red eyes. They sometimes defend fruiting trees and play a role in seed dispersal. They also consume insects, caterpillars, and occasionally eggs and small vertebrates.
