Crossword clues for coucal
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Coucal \Cou"cal\ (k??"k?l), n. [Prob. native name.] (Zo["o]l.) A large, Old World, ground cuckoo of the genus Centropus, of several species.
Wiktionary
n. Any bird of the genus ''Centropus'' in the cuckoo family Cuculidae.
WordNet
n. Old World ground-living cuckoo having a long dagger-like hind claw
Wikipedia
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. Unlike many Old World cuckoos, coucals are not brood parasites. On the other hand, they do have their own reproductive peculiarity: all members of the genus are to varying degrees sex-role reversed so that the smaller male provides most of the parental care. At least one coucal species, the black coucal, is polyandrous. Some species (Centropus phasianinus) have the male investing more in incubation and parental care. Recent DNA evidence suggests that they should be raised to family status, as Centropodidae.
Usage examples of "coucal".
He remembered teaching the boy the difference between the calls of the two birds, showing him how, hidden in the reeds, the coucal arched its neck to gurgle out its last rising note.
He had often watched the white-browed coucals coming in on a long gliding flight to take cover here amongst the reeds in the breeding season.
He was listening to the coucals now as he paused at the top of the ladder over the hedge.
Blue trumpet flowers festooned the pillars of climbers that reached into the tops of the marulas, and from the valleys came the liquid call of the white-browed coucals, to join the sound of running water.