Cuckoos and the Monsoon
June welcomes the annual monsoon, often associated with the arrival of the Pied Cuckoo – a bird which migrates from Africa to India in time for the rains. (In central and northern India, that is; southern India has resident Pied Cuckoos.)
But it is also the season when other cuckoos in our region are active. As can be seen in the line graphs below, some of the region’s cuckoos are especially active between April and September and thus get recorded more often. So keep alert and listen out for any cuckoos in your area!
You might also want to check out this GIF migration map of the Pied Cuckoo.
A lot of the parasitic cuckoos are active in this month to make the best use of other breeding residents in the region. The females of these brood parasitic species lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, where the chick is then raised by the foster parents. The Asian Koel primarily parasitizes House Crows, while the Pied Cuckoo is known to parasitize Turdoides babblers. Even smaller species don’t escape: for example, Purple-rumped Sunbirds are known to be parasitized by the Grey-bellied Cuckoo!
Breeding Birds
This is a great time to note our breeding residents too! Do help document the locations and timing of breeding of birds by adding a suitable ‘Breeding code’ whenever you see any signs of breeding: from ‘Singing male’ (indicating possible breeding) to ‘Nest with young’ (indicating confirmed breeding).
Events and Challenges
This month’s eBirding Challenge also involves documenting brood-parasitic cuckoos around our region. And in tandem, June’s Global Birding Challenge asks observers to try and document breeding birds by entering their breeding codes.
Earlier in May, the Endemic Bird Day and Global Big Day took place on the 14th. Birders across the country went out and looked for species endemic to the subcontinent. Do check out the results from the event. The Endemic Bird Quiz also got over and the winners were announced in the Endemic Bird Day results.