Order Cuculiformes Scientific name Eudynamys Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Family Cuculidae Higher classification Cuckoos | |
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Similar Asian koel, Bird, Cuckoos, Pacific koel, Channel‑billed cuckoo | ||
An asian koel male singing part 3
The true koels, Eudynamys, are a genus of cuckoos from Asia, Australia and the Pacific. They are large sexually dimorphic cuckoos which eat fruits and insects and have loud distinctive calls. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species.
Contents
In New Zealand the long-tailed koel is known as the long-tailed cuckoo. Two other species, the white-crowned koel and the dwarf koel, are also known as koels but are in their own monotypic genera.
Asian koel singing
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the common koel complex is difficult and remains a matter of dispute, with some only recognizing a single species (common koel, Eudynamys scolopaceus, with melanorhynchus and orientalis as subspecies), two species (common koel, Eudynamys scolopaceus, with orientalis as a subspecies, and black-billed koel, Eudynamys melanorhynchus) or three species (as done below).
