“ 6,000 ‘Koel calls' can be heard regularly, depending upon the number of birds found''
Are you finding the short, sweet song of Koels replacing the annoying tone of your morning alarm lately?
The population of Asian Koels in the city is on the rise this time around, according to ornithologists and naturalists. Observations by the ornithologists have revealed that one of the main reasons for the increase in Koel population is the increase in the number of crows in the city.
Koels are brood-parasitic, that is, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. The only hosts they find within the city are nests of crows. Moreover, the breeding season of Koels coincides exactly with that of crows, between April and August, they say.
V. Guruswamy, a naturalist who is pursuing research on Asian Koels in the city for the past seven years, observes that the bird's breeding season is divided into two.
The first being the pre-breeding season between February and April, and the second being the trans-breeding season between May and August. Members of the Madras Naturalists' Society also confirmed that singing birds' population was currently on the rise in the city.
He observes that as many as 6,000 ‘Koel calls' can be heard regularly, depending upon the number of birds found in a wooded residential locality. The month of July is the peak season for Koels breeding and the number of calls will come down by September, when the crow's breeding also comes to an end, he says.
Raja Annamalaipuram, Simpsons Estate in Sembium, Radhakrishnan Salai in Mylapore and Perambur Railway Colony are some of the areas that Mr Guruswamy has observed. He has recorded the population of Koels in these localities.
Talking about the recording of ‘Koel calls', Mr Guruswamy says that they sing as early as 4.45 a.m. and their last call is recorded around 6.15 in the evening. With more and more crows occupying various trees in the city, the Koels stand a better chance to breed well and thrive in the city, add the naturalists.
Keywords: Asian Koel, ornithologists
Even near Vellore they can be seen. Feel happy to hear their songs.
Mr. Prashanth, I could see; it's been referred to in the title itself which is further referenced as the "city" in the article. I am not sure, if that was edited after your comment. I am now in Chicago. I recognize the areas that have been observed by the researcher, as my hometown is Perambur, Chennai.
By the way, it's good to read these kind of articles in The Hindu, rather than violence and crimes in the city every time.
Well at least there is a silver lining to the plague of crows! They are aggressive birds that mob and usurp the habitat of rarer species and human carelessness with garbage has caused an explosion in their numbers all over India. I suppose it is too much to hope for the return of leopards to control the stray dog (and in places)rhesus macaque population.
Dear Editor,
Which city are we talking about here? It is not mentioned in the entire article. Agreed that The Hindu is being published from Chennai but over internet, I could be reading this from any part of the world and in-fact I am reading this from Shanghai, China. :)
But yes, it is heartening to know that Koel population is increasing, because when I was in R.A. Puram, Chennai, only bird I heard was Crow, all through the day and night. Night because of the huge sodium lamps burning all through the night for elevated metro work.
Long live Chennai.
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