Aussie Finch Forum

For the last 2 weeks this damn Koel has moved in, I'm sure it must have a sore throat as the damn thing wont shut up.
I have seen the female as well, as they are a parasitic nester, for the life of me I don't know who the host would be at this time of year?

They are very prominent morning feature of the Brisbane dawn chorus in spring but I I've yet hear them this summer (but we've only one day of it so far). Perhaps with climate change they've decided to explore inland as they are obviously great migratory fliers. I've heard that their numbers are increasing in Brisbane because their host numbers are increasing in numbers. Here there main host is the Australian Raven (crow) but I've seen them in magpie nests too and I reckon that that currawongs would be fair game. I think all these birds are found around Narrabri so you are welcome to our excess production.

Oops - your all right It's the Channel Billed Cuckoo that's so common in Brisbane. Seems I'm the one going cuckoo

I thought Koels parasitised Figbird's nests - around here they do at least. The local Channel-billed Cuckoos (bigger & uglier buggers) go for Crow's nests.
Don't know about climate-change affecting their range but weather certainly does. The Koel is also known as the Stormbird due to their frequent monotonous calling (slow reverse wolf-whistle) immediately before & around stormy weather which in NSW we've had plenty of in recent weeks. Both species do migrate into southern parts of their range during our Spring & Summer along with plenty of other species doing likewise & retreating to northern Australia & southern Asia during winter.

Ray,

Have seen them down here in Sydney use wattlebirds as hosts. Quite funny to see the much smaller wattlebirds feeding this big long tailed chick.

Ken.

According to this webpage their nests of choice would be the Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carnunculata, friarbirds, the Magpie-lark, Grallina cyanoleuca, and figbirds.
http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species ... orientalis
video of Red wattlebird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z-J_McN4G8

I heard something here the other day, It was an unusual sound I haven't heard before. I went for a walk looking for the source, didn't find anything. After reading this post Buzzard I googled Koel's calls, that could have been it. I have seen them at my oldies place close to town. It wasn't the usual Koel sound you hear in Sydney all the time. Hope it means its going to rain heaps. Have seen a Jabiru, small mob of Brolgas, Glossy Ibis and a large mob of Black Tailed Native Hens, those species turned up two summers ago and we had 4 floods. Hope they are on the money again.

willy wrote: those species turned up two summers ago and we had 4 floods. Hope they are on the money again.

I hope not!!!! I don't want to see that again . Half would be nice though