Lesser or Greater Coucal? Sindh/Pakistan (1 Viewer)

F

feika

Member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #1

A fellow birder posted this bird in our local facebook group. Captured in district Khairpur Mir's, Sindh, Pakistan somewhere around 20th January, 2020.
The bird is identified as Lesser Coucal because of it's dark brown eyes compared to the distinct red eyes of the Greater Coucal. I just want to reconfirm if it's really Lesser Coucal.
Regards

 

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Jean FRANCOIS

Well-known member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #2

Lesser for me too.
Jean

 

A

arcadillor

Well-known member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #3

greater

 

F

feika

Member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #4

But shouldn't adult Greater Coucal has red eyes? Also, I couldn't make it out clearly, but there's a hint of a long claw on one of the toes of this bird, which is pretty hard to isolate in the blades of grass.

 

Seth Miller

Well-known member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #5

Greater for me. Only pointer for Lesser is the dark eyes, whereas bill looks better for Greater and it doesn't have the fine streaking silverish streaking that a lesser coucal should show.

 

G

Grahame Walbridge

Well-known member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #6

Seth Miller said:

Greater for me. Only pointer for Lesser is the dark eyes, whereas bill looks better for Greater and it doesn't have the fine streaking silverish streaking that a lesser coucal should show.

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Yes, it's a sub-adult Greater, the red eye colour not yet developed and as Seth alludes, bill structure is key. Lesser would have a shorter, proportionally deeper bill.

Grahame

 

Seth Miller

Well-known member

• Jan 25, 2020

• #7

Grahame Walbridge said:

Yes, it's a sub-adult Greater, the red eye colour not yet developed and as Seth alludes, bill structure is key. Lesser would have a shorter, proportionally deeper bill.

Grahame

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Thanks for confirming. I had wondered if it was a subadult since I noticed ones in juvenile plumage had dark eyes, but I couldn't find any photos or anything in my bird books that mentioned that.