Day 66 - the Jacobin cuckoo sightings
Two nature walks this weekend with Madras Naturalists' Society and two sightings of the Jacobin cuckoo - on Saturday at Chembarambakkam and on Sunday in Thiruvanmyur. I love to spot this bird, with that handsome crest and long tail.
Pied Cuckoo. (Clamator jacobinus) that we saw at Chembarambakkam, sitting on the Mesquite. There were two of them, and they flew together gracefully, with streaming tails, from one bush to another. |
The bird delighted all those watching as it called as well. "Oh, it's going to rain - its call is seen as a harbinger of rain!" exclaimed either Abhishek or Vijay. And what do you know - the skies opened on Saturday night - Manali in the north the city had a cloudburst and 20 cms of rain! 😅
Like all cuckoos, this is also a brood parasite, happily laying eggs in the nest of other birds - like the Asian Koel. It is also a resident of peninsular India, though there seems to be some west to east movement, maybe with monsoon winds - see the map below.
The purple blocks are where it is year-round, and the turquoise is more in the winter. Pied cuckoo populations are stable and not of concern conservation-wise. |
"You’re right to question it, because Tamil poetry does distinguish between kuḷil / kuyil birds — and not all “cuckoos” in translation are the same species. Let’s carefully sort this out:1. The Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)In Tamil, this is usually called குயில் (kuyil).Famous in Sangam and later poetry for its sweet, musical call.In love poetry, the koel often symbolizes the pleasures of spring, gardens, and the voice of joy.Andal and later Bhakti poets also praise the kuyil for its melodious call.👉 So when Tamil verses celebrate a sweet-voiced “kuyil”, that’s the Asian koel, not the Jacobin.2. The Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)Called கடைக்குயில் (Kadaikkuḷil) or “rain cuckoo.”Its association is with the onset of rain and the legend of drinking only raindrops.In Sangam akam poems (love/longing), this bird is used as a simile for yearning — just as it thirsts for rain, the heroine thirsts for her lover.Its call is not considered melodious, but plaintive.👉 So when verses talk about a bird that longs for rainwater and heralds the monsoon, that is the Jacobin cuckoo, not the koel.
Oh my, ok ok Chat GPT I believe you this time. Now share some nice poems, please.
A cautionary note also was that while these poems were probably modelled on the rain cuckoo, they were not "zoologically accurate" but more a mythical archetype, a poetic construct.What a nice poetic wormhole I went down today!
This one is a Madras Day special. And a Monsoon Beauty too.
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