At 8am this morning I am roused by the distinctive call of a
female koel. Going out into the bright Canberra sunlight I see a female
and male koel fly into a prunus shrub. A minute or so later the female flies
into a street tree (E mannifera, the aptly named ‘Brittle Gum’). The male
follows her into the tree, perching on a higher limb. He gives soft
‘kahow’ calls and can be seen to be carrying a peeled prunus fruit, held
prominently. He descends to the female’s limb and after a quick side-step
or 2 they copulate. During this, the male keeps hold of the fruit (arrow)
at one point holding it against the female, suggesting a whole new meaning for
the wine-maker’s phrase ‘pressing the fruit’.
