Koel names

["Philip Veerman" <>]

I hope that this is not a silly or trite answer to: What do we hear and see in Canberra? My answer is all of these. As in these are alternate names for the one thing, depending on which list or book or revision of taxonomy you wish to use. I have also found a reference (Clements' book) to Eudynamys cyanocephala Blue-headed Koel allegedly occurring in eastern Australia but then says (probable race of Eudynamys scolopacea). My vote if I had one would probably be Eastern Koel. Actually it appears that there is one Koel, why do we needed a descriptor name beyond Koel, within Australia that is adequate.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----From: Susanne Gardiner [ Sent: Sunday, 23 January 2011 9:35 AM
To: canberra birds     Subject: Fw: Re: [canberrabirds] Koels

Hi

the one in Ainslie woke me up at 6.30 this morning, hung around for about half an hour, ended up about 5 m from me on our power lines, and I heard him again about a minute ago.

I am still puzzled about the names. 

The NWS national parks and wildlife service lists Eudynamys orientalis als Pacific Koel on their Murramarrang NP Birdlist. 

Common Koel in my birdbook (Simpson&Day) is Eudynamys scolopacea, which according to Wikipedia is an Asian Koel, while they have an Australian Koel as a subspecies to the Pacific, with no "Common" koel in their list. 

The birds I heard at Murramarrang and here sound the same, while the "Asian" Koels recorded in India on Youtube sound different.

What do we hear and see in Canberra?

Cheers, Susanne

juv Koel fed by Red Wattle bird at Depot Beach: