Sz - You may be right but whenever I have been able to identify the source of a wirra (or ‘wurra’ or ‘orra’ etc), it has been a male, usually in the presence of another koel either male or female.
From: Suzanne
EDGAR [
Sent: Sunday, 22 January 2017 5:03 PM
To: 'Geoffrey Dabb';
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Koels in Fraser
There is also the wi/orra wirra of the female, of course.
Sz
From: Geoffrey Dabb
Sent: Sunday, 22 January 2017 9:26 AM
To:
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] Koels in Fraser
Thanks Steve. This raises a matter that has not been brought to a conclusion on this chatline. The background c all is what is usually called ‘the female call’ - an insistent kek-kek-kek. This varies from
softly repetitive to an explosive ‘kuk-kuk-kuk’. However I have heard and seen that call also given by a male bird, so you may be right this time. Did you see a m ale giving that call?
The ‘different call’ is the single soft ‘skrrrrt’ which seems to interrupt the begging sequence. This is difficult to interpret without more knowledge of Koelese.
From: Wallaces
Sent: Sunday, 22 January 2017 8:28 AM
To: Canberra birds
Subject: [canberrabirds] Koels in Fraser
At least three koels have fledged on the northern slopes of Mount Rogers this month. While I was filming one of them, an adult male koel called nearby and the juvenile interrupted its begging to give a different call. It did this twice
but when the host returned to feed it the juvenile did not respond to the Koel call. Video linked below.
Steve
http://www.hbw.com/ibc/1326060
