After a few days’ absence (or silence), the Koel pair has reappeared around my house. I followed them around the area for a few hundred metres while they called from separate trees.
I went inside and after a gap, I heard loud keek-keeks nearby. I saw them immediately in “their” cedar. The male approached the female, mounted her and separated after just a few seconds. The female then flew off. There was no
soliciting or other preparatory behaviour that I saw, but it may have occurred before I saw them. HANZAB describes various and quite elaborate courtship and soliciting behaviour, but also describes mating events as: “male then descended rapidly from his perch,
approached the female without any display, mounted and copulated immediately”. In the HANZAB description, the female was described as responding to the male call by flying to his tree and giving a
wuk call. I missed this bit if it occurred. There are both Red Wattlebirds and Magpie Larks nesting around here at present.
So, I think I observed a Koel mating event. Then again …
David Rosalky
PS: I also have magpies and currawongs with very young fledged chicks, and a family of ravens with three robust chicks but with large gapes, so still quite young. And I am pretty sure I am observing a pair of Crested Pigeons with a young
bird. This ID is more by behaviour than observation because there is no obvious morphological difference or direct feeding.)
