coucal

American  

[koo-kuhl] / ˈku kəl /

noun

1. any of several Old World cuckoos of the genus Centropus, having harsh-textured plumage and a long, daggerlike hind claw.

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coucal British  

/ ˈkuːkæl, -kəl /

noun

1. any ground-living bird of the genus Centropus, of Africa, S Asia, and Australia, having long strong legs: family Cuculidae (cuckoos)

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Etymology

Origin of coucal

1805–15; < French, said to be equivalent to couc ( ou ) cuckoo + al ( ouette ) lark

Example Sentences

The finding of a coucal at the Cocoa Research Station on May 15, 1963, came as something of a surprise, since none had been seen there earlier by our group.

From Birds from North Borneo University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History, Volume 17, No. 8, pp. 377-433, October 27, 1966 by Thompson, Max C.

The nest of the crow-pheasant or coucal is a massive structure, globular in shape, with the entrance at one side.

From A Bird Calendar for Northern India by Dewar, Douglas

The coucal is fairly abundant on the Nilgiris.

From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas

The call of this bird, which continues later in the year than that of the common cuckoo, is not unlike the whoot-whoot-whoot of the crow-pheasant or coucal.

From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas