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 coucal is fairly abundant on the Nilgiris.

From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas

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 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