Koel bird

[Max Headroom]

OP, Koels lose interest in their perch after a while, so the call should eventually fade, as they perch further and further away. Well, that's what happened here anyway.

Speaking of bird calls at night, one particular bird call has had me puzzled for years. I only hear it at night, usually from fairly dense forest or park areas. I can only describe it as the groaning sound that a frozen-over pond makes when you walk along the ice and two ice shelves grind against each other. It kind of resonates. I can't believe a bird can make that exact sound.

Any ornithologists in the house?



Edit: typo.

[pisceangirl]

OP, Koels lose interest in their perch after a while, so the call should eventually fade, as they perch further and further away. Well, that's what happened here anyway.

Speaking of bird calls at night, one particular bird call has had me puzzled for years. I only hear it at night, usually from fairly dense forest or park areas. I can only describe it as the groaning sound that a frozen-over pond makes when you walk along the ice and two ice shelves grind against each other. It kind of resonates. I can't believe a bird can make that exact sound.

Any ornithologists in the house?



Edit: typo.

This post reminds me of "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" by Murakami

[beppi]

When I was new in Singapore and first heard the Koel's sound, I imitated it by whistling - and the Koel answered back! Then, the whole day and several afterwards, it seemed to follow me around and call me everywhere (or so I thought, at least - in fact it was probably several of them and a coincidence, since they're ubiquitous, as I know now). They're rather intelligent, and cool too!

[Strong Eagle]

OP, Koels lose interest in their perch after a while, so the call should eventually fade, as they perch further and further away. Well, that's what happened here anyway.

Speaking of bird calls at night, one particular bird call has had me puzzled for years. I only hear it at night, usually from fairly dense forest or park areas. I can only describe it as the groaning sound that a frozen-over pond makes when you walk along the ice and two ice shelves grind against each other. It kind of resonates. I can't believe a bird can make that exact sound.

Any ornithologists in the house?



Edit: typo.

This?

http://www.herberts.org/miscdocs/Frogs.mp3

[Max Headroom]

Nope. These are those rain frogs that come out en masse after it's been raining at night.

Once you hear the bird call I mean, you'll know it.

By the way, some pedestrian traffic lights make a very similar sounds when indicating they're green.

[Strong Eagle]

Maybe this one? http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_02/l ... htjar.html

[Max Headroom]

That's the one, SE.

"Its loud and monotonous call has been likened to the sound made by throwing a stone on the ice."

Wow, first heard it in the 1980's and often wondered if I was hearing things.

Thanks SE.

[BedokAmerican]

I just listened to a youtube video of that bird. Finally nice to be able to put a name to it. Seems they make noise just before sunrise. Sounds like an echo throughout the land. I noticed it a lot when I first moved here but not so much anymore.

[Max Headroom]

Ya, true that.

[the lynx]

Maybe this one? http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_02/l ... htjar.html

Good one. Another new thing learned today!

[Travailes]

Maybe this one? http://singaporebirds.net/npassers_02/l ... htjar.html

Thanks for that.
We have one in residence at the momemt. Wish he'd pack up a bit earlier !
I'm all for the dawn chorus but not at 4.30am !!

[Edroche]

We had a Koel neighbour for a couple of years. It was horrific and it's calls that would wake you up at 5:30am would be enough to reopen the wounds of Jesus. It's not just a case of being sensitive especially with a newborn in the house that was not impressed. If it is close enough to your house you would know just how loud it gets. There is nothing else like it. They tend to be everywhere also. From the condo areas of river valley to hdb estates on the coasts.

It turned into a road runner / wile coyote situation with rocks, green lasers, playing wedge tailed eagle calls and all this sort of thing much to the amusement of our friends. I guess it was excessive and hilarious. They hang around for half of the year, returning about now just as the weather changes. They generally return to the same tree annually and stick with their mate. The male is plain black with red eyes. Female - more grayish with patterned feathers. The female calls first followed by the male. Twice a day around dusk and dawn that can go on for around 30 minutes or less. They tend to be shy and stick to dense foliage. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of as they will come back even if you manage to move them on occasion. In Oz they are know as storm birds.

This sounds bad but our one didn't return in 2013, it must have died and I'm absolutely delighted that it did. I'm completely ok with all creatures and can live with the occasional roche. But these birds? No way. They are basically cuckoos and do the same covert egg swapping but these birds are just not compatible with city life. They come back now, September.

[Max Headroom]

Yep, alas, ours has been back a few weeks. It's not right by our window yet the way it was last time, but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, so it might as well get on with it.

[JR8]

We had one a few years ago and it wasn't much fun at all. I'm pretty sure I posted at the time, but can't find that thread.

We came to call it a 'woohoo bird', even after we determined it was an Asian Koel. If you've heard one you'll understand why.

The repeated and rising pitch of it's call can really get under your skin, an avian form of Chinese water torture. I remember having visions of the bird exploding in a big puff of feathers at the end of a series of calls, so ardent does it sound.

Due to their dreadful noise they are, unfortunately for their species, not well evolved for city living. As a result they are culled here.


It appears it might now be a protected species. I say now, as it wasn't that long ago I saw AVA out behind our previous condo shooting one!

edit to add:
...and http://www.ava.gov.sg/AnimalsPetSector/ ... ldAnimals/

Now protected since the Koels help reduce the [noisy] crow population!

[ecureilx]

Now protected since the Koels help reduce the [noisy] crow population!

interesting method of population control