Banded Bay Cuckoo or Bay-Banded Cuckoo is an Indian bird that bears a scientific name "Cacomantis sonneratii" and is a species of small cuckoo found in the states of India and Southeast Asia.
Structure of Banded Bay Cuckoo
Banded Bay Cuckoo is like others in the genus, have a round nostril. They are usually founded in well wooded areas mainly in the lower hills. The male Banded bay cuckoo sing from exposed branches during the breeding season, which can vary with region. They are distinctive both in their calls as well as plumage with a white eye browed appearance and the rufous upperparts with regular dark bands and the whitish underside with fine striations.
Adult Banded Bay Cuckoo
The adult Banded Bay Cuckoos are bright rufous or bay on the head and back and are broadly barred with dark brown.
Bill of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The bill of Banded Bay Cuckoo is long and slightly curved. A whitish supercilium of Banded Bay Cuckoo is distinctive above a dark eye-line. The wing of Banded bay cuckoo is darker and tail is graduated with a dark brown centre.
Tail of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The tail of Banded Bay Cuckoo has a sub terminal black band and white tips to the feathers. The sexes of Banded Bay Cuckoo are alike.
Iris and Bill of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The iris of Banded Bay Cuckoo is yellow and the bill is black while the base of the lower mandible is Greenish Grey. The tarsi are grey. The juvenile is similar but has a pale lower mandible and white fringes to the feathers of the upper body.
Length of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The overall length of Banded Bay Cuckoo is about 22 cm making it about the same size as the syntopic Cacomantis merulinus and Cacomantis variolosus. The hepatic forms of those can be similar but supercilium, long beak and barred tail distinguish this species
Population of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The population of Banded Bay Cuckoo are often migratory or partially migratory. In India, they are found mainly during the monsoons.
Nests of Banded Bay Cuckoo
Banded Bay Cuckoo is found in well-wooded forests, mainly in hill areas. Insects are their primary diet. They capture insects by gleaning as well as by aerial sallying.
Breeding Season of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The breeding season of Banded bay cuckoo varies widely from region to region. Banded Bay Cuckoo is found near Mumbai, Maharashtra they are known to lay eggs from February to August, Assam from April to August while they seem to sing through much of the year in the Eastern Ghats. In Sri Lanka, young have been seen in June and October while adults sing from January to May in the Malay Peninsula.
Sounds of Banded Bay Cuckoo
The call of Banded Bay Cuckoo is distinctive. It is high-pitched four note whistle that has been transcribed as "wee-ti wee-tee" or "smoke-yer-pepper". The frequency starts at 2.4 kHz and each note falls in pitch with the strophe lasting a second.
