Lesser Coucal

The lesser coucal is a cuckoo of marshy land with grass and tree cover, with a wide range that overlaps with several similar species. It is separated by its smaller size, less prominent bill, pale shaft streaks on the head and back feathers, a much longer claw on the hind toe and a distinct call. It is one of the few coucals with seasonal plumage differences, though the sexes cannot be told apart in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young, and the usual clutch is three eggs in India, two in Southeast Asia and four in Taiwan. Six subspecies are recognised. Its range runs from India and Nepal through Southeast Asia to China and the Philippines.