koel

[ koh-uhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several cuckoos of the genus Eudynamys, of India, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia.

koel

/ ˈkəʊəl /

any of several parasitic cuckoos of the genus Eudynamys, esp E. scolopacea, of S and SE Asia and Australia

Origin of koel¹

1820–30; < Hindi < Sanskrit kokila

Origin of koel¹

C19: from Hindi, from Sanskrit kokila

The sight of the koel affects a crow in much the same way as a red cloth irritates a bull.

No sooner are their backs turned than the hen koel slips quietly into the nest and deposits an egg in it.

The skin of the koel is black, that of crow is pink for the first two days of its existence, but it grows darker rapidly.

Koel nestlings, when they first emerge from the egg, differ greatly in appearance from baby crows.

At first the call of the koel is a squeak, but later it takes the form of a creditable, if ludicrous, attempt at a caw.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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