Before we talk about June’s challenge, we would like to congratulate all birders for participating in Global Big Day, Endemic Bird Day and Himalayan Bird Count! Here are the preliminary results for Himalayan Bird Count!
During June, resident and migratory cuckoos are actively engaged in searching for suitable nesting sites where host birds are likely to build their nests. In the Himalaya region, species such as the Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Himalayan Cuckoo, and Common Cuckoo have been vocalizing since May. In northeast India, cuckoo species such as the Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, Plaintive Cuckoo, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo, and various others are currently active and vocal, with some even calling during the early morning and evening hours.Please upload all your lists by 10 June 2023 so that we can announce the results soon after that.
We still do not know much about the cuckoos and the various hosts they parasitize. This being the ideal month to observe and document such behaviour, the eBird monthly challenge for June is to upload 30 eligible checklists*, with at least five of them containing a brood-parasitic cuckoo.
What birds are included in this list of brood-parasitic cuckoos? Here they are:
- Asian Koel
- Pied Cuckoo
- Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
- Large Hawk-cuckoo
- Common Hawk-cuckoo
- Hodgson’s Hawk-cuckoo
- Indian Cuckoo
- Eurasian Cuckoo
- Himalayan Cuckoo
- Lesser Cuckoo
- Banded Bay Cuckoo
- Plaintive Cuckoo
- Grey-bellied Cuckoo
- Asian Emerald Cuckoo
- Violet Cuckoo
- Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo
- Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo
* Eligible checklists are those that report all species seen/heard (and are therefore marked ‘complete’), report numbers for all species rather than Xs, and are of at least 15 minutes or longer in duration.
Please upload all your lists by 10 July 2023 so that we can announce the results soon after that.
Here are the general rules of our monthly challenges. And check out the yearlong challenges for 2023 as well! You can keep track of fresh lists coming in from India on this page.
A list of challenges at the global level can be seen here. Click here to view the global eBirding challenge of the month.
For those new to eBird, read the brief description, and go through our detailed beginner’s guide; create an account and start using eBird right away to get used to the platform.
Header Image: Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus by Aseem Kothiala/ Macaulay Library
