Today I spotted a young female Koel Cuckoo. The males are so dark in colour that it’s hard to see them in fine detail. Photographs end up being just a black blob. But this female is quite pretty.

This video shows the bird sitting quietly on the branch, not doing much. At around 20 seconds into the video, she regurgitates some fruit and then swallows it again.

Adult Koel Cuckoos have red eyes, but youngsters can keep the brown colour into their second summer. I thought I glimpsed a glint of red every now and then, but her eyes are still mostly dark brown.

Here’s another side view of her, sheltering behind the foliage:

She decided to stretch her wings. I was behind her at the time, so there’s a lovely view of soft down and the underside of her wings:

Common name: Common Koel or Eastern Koel

Scientific name: Eudynamys scolopacea

Approximate length: 45 cm

Date spotted: 27 November 2016

Season: Spring

Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°46’35.6″S 151°15’16.8″E