CreatureData

Greater coucal

Centropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The greater coucal (Centropus sinensis) is a species in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes. Recorded adults weigh 239 g to 323.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis)
Photo: J.M.Garg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the greater coucal

Weight
239 g – 323.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 2.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the greater coucal live?

Not recorded

What is the greater coucal?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in a wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds. They have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in many parts of its range.

From the Wikipedia article “Greater coucal” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greater_coucal&oldid=1384626342), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the greater coucal sound like?

Alasdair Forbes · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the greater coucal endangered?

The greater coucal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the greater coucal classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCuculiformes
  5. familyCuculidae
  6. genusCentropus
  7. SpeciesCentropus sinensis (Stephens, 1815)

Synonyms Polophilus sinensis

Other names and names in other languages (50)
  • Crow pheasantEnglish
  • كوكال صينيArabic
  • كوكال كبيرArabic
  • cucal grosCatalan
  • kukačka vraníCzech
  • cwcal cyffredinWelsh
  • Brunrygget SporegøgDanish
  • HeckenkuckuckGerman
  • granda kukaloEsperanto
  • Cucal chinoSpanish
  • punaselg-kannuskäguEstonian
  • aasiankukaaliFinnish
  • Grand CoucalFrench
  • riđokrili kukalCroatian
  • nagy bozótkakukkHungarian
  • Bubut besarIndonesian
  • Cucal maggioreItalian
  • Cuculo fagiano maggioreItalian
  • オオバンケンJapanese
  • ಕೆಂಬೂತKannada
  • 큰쿠칼Korean
  • 큰뻐꾸기사촌Korean
  • paprastoji pentinuotoji gegutėLithuanian
  • ഉപ്പൻMalayalam
  • भारद्वाजMarathi
  • Chinese SpoorkoekoekDutch
  • orientsporegjøkNorwegian
  • kukal zmiennyPolish
  • cucal-realPortuguese
  • Большой кукальRussian
  • Обыкновенная шпорцевая кукушкаRussian
  • ඇටිකුබ්බාSinhala
  • ඇටි කුකුළාSinhala
  • ostrohár krovinovýSlovak
  • врана фазанSerbian
  • Vranoliki kukalSerbian
  • orientsporrgökSwedish
  • större sporrgökSwedish
  • செம்பகம்Tamil
  • செங்காகம்Tamil
  • செம்போத்துTamil
  • செம்பகம்/செங்காகம்Tamil
  • นกกระปูดใหญ่Thai
  • İri kukalTurkish
  • Büyük KukalTurkish
  • коукал рудокрилийUkrainian
  • 大毛鸡（大毛雞）Cantonese
  • 毛鷄Chinese
  • 褐翅鴉鵑Chinese
  • 褐翅鸦鹃Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the greater coucal

Other species in the same genus Centropus.

CompareGreater coucal vs Lesser coucalGreater coucal vs Senegal coucalGreater coucal vs Black coucalGreater coucal vs Andaman coucal

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the greater coucal?

An adult greater coucal weighs 239 g – 323.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the greater coucal endangered?

The greater coucal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the greater coucal?

The greater coucal (Centropus sinensis) belongs to the family Cuculidae in the order Cuculiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-coucal

MLA

“Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-coucal.

BibTeX
@misc{greater_coucal_2026,
  title = {Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-coucal},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}