CreatureData

Lesser coucal

Centropus bengalensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) is a species in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes. Recorded adults weigh 115.6 g to 204.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis)
Photo: Afsarnayakkan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the lesser coucal

Weight
115.6 g – 204.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8src 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 lesser coucal live?

Not recorded

What is the lesser coucal?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution range that overlaps with several other similar species. The habitat in which it is found is often marshy land with grass and tree cover. It is distinguished by its smaller size, less prominent bill, pale shaft streaks on the feathers of the head and back. It has a much longer claw on its hind toe and a distinct call. It is also among the few coucals that show season plumage differences but like in other coucals, the sexes cannot be distinguished in the field.

From the Wikipedia article “Lesser coucal” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_coucal&oldid=1381572970), 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 lesser coucal sound like?

Mike Prince · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the lesser coucal endangered?

The lesser 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 lesser coucal classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCuculiformes
  5. familyCuculidae
  6. genusCentropus
  7. SpeciesCentropus bengalensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Centropus ferrugineus, Centropus toulou bengalensis, Cuculus bengalensis, Cuculus toulou

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • كوكال صغيرArabic
  • cucal de BengalaCatalan
  • kukačka bengálskáCzech
  • kukačka orientálníCzech
  • cwcal bachWelsh
  • BengalsporegøgDanish
  • BengalenkuckuckGerman
  • Bengalen-KuckuckGerman
  • eta kukaloEsperanto
  • Cucal bengalíSpanish
  • väike-kannuskäguEstonian
  • pikkukukaaliFinnish
  • Coucal rufinFrench
  • mrki kukalCroatian
  • bengál bozótkakukkHungarian
  • Bubut alang-alangIndonesian
  • Cucal minoreItalian
  • バンケンJapanese
  • 작은뻐꾸기사촌Korean
  • mažoji pentinuotoji gegutėLithuanian
  • പുല്ലുപ്പൻMalayalam
  • Burung But-but KecilMalay
  • Bengaalse SpoorkoekoekDutch
  • bengalsporegjøkNorwegian
  • kukal bengalskiPolish
  • cucal-bengaliPortuguese
  • cucal-pequenoPortuguese
  • Бенгальский кукальRussian
  • Малая шпорцевая кукушкаRussian
  • ostrohár štekavýSlovak
  • Bengalski kukalSerbian
  • mindre sporrgökSwedish
  • นกกะปูดเล็กThai
  • นกกระปูดเล็กThai
  • Küçük kukalTurkish
  • Bengal KukalıTurkish
  • коукал малийUkrainian
  • Bìm bịp nhỏVietnamese
  • 小毛鸡（小毛雞）Cantonese
  • 小鸦鹃Chinese
  • 小鴉鵑Chinese
  • 番鵑Chinese
  • 番鵑〔小鴉鵑〕Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lesser coucal

Other species in the same genus Centropus.

CompareLesser coucal vs Greater coucalLesser coucal vs Senegal coucalLesser coucal vs Black coucalLesser coucal vs Andaman coucal

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lesser coucal?

An adult lesser coucal weighs 115.6 g – 204.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lesser coucal endangered?

The lesser 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 lesser coucal?

The lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) 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). Lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-coucal

MLA

“Lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-coucal.

BibTeX
@misc{lesser_coucal_2026,
  title = {Lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-coucal},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}