Identify Indian Cuckoo from Common Cuckoo and Oriental Cuckoo

The Indian Cuckoo, the Common Cuckoo and the Oriental Cuckoo all may have a gray head, bill with yellow color to the base, yellow legs which make them very hard to be identified in the wild. They have distinctive sounds but we do not hear their songs and calls that often.

How to identify the Indian Cuckoo from the Common Cuckoo and the Oriental Cuckoo in the wild?
Below are some key points of the adult males.

1/ The Indian cuckoo or short-winged cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus)

- Four-hoot song: up-horizontal-slightly up-down;

- Eye: dark (gray and very light yellow) iris;

- Undertail: Broad and defined black and white stripes with white tip.

2/ The cuckoo, common cuckoo, European cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

- Two-hoot song: cuk (up) and koo (down);

- Eye: Bright yellow iris;

- Undertail: short stripes or dots to the sides and middle.

3/ The Oriental cuckoo or Horsfields cuckoo (Cuculus optatus)

- Two-hoot song: koo-koo of the same high level, similar to that of Hoopoe.

- Eye: Brownish-yellow iris;

- Underparts: barred all over from breast to undertail.