Nature Quest: The Jacobin’s Bangladeshi summer

A visitor bird and seen often during summer, the Jacobin Cuckoo has made yet another appearance in Bangladesh during it's mating season.  

The bird migrates all the way from Africa and returns right before winter. 

Scientifically named Clamator Jacobinus, the bird belongs to Cuculidae family. In Bangla, it is known as "Pakra-Papia".

The bird is found especially in the south of the Sahara in Africa and the in Indian sub-continent, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Just this summer, the bird was spotted thrice in Chapainawabganj. 

The Jacobin Cuckoo is a medium sized bird, measuring 33cm in length.

An adult Jacobin Cuckoo has a glossy black or dark-brown back and its chest and belly are white. There is a white patch on each black wing and a white tip on its black tail feathers. The crest and the bill too are black.  

The bird prefers thorny, dry shrubs, gardens, or open woodlands as their habitat, actively avoiding dense forests. They do not build their own nests and instead lay their eggs in the nests of host birds such as Babblers, who even raise the Cuckoo's hatchlings.  

Their diet primarily consists of insects, grasshoppers, hairy caterpillars, land snails and fruits. 

The global population of these species has not yet been quantified. It is however determined that the overall population trend is stable. These species have an extremely large range and are hence not considered vulnerable. 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Jacobin Cuckoo in its "Least Concern" category.