Green-billed Coucal

A mid-sized coucal of lowland and mid-hill forest. Black plumage with purplish sheen, dark rufous wings, and pale, greenish bill. Found in the dense undergrowth of humid forest where it is very skulking and difficult to see. Heard more often than seen. Similar to Greater Coucal, but Green-billed Coucal is smaller in size with pale bill. Call a series of deep, double “boop-boop” notes, or a regular, upslurred “ker-chuip” or “chuip” rather like a stone dropping into water.

The green-billed coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos) is a member of the cuckoos. It is endemic to Sri Lanka's wet zone and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the small population declined due to forest destruction and fragmentation. It inhabits the tall rainforests of southwest Sri Lanka and nests in bushes.

It feeds on a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates, but snails are a favourite.