Pied Cuckoo

Pied cuckoo is a bird with black and white plumage (pied) with a fancy crest on the head.
It is found in Africa and Asia.
In central and northern parts of India, pied cuckoos are migratory, they are seen only from just before the monsoon to early winter.
They have high site fidelity, that is, they come back to the same location year after year.
It is one of the few species that come to India in the summer; most other migratory species come in winter.
IUCN Status of the bird is Least Concerned.
Recently, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has decided to study the migration of the Pied Cuckoo Bird by tagging the bird with satellite transmitters, as a part of IBIN project.
This is the first study in the country that seeks to trace and observe the migratory routes of the pied cuckoo.
It will give information on the monsoon, changes in the monsoon and monsoon winds, erratic rainfall, seasonal fluctuations, water vapour pressure, etc.