The sound of Asian Koel (Koha) is a familiar feature when it comes to Sinhala and Tamil New Year period when one focuses on nature. This is other than the blooming of Erabadu flowers and bearing of fruits.

The sound of Koha is said to be more frequent this year, an environmentalist said.

Environmentalist Jagath Gunawardene told Daily Mirror that the sound of the Koha is heard more frequently this year. “It was observed that the bird’s sound began by end of March this year. The sound was more frequent as they started nesting around that time,” he said.

“The frequency increased as the days went by and it has reached the peak as of now. The high frequency of the bird’s sound will continue for about five days. Sound will continue till end of this month though the frequency would be reduced. The low frequency would continue till end May,” he added.

He said there is no evidence to suggest that the Koha population is reduced.

The Asian koel (Eudynamys Scholopaceus) or popularly known as Koha in Sri Lanka is said to be a member of the cuckoo order of birds. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a subspecies with the closely related black-billed koels, and Pacific koels, which are sometimes treated as subspecies. (Yohan Perera)