Koel population growing fast

Disna Mudalige

Environment lawyer Jagath Gunawardena said the koel population was growing fast and blamed it on open garbage disposal and the fast growing crow population.

“This bird is a scavenger, and therefore open garbage disposal has provided them with feeding opportunities, while the growing crow population has secured breeding opportunities for them. The over population of koels could arise problems in the future since it is a predator,” he told the Daily News.

“Koels were rarely found in the hill country, and laid eggs only in the jungle crows nests in the past. But as I observe now, koels have become a common sight even in Nuwara Eliya and Horton plains.

Now they mostly lay eggs in the house crows nests, whose population is also increasing at an alarming rate.

This switch of the breeding pattern has also helped to their growing population, he said.

The breeding season of the crow is also extended giving more chance for koels to grow,” he added.