The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes.

They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in a wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens.

They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds.

Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) suggest that the race parroti may be a full species – the southern coucal which is found in peninsular India (northern boundary unclear).

Race parroti of southern India has a black head and the underparts glossed blue and has the forehead, face and throat more brownish.

[5] The nominate race is found from the Indus Valley through the sub-Himalayan and Gangetic plains to Nepal, Assam and the Bhutan foothills into southern China (Guangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian).

[6] The young when hatched have black skin and white hairy feathers (termed as trichoptiles) forming a fringe over the eye and beak.

[9] The greater coucal is a large bird which takes a wide range of insects, caterpillars, snails and small vertebrates such as the saw-scaled vipers.

[6][11] In oil palm cultivation, they have been noted as an avian pest due to their habit of eating the fleshy mesocarps of the ripe fruits.

[13] Greater coucals are monogamous, and the courtship display involves chases on the ground and the male brings food gifts for the female.

[13][15] The nest is a deep cup with a dome in dense vegetation inside tangles of creepers, bamboo clump or Pandanus crowns.