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

A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species.

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.

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.