Influence of Seasonal Variables on the Distribution of Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) in India

Pied cuckoo Clamator jacobinus (Boddart, 1783) is a migratory, brood parasitic bird found in the Indian subcontinent and Africa. The arrival of Pied cuckoo in India is linked to the onset of monsoon in India. It makes a sudden appearance in northern India in May or early June, indicating the imminent arrival of the monsoon with its unmistakably loud metallic calls. Little information is available on how environmental factors might be affecting its migration. We used maximum entropy modelling to model the monthly and seasonal distribution pattern and identify major bioclimatic factors influencing the Pied cuckoo’s distribution in India. The predicted output shows the species distribution peaking in the months of June–September and no presence in winter in northern India. Water vapour pressure was the significant contributing variable (83.8% in April) for species to arrive in northern parts of India. It signifies the arrival of the monsoon. In July, it was NDVI (26.4%). Windspeed (42.8% in August) and water vapour pressures have contributed the highest in the months of August–September. Our approach provides a more concise understanding of monthly distributions of Pied cuckoo throughout India, which helps to understand the complex seasonal shifts in the distribution of such migratory birds.