Tam: கொக்குளாய் kokkuḷāy – Sin: කෝකිලායි kōkilāyi
‘Cuckoo (Lagoon)’ NP, Sri Lanka
From Tam/Sin: kokila(m), ‘Indian cuckoo’ [cuculus micropterus].
The mudflats and mangrove swamps of Kokkilai Lagoon (now a bird sanctuary) are a haven for all sorts of sea birds and wading birds including cormorants, ducks, egrets, flamingoes, herons, ibis, pelicans and storks; and not just cuckoos.
Given its strategic position between the Northern Province and the rest of the country, Kokkilai (both the town and the lagoon) was the site of military activity, attacks and massacres during the Civil War.
