Definition
A small Asian bird of the cuckoo family, known for its distinctive call; also spelled 'chataka' in ornithological texts.
Etymology
From Sanskrit or Hindi origins, 'chataka' refers to a bird in South Asian languages and was adopted into English ornithological terminology through colonial-era naturalists documenting Indian wildlife.
Kelly Says
The chataka has become famous in Indian literature and poetry as a symbol of longing—ancient texts describe it as a bird that only drinks water from clouds, refusing all other sources, making it a metaphor for faithfulness and hopeless devotion across centuries of Hindi and Sanskrit poetry.
Translations
ARالعربية
شاتاكا
sha-ta-ka
CACatalà
chataka
cha-ta-ka
CSČeština
chataka
cha-ta-ka
DADansk
chataka
cha-ta-ka
DEDeutsch
chataka
cha-ta-ka
ELΕλληνικά
τσατάκα
tsa-ta-ka
ESEspañol
chataka
cha-ta-ka
FISuomi
chataka
cha-ta-ka
FRFrançais
chataka
cha-ta-ka
HUMagyar
chataka
cha-ta-ka
IDBahasa Indonesia
chataka
cha-ta-ka
ITItaliano
chataka
cha-ta-ka
MSBahasa Melayu
chataka
cha-ta-ka
NLNederlands
chataka
cha-ta-ka
NONorsk
chataka
cha-ta-ka
PLPolski
chataka
cha-ta-ka
PTPortuguês
chataka
cha-ta-ka
RORomână
chataka
cha-ta-ka
SVSvenska
chataka
cha-ta-ka
SWKiswahili
chataka
cha-ta-ka
TAதமிழ்
சட்டகா
chat-ta-ka
TEతెలుగు
చట్టక
chat-ta-ka
TRTürkçe
chataka
cha-ta-ka
UKУкраїнська
чатака
chataka
VITiếng Việt
chataka
cha-ta-ka