The Bay Coucal has a mostly rufous body, with a gray crown and reddish wings. It moves through forest undergrowth on Sulawesi and nearby islands while searching for insects.
The plumage is mostly rufous, with a gray crown, olive-gray back, and wine-rufous wings. The eye is red and the bill is black.
It inhabits moist lowland and montane forests, climbing through lianas and dense foliage. It is often seen in small groups and may associate with malkohas and macaques.
Its recorded prey includes large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.