A bird said to possess a voice more beautiful and melodious than any other bird. The kala-vinka is cited in Buddhist sutras and other works for its beautiful voice, which is often used as a metaphor for the Buddha's voice. The "Parable of the Phantom City" (seventh) chapter of the Lotus Sutra reads, "Sage lord, heavenly being among heavenly beings, voiced like the kalavinka bird, you who pity and comfort living beings, we now pay you honor and reverence." The kalavinka is said to start singing even before leav-ing its shell and to live in the valleys of the Himalayas as well as in Amida's Pure Land of Perfect Bliss. Some have equated it with real birds of India, though its origin is not clear, and some Buddhist art depicts it as having the body of a bird and a human head.