Birding At Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary Bharatpur
The history
Closest International airport is Delhi-184 Km. It is well connected by rail and road.
The map
We visited the Keoladeo National Park from 17th to 21st January 2022. To our bad luck whole of 18th, 19th and pre lunch 20th were foggy, cloudy and extremely cold. Had booked the tourist Lodge in advance so did not cancel. Did manage to get a few good shots though, thanks to the camera. From Moradabad we opted for the route via Dasna onto Eastern Peripheral Expressway and then State expressway bypassing Mathura though this route is 100 km longer than via Aligarh; as former is a expressway and latter single lane road. Rajasthan Tourism is fair enough with bookings on-line. Staying inside gives one a wonderful feeling of staying in the Jungle. In this post will upload the shots of the birds seen there and a few animals and their activities that we observed.
1- Yellow Footed Green Pigeon- Hariyal State Bird Of Maharashtra, a shy pigeon unlike rock pigeon, has yellow feet and amazingly blue coloured iris with pink at periphery. See full screen to admire the colours, better still on laptop, under full magnification possible.
2-Spotted Owlet-This owl is largely nocturnal. It normally comes out before dusk and retires by sunrise to its roost in a tree hole or branch, where pairs or small family groups huddle together as seen here. Iris is Yellow of this vahan of Laxmi. Owls as predators keep a balance in our ecosystem by keeping a check on rodent and insect population.
I was waiting for this owlet to fly towards me for a super shot but the cold prevented it. It was all cuddled up with it's family but seeing me flew and sat on this branch slowly opening and closing it's eyes waiting for me to go away.
3- The darter or snakebird is a water bird. The origin of the name is apparent for while swimming, only the neck appears above water so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. It hunts by spearing the fish and other small prey using its sharp, slender beak obvious from these photographs that I have taken.
Darters swim with their webbed feet and pursue their prey, fish, under water and spear their prey by rapidly stretching out their neck. For larger fish, they use both their jaws and use the lower jaw on small fish.
They bring their capture to the surface of the water, toss it backwards and engulf it head-first.
Unlike ducks, ospreys and pelicans who coat their feathers with oil from their uropygial gland, the darter does not have waterproof feathers. Their feathers get soaked upon immersion in water. Therefore, they cannot stay floating on water for long periods of time so they dry themselves up by coming out and flapping their wings sitting with their wings towards sun and face away from sun. It was a treat to watch them do such sort of hunting and I succeeded in recording quite a few sequences.
One such sequence I share here. After spearing ,they flip the fish in air and then swallow it whole.
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| Speared Fish with two jaws |
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| The Flip |
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Swallowing with head end of fish being the first one to go down. |
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Drying it's wings spread out and itself with it's face away from the sun |
4- Great White Pelican- Great white Pelican is a royal looking bird. To me they looked like fairies floating on water delicately lifting their gowns (wings) to prevent them from getting wet.
It's an interesting story how I was made to see these birds from close quarters, by the guide with all "shh shh" as we entered a prohibited area and the funny thing was he was cautious that no one followed us for then the crowd would bring in attention and make the birds fly away as also he would be taken to task by the authorities. He closed the point of entry with twigs that had thorns which he had removed for us to pass through.
I was a bit apprehensive when there was an overcast sky for 21/2 out of 4 days that we spent in Bharatpur for was not sure how the photographs would be without sunlight....but I realised that those days acted as golden hour ie the quality of photographs one gets was similar to what one gets during dusk and dawn... With a beautiful blue tint due to fog....
Pelicans are large water birds characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing. They are gregarious birds, travelling in flocks, hunting cooperatively, and breeding colonially.
The young live on regurgitated food obtained by thrusting their bills down the parent’s gullet. Pelicans have a network of air sacs under their skin situated across the ventral surface including the throat, breast, and undersides of the wings. they also have air sacs in their bones. The air sacs are connected to the airways of the respiratory system, and the pelican can keep its air sacs inflated by closing its glottis, but how air sacs are inflated is not clear. The air sacs serve to keep the pelicans remarkably buoyant in the water.
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| Pelican with a catch in the pouch |
Its appearance is transformed from it's dull colours when it takes a flight, when the white of the wings makes it very prominent as seen in pics. Pond herons are usually silent but may make a harsh croak in alarm when flushed or near their nests. They are solitary foragers. They have been noted to pick up crumbs of bread and drop them on the water surface to bait fishes.
The Hindustani phrase "bagla bhagat" has been used to describe a "wolf in sheep's clothing" or a hypocrite appearing like a meditating saint and has been derived from these creatures who are considered half blind as they stand still and flush only at the last moment when approached.
6- Fruit Bat, flying Fox Or megabats Series - A mammal - With Neo Cov being in news and creating a farce fear (Hope the mutation does not occur that would make it enter human body as also no one uses the information to create a variant for a biowar ), I am compelled to share the clicks taken by me of Fruit Bat In Bharatpur.
The megabat family contains the largest bat species. They can be differentiated from other bats due to their dog-like faces, clawed second digits, and reduced uropatagium. Megabats have several adaptations for flight, including rapid oxygen consumption, the ability to sustain heart rates of more than 700 beats per minute, and large lung volumes. Most species are primarily frugivorous and several are nectarivorous. Other less common food resources include leaves, pollen, twigs, and bark. A quarter of all species are listed as threatened, mainly due to habitat destruction and overhunting. Megabats are a popular food source in some areas, leading to population declines and extinction. Megabats use smell to find food sources like fruit and nectar. They have keen senses of smell that rival that of the domestic dog. As with nearly all bat species, males do not assist females in parental care. The young stay with their mothers until they are weaned. Many megabat species are highly social. They can differentiate between sweet and bitter tastes. They also have specific dialect for communication. Megabats play an important role in seed dispersal. They are not suspected to be vectors of coronaviruses. Their teeth were used as a currency by a tribe, which had to be taught to hunt sustainably to prevent them from endangering the population of bats.
7- Purple Heron- Is a beautiful bird which looks like a snake with wings. It is beautifully coloured and I always confused it with darter and Grey Heron. It stands still like grey heron to catch a prey not like darter which swims to search it's prey and then dries it's wings.
They breed colonially and they love to live in their own mohalla in heronries.
I clicked the Grey Heron and the Purple Heron in the same frame so as to get the difference.
8 - एकान्तवासी - Green Heron- Green herons are intolerant of other birds – including conspecifics – when feeding and are not seen to forage in groups. They typically stand still on shore or in shallow water or perch upon branches and await prey. Sometimes they drop food, insects, or other small objects on the water's surface to attract fish, making them one of the few known tool-using species. This feeding method has led some to title the green and closely related striated heron as among the world's most intelligent birds. They are able to hover briefly to catch prey.
9 - Yellow Bittern _ Satto our guide spotted Black bittern and pointed out but by the time I could mark it, it flew away. He explained that it is rarely sighted and hides itself. Well that was the first day and I was excited and filled with energy. Two days went by and we could not spot it again. The third day again he went about exploring the isolated part of wetland with his binoculars peeping in deep inside the vegetation in the marshes. I was extremely tired running fever but the zeal of sightings was pushing me. I sat down as the exploration on foot was too much for me by then. He did sight one but it soon hid. He carried on with his search and sighted Yellow bittern which too is a shy bird. "Shhhhh" (Finger on lips action) went all around as I got ready to click and to our luck the bittern did not move and continued with it's search (probably was too hungry or had not seen us) and I got quite a few close up shots as I moved slowly towards it very well understanding the difference between bittern and Pond Heron.... The long neck clearly seen in a shot.
Yellow Bitterns tend to stay in thick wetland vegetation, and can be difficult to observe. They also are often most active at dawn or dusk, or are nocturnal, making observation even more difficult. They forage by moving slowly through the wetland vegetation or waiting at the water's edge, thrusting their long bill out to capture prey when prey is spotted.
Imagine Mr Bean in flight with all his clumsiness and the yellow bittern's flight is exactly the same. Its wings automatically flail about helplessly as it makes a panic-stricken landing in the reeds.
10- Egrets- Egrets are herons that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.
Different types of Egrets mainly Great White Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret and cattle Egret were spotted by me.
The intermediate is smaller, with neck length a little less than body length, a slightly domed head, and a shorter, thicker bill. The great egret has a noticeable kink near the middle of its neck, and the top of its longer bill nearly aligns with the flat top of its head. Close up, great egret's gape line extends behind the eye, while the intermediate's is less pointed and ends below the eye. The intermediate tends to stalk upright with neck extended forward. The great is more patient, often adopting a sideways-leaning "one-eyed" stance. Little egrets have yellow-soled feet and black bills. They often run after fish in shallow water. Breeding birds have long nuptial plumes on the back of their heads.
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| Great Egret |
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| Great Egret |
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| Intermediate Egret |
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| Intermediate Egret |
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| Little Egret The Ballerina |
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| A group of Egrets for you to distinguish |
11- Cormorants - In India, according to forest officials these birds like turtles are natural scavengers feeding on floating flesh, insects besides fish. They have been observed to feed on flour pills and rice puffs offerings to leave ganga clean. In winters they migrate to plains and fly back to higher reaches in the Himalayas in winters.
The Indian Cormorants have slender bodies and their neck and tail are of equal length. They have beautifully coloured greenish blue eyes
The Great cormorant-
A heavyset bird with a long, thick neck, blocky head, and heavy hooked bill. The legs are short, the tail fairly long, and the wings broad. Adults are blackish overall with white throat and yellowish skin around the bill. When breeding, adults have a square patch of white on the thigh and white neck feathers. Juveniles are brownish with a whitish throat and belly, with some brownish streaking at the edges. They were used for fishing in the past. Great Cormorants often hold the wings open when they are out of the water. They typically face into the wind and turn their backs to the sun. This behaviour probably serves to warm them and help dry the plumage. It may also aid in the digestion of prey. Great Cormorants are found throughout the world, inhabiting mostly freshwater rivers and lakes. The claw of the Great Cormorant’s middle toe is pectinated, or serrated like a comb. It’s thought that the birds use this for preening the plumage.
This pic is of an Indian Cormorant with a feather. It's eyes show the sadness. Below it's head one can see the dead bird.. First picture sure looks like the mother is with the feather in the beak and the dead one is the chick for the ventral feathers are white. At the back a couple of birds seen, mourning? It was repeatedly touching the body with it's beak. The feather is from the dead bird for I think it pulled it out while trying to move it. Read a lot but could not get any mention of Cormorant eating dead birds. But yes did read that in grief some birds pull their own feathers... Birds too have amygdala and hypothalamus and do possess neurotransmitters..
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| Mom cormorant with chic |
12- Crested Serpent Eagle - After spending some time sitting near the wetland and observing the activities of the birds found there we headed towards the wetland swamps to spot the Saras crane. The guide had heard their call and so moved in that direction. I was leading and my mind was focussed on the way for I was in a hurry to cover the distance so as to not miss catching up with the cranes. I missed sighting this beautiful creature but how could a guide miss. He ran to catch up with me and waved to come back and have a look at what he had spotted. A crested serpent eagle sitting so close as if posing for a good profile pic. I took a couple of shots and did not wait for an action so as to not miss clicking the cranes. This one seemed to be a juvenile.
All members of these species complex have a large looking head with long feathers on the back of the head giving them a maned and crested appearance. The face is bare and yellow joining up with the ceres while the powerful feet are not feathered and heavily scaled. They fly over the forest canopy on broad wings and tail have wide white and black bars. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name. Young birds show a lot of white on the head.
Both birds in a pair build the nest but the female alone incubates.
The male guards when the female forages.
This one is an adult.
13- The Little Grebe- The little grebe is a small water bird with a pointed bill. Features can be seen in the photo. It is an excellent swimmer and diver and pursues its fish and aquatic invertebrate prey underwater. It uses the vegetation skilfully as a hiding place.
Interesting Fact- When the adult bird leaves the nest it usually takes care to cover the eggs with weeds. This makes it less likely to be detected by predators. The young leave the nest and can swim soon after hatching, and chicks are often carried on the backs of the swimming adults.
14- Eurasian Eagle Owl- I could never have located it had it not been for the guide. He must have known that it had it's nest with chicks in it, for he just placed his telescope after reaching the point and showed us. Mother was sleeping protecting it's chicks. Thanks to my zoom lenses I could get the pic for we couldn't get any closer. The tree was standing in water far away.
The Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. Their orange eyes are distinctive, not seen here. It is referred to as the world's largest owl. The Eurasian eagle-owl is largely nocturnal in activity, as are most owl species, with its activity focused in the first few hours after sunset and the last few hours before sunrise.
The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, and the male provides food for her, and when they hatch, for the nestlings, as well. Continuing parental care for the young is provided by both adults for about five months.
Tame eagle-owls have occasionally been used in pest control because of their size to deter large birds such as gulls from nesting.
15 - Black Rumped Flameback-
The only golden- backed woodpecker which has black coloured throat and rump.
Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.
16- Common Flameback-
A medium-sized, golden-backed woodpecker with long, solid black moustachial stripes. The black eyes stripe is linked to the black rear neck stripe on both sexes. The male is crowned in red, while the female is crowned in black. They have a black tail that contrasts with their red rump and only three toes for identification. Throat, face, and rump are rufous or buff in colour.
17- Yellow Crowned Wood Pecker
Medium-sized woodpecker with a densely-spotted black-and-white back and blotchy brown-and-white underparts. Female has an all-golden crown; male has a red forecrown.
This bird flies from tree trunk to tree trunk and then halts to look for insects. Male and female birds both excavate a hole for their nest where they lay their eggs.
18- Bronze Winged Jacana- The bronze-winged jacana is a wader. Like other jacanas it forages on lilies and other floating aquatic vegetation, the long feet ( see in pic the long toes) spreading out its weight and preventing sinking. The sexes are alike but females are slightly larger and are polyandrous, maintaining a harem of males during the breeding season in the monsoon rains. Males maintain territories, with one male in the harem chosen to incubate the eggs and take care of the young. Females mate with multiple males, leading to intense sperm competition, and the male that receives (termed as receivers) a clutch of eggs for incubation may destroy clutches in which their paternity is in doubt.
When threatened, young chicks may be sheltered between the wings and carried to safety. They become independent of their father when they are about ten weeks old.
19- Pheasant Tailed Jacana- The pheasant-tailed jacana has elongated toes and nails that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat.
They are the only jacanas that migrate long distances and have different non-breeding and breeding plumages.
The pheasant-tailed jacana forages by swimming or by walking on aquatic vegetation.
Females are larger than males and are polyandrous, laying several clutches that are raised by different males in their harem.
20- Common Kingfisher- This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptations to enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank.
They live singly and only pair during breeding season.
For food requirement they define their territories and fight if intrusion occurs, drowning the competitor by catching the beak.
It’s a bird that takes your breath away every time — streaking like an electric tracer into the water and emerging happy-eyed with a wriggling silver fish.
The common kingfisher hunts from a perch 1–2 m (3–7 ft) above the water, on a branch, post or riverbank, bill pointing down as it searches for prey. It bobs its head when food is detected to gauge the distance and plunges steeply down to seize its prey usually no deeper than 25 cm (10 in) below the surface. The wings are opened underwater and the open eyes are protected by the transparent third eyelid. The bird rises beak-first from the surface and flies back to its perch. At the perch the fish is adjusted until it is held near its tail and beaten against the perch several times. Once dead, the fish is positioned lengthways and swallowed head-first. A few times each day, a small greyish pellet of fish bones and other indigestible remains is regurgitated.
20- River Tern with a catch. In the background one can see the snakebird swallowing a fish.
The River tern is a slender bird, about the size of a pigeon, with grey upper parts, black cap on the head, yellow beak, long pointed wings, a deeply-forked tail and short, yellow stubby legs. Both the sexes look alike. It spends a great portion of its time fishing. It predominantly feeds on fish, small crustaceans and insects. More likely to be sighted in flight than on the ground.
This species has been uplisted to Vulnerable on the basis that increasing human disturbance, dam construction, waterbody management, and predation are causing a rapid population decline. Whilst the situation is more concerning in Southeast Asia despite its marginal occurrence here, localised declines also continue to occur across India, of which currently holds the majority of the population.
21- Eurasian Hoopee- Utterly unmistakable orange bird with a zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill.
In what was long thought to be a defensive posture, hoopoes sunbathe by spreading out their wings and tail low against the ground and tilting their head up; they often fold their wings and preen halfway through. They also enjoy taking dust and sand baths.
Hoopoes are monogamous, although the pair bond apparently only lasts for a single season. They are also territorial. It is Israel's National Bird.
They’re big fighters, too, especially the boys. While fighting over property during the breeding season (usually between March and June), they will face each other, crests flared, bills first pointing downwards and then directly at each other and begin jabbing. It can get dangerous and they have been known to blind one another in such duels. The property the males fight over are usually a hollow or slit in a tree trunk or a hole in a stone wall — which is what they call home. They will line this skimpily with grass, leaves, feathers and rubbish and the chosen one will settle down here to raise a family. The entrance is made even narrower and throughout the incubation period — madam’s job entirely — her partner will, rather in the manner of hornbills, feed her conscientiously. Both parents feed the babies.
Their in-house hygiene is appalling. The lady of the house, alas, lets excreta, food debris fester in her home and it stinks the place out. Worse, at this time, her preen-gland (the uropygial gland) swells up and produces a thick, brown goo that is extremely foul smelling. This guck, she applies all over herself and to her eggs, too. It keeps predators (there are a couple of raptors which are partial to hoopoes) at bay. But this evil-smelling stuff is good for her and her babies-to-be. It has substances which make her feathers flexible and waterproof. Also, it was recently discovered it plays host to a good bacterium, which is the “natural predator” of a bad bacterium, which is a keratin destroyer — the stuff feathers are made out of. The goo also gets through the pores of the eggs and provides a shield for the babies inside. But, be warned: if you try funny stuff with hoopoe babies (such as remove them from their nest) they will turn around and squirt you with a face-full of highly stinky liquid faeces — an experience you will not relish.
22- Woolly Necked Stork - The woolly-necked stork is a medium-sized stork. The iris is deep crimson or wine-red. The stork is glistening black overall with a black "skull cap", a downy white neck which gives it its name.
They are attracted to fires in grasslands and crop fields where they capture insects trying to escape the fire.
The species was elevated from "Near-threatened" to "Vulnerable" in 2014. It was, however, down listed to "Near-threatened" in 2019. The status of woolly-necked storks is tied to Indian and Nepali farmers – an unusual situation in a world where agriculture has often been the villain of conservation stories.
23- Saras Crane- The sarus crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by its overall grey colour and the contrasting red head and upper neck. They forage on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots, tubers, insects, crustaceans, and small vertebrate prey. Like other cranes, they form long-lasting pair bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting, leaps, and dance-like movements. In India, they are considered symbols of marital fidelity, believed to mate for life and pine the loss of their mates, even to the point of starving to death. The sarus crane is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
The species is venerated in India, and legend has it that the poet Valmiki cursed a hunter for killing a sarus crane and was then inspired to write the epic Ramayana. They are a symbol of marital virtue and in parts of Gujarat, taking a newlywed couple to see a pair of sarus cranes is customary. The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has declared the sarus crane as its official state bird.
24- Glossy Ibis - This is the most widespread ibis species. Though generally suspected to be a migratory species in India, the glossy ibis is resident in western India.
When not nesting, flocks of over 100 individuals may occur on migration. The young can leave the nest after about 7 days, but the parents continue to feed them for another 6 or 7 weeks.
A glossy Ibis was once rescued from PM's house due to heat exhaustion and Wasim Akram, Manager Wildlife SOS Special Projects said, “At times like this we must remain compassionate and consider the welfare of birds and animals that share our surroundings. We can do our bit by putting out earthen water bowls and food in our balconies, window sills, outside residential complexes and shops. Creating green cover by planting more trees and keeping potted plants also provide reprieve to these animals.”
25- Griffon Vulture or Himalayan Vulture- Massive tricolored vulture with whitish head and neck, pale brown body, and contrasting dark flight feathers. Juveniles similar but with a pale brown rather than white neck ruff. Nests in colonies on cliff ledges; often seen in loose flocks soaring over valleys and mountainsides but always in search of updrafts and thermals. Still the commonest vulture over much of its breeding range. Some populations are resident while others are highly migratory. They feed on old carcasses sometimes waiting a couple of days near a dead animal.
The IUCN has listed the species as Near Threatened. One major threat to the species is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug known as diclofenac. Their population decline is generally caused by the consumption of carcasses exposed to diclofenac.
We found them near a carcass and they flew away and sat on nearby trees on seeing us.
Like other vultures, the Himalayan griffon vulture is considered one of the most dangerous birds of the Himalayas. Along with long wings and a strong head, these birds possess heavy claws and sharp bills. They also attack in small colonies and the strike of these birds can cause several damages to humans and anima
26- Spotted Eagle- The greater spotted eagle occasionally called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Greater spotted eagles primarily live off of small mammals, principally rodents and quite often prefer those habituated to wetland habitat, frogs and a variety of birds, often vulnerable water birds, with reptiles and insects taken more infrequently. The species is dimorphic or even polymorphic. As for pale morph adults (sometimes referred to as fulvescens), the plumage is rather bicolored, with the tail, flight feathers and greater wing coverts all still blackish but the body and the rest of wing coverts appear light rufous yellow or pale golden buff (and can become creamy when worn). The fairly buffy colour of the fulvescens morph is contrasted usually with diffuse darker colouring around the eyes, on the leading edges of wings and more rarely and sparsely about the chest. Greater spotted eagles are almost entirely migratory birds. However, it is not usually considered a long-distance migrant compared to other birds of prey.
27 - Black Kite - The black kite is a medium-sized bird of prey. Black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a shrill whinnying call. Both the male and female take part in nest building, incubation and care of chicks. Siblings show aggression to each other and often the weaker chick may be killed, but parent birds were found to preferentially feed the smaller chicks in experimentally altered nests.
28- Black Winged Kite - This was the first bird I sighted on entering Keoladeo National Park. Extreme cold weather and 9 AM in the morning and it was sleeping but somehow got up and noticed us. It then tried to get it's profile clicked from all angles and made sure that we got away before sleeping again.
This bird has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude when perched on a bush, from which it glides down at an angle to take lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.
Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
Their nests are sometimes parasitized by cuckoos such as the common cuckoo (Dehra Dun), common hawk-cuckoo, Jacobin cuckoo and the Asian koel in Bangladesh.
30- Bay-backed Shrike-
Brightly-coloured small shrike, reminiscent of Long-tailed Shrike in overall coloration. Black mask, rufous flanks and back, clean white throat, and small size make it distinctive within its range. It has a white patch on it's wings. Prefers open areas, often in dry regions, with scattered vegetation.
31- Plain Prinia or Jungle Prinia- A common prinia has a drab gray-brown plumage that varies in tone across its range. It has a pale, wide eyebrow and the long tail that appears as if it is loosely attached to the body. Breeding birds have a black bill and a shorter tail.
32- Booted Warbler- Small, recalling a beige chiffchaff . Rather nondescript: gray brown above, paler below, with a short, dark-tipped bill and conspicuous pale eyebrow. Pot-bellied with short wings and a square-tipped tail.
33- Black drongo-
One of the pictures shows a drongo with no tail and the guide explained that it must of lost it as a result of a fight with a predator.
One of the picture shows the black drongo hovering to catch a fish.
The black drongo is a small Asian passerine bird of the drongo family. The species is known for its aggressive behaviour towards much larger birds, such as crows, never hesitating to dive-bomb any bird of prey that invades its territory. This behaviour earns it the informal name of king crow. Smaller birds often nest in the well-guarded vicinity of a nesting black drongo.
They associate with common mynas, cattle egrets and other birds that share a similar diet and habitat. Drongos benefit from this association and are more successful in their foraging. There is only partial overlap in the insect prey sought by mynas and drongos although in rare instances the drongos may rob prey from mynas. It is said that they imitate the call of the shikra so as to put mynas to flight and then to steal prey.
They are so aggressive that they may sometimes land on large birds of prey and peck them when mobbing.
Play behaviour has been observed with birds dropping a leaf in the air and catching it in mid-air and these may possibly help young birds acquire aerobatic skills.
34- The Rufous Treepie - It is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding.
They are known to be a cleaning symbiont of deer, feeding on ectoparasites of sambar which permit them to perch and position themselves to invite the birds to examine specific parts.
They have strong organisation and community building traits (partner and group bonds), which keeps them in groups and helps them join mixed hunting parties of birds.
The local name for the Rufous Treepie is the “ taka chor ”. Literally translated, this means, “coin stealer”. This name for the treepie comes on account of its habit, like many other corvids, to seek out and steal shiny items such as coins, jewellery and other similar objects. They collect these objects, and often line them up in their nests, possibly to attract the female treepie. The next time you end up losing a shiny object, do make sure that a “ taka chor ” is not hanging about near your home!
35- Indian Golden Oriole- It was a long wait to sight this bird. Sighted it on the last day ie 21st Jan 2022. After spotting it did make me run about quite a bit to get a perfect shot as it tried to hide and get out of sight. Once located it sat still for various profiles.
The Indian golden oriole is a species of oriole found in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Adults can be told apart from the Eurasian golden oriole by the black of the eye stripe extending behind the eye.
36- Ibis - The black-headed ibis, also known as the Oriental white ibis, Indian white ibis, and black-necked ibis, is a species of wading bird of the ibis family which breeds in the South and Southeast Asia from India to the west and as far east as Japan.
It is the only native ibis species in its range that has an overall white plumage with a black neck and head. The down-curved beak and legs are also black. Though often referred to as a wetland species, the black-headed ibis forages in a range of natural and man-made habitats. This species of ibis nests only during the rainy season.
Sexes are identical but juveniles are identifiable from adults in having greyish feathering on the neck and speckled brown-grey feathering on the wings and back. Like storks and spoonbills, it lacks a true voice-producing mechanism and is silent except for ventriloquistic grunts uttered by pairs at the nest.
37- Black Crowned Night Heron - Stocky heron with neck usually tucked in. Adults overall pale greyish with black cap and back. Red eyes. Juveniles noticeably are different and have dull grey-brown plumage on their heads, wings, and backs, with numerous pale tear shaped spots. Their underparts are paler and streaked with brown. The young birds have orange eyes and duller yellowish-green legs. Often crouched under overhanging branches during the day, it feeds nocturnally for fish, frogs and other prey.
It has been observed to engage in bait fishing, where they lure or distract fish by tossing both edible or inedible floating objects into the water within their striking range.
38 - Asian Openbill- The Asian openbill or Asian openbill stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. This distinctive stork is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A relatively small stork species with a greyish to white body and black wings and tail with a hint of gloss. The Asian Openbill gets its name from a distinctive gap in the dull greyish yellow bill. Note the pinkish legs. Asian Openbills inhabit wetland habitats including shallow marshes, flooded agricultural fields, and lakes.
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| Chicks Of Openbill stork |
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| Mother and chick Openbill stork |
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| Colony of Openbill Stork |
39- Black Crowned Night Heron - Stocky heron with neck usually tucked in. Adults overall pale greyish with black cap and back. Red eyes. Juveniles noticeably are different and have dull grey-brown plumage on their heads, wings, and backs, with numerous pale tear shaped spots. Their underparts are paler and streaked with brown. The young birds have orange eyes and duller yellowish-green legs. Often crouched under overhanging branches during the day, it feeds nocturnally for fish, frogs and other prey.
It has been observed to engage in bait fishing, where they lure or distract fish by tossing both edible or inedible floating objects into the water within their striking range.
39- Asian Pied Starling- This sharply attired black-and-white starling has a pointed yellowish bill with an orange base. Note the bare, deep orange patch around its eye that contrasts with its white cheek. Seen in loose flocks close to human habitation feeding on human refuse. Garbage dumps, damp grazing lands, and well watered parks are its favoured haunts. Noisy with a variety of calls that includes mimicked sounds of other birds.
The ability of these mynas to mimic human voices made them popular as cage-birds. The Sema Nagas will not eat this bird as they believe it is the reincarnation of a human. They are considered to be generally beneficial because they eat many insects.
40- Brahminy Starling- This fearless bird is cute and friendly. It sat on my camera and enjoyed having meal with me on the table in the canteen at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary along with the Jungle babbler. In groups they were all around feeding on whatever spilled over on to the ground and table as people stopped to have their lunch.
A small fawn-coloured starling with a long wispy crest that usually lies limp over the back of its head, but the feathers on its cheek and upper breast stand up and away from its cheek. Its upperparts are gray and the dark tail is tipped in white. Note the yellow bill with a blue base. Often seen in small family groups, feeding on fruits and nectar as well as insects on the ground or in the trees. They have a wide repertoire of calls and are also given to mimicking other species.
It is so called because of this species' fondness for perching on buildings and temple pagodas in southern India.
The male selects the nest, sometimes having to compete with other hole-nesters such as barbets and sparrows. The young are fed with insects in the early stages and grains in the later stages. After feeding the parents wait for the young to eject faecal pellets which they carefully remove and drop about 20 metres (66 ft) away from the nest.
41 - The black-necked stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. Adult birds of both sexes have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and irridescent blacks, but the sexes differ in the colour of the iris with females sporting yellow irises and males having dark-coloured irises. It is one of the few storks that is strongly territorial when feeding and breeding.
The Mir Shikars, traditional bird hunters of Bihar, India had a ritual practice that required a young man to capture a black-necked stork "Loha Sarang" alive before he could marry. A procession would locate a bird and the bridegroom-to-be would try to catch the bird with a limed stick. The cornered bird was a ferocious adversary. The ritual was stopped in the 1920s after a young man was killed in the process. Young birds have been known to be taken from the nest for meat in Assam.
Spoonbills are tall white water-birds with long spatulate black bills and long black legs. In flight they fly with necks and legs extended. In the water they feed with elegant sideward sweeps of their bill. In the breeding season adults show some yellow on their breast and bill tip.
Breeding is normally in single species colonies or in small single species groups or amidst mixed-species colonies of other water-birds such as herons, egrets and cormorants.
The interesting part is that male and female form a lasting pair bond.
The ruddy shelduck is mainly a nocturnal bird. It is omnivorous and feeds on grasses, the young shoots of plants, grains and water plants as well as both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates.
Buddhists regard the ruddy shelduck as sacred bird .
Greylag geese are largely herbivorous and feed chiefly on grasses.
Young greylags stay with their parents as a family group, migrating with them in a larger flock, and only dispersing when the adults drive them away from their newly established breeding territory the following year.
The greylag was once revered across Eurasia. In Ancient Greece and Rome, they were associated with the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and goose fat was used as an aphrodisiac. Since they were sacred birds, they were kept on Rome's Capitoline Hill, from where they raised the alarm when the Gauls attacked in 390 BC.
These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads through almost 180 degrees. When disturbed at the nest, they use this snake-like head twisting and hissing as a threat display. This odd behaviour led to their use in witchcraft, hence to put a "jinx" on someone.
The Eurasian wryneck sometimes forms small groups during migration in its winter quarters but in the summer it is usually found in pairs. It characteristically holds its head high with its beak pointing slightly upwards. A mutual display that occurs at any time of the year involves two birds perched facing each other with their heads far back and beaks wide open, bobbing their heads up and down. Sometimes the head is allowed to slump sideways and hang limply. On other occasions, when excited, the head is shaken and twisted about violently. When disturbed on the nest or held in the hand, the neck contorts and twists in all directions. This interesting bird sometimes feigns death and hangs limply with eyes closed.
The diet of the Eurasian wryneck consists chiefly of ants but beetles and their larvae, moths, spiders and woodlice are also eaten. It does not make holes in bark with its beak but picks up prey with a rapid extension and retraction of its tongue.
46 - Bluethroat - It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in Europe with a foothold in western Alaska. It winters in north Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
The male has an iridescent blue bib edged below with successive black, white and rust coloured borders. Females of all subspecies usually have just a blackish crescent on an otherwise cream throat and breast.
In India it is called Neelkanthi In Hindi and Gujarati, Neelgola fidda in Bengali, Shankar in Marathi.
But this Neel Kanthi is different from the Indian Roller which is known as Neel Kanth.
Like Neel Kanth, Neel Kanthi too has a link with Indian mythology which goes back to the Mahabharat era. During their exile, the Pandavas were hiding in a dense forest. One spring afternoon, Bheema, the strongest one of five brothers, was resting after his lunch. A snake bit him behind his ear and Bheema woke up feeling the pain. He saw the snake disappearing in nearby bushes. Suddenly, Bheema started feeling dizzy because of the snake venom and started losing his consciousness. According to the legend, a little sparrow with a red bib came and poked her pointed beak in the wound caused by the snake bite and began to suck out the venom.
Bhima was amazed at the kindness of the small bird trying so hard to save him. He was humbled that a tiny creature tried to save a mighty Pandava warrior. Suddenly the red patch at the bird’s throat turned blue and Bheema was horrified that the little bird which helped him was dying. Suddenly, a group of bulbuls hopped over the little bird and poured nectar into the throat of the dying sparrow. The nectar washed away the venom and the little sparrow strength revived slowly. The sparrow was able to stand and hop as usual. Bhima noticed that the bird was no longer red throated but had turned blue.
Bheema named the bird as Nil Kanthi as it had a blue throat like Mahadev. Hence the blue-throated sparrow is called Neel Kanth - Mahadev’s bird.
The female was shot in Keoladeo National Park Bharatpur. The other two shots of male Bluethroat was shot in front of my house in Moradabad.
48 - Pied Kingfisher- The pied kingfisher is a species of water kingfisher widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Its black and white plumage and crest, as well as its habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish, make it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast, while females have a single gorget that is often broken in the middle. Both can easily be distinguished in the pictures that I share here. They are usually found in pairs or small family groups. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail.
49- Common Moorhen/ Eurasian Moorhen - The common moorhen also known as the waterhen or swamp chicken, is a bird species in the rail family. The birds are territorial during breeding season, and will fight with other members of their species, as well as other water birds such as ducks, to drive them out of their territory. Both parents incubate and feed the young. When threatened, the young may cling to the parents' body, after which the adult birds fly away to safety, carrying their offspring with them.
The bar-headed goose breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It is known for the extreme altitudes it reaches when migrating across the Himalayas.
The chicks of bar-headed goose are very attached to the parents, who both collaborate in their care, and will become completely independent only after many months.
51 - The lesser whistling duck - It is also known as Indian whistling duck or lesser whistling teal. They are nocturnal feeders and often rest during the day .
The first photograph has a duck observing me with my camera as the rest of them sleep but soon it too decided to sleep tucking it's head in, sensing no danger.
Young birds may sometimes be carried on the back of the parents.
It was such a good camouflage that it was difficult to spot them if one was not vigilant.
52 - The Northern Shoveler- This species is unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head.
The female is a drab mottled brown like other dabblers, with plumage much like a female mallard, but easily distinguished by the long broad bill.
Northern shovelers feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging its bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their highly specialized bill (from which their name is derived) to forage for aquatic invertebrates. Their wide-flat bill is equipped with well-developed lamellae – small, comb-like structures on the edge of the bill that act like sieves, allowing the birds to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface.
The drakes are very territorial during breeding season and will defend their territory and partners from competing males. Drakes also engage in elaborate courtship behaviours, both on the water and in the air; it is not uncommon for a dozen or more males to pursue a single hen.
Those wintering in the Indian Subcontinent make the taxing journey over the Himalayas, often taking a break in wetlands just south of the Himalaya before continuing further south to warmer regions.
53 - The gadwall- This dabbling duck is strongly migratory, and winters farther south than its breeding range. It feeds by dabbling for plant food with head submerged. They can also dive underwater for food, more proficiently than other dabbling ducks, and may also steal food from diving birds such as coots.
54 - The ferruginous duck- It is a medium-sized migratory duck species that is also known by the name common white-eye, ferruginous pochard, and white-eyed pochard.
These ducks are given the name ferruginous because it resembles the iron rust by its colour. The adult male is a rich chestnut colour with a darker back and a yellow eye. The female is similar but duller, and with a dark eye.
These birds feed mainly by diving or dabbling. Watching them dabble is so interesting when they rotate at 90 degrees and dip their beak and half body inside water with their tail end and half body outside water. They eat aquatic plants with some mollusks, aquatic insects and small fish. They often feed at night, and will upend (dabble) for food.
Feeding ducks and geese makes them dependent on humans for food, which can result in starvation and possibly death when the feeding stops. If one decides to feed them, one should limit the quantity to make sure that they maintain their natural ability to forage for food themselves - providing, of course, that natural food sources are available.
55- Northern Pintail- Is a dabbling, elegant, slender duck with long neck and tail. Males have a chocolate brown head with a white slash coming up the neck, white breast, and mostly grey body. Females are patterned light brown. Forages in wetlands and in fields on agricultural waste grains.
Pintails are named for their elongated central tail feathers, which constitute one-fourth of the drake's body length.
56 - The Indian Spot Billed Duck- The Indian spot-billed duck is a large dabbling duck that is a non-migratory breeding duck throughout freshwater wetlands in the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the red spot at the base of the bill that is found in the mainland Indian population.
They are seen isolated from other species and usually in pairs or small groups.
They were hunted extensively in British India, noted for their excellent taste.
57 - The Eurasian coot- It is also known as the common coot, or Australian coot. It has a slaty-black body, a glossy black head and a white bill with a white frontal shield.
It is an aggressive species, and strongly territorial during the breeding season, and both parents are involved in territorial defence. During the non-breeding season they may form large flocks, possibly related to predator avoidance.
The young are brooded by the female for the first three to four days during which time food is brought by the male. The male also builds one or more platforms that is used for roosting and brooding the chicks. On leaving the nest, the brood is sometimes split up with each parent taking care of a separate group.
Coots can be very brutal to their own young under pressure such as the lack of food. They will bite young that are begging for food and repeatedly do this until it stops begging. If the begging continues, they may bite so hard that the chick is killed.
58 - Common or Eurasian Teal - The Eurasian teal is a common and widespread duck. It is a native of Europe. The ones that migrate breed in Russia. When the weather turns cold and food becomes scarce, they fly over the Himalayas in the East and the Caucasus in the West to spend their ‘winter vacations’ on the Mediterranean coast, India, coastal China and the French Indo-China region.
Eurasian teal are highly gregarious ducks outside the breeding season and can form large flocks. Diurnal throughout the breeding season, in winter they are often crepuscular or even nocturnal feeders. They usually feed by dabbling, upending, or grazing; they may submerge their head and on occasion even dive to reach food.
Eurasian teal are serially monogamous and form pair bonds that last only during one breeding season.
59 - The white-throated kingfisher- It is also known as the white-breasted kingfisher and is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Asia from the Sinai east through the Indian subcontinent to China and Indonesia. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in urban areas or on wires.
The nest is a tunnel (50 cm long, but a nest with a 3-foot tunnel has been noted in an earth bank. The nest building begins with both birds flying into a suitable mud wall until an indentation is made where they can find a perch hold. They subsequently perch and continue digging the nest with their bills. Nest tunnels in a haystack have also been recorded.
This species mainly hunts large crustaceans, insects, earthworms, rodents, snakes, fish and frogs. The young are fed mostly on invertebrates.
60 - Indian Robin - The Indian robin is a species that is widespread in the Indian subcontinent and ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The males of the northern subspecies have brown backs whose extent gradually reduces southwards, with the males of the southern subspecies having all-black backs. They are commonly found in open scrub areas and often seen running along the ground or perching on low thorny shrubs and rocks. The long tail is usually held up and the chestnut undertail coverts and dark body make them easily distinguishable from pied bush-chats and Oriental magpie-robins.
The females are brownish above, have no white shoulder stripe and are greyish below, with the vent a paler shade of chestnut than the males.
All populations are resident and non-migratory. They feed mostly on insects but are known to take frogs and lizards especially when feeding young at the nest.
Individuals may forage late in the evening to capture insects attracted to lights.
Nests are built between rocks, in holes in walls or in a tree hollow and are lined with animal hair. It has been noted that many of them are also lined with pieces of snakeskin sloughs.
Only the female incubates the eggs. Both males and females feed the young, the male sometimes passing food to the female who, in turn, feeds the young. Nestlings may feign dead when handled and may be preyed on by the rufous treepie.
61- The Greater Coucal- The Greater Coucal takes care of its own young, unlike the majority of its family members who practise brood parasitism and here the male builds a nest.
It is a shy bird and I somehow, always failed to capture it for by the time I lifted my camera to take a shot of the spotted bird, it hid in the bushes. They are monogamous and the male woos the female by offering food.
62 - The Jungle Babbler- Would like to mention a true story of a new Viceroy, who was being shown the wonders of his temporary kingdom, and among these, the Taj at Agra held, of course, an important place. As he arrived before the glorious monument of Eastern love and pride, the artless Aide-de-Camp was mute; the gilded staff was in anxious expectation of the comment of His Excellency. But this, alas when it came was merely the remark: "What are those funny little birds?" The shock must have been greater for the fact that the mean fowls thus honoured were it seems belonged to a species which is commonly known in India as the "Seven Sisters" or "Seven Brothers," or by the Hindustani equivalent of sat-bhai.
The jungle babbler is a gregarious bird that forages in small groups of six to ten birds, a habit that has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and Saath bhai (seven brothers) in Bengali.
When foraging, some birds take up a high vantage point and act as sentinels. They are known to gather and mob potential predators such as snakes.
When threatened by predators, they have been said to sometimes feign death.
63 - Red Breasted Flycatcher- The red-breasted flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in eastern Europe and across Central Asia and is migratory, wintering in south Asia.
The breeding male of this small 11–12 cm long. It is mainly brown above and white below, with a grey head and orange throat.
Non-breeding males, females and juveniles have brown heads and lack the throat collar.
64- Rose Ringed Parakeet- The rose-ringed parakeet has disjunct native ranges in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, and is now introduced into many other parts of the world where feral populations have established themselves and are bred for the exotic pet trade. One of the few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats, it has withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. As a popular pet species, escaped birds have colonised a number of cities around the world, including Northern and Western Europe.
The rose-ringed parakeet is sexually dimorphic. The adult male sports a red and black neck ring, and the hen and immature birds of both sexes either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings. Both sexes have a distinctive green colour in the wild, and captive bred ringnecks have multiple colour mutations which include turquoise, cinnamon, olive, white, blue, violet, grey and yellow. Captive individuals can be taught to speak. They are a herbivorous and non-migratory species.
They do not have life mates and often breed with another partner during the following breeding season.
Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech.
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65- The Red Wattled Lapwing- The red-wattled lapwing is an Asian lapwing or large plover, a wader. Like other lapwings they are ground birds that are incapable of perching.
Usually seen in pairs or small groups and usually not far from water they sometimes form large aggregations in the non-breeding season (winter).
They nest in a ground scrape laying three to four camouflaged eggs. Adults near the nest fly around, diving at potential predators while calling noisily.
The cryptically patterned chicks hatch and immediately follow their parents to feed, hiding by lying low on the ground or in the grass when threatened.
They have long pink legs (stilt like, so the name), a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females' backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges.
These birds pick up their food from sand or water. They eat mainly insects and crustaceans.
67 - Pied Bush Chat- The pied bush chat is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Males are black with a white vent and a white wing patch. Females are dark brown with a reddish-brown rump and underparts.
This species is insectivorous, and like other chats hunts from a prominent low perch.
68 - Red Rumped Swallow- The red-rumped swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory. They do not normally form large breeding colonies, but are gregarious outside the breeding season.
It builds a retort shaped nest using mud. A retort builder like red-rumped swallow starts with an open cup, closes it, and then builds the entrance tunnel. It has been proposed that the development of closed nests reduced competition between males for copulations with the females. Since mating occurs inside the nest, the difficulty of access means other males are excluded.
69- Grey headed Swamphen- The grey-headed swamphen is a species of swamphen occurring from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to southern China and northern Thailand.
It is a shiny purple domestic hen-sized bird, with a red patch on a bald head, a red beak and long red legs clumsily moving along the shore line.
Despite being clumsy in flight it can fly long distances, and it is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet.
The courtship display is more like children playing catch-me-if-you-can game. The male is seen to entice a female by holding a piece of reed in his beaks (as seen here in one of the pics) and offering it to females.
70 - White-eared bulbul- The white-eared bulbul or white-cheeked bulbul, or Iraqi bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family. It is found in south-western Asia from India to the Arabian peninsula.
It is a dull gray-brown bulbul with a black head and bright white cheek patch. Also note yellow vent and white tail tip.
These birds are sexually monomorphic. Both sexes are involved in nest- building. Female feed the chicks while male stand guard and protect them.
71- Ashy Prinia- A common prinia that is likely to occur in all habitats except for woodlands with a thick canopy. All birds have a black bill, pale cinnamon underparts, a grey head, and a greyish-brown back. Nonbreeding birds acquire a short eyebrow and a longer tail.
Like most warblers, the ashy prinia is insectivorous. The non-migratory genus Prinia shows biannual moult, which is rare among passerines.
The species is believed to be monogamous, and both the male and the female take part in incubation and feeding, though to varying extents.
72- White Breasted Waterhen- The white-breasted waterhen is a waterbird of the rail and crake family. They are dark slaty birds with a clean white face, breast and belly. They are somewhat bolder than most other rails and are often seen stepping slowly with their tail cocked upright in open marshes or even drains near busy roads.
73- Oriental magpie-robin- This bird was photographed at Bharatpur but is common around inhabitations. We wake up to this sweet bird's whistle as it sits perched on a tree in front of our house.
It is a medium-sized robin with a broad white wing-bar running from the shoulder to the tip of the wing. Males sport black-and-white plumage while the females are greyish brown and white. Juveniles resemble females, but have a scaly head and upperparts. They have a good repertoire of melodious calls and are known to imitate other bird calls. The most commonly heard call is a whistle given at dawn. Most often seen singing from a high exposed perch. They were once popular as cage-birds.
Female does most of the nest building and looks after the chicks. Males are quite aggressive in the breeding season and will defend their territory and respond to the singing of intruders and even their reflections.
The oriental magpie-robin is considered the national bird of Bangladesh.
74- Peafowls- Our national bird. Saw both peacock and peahen in which were in plenty. The peacocks had shed their tails, which was in the process of regrowth. Peacocks tend to shed their feathers naturally in a process called molting, which means they aren't killed. The shedding process begins every year after mating season, between February and August. The feathers are then gathered and sold by vendors.
Males are referred to as peacocks and females as peahens.
Peacocks are large, colourful pheasants (typically blue and green) known for their iridescent tails.
These tail feathers, or coverts, spread out in a distinctive train that is more than 60 percent of the bird’s total body length and boast colourful "eye" markings of blue, gold, red, and other hues. The large train is used in mating rituals and courtship displays. It can be arched into a magnificent fan that reaches across the bird's back and touches the ground on either side. Females are believed to choose their mates according to the size, color, and quality of these outrageous feather trains.
Suitable males may gather harems of several females, each of which will lay three to five eggs. In fact, wild peafowl often roost in forest trees and gather in groups called parties. Peafowl are forest birds that nest on the ground, but roost in trees.
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| Peacock after moulting |
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| Peahen |
76 - Shikra- A common, widespread resident across Asia and Africa. Adult males have a reddish iris, blue gray upperparts and fine brownish-orange barring on underparts. Females have a yellowish iris and brownish gray upperparts. Both have narrow dark barring on the tail. Juveniles are browner with a prominent moustachial stripe and streaked underparts. It hunts for a wide variety of prey in woodland, savannah, and even suburban gardens, dashing out from perches within vegetation to grab its prey.
78- Rock Pigeon- Fairly large pigeon with wild and feral populations throughout the world. True wild birds nest on cliffs and in caves. Rock doves have a commensal relationship with humans, gaining both ample access to food and nesting spots in civilized areas. Human structures provide an excellent imitation of cliff structures, making rock doves very common around human habitation. Skyscrapers, highway overpasses, farm buildings, abandoned buildings, and other human structures with ample crevices are conducive to rock dove nesting.
79- The coppersmith barbet, also called crimson-breasted barbet and coppersmith, is an Asian barbet with crimson forehead and throat, known for its metronomic call that sounds similar to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. It is a resident bird in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia.
81 - Indian roller- A brightly coloured bird with various shades of blue on the wings, tails, and belly that are often more prominent in flight. Note the longitudinal white streaks on the throat and breast.
Why is Indian roller called so?
During the breeding season, males attract females with an aerobatic display which includes twists and turns that give these birds their English name of "rollers".
The Indian roller is associated with Hindu legends and said to be sacred to Vishnu; it used to be caught and released during festivals such as Dussehra or the last day of Durga Puja. Adding its chopped feathers to fodder for cows was believed to increase the latter's milk yield, giving it the Telugu name of "paala-pitta", meaning 'milk bird'. A Hindustani name is "neelkanth" meaning 'blue throat', a name associated with the deity Shiva due to a legend that he drank poison but stopped it from going past his throat, turning it blue.
82- Painted Stork- These were in plenty in Bharatpur Keoladeo National Park. It was a treat to watch the activities of the juveniles and how they gathered around their parent as it bought the fish which it caught with the help of it's feet and beak and regurgitated it to feed them. As other juveniles too gathered it pushed them away by plucking at their feathers. The li'l ones knelt down to feed. The way these birds coexist with other birds and animals is a thing to watch. Shot a li'l one of spotted dear with the painted stork.
The painted stork is a large wader in the stork family. It is a non- migratory bird. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other water-birds. The downy young are mainly whitish with grey bills and blackish facial skin. The juveniles assume a brownish plumage and like most other storks reach breeding condition after two to three years. To feed nestlings, parents regurgitate fish that they have caught and these are typically smaller than 20 cm long.
Here is a series of photographs of how it catches a big fish using it's feet and beak and then tries to swallow it whole, regurgitates food for the juveniles, attacks other juveniles (which try to approach as they are feeding their own chicks) as they regurgitate to feed their chicks who kneel down, juveniles learning to catch fish, a juvenile and the baby of spotted dear and Juveniles in the nest
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| Adult Painted Stork with a catch |
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| Uses it's feet and beak to hold on to the catch |
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| Swallowing with mouth of fish first |
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| Co- Existence |
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| Juveniles in the nest |
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| Adults wading with beaks open |
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| Juveniles learning to hunt |
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| Adult |
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| Attacking a juvenile and pinching off it's feathers |
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| Adult feeding the chicks |
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| Adult regurgitating and juveniles kneeling down |
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| Adult and Juveniles |
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| Neel gai |
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| Spotted Dear, Cheetal |
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| Male Spotted Dear |
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| Ox |
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| Female Spotted Dear |
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| Neel Gai female |
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| Neel Gai |
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| Neel Gai |
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| Ox |
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| Mother and Baby Spotted Dear |
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| Golden Jackal |
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| Golden Jackal |
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| Golden Jackal |
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| Neel Gai |
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| Neel Gai Male |
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| Neel Gai Male Female |
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| Spotted Dear |
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| Eel |
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| Tortoise |
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| Monkey |
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| Monitor Lizard |
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| Sambhar |
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| Neel Gai |
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| Photographers |
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| Guide |
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