Category Zoology

            The Indian house crow is perhaps the most familiar and least-loved bird in our country. Not just here, they are seen in many parts of the world where they arrived with the assistance of shipping.

            This bird has a glossy black feather cover on its forehead, throat, upper breast and top of the head. The neck and breast has a lighter grey-brown shade. They prefer living in the vicinity of human habitation, like urban centres and cultivation. These are very bold and curious birds, leading a very social life. They roost in large numbers. They feed on almost anything, including garbage and decaying animal bodies. They are habitual robbers, often uninvited guests in people’s shops and other birds’ nests. They build nests with sticks on treetops or on artificial supports like telephone towers. Three to five eggs can be seen in a nest.

          Plum-headed parakeets are notable for the distinct contrast between their body and head. These are slim birds, with a green plumage over the body. The male birds have a purple-red coloured head and a blue collar, while the females have a dark lavender head and yellow collar. They can fly very fast, often making their peculiar calls.

          These birds are found in wooden areas like plantations, city parks and gardens. However, they avoid dry regions. They also raid crops for food, but the ‘raid team’ will not be very large in number. They nest on trees, often in holes carved out by the pairs, in tree trunks. The female lays four to six eggs and she will in sole charge of their incubation and nurturing. These birds roost communally.

          Plum-headed parakeets are very common in India and Pakistan. They are favourite pet birds for many, due to their ability to mimic beeps and whistles and to talk. 

            The Alexandrine parakeets were once considered special birds. Alexander the Great is known to have exported these birds from Punjab to various European and Mediterranean regions and this earned these birds their name. Important people like princes, noblemen and warlords considered these birds to be a luxurious possession.

            The Alexandrine parakeet is a large bird with a big bill. It is grass-green in colour. The male birds of the species have a maroon patch on the shoulders and a black-and-pink collar which distinguishes them from females. These birds are commonly seen in wooded areas and plantations, like city parks and gardens. They raid farms and orchards in large numbers, for fruits, vegetables and cereals, which constitute their favourite diet. These are shy birds and their young ones are frequently sold as pets in the bird markets.

            These birds are commonly seen throughout India, except in the extreme south. Apart from India, Afghanistan and Southeast Asian countries also host a good number of these birds.

          The rose-ringed parakeet which is also called the ring-necked parakeet is the most well known kind of parrots. It is a very intelligent bird. The male bird has some black stripes around the chin and a pinkish band around the collar. The female and young ones below three years, lack these features.

          These birds are highly adapted to living in rural, as well as urban areas. They are seen wherever there are trees and can be seen abundantly in city parks and gardens. They are herbivore in nature, preferring fruits, vegetables, grains etc. for food. These birds can be quite a nuisance sometimes. Thousands of these birds can gather around grain repositories or city places, causing damage to crops seriously.

          Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech. First, the bird listens to its surroundings and then it copies the voice of the human speaker. 

             The white-spotted fantail flycatcher is a small bird. It is mostly smoke-brown in colour, with noticeably white eyebrows and a white abdomen.

            It gets its name from its showy tail, which is often spread out like a fan, with widened wings on both sides.

            These birds inhabit less dense forests as well as in noisy busy towns. They are very charming and vibrant, with a slight indifference towards humans. The nests can be seen in trees like mangoes and chickoos. It will be typically cup-like.

            A female lays up to three eggs, which are pinkish cream in colour. Like other flycatchers, these birds feed on mosquitoes, flies and other insects.

            Until recently, the white-spotted fantail was considered a subspecies of white-throated fantail. 

       The Nilgiri flycatcher is unique in the sense that it is native and restricted to the shola forests of the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris. It is a medium-sized bird, with a dark blue plumage. The male bird will be slightly greenish in colour. This bird is around 15 cm in length and has a long tail with white spots on it. They produce a peculiar chipping note call, at the same time flick their tail up and down. 

               These birds are found in ever-green forests, the edges of forests near flowing water bodies or well-grown plantations. They hunt in pairs for insects, from the upper leaf covers of trees, by attacking them in the air.

               They build nests in tree holes or under bridges. The nests are cup-shaped and covered by mosses and lichens. A female lays two to three eggs.

               The number of these birds is coming down on a global scale. Therefore, the IUCN has placed them in the ‘Near Threatened’ category of the Red list.