Category Zoology

          The Tickell’s blue flycatcher is named after Samuel Tickell a British ornithologist who worked among these birds in India and Burma. These are very common in many regions of India, like Gujarat and Uttarakhand.

          This bird is a small one, around 12 cm in length and covered with blue and orange plumage. They hunt flying insects for food. They may also go for various crawling insects if in need. These birds are very active and are used to humans. They are seen hunting even after dusk. Their hunting style may adapt to single hunting, pair hunting or even group hunting in mixed species. They build their nests in tree holes or in rocky voids lined with fine grass and fibres. Their preferred breeding locations are open forests, groves and gardens in the vicinity of water. Three to five eggs can be seen in a nest.

          These birds are seen in good numbers in many states of India. These are considered to be of ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN.

          The grey-headed canary fly-catcher is a very small bird, typically around 15 cm long. This bird has a grey, green and yellow plumage. The head is completely grey and squarish in shape, while the bill is very flat.

          These birds are mainly seen in open forests, plantations, groves and gardens. They prefer broad-leaved forests and similar wooded areas to breed. The females are in charge of building nests. It is generally cup shaped and bound by spider webs that are covered by or attached to moss. There may be three to four eggs in a nest at a time. These are very smart and curious birds. Their primary diet consists of insects which they catch by attacking in groups like soldiers. Sometimes, they may also hunt in pairs, but they do not mix with other kind of birds for hunting. They can be found perching on open tree branches.

          The grey-headed canary flycatchers are very common in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills, Central India and the Eastern Ghats. Outside India, they are also found in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and south China. They are very widely distributed around the globe, with several recognized subspecies. 

            The rufous woodpecker is a medium-sized bird mostly  found in the northern foothills of India. It has a short tuft of feathers on its head and a black-coloured short bill. The upper part of its body is covered with black bars. The male birds of the species can be identified by the small red patch at its eyes. These birds produce a high-pitched ke-ke kre-ke call which is very loud. They also have a peculiar way of drumming wood tree trunks with an irregular rhythm.

            These birds prefer living in large leaf forests. Rufous Woodpecker builds its nest inside the nest of acrobat ants. They don’t even mind being bitten by ants while poking their head into the active ant nests for food. They also eat fig fruits.

            Outside India, these birds are very commonly seen in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, south China and other regions of Asia. These are not a threatened bird species. 

          The heart-spotted woodpecker is often detected by its noisy habit of making frequent bird calls. It can be identified by the unusually short and thick body with a large wedge-shaped head. The under parts are pale grey in colour, while there is a noticeably white throat. There is a crown in front of its head, which is white for females and black for males.

          These birds are fond of bamboos and plantation shade trees. They make holes in tree branches and make nests in it. The nests can also be seen in fence posts. A female lays typically two to three eggs which are plain white in colour. They are seen creeping along tree branches and can perch from branch to branch. They search for insects in tree barks. Sometimes they show a habit of pecking certain seeds to eat the insect larvae found in them.

          In India, these birds are mainly seen in the Himalayan forests and the Western Ghats. They are also very common in other parts of Asia.

               The Indian spotted creeper is a tree creeper which is actually very difficult to spot! These are very small birds fond of eating insects and spiders from the barks of trees. For this, they choose trees which have dark and fissured barks in woodlands and groves, such as mangoes and babul. They always nest close to tree trunks. They possess specialized curved bills to pick out prey from inside the fissures in barks. Their feather cover is marbled with black and white, which is what makes them difficult to spot in tree barks.

               Unlike other kinds of tree-creeper birds, these birds do not use their tail as support while climbing. Their tail is not that stiff either. These vibrant birds climb up trees very fast and often flutter down to change position.

              These birds are regularly seen in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Outside India, Africa hosts a lot of these little birds. 

            The chestnut-bellied nuthatch is a small, beautifully   coloured bird with a grey plumage all over and a chestnut coloured belly, as its name suggests. This noisy bird has a short tail and is short and stout in appearance. Found in thick forests and groves, they may set out in search of food as singly, in pairs or in mixed hunting groups. They build nests in tree holes, the openings of which they customize to a suitable size, using mud plastering. Their diet is a mixed one, containing insects, seeds and nuts which can be found in trees. They are skilled in opening hard nuts and seeds. These small birds can cling efficiently to tree barks and can move up or down as they wish, by hopping step by step.

            The chestnut-bellied nuthatches are very common in India, mainly in the northern foothills, eastern peninsular hills and Western Ghats. Outside India, they are seen in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal in plenty of numbers.