Category Zoology

          A nuthatch is what we call a small songbird with a stiffened tail and a special ability to climb up and down tree trunks. As their name suggests, the velvet-fronted nuthatch is a special kind of nuthatch with a big head and a short tail. It is a very small bird, typically around 13 cm in length. They have a powerful red bill and strong feet. There is a notable black patch on their forehead. Depending on the shade of their under parts and the extent of white on throat, these birds are considered to be of four different varieties.

          These birds prefer living in the tree holes of evergreen forests, but can also be found in almost all kinds of woods. They often hunt in groups, mostly for insects in the heights of tall trees. Fallen wood and moss-covered trunks and branches are spots they are also interested in exploring. This tiny bird is very active and is seen moving from tree to tree within short spans of time.

          In India, these nuthatches are commonly seen in the foot-hills of Northeastern states. The Western Ghats also host a good number of them. Outside India, they are found in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and China.

            The common flameback is a kind of medium-sized woodpecker generally found in the hilly areas of the Western Ghats and the Northeast. Their back is beautifully golden, with the lower back being red in colour. The upper part of their head is red in the male bird, while it is black in the female. The lower part is adorned with black stripes on white and the tail is completely black. Its bill is comparatively small. It has only three toes on its feet and these birds are also called golden-backed, three-toed flamebacks.

            They choose to live in dry forests, moist lowlands and mangrove cultivation in the tropical or subtropical regions. They make tree-holes by themselves and build their nests in them. Invertebrates constitute their primary diet.

            These birds are very common in India. The IUCN does not consider this bird to be under any global threat. 

               The black-rumped flameback is a very popular variety of woodpecker, which is seen both in rural and urban areas. It can be readily identified by the bold red crest on the top of its head. Apart from that, it has bright golden and black colour over its body. Its throat is black with white streaks. The cheek is white, with a stripe of black colour around the eyes stretching into it. The shoulders are speckled with black and yellow.

               These are noisy birds, preferring to live in open forests, cultivated lands and urban areas with trees. They make oval holes in tree trunks with their strong bills and that is where they build their nests. These birds dig out insect larvae as a favourite food from under the bark of trees, using their bills. They may also feed from termite mounds or nectar banks of bees.

               Although these birds are very widely seen in most parts of India, they are not so common in the desert regions of the Northwest. They also have some other names like the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or simply, lesser golden-back. 

       The yellow crowned wood-pecker is a small bird, only as big as a bulbul. But they have a long, strong, sharp bills, and stiff, wedge-shaped tails. The male and female birds are slightly different in appearance. The back of the male bird’s neck is brilliant red in colour and the front-upper part of its head is yellow. But the region from the top of the head to the back of neck is yellowish in a female bird. Both of them have black upper part bodies. 

           These birds are very common in light forests, especially where there are trees that shed their leaves according to seasons. They are also comfortable with mango orchards and stunted trees. They are usually found in pairs or in mixed hunting groups, searching for ants or insect larvae which make up their usual diet. Like a typical woodpecker, the flight of this bird is very fast and smooth, but wave-like.

          This woodpecker is very common in India where it is also called the Mahratta wood-pecker. These birds are not found in the Northeastern states. Myanmar also hosts a lot of these birds. According to the IUCN, these birds are of ‘Least Concern’ regarding global threat to the species. 

          The unique features of the stork-billed kingfisher are its comparatively large sized head and bill. It has an overall blue and dull yellow colour, while the bill is red.

          This bird lives primarily depending on trees. They are found in lakes, rivers and forest streams, coasts and mangroves, where there are lot of trees. They may stay concealed within the leaf cover of trees for long time periods.

          Like other kingfishers, the stork-billed kingfishers also hunt from water, usually targeting fishes, reptiles and shelled creatures. They may also feed on rodents and small birds.

          The adult birds build their nests in riverbanks, trees or termite nests. Eggs are white and may be two to five in number. These birds have a strong sense of their own territories, where they don’t like other birds intruding into. In that case, they may chase away even eagles and other large predators.

          Except in the Northeast, these birds are somewhat common in most parts of India. They are also found in Southeast Asia, especially Pakistan and Indonesia.

The whiskered tern is a common bird in the northern regions of India, like Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. It’s also found in Europe, Africa, and Australia. These birds visit India in large numbers during the winter season. This makes them very popular in our country.

In appearance, this bird is lean and is only as large as a pigeon. The wings are so long that when at rest, they extend behind the short, slightly forked tail. They have a red or blackish red bill.

Like a typical tern, these birds are found concentrated in big groups around large rivers, lakes and coastal areas. They build nests on floating plants.

Their webbed feet may give us an impression that they are good swimmers. But these birds prefer to spend most of their time in the air or resting on the shore.

Despite having feet adapted for swimming, they are hardly seen descending into water.