Category Birds

            The most notable feature of a wire-tailed swallow is its tail, as its name indicates. It has two long feathers extending from the tail, called tail streamers. This is a small, lean bird with a blue-and-black plumage all over. The cap of its head is chestnut coloured.

            These birds prefer living near water and human settlements. They are found in pairs or in small scattered groups. They do not like to live in colonies, but build their nests individually, choosing a particular territory. But they roost with other varieties of swallows in tall grasses and bushes.

            Insects are the major diet of these birds. They catch their preys in the air, using their superior flying skills. These birds are commonly found perching on wires.

            These birds are very common in India, except in the Northeastern states and in the extreme south. The birds in northern India have been observed migrating towards the southern regions during winter. 

               The house sparrow is unique, because almost everyone in the world is familiar with this little bird. It is below 20 cm in length, with a feather cover of grey and brown shades.

               These birds can live in mountainous and plain terrains alike. They are very social by nature and roost communally. They build nests in holes in walls and ceilings, with straw and garbage.

               They basically eat seeds and grains, randomly collected from the ground. But these birds can assemble in large numbers and can raid crops, causing very serious damage to cultivations. They do this especially during winter seasons.

               Also, due to their habit of destroying flower buds and vegetables they are often a headache to people cultivating kitchen gardens. They have a large number of enemies including cats and owls. 

            As the name suggests, the tailor bird is a ‘professional tailor’. They are excellent architects, skilled in building a well-engineered nest from raw materials like leaves and fibres. First they construct a funnel, by stitching the edges of a broad leaf. If the leaf is not broad enough, they will manage it by sewing more leaves together. The stitching will be done with cotton or twisted vegetable fibres and the ends will be cleverly knotted so that they do not get loose. Once the leafy basement is strong and ready, they build a cup-shaped nest in it with soft fibres, hair, cotton wool or vegetables.

            These birds have a green upper body and rusty brown forehead and crown. Found in pairs or singly, they are well-adapted to living in scrubby forests, gardens, villages and busy towns. They feed on insects and caterpillars. They also like the nectar of certain flowers and can be found circling the blossoms for it.

            The tailor birds can be found almost anywhere in India.

            The red-vented bulbul is the most common variety of bulbul. It is dark brown in colour. The feathers are such that the dark brown colour ends in paler shade at the edges. This gives a scale-like appearance to the breast and back. The back of its body is white in colour and is normally concealed under the wings and is noticeable while flying. The region under the tail, called the vent, is red which gives it its name.

            These birds are mostly found in gardens and light scrub jungles. Their major diet is berries. But they also eat moths and caterpillars. When the winged termites come out from their underground holes after the first rain, the red-vented bulbuls will be the first to reach the spot. Either they will catch the insects as they exit the ground or they will spring up with them and catch them in air.

            These are very noisy birds. These birds build their nests at a height of around 3 m. They are found in pairs or as small groups. These birds are native to India and Sri Lanka. 

               The Indian robin is a very familiar, lively bird in our villages. It is notable by its permanently cocked up tail. The male birds of the species are brown and shiny black in colour. The under parts of the tail are in a deep chestnut colour. There is a white patch under the wings, which is normally hidden when the bird is at rest. The female bird is ash-brown in colour and the chestnut colour under the tail is slightly paler, when compared to that of a male bird.

               These birds are found in stony, grassy, shrub forest environments. They prefer living in dry regions. They like human presence and are commonly found perching on rooftops. Once settled, they don’t migrate anywhere. They feed on insects and caterpillars. They have a special liking for white ants and are found lingering around anthills. These birds are very common in India.

            The Eurasian collared dove is a medium-sized bird with a pinkish grey plumage.

            It gets its name from the black collar found on the back of its neck. It is more than 30 cm in length and its wing span can extend up to 55 cm in width.

            These birds choose to live in open woodlands, cultivated lands, villages and urban areas alike. They generally keep away from dense forests. They nest near human settlements, where food is easy to get and trees are available. They are found perching on wires and feeding on the ground. Seeds constitute their major diet.

            During flight, just before landing, they produce a harsh loud screeching sound which lasts for a few seconds. They tend to stay where they live and are not migratory.

            These birds are very common in India. Outside India, they are also found in Europe and other parts of Asia. They were introduced in North America in the 1980s.

          The laughing dove is a small, thin bird with a brown and grey plumage. It has a patch of square speckles in black and reddish-brown colour on its neck, like a necklace. It also has a long tail and its call is quite different from that of other kinds of doves.

          These birds can be found in dry, rocky and bushy terrains. But they are also well adapted to living in cultivated lands, villages, parks and urban areas. These birds are so used to humans, but their nature does not attract much attention. They eat seeds in pairs, usually from the ground. Generally, these birds like to live in a particular locality. But sometimes, they are also found moving from place to place. Some of these birds that had tags attached to them for identification were discovered to have moved from Gujarat to Pakistan. They covered more than 200 km and were landing on ships in the Arabian Sea, when they were exhausted.

          Laughing doves are very common in India, where they are also called little brown doves. Sometimes, these birds are also called palm doves or Senegal doves.

            The spotted dove is also known by various other names like the mountain dove, pearl-necked dove or lace-necked dove. It is a medium-sized bird with a pink and brown plumage. The back and hind neck are black with white spots on them.

            These birds are found in pairs or in small scattered groups in open forests and cultivated lands, near to water.

            The nests are built on low branches of trees or in bushes. They feed on grains; seeds etc. from dusty paths and straw fields and often eat grit on roads and tracks. The way they fly up from the ground is with an explosive flutter and they glide down before perching somewhere.

            The spotted doves are common in almost all parts of India. They have also been introduced in many other parts of the world, like the United States of America, Mauritius, Australia and New Zealand. 

          The blue rock pigeon is a common bird, as familiar as a crow or a house sparrow to us. It is bluish-grey in colour, with a shining metallic green, purple and magenta shades on the neck and upper breast. The wild variety of birds is pale grey in colour and their wings will have two black bars on them. The domesticated and stray birds have varying colour patterns on their plumage.

          One peculiarity of the rock pigeon is the way it drinks water. These birds can actually dip their bill in water and simply drink water, continuously. But often, what they do is to take a small sip and tilt the head backwards to swallow the water. Most birds do this repeatedly when drinking.

          These birds can be found in cultivations, rocky and urban areas. They feed on grains, often in large numbers, as a flock. If a group of pigeons are disturbed, they will fly up together, producing a noisy clapping sound which our movies have often pictured on screen dramatically. They build nests using twigs and straw, often in cavities or on tall rocks. They tend to live in colonies. These birds are abundant in India. It can also be seen in Europe and Africa. 

The black-headed jay is a lean, light-pink coloured bird with a black head and a thick, short bill. There is a notable small tuft of feathers on its head.

It is found in wooded country with large areas of open ground rather than dense forest. It also found in some cultivated areas and even near villages as long as there are enough trees nearby. They have a wide range of food items that they eat, including plant and animal food like eggs and baby birds. They build nests in the low branches of trees. Their call is a loud screech, with long pauses in between.

In India, these birds are seen in the Himalayas. Outside, countries like Afghanistan, and Bhutan also hosts them.