Revision as of 16:06, 4 December 2015

Birds: India A-F

BLACK-NECKED STORK

With its contrasting colour, Black-necked Stork is a very attractive bird, found along shallow water bodies. One can see them wading along the lake shores looking for fish, frog or snails, which they can effectively catch with the help of a sharp powerful beak. Their number has gone down in recent times mainly due to pollution of the water bodies.

BAYA OR WEAVER BIRD

There is no match for the fine architecture in the form of the intricate nest of a baya. You can see these upturned pitchers like nests along the roadside especially on tree branches overhanging water bodies throughout India. Baya is related to the sparrow but during the breeding season, it is brightly coloured with bright yellow on their head and chest. You can observe feverish activity of these birds when they are busy making their nests. The male happens to be the main architect. During this time, it is always a photographer's delight.

BLOSSOM-HEADED PARAKEET

One of the most beautiful parakeet, it is distributed all over the country. They are always seen in flocks. The males have a bright blossom head while the females have a gray head. A red patch on its wings also helps in its identification. They are very noisy and prefer to occupy treetops. They feed on fruits and berries. The ficus trees in the forest are always tempting and is the best place to observe them in large numbers. Corbett, Melaghat, Bandipore, Kanha, Dudhwa, may give an opportunity to observe them.

BLACK PARTRIDGE

Like all other fowls, they are ground birds living in small parties. They are mostly confined to the deciduous, grassland, and scrubland forests all over the country. They disclose their presence by their typical call. The male is black with white and brown spots while the females are brown in colour. They can be tamed easily and trained partridges are used for fights. They are also considered as a delicacy and hence are hunted for food. An early morning walk along the countryside in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and parts of UP, Rajasthan sighting them can surely be a possibility.

BENGAL FLORICAN

One of the small and most beautiful among bustards, Bengal Florican is confined to the grasslands of northeastern region. Clumsy in flight, like other bustards, it was always an easy prey for the hunters. Besides grasslands being ideal places for the fodder for domestic animals, this species has suffered the maximum. Periodic burning of grasslands for fresh fodder crop invariably destroyed their nests endangering them further.

Only thirty-four birds were found in Manas in the year 1984 and at present they are on the endangered list of species.

FLAMINGO

This long-legged bird, with its long neck and upturned shoe like beak, is a typical filter feeder. It is found along marshes. This gregarious species is known for its typical nest, made out of mud in the form of pillar like structure with bowl shape nest on the top. A large number of nests resemble cityscape and hence the nesting sites are always called Flamingo cities. Rann of Kutch is famous as their breeding sites. Sambar Lake, Chilka, and Rann of Kutch are places to see these graceful birds.

FINN'S BAYA

Finn's Baya is related to commonly seen weaverbird well known for their beautifully assembled nest. They are colonial and build their nests along waterfronts. They are polygamous and male assembles the nest but after eggs are laid female looks after the offsprings, leaving male to build a nest for another female. Nest it constructed out of fibers from palm leaves, grass blades with special nest chamber.

The Great Backyard Bird Count:2004-14

The Times of India

Feb 10 2015

Delhiites keep eyes peeled as this bird count not for experts only

You don't have to be a birdwatcher sporting powerful binoculars to participate in the world's largest bird race.Several Indians and Delhiites are likely to participate this week in the Great Backyard Bird Count, a global event in which people from across the world will report the birds they spotted in their backyard or neighbourhood. Organizers call it a `citizen science' exercise in which common people can play an important role in documenting biodiversity close to them. The basic activity is to list all bird species seen in a particular location over at least 15 minutes and upload the list to the global bird listing platform . Last year, India recorded the highest number of species (823) followed by Mexico and US.The most frequently reported species overall are the house crow, common mynah and rock pigeon. Rare species like the Baikal teal and the blue-naped pitta were also sighted.

Birders are excited about the count. “I live near Shalimar Park in Ghaziabad. There are 2-3 pockets near my place where I have seen hundreds of sparrows. I have also seen shik ra. It makes me wonder why they are seen there. It could be because of the woodland habitat. Birds are great indicators of the quality of environment.Near DU for instance you can see grey hornbills because of the old trees in that area,“ said Faiyaz A Khudsar, scientist in charge, Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP), who will participate in the count.

In India, the count is being coordinated by Bird Count India. Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, one of the organizers, said the “idea was conceptualized in Cornell University so that data can be gathered by any person anywhere in the world. Birders usually track rare birds but this is mainly to sight common backyard birds“. The count was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society and was the first online citizen science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.

It's the birding season now and birders are preparing for another exciting event on March 8--the Big Bird Day .About 3,000 people participated in this event last year spotting close to 800 species or 65% of India's bird diversity.

See also

Birds: India

Birds: India G-L

Birds: India M-Z