Bird sightings rise following lockdown

Our cities are now bustling with bird life thanks to reduced noise levels and less pollution. We asked readers to send us photographs of birds they saw from their balconies. Here are their responses

House sparrow

Pulkit Juneja was reminded of the “golden” summers in his grandmother’s place when he spotted this plump house sparrow near his home in Delhi. The sight of sparrows is reassuring, for their numbers have gone down a great deal.

Fact: Native to Eurasia, sparrows have been introduced to the rest of the world. They are found as flocks; they bustle around and can be seen chattering to one another.

Red-whiskered bulbul

Srinivasan Krishnamurthy rushed to the balcony of his apartment in Bengaluru early one morning when he heard a distinct bird call. He happened to see this red-cheeked beauty.

Fact: This songbird is generally found in pairs or small groups in gardens, orchards, forest edges, and open forests. It is a common species in the Asian cagebird trade.

Common iora

Prachi K Gala spotted this gorgeous couple from her home on Vasna Road in Vadodara, Gujarat. They are the male and female common iora. The one with black plumage on the upper portion is the male.

 

Fact: These birds are quite vocal, and can produce a wide variety of calls. These include the commonly heard ‘twiii tuiii twiiii’, apart from ‘chirrs’ and a song that’s a trilled ‘wheeeee-tee.’

Brown-breasted flycatcher

K Gnanaskandan was amazed at this little guy’s fly-catching skills. Its scientific name is Muscicapa Muttui, and ‘Muttui’ refers to British ornithologist E L Layard’s helper and cook, who helped him on his specimen collections. Gnanaskandan says that it is the only pale-legged Muscicapa of our region. “This flycatcher entertained me for two days from a Copperpod tree,” he writes.

Fact: With large, white-framed eyes, this bird breeds in mid- to high-elevation broadleaf forests and winters in lowlands and foothills.

Purple-rumped sunbird

Aadhith Balasubramaniam, a college student from Coimbatore, starts his day with birding. He happened to see this little bird glimmer in the early morning sun.

Fact : The female is greyish-brown above and pale yellow below. You can see them flitting from flower to flower, probing for nectar and also picking up insects. The call is a ‘tityou, tityou, trritt, tityou’.

Indian grey hornbill

Nazneen Patel shot these birds on her mobile phone from her home in Matunga, Mumbai. She remembers how they inquisitively pecked at the glass on her window.

Fact: Usually seen in pairs or small groups, these birds can be seen in woodlands, plantations, gardens, and parks in cities where they feed on large, fruiting trees. When perched, their call is a high-pitched ‘kieeeeu’.

Indian Paradise flycatcher

Sumathi Krishnamurthy couldn’t take her eyes off this long-tailed male. It happened to stop by the window of her home in the panchayat town of Pattiveeranpatti, Dindigul district.

Fact: Males of this species are known for their long ribbon-like tail. They make short aerial sallies after insects, and are usually found in wooded habitats.

Brown rock chat

Rajagopala Rao Srinadhuni, a birding enthusiast, spends most part of his days in lockdown photographing birds from his Delhi home. This rock chat is among his many visitors.

 

 

Fact: This chocolate-brown gem can be seen standing tall on ridges, cliff edges, and buildings.

Indian Golden Oriole

This sunshine yellow beauty fluttered past Anand M’s home in Hyderabad.

 

Fact: Known for its characteristic dipping flight style, this bird gives a harsh ‘krrrrrrrrrrrr’ call while feeding.

Black kite

Nandini Uchil finds birding to be a great stress-buster. She spotted this raptor from the terrace of her apartment building in Malleshpalya, Bengaluru.

 

Fact: Commonly found in urban areas, rubbish dumps, aquatic habitats, and grasslands; usually avoids heavily-forested areas.

Facts courtesy: eBird.org.

Compiled by Akila Kannadasan