Bird Watching - White Breasted waterhen

White Breasted Waterhen

They are dark slaty birds with a clean white face, breast and belly. The lower belly and undertail are cinnamon coloured. They have long toes, a short tail and a yellow bill and legs. Sexes are similar but females measure slightly smaller. Immature birds are much duller versions of the adults.

Local names: Dawak , Dahak (Hindi)

                    Kula kozhi (Malayalam)

                    Kanan Kozhi (Tamil)

They are mostly found near fresh water.

These birds are usually seen singly or in pairs as they forage slowly along the edge of a water body mainly on the ground. Wanders considerably afield in the monsoon when low lying tracts become water logged. The tail is held up and jerked as they walk.

Ordinarily shy and silent but extremely noisy during the rainy season when it breeds.  They mainly eat insects, worms, molluscs, grain and shoots of paddy and marsh plants.

They nest in a dry location on the ground in marsh vegetation, laying 6-7 eggs.. Nest is a shallow cup of twigs,creeper stems and flags of bulrushes up in a bush near water. 

Eggs are cream or pinkish white, streaked and blotched with reddish brown. The eggs hatch in about 19 days. Both sexes incubate the eggs and take care of the chicks.

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

Thoovampallil house, Chettikulangara, Kerala(2018, 2019) 

Bird watching - Indian Roller

Indian Roller

The Indian roller is a blue bird with biggish head, heavy black bill, rufous-brown breast, pale blue abdomen and under tail. The dark and pale blue portions of the wings show up as brilliant bands in flight. The neck and throat are purplish lilac with white shaft streaks. The bare patch around the eye is a pale brownish yellow colour.

Local Names: Neelkanth (Hindi)

                    Pal Kuriwi (Tamil)

                    Panamkakka (Malayalam)

Indian rollers are often seen perched on prominent bare trees or wires. They descend to the ground to capture their prey which may include insects, spiders, scorpions, small snakes and amphibians. Highly beneficial to agriculture since it destroys vast quantities of injurious insects.

The display of this bird is an aerobatic display, with the twists and turns that give the bird its English name of "rollers".

Nest is a collection of straw, rags and rubbish in a natural tree-hollow at moderate heights; sometimes in a hole in wall of buildings.

The normal clutch consists of about 3–5 eggs. The eggs are white and broad oval or nearly spherical. Both sexes incubate the eggs for about 17 to 19 days. The young fledge and leave the nest after about a month.

The Indian roller has been chosen as the state bird by the Indian states of Odisha, Karnataka and Telangana.

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

Citrus Retreats, Alleppey Kerala(2019)

Bird watching - Oriental Magpie - Robin

Oriental Magpie-Robin

Oriental Magpie-Robins are distinctive black and white birds with a long tail that is held upright as they forage on the ground or perch conspicuously. They are common birds in urban gardens as well as forests. 

The oriental magpie-robin is the national bird of Bangladesh.

Local Names : Dhaiyal(Hindi)

                     Mannathipullu (Malayalam)

The male has black upperparts, head and throat apart from a white shoulder patch. The underparts and the sides of the long tail are white. Females are greyish black above and greyish white. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts and head. It is mostly seen close to the ground, hopping along branches.

The diet of magpie robins includes mainly insects and other invertebrates. Although mainly insectivorous, they are known to occasionally take flower nectar, centipedes and even fish.

They nest in tree hollows or niches in walls or building, They line the cavity with grass. The female is involved in most of the nest building, which happens about a week before the eggs are laid. Four or five eggs are laid at intervals of 24 hours and these are oval and usually pale blue green with brownish speckles that match the color of hay. The eggs are incubated by the female alone for 8 to 14 days.  Females spend more effort on feeding the young than males. Males spend more time on nest defense.

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

Thoovampallil house, Chettikulangara, Kerala(2019)

Bird Watching - Lesser Golden-Backed woodpecker

Lesser Golden-Backed woodpecker

The black-rumped flameback, also known as the lesser golden-backed woodpecker or lesser goldenback, is a woodpecker found widely distributed in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. 

Local Names: Maramkothi (Malayalam)

                    Tachchan kuruvi , Manu Poluku (Tamil)

It has a typical woodpecker shape, and the golden yellow wing coverts are distinctive. The rump is black. The underparts are white with dark chevron markings. The head is whitish with a black nape and throat, and there is a greyish eye patch. The adult male has a red crown and crest. Females have a black forecrown spotted with white, with red only on the rear crest. Young birds are like the female, but duller. This bird has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks.

They adapt well in human-modified habitats making use of artificial constructions, fallen fruits and even food scraps. They are often seen in urban areas with wooded avenues. They feed on insects mainly beetle larvae from under the bark, visit termite mounds and sometimes feed on nectar.

Nest is usually an underlined hollow in a tree stem or branch , excavated by the bird.

Eggs- 3, glossy china white,

Both sexes share all domestic duties

I noticed this bird during my Kerala visit last year, the bird is seen at the same window looking into its refection, constantly knocking at it. as soon as it sense the human presence it flew away.  The pictures are taken on different days. with in a span of one week.

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

Thoovampallil house, Chettikulangara, Kerala(2019)

Bird Watching - Common Tailorbird

Common Tailorbird

This is frequent visitor in my neighborhood  these days,  But very difficult to spot as it is a very small and easily camouflage with the surroundings. Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence.

The common tailorbird is a brightly coloured bird, with bright green upper-parts and creamy underparts. They range in size from 10 to 14 centimetres

Local Names:  Darzee, Phutki (Hindi)

                     Panakkuruvi (Malayalam)

                     Thaiyal Chittu Pon Chittu (Tamil)

They are distinctive in having a long upright tail, greenish upper body plumage and rust coloured forehead and crown. Tailorbirds get their name from the way their nest is constructed. They are typically found in open woodland, scrub and gardens.

The sexes are identical, except that the male has long central tail feathers in the breeding season. They are attracted to insects at flowers and are known to favour the inflorescences of mango.

The birds roost alone during the non-breeding season but may roost side-by-side during the breeding season. The roost sites chosen are thin twigs on trees with cover above them and were often close to human habitation and lights.

Nest- a rough cup of soft fibers, cotton wool and vegetable down placed in a funnel fashioned by cleverly folding over and stitching along edges one or more large plant leaves.

Eggs- 3 or 4 reddish or bluish white , spotted with brownish red

The incubation period is about 12 days. Both male and female feed the young. The young birds fledge in about 14 days. 

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

TVH Taus, Chennai (2020)

Bird Watching - Loten's Sunbird

Loten's Sunbird

Loten's sunbird also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird. The long bill separates this from the syntopic purple sunbird. 

 

Local Names:  Tenkili, Valiatenkili (Malayalam)

                     Pun chittu, Then chittu (Tamil)

The wings are browner and the maroon breast band is visible on the male.  The adult male is mainly glossy purple with a grey-brown belly.

The color of female has no connection to that of male. The female has yellow-grey upperparts and yellowish underparts, but lacks Purple's faint supercilium.

The long slender deeply arched bill distinctive.

Like other sunbirds, they also feed on small insects and spiders.

The nest is built by the female which may however be accompanied by the male. Two eggs are laid in a suspended nest in a tree. Eggs-2 ,brownish white with dull brown brown spots. The eggs are incubated only by the female for about 15 days. The young are fed by both parents, but when out of the nest fed mostly by male.

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

Pictures:

Thoovampallil house, Chettikulangara, Kerala(2019)