As mentioned in my previous blog about Butterflies,(Link here) This Onam we went to Kerala for a week.
Continuation to the Thovampallil Garden series, After Butterflies, I decided to go forward with another set of Visitors - Birds
As everyone knows , nature's treasure is diverse in many ways. Our garden witnesses a wide range of varieties of birds throughout the year. The time we went to Kerala was during the flowering season , due to which I saw a slight reduction in birds compared to that seen during fruiting season. Nonetheless, flowering season invites its own set of winged friends like the sunbird, which was seen quite a few times since it feeds on the nectar of flowers. Owing to the frequent rains, Indian pond heron was very common as well. But, as a mentioned previously, since it was raining quite a lot, I wasn’t able to spot many birds or get a clear picture of many. Having said that, the ones I did capture are (in my opinion) worth remembering. Here are a few of the varieties that I was fortunate to come across.
1. Indian Pond Heron
An egret-like marsh bird chiefly earthy brown when at rest. Its appearance is transformed from their dull colours when they take to flight, when the white of the wings makes them very prominent.
Local names: Kulamuti (Malayalam)
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2. Indian Treepie (Rufous treepie)
The Rufous Treepie, is a common corvid (a bird of the crow family) that is found throughout India.
A long tailed chestnut brown bird with sooty head and neck . black -tupped grey tail and greyish white wing patches conspicuous in flight.
Local names: Olenjali kuruvi (Malayalam)
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3. Sunbird - Purple-rumped Sunbird
Purple-rumped sunbirds are tiny at less than 10 cm long. They have medium-length thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations for nectar feeding.
The males have a dark maroon upper side with a blue-green crown that glistens at some angles, bright green shoulder patch and violet/purple rump patch which is generally hidden under the wings. The female and juvenile are duller with an olive-green back, brown wings, white throat and yellowish chest.
Local Names : Manja Theankili (Malayalam )
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4. 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: Theinkili, Valiatheinkili (Malayalam)
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5. 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 : Mannathipullu (Malayalam)
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6. Black Hooded Oriole
Golden yellow bird with jet black head and upper breast. Back in wings and tails. Bills pink, eyes crimson. Sexes are alike but black of head duller in females. Young birds have yellow forehead and the black head streaked with yellowish.
Local Names: Manjakaruppan (Malayalam)
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7. 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)
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8. White Throated Kingfisher
The white-throated kingfisher also known as the white-breasted kingfisher is a tree kingfisher.
A brilliant turquoise -blue kingfisher with deep chocolate brown head, neck and underparts. flanks and lower belly are chestnut, and the throat and breast are white. The large bill and legs are bright red. a white wing patch is prominent in flight.
Local Names :Ponman (Malayalam)
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9.Black Drongo
A slim and agile glossy black bird with long deeply forked tail. Its bill and legs fashionably all black. The bird is a familiar sight in India, and attracts attention with its graceful shape and fearless attitude. A familiar bird of open country, usually perched on telegraph wires or attending on grazing cattle.
Local names : Anaranchi (Malayalam)
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10.White-cheeked Barbet
The white-cheeked barbet is a small green barbet found only in southern India. It has a distinctive whitish supercilium and a broad whitish cheek stripe below the eye. It has brown head with whitish streaking. The neck, nape and breast are brown with whitish streaking.The bill is pale pinkish.
Local Names :
Malayalam - chinnakutturuvan
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11. Yellow Billed Babbler
These birds have grey brown upper parts, grey throat and breast with some mottling, and a pale buff belly. The head and nape are grey.The rump is paler and the tail has a broad dark tip.
Local Names
Malayalam - Kariyilakkili
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12. Common Myna
A well groomed dark brown bird with bare yellow patch behind the eye.The bill and legs are bright yellow. a large patch of white is flashed from each wing during flight.
Local Names : Kavalamkili , Naatumyna (Malayalam)
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My Instagram handle- reena.rendeep
Other Blogs in the same series
Butterflies- https://colorfulwingedwonders.blogspot.com/2021/09/colorful-wonders-of-thovampallil-aug.html
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References
The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)
Wikipedia
Various Birdwatching websites on the internet
Pictures:
Thovampallil, Chettikulangara Kerala (22 - 28 August, 2021)
