Red-wattled Lapwing

Most commonly known as 'Did you do it?' bird,  Red-wattled Lapwing is a very common bird around Tunga river, Lakes and Tunga channels of Malnad area. It gets this funny name because the noise its calls sound a lot like the phrase "Did you do it?". The fact that this is the alarm call makes it even more funnier. I have most often seen these near the Tunga River. Easy to identify, these Lapwings have a reddish beak and a red ring around the eyes, which cover the front part of its face as well. These also have longish yellow legs which make it easy for them to wade through vegetation in water.

Well, this usually lives off insects and small prey.

Wire-tailed Swallow

Wire-tailed swallow is easily the most attractive swallow I have seen so far. As the name suggests, this swallow has two long "wires" hanging behind their already longish wings. With its safrron forehead and white underparts, with a black covering around the eyes, this bird is really a treat for your eyes.

We can see this bird near water sources, like Tunga channels - where I caught the picture here. Salim Ali notes that it is hard to catch these birds far from water sources. Its chief food sources are flies and other midgets.

At the perticular time when I took this snap, the female was also sitting besides the male. The tail wire of the female is considerably shorter, in fact barely distinguishable from a distance.

Scientific name for this bird is Hirundo smithii.

Spotted Owlet

Finally we come to one of the most familiar of all birds - Owls. From the time of Mahabharatha to that of Harry Potter, owls have been a fixture of almost every culture in the world. The most common owl in Shimoga, and in fact the whole of India, is the Spotted Owlet. This bird has adapted really well to living with humans, and can be frequently found in older buildings and temples. I have consistently seen these spotted owlets in my village since childhood - the temple at the entrance of our village seems to be a favourite haunt of these nocturnal birds.

Of course, the most famous feature of these birds is that they are nocturnal, but the spotted owlets are actually classified as crepuscular and nocturnal by Salim Ali (crepuscular means active during twilight hours). The next distinguishing feature is that they have both eyes at the front of their face, which is a very rare thing indeed. These usually feed off insects, beetles and also small mice. Their strong talons and beaks are suited for this type of hunting.

Scientific name for the spotted owlet is Athene brama.

Rufous-backed Shrike

I have always thought that the Shrikes are a special species of birds - they look like prey birds in structure, with hooked bills and strong talons, but are just slightly larger than a bulbul. In fact, these birds do feed off small rats and such animals in addition to insects. The Shrike I have seen most often near Shimoga is Rufous-backed Shrike, also called Long-tailed Shrike, which has a greyish head and upper back, with reddish-brown lower parts (The word Rufous means reddish-brown) and a longish tail which enables us to distinguish this bird from other similar-sized birds when viewing from a distance.

Unfortunately I have not explicitly noticed the special characteristic of Rufous-backed Shrike - Salim Ali notes that the Rufous-backed Shrikes are remarkable imitators of sounds made by other birds and animals, including those of frogs, and exhibit very good memory for these sounds. These can be seen most often on electric wires near rice fields while driving out of Shimoga.

Scientific name for this bird is Lanius Schach.

Ashy Prinia

Ashy Prinia belongs to the class of warblers. I have seen this bird near our farms and tunga channels, flitting to and fro. If you observe closely, you can see that the eye of this bird has a reddish-brown colour. Along with its ashy back, you can also observe the cream-coloured underbelly.

It appeared to be quite shy of humans to me when I first saw this bird, but wikipedia mentions that it is quite often found in urban areas and urban gardens. But unfortunately I have not seen this bird near any of the houses in Shimoga.

It feeds off insects.

Scientific name for this bird is Prinia socialis.

Jerdon's Chloropsis

Jerdon's Chloropsis in the green background

Not  a very common bird, Jerdon's Chloropsis is a forest or wooded-country bird. This is found mainly in the western ghats and areas around western ghats with similar vegetation. I have seen this along the Tunga channels 12-13 kms from Shimoga. This belongs to the family of leafbirds.

Female of this species is really really leaf-like green, whereas males have a moustache-like line. This bird can be very hard to spot once it gets into a tree. The colour of this bird blends spectacularly with the green leaves in the background, as the picture here shows.

Wikipedia mentions that this bird is named in honour of the noted British ornithologist, Thomas J. Jerdon. Its main food is insects and fruits.

 Scientific name for this bird is Chloropsis Jerdoni.

Greater Coucal

Greater Coucal

The Greater Coucal is better described by its popular name in Kannada, Kembootha. The word Kembootha  literally means Red Devil. This is a fitting name because the bird has a red-coloured eyes and wings. Slightly bigger than a common crow, this bird is well known for its fights with snakes.Usually it feeds off insects, smaller vertebrates and small snakes.

Very commonly seen in rural Malnad, I have not seen these in the Shimoga city. I usually see this almost every day in Matthur, near Tunga channels, and our garden. Surprisingly for its looks, it is a very quick bird and very shy. It is not uncommon to see these birds hopping on the ground, low bushes, and small trees. With its long tail and rather heavey body, it is an awkward flier.

Small Sunbird

Small Sunbird on a leaf

Small Sunbird, also known as Crimson-backed sunbird, looks a lot like purple-rumped sunbird for the first sight, but a quick second look shows this as a much more colourful bird. The male bird has a bright crimson-red collar that extends to its chest. This is, as far as I know, the smallest sunbird in Karnataka. I literally photographed this sitting right inside a leaf!

Small sunbird is less common than the purple-rumped sunbird, because this chiefly lives on the western ghats and neighboring regions. Not exactly a garden bird, but you can catch sight of this bird along the villages near Tunga, which have similar vegetation as that of western ghats. If you travel about 10-12 kms along the Tunga river channels from Shimoga, you should be able to see this along the channels. This being an extremely active bird, be quick while you photograph!!

Scientific name for this bird is Leptocoma minima.

Oriental White-Eye

Two White-eyes besides Tunga Channel

Oriental White-eyes are delightful bright-yellow birds which can be identified quite easily by a circular white 'ring' around their eyes. About the size of sparrows, or probably smaller than a sparrow, these are found mainly alongside the Tunga channel, flying around very quickly in pairs or small groups.That way, this is not a strictly garden-bird, you may have to go a little distance to catch sight of these birds.

Common food for these birds are insects and nectar.
Scientific name for this bird is Zosterops palpebrosus.

Bronze-winged Jacana

Walking around the vegetaion in Matthur lake

Bronze-winged Jacanas are quite common in Malnad. Jacanas are usually found near water sources like lakes and ponds, and the one most often found in the lakes and ponds of Shimoga are  I regularly see these in Matthur lake, walking around the vegetation on water, searching for food.
These are identified by the prominent eyebrow extending from the tip of the bill to the nape.

When I first saw these birds, there were both mature and young birds walking around, and I mistook the young ones for Indian Crouser. Immature birds differ considerably from adult birds, but the fact that these actually walk around in the water vegetation should tell us the difference between these and Crousers (which like stony plains).

Scientific name for this bird is Metopidius indicus.

Common Tailorbird

Common Tailorbird

One of the ironies of being in a place like Malnad is that many things that city-dwellers think are 'common' may not be that common to you at all - for instance, I have seen Common Tailorbirds only outside my garden, near lakes and plantations, whereas Salim Ali claims that it fearlessly enters verandahs and is very friendly.

When I first saw this bird, I found its multi-coloured body very attractive. It is about the size of a sparrow, more or less. Salim Ali also notes that this bird loves flower nector, apart from insects.

Scientific name for this bird is Orthotomus sutorius.

Common Coot

Common Coot swimming

Common Coots are usually found in lakes and larger ponds. It is fairly easy to confuse them with ducks at a distance - they have the same shape. Common Coots are almost completely black, except their beak and forehead, which are, contrastingly, white. As with all water birds, it is a poor flier, and is seen mostly when swimming and searching for food.

It survives on insects and plants found in water.

Scientific name for this bird is Fulica atra.

Paradise Flycatcher

Female Paradise Flycatcher

The name says it all - Asian Paradise Flycatcher, of course, catches flies. It is native to Asia. And it looks as if it is from the paradise, especially the male ones. You will see this bird easily in the green background with its reddish-brown body (female and young males) or white body (adult male). But the most significant feature is their long tails trailing behind them. They also have a black head and a crest. Once we manage to take our eyes off the tails and stop being in owe of these birds, we notice that the actual body is very very like a bulbul - in size and shape.

These like to remain close to water sources, and these are not common garden birds - you will need to go out of your way to catch sight of these. I have seen these mainly around Matthur lake, but Tunga river is also a good place to catch sight of. And they are quick and not at all patient - I have seen these on bushes or small trees, flying to and fro catching their prey.

Scientific name for this bird is Terpsiphone paradisi.

Golden-backed Woodpecker

Pecking a coconut tree

Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker is very common woodpecker around rural Malnad. I see this a lot on coconut trees, where they are easy to identify. These birds are not afraid to come close to the houses - you can see these on a coconut tree in your backyard also.

There are actually two types of woodpeckers that are very similar to each other: Common Golden-backed woodpecker and Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker. The Common woodpecker has a crimson rump.

As a bonus to being a common bird, it also has a dazzling back - golden coloured back and a red tuft on its head. If you take a closer look, you can see that it's muscle structure around the bill is really strong, and is well-suited to probe inside the trees. Woodpeckers extend their tongues into the holes in the trees and pick out their food in the form of insects.

Some facts about woodpeckers are astonishing: Even though I had heard a lot about these as everybody else, I had not realized that I had never seen these perched on a horizontal branch till Poorna Chandra Tejaswi pointed that out in his book - almost always people see these in vertical position. Also, Tejaswi notes that the sound they make when banging on trees is actually unique to each sub-specie, with specific frequencies , amounting to a language of their own. Also, their tails are exceptionally well-built, and they can actually use them as support while climbing or perching vertically on the trees.

These can also be seen along the railway track from Shimoga to Bangalore - in fact, that railway stretch is really good for birdwatching!!

Scientific name for the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker is Dinopium benghalense, whereas Common Golden-backed Woodpecker is known as Dinopium javanense.

Birds of Prey - Brahminy Kite

Perched on a tall tree

A close relative of Eagles, Brahminy Kites are the ones called Garuda in Kannada and Sanskrit. These are more numerous than other types of birds of prey around Shimoga - like eagles and other kites. Characteristic white head, white body with reddish wings and backside are the prominent features of these, otherwise eagle-like, birds.

These are very easily sighted both in Shimoga city and rural areas around Shimoga - we can see these soaring at high altitudes, many a times in mid day. I have seen these all over the place around my village - often perched on really tall trees. This is a thing that makes it not-so-easy to photograph, but if you have a good telephoto lens, these are relatively easy because of their willingness to stay quiet for the duration of the shot!!! Salim Ali notes that these stay close to water sources as a rule. Tunga river basin is a popular place for these birds.

 I was surprised to learn at first that these are scavenger birds - it is a pity a bird so well suited for hunting has to scavenge!! The sight of this bird sighting a dead fish in the river and flying directly to the water, catching the fish in its talons and flying off again is a sight that will live long in any beholders' memory.

Scientific name for this bird is Haliastur indus.
 
Other than the Brahminy Kite, we can see numerous Black Kites around Shimoga area - in fact, black kites are the commonest of this species, and is seen throughout the urban and rural areas in India, I guess.
Scientific name for black kite is Milvus migrans.

Of Robins and Wagtails

Oriental Magpie-Robin

Robins and wagtails are very familiar to villagers of Shimoga area - these are regular visitors to our backyards. I have observed a lot of Oriental Magpie-Robins near my village, which is about the size of a bulbul, black-and-white with a longish tail. We can see this hopping from bush to bush or searching for small insects on the ground. It is not hard to catch these birds singing, either.

Oriental Magpie-Robin looks a lot like Pied Bushcat, so pay close attention to its tail - Robin has a longish tail when compared to the Bushcat.
Scientific name for this bird is Copsychus saularis.

Large Pied Wagtail on an asbestos roof

Close cousins of Robins, Wagtails are also very common in this part. As the name suggests, it keeps moving its tail up and down, is a shade thinner and longer when compared to the Robin. Also, the wagtail I have observed near my village, Large Pied Wagtail, has a very visible 'eyebrow' - a white one at that. So it is not hard to identify the bird correctly. This bird is also known as White-browed Wagtail for this reason.
Salim Ali notes that this bird prefers streams, watercourses etc, - in Malnad area, especially in rainy season, streamlets are so numerous that you can easily see these birds very close to our homes. These also feed on insects and worms, like Robins.
Scientific name for this bird is Motacilla maderaspatensis Gmelin.

The ever-popular bulbuls

There are two major varieties of Bulbuls in Malnad.I don't really understand Bollywood's fascination with this bird - I personally think songs of other birds are more melodious, and there are much, much more beautiful birds out there - no idea why our poets had to single out these common birds to write songs on!! I guess it is just their chirruping sound that people find delightful.

First of the very common Bulbuls is the Red-whiskered Bulbul. Well, you can see these almost anywhere - on electric wires, near bushes with fruits or insects it can feed on, near cultivated lands - well, almost anywhere. Wikipedia mentions that this was once a popular cagebird. Salim Ali notes that these are usually tame and are very friendly.

Red-Whiskered Bulbul

Scientific name for this bird is Pycnonotus jocosus.

Red-vented Bulbul

Second of these is the Red-vented Bulbul. These have a black head. For some reason red-whiskered ones seem to be more comfortable near urban areas - I see the red-vented ones near scrubs and cultivation whereas red-whiskered ones are more often found closer to my house. Salim Ali notes that bulbul fights are a common reason for high bets, but I have never seen a bulbul fight around Shimoga. Maybe they are limited to other parts of India, or have disappeared since the days of the great Ornithologist.
Scientific name for this bird is Pycnonotus cafer.

Purple-Rumped Sunbird

Shot just off the road 6 kms from Shimoga

Purple-Rumped Sunbird is the first sunbird I am going to mention in this blog - and the most common in Malnad area as far as I have seen.  Typical of sunbirds, it is very small - it is about 1/4th of a sparrow, if you ask me - very active - hopping from plant to plant in search of nectar from flowers. The male bird is very attractive - it has a metallic bluish (purple) coloured rump (rump is the bird's lower back) and the top portion of its body is a delightful combination of green, purple, yellow and crimson.

Sunbirds as a family are very active and are found very easily in Karnataka. Also, Poorna Chandra Tejaswi notes that these belong to the family of smallest birds in Karnataka. Being so small, they rarely need to come out to the open completely, most often taking shelter among the leaves of the plants they are feeding in. This, combined with their size and agility, make them quite a challenge for amateur photographers.

I have spotted this bird along the roadsides when driving out of Shimoga near cultivated farms, our garden and low bushes near Tunga channels. Apart from its colours (if you are looking at the female, that won't have the vibrant colours of the male), its beak should tell you instantly that it is sunbird - their beaks are so well specialized to suck nectar out of flowers that they tell a tell-tale story. Also, these birds help cross-pollinate many species of flowers.

Scientific name for this bird is Nectarinia Zeylonica.

Common Iora

Female Common Iora

Common Iora about the size of a sparrow - or slightly larger, with greenish yellow body. We can see this near the Matthur lake, flying about the bushes collecting food. The greenish-yellow colour of this bird blends it with the green plants really well. Salim Ali notes that this is a fairly common bird near villages and light forests, and also notes that male has a glossy jet black head during breeding period.

As this bird feeds off insects, best places to catch sight of are near water sources, like Tunga Channels. But it is not uncommon in gardens either.

Scientific name for this bird is Aegithina Tiphia.

Adding a location map

I have added a location map to this blog - you can see tabs on the top of the page now. The second tab is a public map where we try to mark off the spots where the birds in the blog have been seen.

Malabar Pied Hornbill

On top of arecanut tree, tough to shoot photographs :(

Of all the birds I am listing out here, I think Hornbills are the most special - they are very hard to catch sight of if you are not at the right place, and you need a lot of luck. We can see Malabar Pied Hornbills around villages of Shimoga. Even though they are not rare in my village, I have only seen them in the early mornings - six to six-thirty usually, in the middle of arecanut plantations.  If you are walking through a heavily wooded area, and you hear loud noises like somebody washing their clothes on a stone, take another look - Hornbills make that kind of a noise when flying with their immense wings. Also, their shout is like a loud laughter.

But the most significant feature of these birds  - most useful for identification - is their bill. Bills are much bigger than the birds' head, yellow-and-black in colour, horn-shaped and has a pointed casque on top. God only knows why these bills are designed like this!!! They feed mainly on fruits, and are natural dwellers of wooded country with Banyan or Peepal trees.

Before moving away from these very special birds, I have to tell the strange, romantic and sometimes tragic story of the nesting habits of hornbills, even though I have never seen a nest. Male and Female birds select a wooden hollow, and when the female is ready lay the eggs, it holes itself inside. The male walls up the hollow, leaving a small slit through which it feeds the female throughout the period. Once the eggs are hatched, the male breaks the egg and releases the female bird. Of course, the female is able to break out - but its feathers fall off during the period, so it can't fly even if it comes out. Most often, if the male bird dies during this period, the whole family dies.

Scientific name for the Malabar Pied Hornbill is Anthracoceros Coronatus.

Common Munias

Scaly-breasted Munia on an electric wire

Munias are quite common around Malnad area, and are very easy to confuse with a sparrow. They are about the same size and shape as sparrows, and are of the same shape. If you spot a sparrow-like bird near damp areas or water streams, like Tunga channels, it is a good idea to take another look - you might just have seen a Munia.Of course, Munias vary in colour very widely from Sparrows, so if you are looking at the bird you will notice the difference.

White-rumped Munia

Munias generally feed on insects and grass seeds, and can bother the farmers quite a bit. Experts claim that Munias quite frequently appear in flocks of large size, but I have only seen groups of 4-6 so far, most often actually one or two together in Malnad area.

I was able to photograph two Munias - Scaly-breasted Munia and  White-rumped Munia. Salim Ali notes that Red Munia is also common to India. He also notes that the Red Munia is a popular cage bird.

Scientific name for Scaly-breasted Munia is Lonchura punctulata.
Scientific name for White-rumped Munia is Lonchura striata.

Little Spiderhunter

Little Spiderhunter is one of the small and very active birds that is not hard to spot around rural Shimoga - and these are very easy to confuse with regular sunbirds. The plumage meshes so well with the green plants they frequently visit that it is very easy not to spot them at all. But then, these are quite comfortable in our home gardens, collecting nectar or catching spiders, which is partly why they are named as spider hunters!!

Poorna Chandra Tejaswi notes that there are two types of spider hunters in India, but only one can be found in Karnataka. Also, he notes that regular sunbirds of this region are half the size of spider hunters.

Even though you don't need to leave your garden to sight this bird, it will be super hard to find the nests of these - chiefly because they build their nests only under banana leaves. According to Tejaswi, this is the reason why it is called "Balegubbi" in Kannada - Bale means Banana in Kannada - this makes it easier to spot these birds in and around gardens close to fields growing banana.

Scientific name for this bird is Arachnothera longirostra.

The Baya Weaver

Male weaver in breeding period

The Weaver bird is undoubtedly one of the most well-known birds in India. And its name tells us all - it is their nests that make them so famous. We all know of retort-shaped nests hanging from trees. Here I am listing the "Baya" Weaver bird.
It is a very easy bird to catch sight of, too - they prefer low-height bushes close to cultivated land for their nests. I know of a whole colony of weavers next to a small village, Sriramapura, which is about 9 kms from Shimoga city. Near Shimoga, you just have to drive out along the Tunga Channels and grain fields - you are sure to catch these pretty soon.
What makes these interesting is the change in plumage during the breeding period - males change from sparrow-like common birds to bright yellow-coloured birds.

Salim Ali lists two other weaver birds, Straited and Blackthroated weaver, as quite common to India. But as far as my observations go, the Baya bird is the most common. Also, when in non-breeding period, weaver is very much lika a house sparrow, which makes identifying this slightly tricky if you are not sure what you are looking for. Almost always people identify these through their nests.

Scientific name for this bird is Ploceus Philippinus.

Red-rumped Swallow

Perched on an electric wire - notice the tails

Admittedly, Red-rumped Swallow is not that easy to spot. Partly because it is very hard to identify anything special about this bird from a distance - and you usually see them perched on electric wires when you drive to some interior roads around Shimoga. So, yes, this is not a strict 'daily' bird, but is fairly common, especially during late monsoon. If you get off your bike or car and take a closer look, you can see the distictive shape of the tail, which looks similar to but is a lot shorter than the tail of Swuft - initially I mistook these for Swufts.

These are adapted for aerial feeding, but are quite comfortable walking around muddy areas, collecting mud for their nests.

Scientific name for this bird is Cecropis daurica.

Green bee-eater

Green Bee-eater, I took this photo near the Matthur lake.

Green Bee-eaters are very common around the Shimoga district, and are relatively easy to spot. They can be seen easily on the electric wires beside the roads, frequently flying out to catch some insects and returning to their seats. I have seen them in the roads going back along the Tunga river, channels for the river as well as near the bridges, mainly in the evening. One of the behaviours of these birds which make them easy to sight is that they prefer to stay close to the ground - electirc wires are pretty much the highest point you will see them. And it is not uncommon to see them close to water sources, like the Tunga channels.

These are mainly insect-eaters, and can be seen in groups. Sighting an individual bird is also not rare. 
Scientific name for this bird if Merops orientalis.