Black-shouldered Kite

Perched on a wire

A lesser known and much lesser seen kite around Shimoga, Black-shouldered Kite, also called Black-winged Kite, was pleasantly perched on the electric wire when I first saw this. The most striking features of this bird are the black-colored wings on the otherwise mostly white body. But as I got closer, its blood-red eyes stood out. Surprisingly, it allowed me to approach it much closer than most birds.

Salim Ali notes that this bird is rather crepuscular, which means it is active mostly in twilight. He also notes that it has a rather distinctive way of catching preys - apparantly it hovers in mid-air and keeps its wings vertical when bearing down on the prey. Unfortunately I have to wait for another day to catch this behaviour.

Scientific name of this bird is Elanus Caeruleus.

Little Egrets

Little Egret Flying, note the yellow feet

One of the more common member of Egret family, Little Egrets are found nearly everywhere in rural Shimoga - you can see them near the fields, walking around on their long legs with snaky necks. But the best times to watch these birds is in the early morning, near a river like Tunga or Bhadra, where you will be able to watch their field characteristics for a long time without interruption.

Called Kokkare in Kannada, these are usually silent birds. Smaller than the Yellow-billed Egrets I covered in another post, these are distinguished by their larger cousins by a black beak. The legs are black as well, except for feet, which are yellow in colour.

This bird relies on frogs, fish, insects and smaller reptiles as food. Waiting patiently for fish and other prey to come close, and then quickly bending down with their long necks and picking up their prey is a sight made famous in many descriptions of this bird. Salim Ali notes that these birds were in demand in west for hat-making. He also notes that this trade has been made illegal.

Scientific name for this bird is Egretta Garzetta (Linnaeus).

House Swallow

Young Swallows - not yet fully grown

House Swallows, also known as Pacific Swallows, are very common near the rural parts of Shimoga. We can see it very often in rural parts of Shimoga - mostly flying around at very high speeds. It is not very common to see these birds sit down for long, as they are very enthusiastic fliers. Having said that, look out for electric wires - sometimes these form long lines on electric lines.

If we observe the birds carefully while they are sitting, we can see it is an attractive bird - chestnut-coloured forehead with a paler underparts and shiny wings. We can also observe that the wings are longer in proportion to many other birds, suited for high-speed flying.

Salim Ali notes that these are confined to western ghats and nearby areas, especially south of Karnataka, Kerala and West Tamil Nadu. I have observed a swallow build a nest in a rock in the middle of Tunga river, very close to the pathway crossing the river. That was a very unique opportunity to observe the young birds, who were not yet aware of humans as threats and were not flying away even if I approached them closely. Their mother coming back frequently to feed them was another memorable experience.

These birds eat insects which they catch while flying. Scientific name for this bird is Hirundo Tahitica Gmelin.

Pond Heron

Indian Pond Heron

Indian Pond Heron is another common member of the family of herons - in fact, it is not uncommon to see these in the cities either. It is one of the most familiar of water birds, even though it is not as famous as other, more attractive, birds.

Brownish in colour, it usually walks around the edge of water, waiting patiently for its prey. Even though it wades into the water now and then, most of its prey is caught while waiting on the edge. Rather surprisingly, its diet includes frogs in addition to fish, crabs and insects :)

Easy to identify, it has white spots on the wings when flying. Its scientific name is Ardeola Grayii.

Pied Bushchat

Pied Bushchat

Pied Buschat is a relatively common bird in fields and cultivated areas of Shimoga district. Small and active, you can see this bird very close to the land, hopping around on low-height plant and mud, picking insects and other food.

Bushchats in general are quite common, and a rather young or female one can easily confuse the amateur into believing that he is seeing a new bird rather than a well-known bird.

It has extremely thin legs, with the male bird sporting white patches on abdomen and wings. Females are brownish in colour. It is not uncommon to see them in pairs or in single.

Scientific name for this bird is Saxicola Caprata.

White-browed Bulbul

White-browed bulbul

Not a very common bird, white-browed bulbul is a rather shy bird, preferring the shrubbery near fields and deciduous forests to backyard gardens. I was able to spot this next to the Tunga river, in the midst of a rather dense shrubbery.

Usually single or in pairs, it lives off fruits and insects, as do the other members of Bulbul family. Salim Ali mentions that this bird plays an important role in the dispersal of seeds and dissemination of plant life over the countryside. Identifiable by its unique 'white brows', the bird has a longish tail and a yellowish moustache.

Scientific name for this bird is Pycnonotus luteolus.

Grey Tit

Grey Tit on a tree branch

Small, active, and easy to ignore because of multitude of robins and wagtails around Shimoga, Tits are generally known for their strong bills, and rely on seeds and insects for survival. They can be quite noisy, too :). Grey Tits can be seen around Shimoga fairly easily, quite close to my houses with gardens.

Scientific name for this bird is Parus Afer.