My Talk With Birds-2
C.R. Ramana Kailash, Kanyakumari
Birds, one of the richest and most spectacular creations in our nature; are spread across the world. They are descended from the prehistoric feathered dinosaurs which lived in the late Jurassic period and are now extinct. These feathered wonders have conquered all domains of our planet from the frigid poles to dry Saharan deserts, from tropical rainforests of the equator to watery oceans of the Pacific. 
Birding
The world of birds is diverse and rich. Birding is a hobby or profession of observing birds in their habitats. It is one way to get connected with this vivid and beautiful world. Birding is both a recreational activity and a citizen science, and can be followed by amateurs too.
Birds can be classified by their family, habits, characteristics or their habitats. We read about aquatic birds in the previous issue. In the last issue we talked about quatic birds. Here were talk about Terrestrial and Aerial birds.
Terrestrial and Aerial birds
Terrestrial and aerial birds are birds which live on terrestrial habitats; these birds are widespread and evolved according to habitats. Terrestrial birds or ground birds are species which spend most of their lives on the ground. Partridges, Bustards, Grouses and other flightless birds are a few ground birds. India doesn’t have flightless birds but Coursers and other ground birds are found in grasslands and plains of India. Birds which fly can be called as Aerial birds; true aerial birds are birds which can fight, mate and even sleep in air. Few aerial birds have evolved to survive in urban environments and live successfully. Few birds can be easily seen in our neighborhoods but distinguishing them is relatively tougher.
i. Dry land birds:
Birds in dry and scrublands can be seen in the electric poles alongside highways. Few Raptors thrive in these stretches of dry lands, other birds including Coucals (type of cuckoos) live in scrublands. Greater Coucals are one of the impressive birds in scrublands. Their hooting sound can be easily recognized. They are heavier and mostly foraging and they seldom fly long distances. Even though these birds are relatives of the Cuckoo, they are non-brood parasites. Another beautiful bird from Cuckoo family is the Jacobin Cuckoo; they have a prominent crest and white patches over their wings and tail edges. They rarely appear and I had seen them only twice, but these birds are my favorite birds.
Black-Winged Kite is a bird of prey found in the drier parts of Tamilnadu. I have seen them hovering on the same spot for a long time, before they dive in to catch their prey. These birds are truly athletic as well as beautiful; I like the black stripe around their eyes. I had also seen Shaheen Falcon diving down in lightning speed, they are one of the fastest birds in the world and are used widespread in Falconry.
Common Quails are my favorite birds. They are cute little birds, I like their speedy run. They can be seen crossing roads suddenly. Once, I saw a large Quail followed by 5 chicks running behind in a straight line.
ii. Forest birds:
Most of the birds in forests are smaller and equally shyer. Western Ghats is one of the richest bird habitats in Indian subcontinent. The Ghats teem with life of many endemic birds; most of them are spectacular and vivid. Even smaller birds like Cinereous Tits and Pied Bushchats are colorful and cute. But Paradise Flycatcher is the most beautiful birds I have ever seen, the tiny bird is colorful, has a small, prominent crest and the male has a beautiful, long tail. I wonder how these birds fly with such a long tail to carry on its back. The tail moves beautifully like a wave as it flies.
Hornbills are magnificent birds that live in the forests of Western Ghats. Malabar Pied Hornbills and Malabar Gray Hornbills are two endemic Hornbills in Western Ghats; I am lucky to see this species at Topslip in Annamalai Tiger Reserve. I woke up at 5 o’ clock, to trek in Topslip. Melodious sound of Malabar whistling Thrush echoed around the valley. The most memorable moment was seeing a flock of Malabar gray Hornbills. Hornbills play an important role in maintaining forest cover and they are the major seed dispersers in the forests; they are called as ‘farmers of the forest’.
In the beginning of this year, we went to Thattekad bird sanctuary, one of the richest bird areas in India. Dr. Salim Ali described this forest as being as diverse as the Eastern Himalayas. As we trekked into the teak forests, we saw the Black Hooded Oriole, a brilliant yellow coloured, black headed bird.
iii. Urban birds:
Rather than going outside and searching for birds, birding in the backyard is useful for amateurs. Birds in urban jungles face lots of threats. Only opportunistic birds can survive in these dangerous, ever-changing worlds. Few impressive birds in my locality are Shikras, Flameback Woodpeckers. Spotted Doves, brown-headed Barbets, Rufous Treepie and Bee-eaters. Bird counts including Global backyard count are conducted for recording birds in our locality.
Shikras are the top predators in my backyard. A pair of Shikras lives in our home. Though smaller, these birds are known for their incredible agility and strength. I have seen a Shikra crawling with a bulky hill Mynah. Crows, Barblers and Drongos, chase away and fight with these raptors. Flameback Woodpeckers are birds which are hardworking and powerful. Hearing the sound of a woodpecker hitting a tree is common. Blue-tailed Bee- eaters are found in jungles and dry areas but adapted to live in urban areas too. They are acrobatic and catch insects midair. Black Kites are successful raptors in urban areas; hundreds of Kites live in Indian megacities. It’s true that few birds are successfully adapted to live in urban areas.
Let’s talk with birds and conserve them
Birds play an important role in our eco-system; birds like Vultures and Kites scavenge carcasses, reducing disease outbreak. Frugivores including Hornbills help in dispersal of seeds, expanding forest cover. Few birds like Owls and insectivorous birds feed on rodents and insects controlling pests, thus becoming friends of farmers. But most of the birds around the world are threatened; Dodos, Elephant birds, Haast’s eagle and Moa are few extinct legendary birds .Other birds including Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon’s Coursers and Himalayan Quails are in the brink of extinction. They have lost their historical ranges and lives in small natural refuges. Illegal pet trade had played a major role in exterminating many species.
Still birds are sold as pets and wildlife medicines in black markets. Many among them are regionally extinct in India; few are not recorded after the end of the millennia. Urgent protection is needed for conserving these birds; their roles can’t be substituted. Banning illegal wildlife trade and habitat restoration is needed to protect these animals. Community awareness had risen and participation of people in bird census, campaigns makes us conclude that there is a possibility of getting a bright future for birds. Let’s love birds, talk with them and conserve them.
Bibliography:
Birds of the Indian subcontinent_Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp _Helm Field Guide
Paravaigal: Arimigakkaiyedu_Jeganathan_kriya publications
Birds of southern India_Richard Grimmett and Tim Inskipp_Bloomsbury Publishing India Private Limited
Tamil e birders meet happened in Rajapalayam on 1st and 2nd of December 2018.
Tamilnadu government , water bird census conducted by the Forest department in 2019-20, 2021-22,2022-23 in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.