This page is the repository for Resident Birds
The Majestic Indian Peafowl
The Indian Peafowl is a bird that has fascinated humans for centuries with its stunning beauty and elegant display. Commonly referred to as the peacock (with males called peacocks and females called peahens), this bird is not just a national symbol of India but also a creature of immense cultural and aesthetic significance. The Indian…
Oriental Darter – Snakebird
Now a days, if you had been to Sukhna Lake, particularly near the Regulator End, you must have noticed Photographers with their long lenses waiting for someone to land or come out of the water. Sometimes the wait continues for more than half an hour but it pays. Suddenly a long neck comes out of…
Majestic Monochrome – Oriental Pied Hornbill
Charismatic, enigmatic, rare; call them what you may, hornbills are truly some of the most captivating avians on the planet. Their distinct calls, disproportionately large beaks, long eyelashes, prominent casques, unique courtship rituals and the striking colours that some hornbill species exhibit make them a birdwatcher’s delight. Luckily, the Oriental Pied Hornbill which is one…
The Shikra – Beauty, Brain & Brawn
Sharing my encounter with a bird with beautiful eyes, flying skills and great courage. During Corona period, I saw a pair of Shikra building a small nest with sticks, on a high fork of a eucalyptus tree in the Green Belt behind my house. I kept on watching this bird with beautiful eyes and the bird…
Red-billed Leiothrix – the lipstick bird
March 2023 – Chakki Morh Bhoj Nagar Road A small but strikingly beautiful bird known for its vibrant plumage, melodious song and active social behavior. The Red-billed Leiothrix, also known as the lipstick bird due to its distinctive striking red bill. It is usually found in small groups of up to 10 birds, which forage…
World Sparrow Day – Celebrating the small but Mighty Birds
World Sparrow Day is celebrated annually on March 20th to raise awareness about the plight of sparrows and to encourage people to take action to protect and conserve these precious birds. These small, brown birds are known for their cheerful chirping and can often be seen hopping around in gardens and parks or perched on…
Heron – A Patient Hunter
Herons are often seen standing as still as a statue on their long thin legs in shallow waters of ponds and lakes patiently waiting for their next meal to swim by. The heron’s endless patience reminds us of the importance of waiting for opportunities to appear. Timing is a difficult thing to master, but everyone…
Kingfisher – A Birder’s Delight
Kingfishers are generally brightly colored beautiful birds and one of the most fascinating subjects of wildlife photography. Taking inspiration from the kingfisher, which dives nose first into water to catch fish and barely makes a splash, Japanese engineers redesigned the high-speed train and gave the train a 50-foot steel ‘beak’ which solved the noise-pollution problem, but also…
Painted Stork
This year also, Stork with bright pink feathers, did not disappoint me and I was able to spot the same at Sukhna Lake in the last week of January 2022. I am happy that Painted Stork is now a part of my list for the Winter Visitor to the City Beautiful, Chandigarh, that is growing…
Purple Heron
The twelfth in the series of Winter Visitor to the city is Purple Heron. Similar in appearance to the grey heron but slightly smaller, more slender and has darker reddish brown plumage. It has a narrower yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It is also a more evasive bird, favoring densely vegetated habitats…
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron is an easily recognized bird with tall legs, a long bill, black, white and grey plumage, a long, white neck, bright yellow bill. A stripe of black elongated feathers begins from the base of the bill, runs above its eye, and extends up to the distinctive black crest on the head. With…
Black-crowned Night-Heron
The next in my series of Winged Visitors to City Beautiful, Chandigarh is Black-crowned Night Heron. The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a black, white and grey bird, identified by its black cap and back, white neck and grey wings, stocky build and with neck usually tucked in. In flight, it has a distinctive compressed outline with…
White – throated Kingfisher
A brilliant turquoise blue Kingfisher with deep chocolate brown head, neck and under parts, a conspicuous white ‘shirt front’ and long heavy , pointed red bill. A white wing patch is noticeable in flight. It is perhaps the most familiar of our kingfishers and also known as white-breasted kingfisher. It is also the state bird…
Purple Sunbird – The tiniest bird in ours garden
The Purple sunbird is a small bird and one of the common and most beautiful birds in our gardens. Its name, purple sunbird, comes from the male, some of whose feathers acquire a metallic purple shade under soft sunlight. In harsh sunlight, it appears to be a shiny black although it is a combination of…
The Spotted Owlet
Do you know, a group of owls is called a Parliament. This could be because owls are typically considered to be quite intelligent and wise. In ancient Greek mythology, the owl was seen to accompany or represent Athena, the goddess of wisdom. In Hindu mythology the owl is a vahan (mode of transport) of Lakshmi, goddess…
Indian Grey Hornbill – State bird of Chandigarh
The Indian Grey Hornbill, as its name suggests, the bird has a unique casque (or horn) on its grey-coloured bill. Apart from being the State Bird of Chandigarh, it is common across the city these days, especially in areas where there are large and contiguous tracts of trees. The male sports a blacking bill, narrow…
The Shikra – A bird with Brain & Brawn
During Corona period, I saw a pair of Shikra building a relatively nest with sticks, on a high fork of a eucalyptus tree in the Green Belt behind my house. I kept on watching this bird with beautiful eyes and the bird also obliged me by giving various poses and also on one fine day, I…
Black Kite
The Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify.
Bespectacled Bird – Indian White-eye
Much like human beings, Oriental White-eyes are social birds. You’ll see them congregating in flocks as small as 10 or much larger, everywhere — even in your backyard. You’ll even see them in mixed flocks, with birds from other species. These are small birds with green to yellowish-green upper parts, dark beaks, and a prominent…
Woodpeckers – Black-rumped Flameback
A common, “small-billed” golden-backed woodpecker with four toes. It is one of the few woodpeckers that are seen in urban areas. It has an undulating flight and characteristic rattling-whinnying call “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki,” which steadily increases in pace and ends in a trill. Propped against the side of a tree trunk, they rapidly hammer against the bark. This…
Bird with a beard – Brown-headed Barbet
A large headed, beautiful bird with dark green feathers present in most residential areas of the city and very easy to locate in these days in the backyard. Its name is derived from the Latin work barba, meaning beard ( also the root of the word “barber” ). This bird has a number of stiff,…
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