Place: Kudlu Dodda Kere [Kudlu Big Lake], Bangalore
No. of species of birds sighted: 10
- Asian Koel: Female
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II
Read more at the Harlur Lake Diaries: Part I post - Ashy Prinia
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II
Read more at the Harlur Lake Diaries: Part I post - Bonelli's Eagle
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II
Read more at the Harlur Lake Diaries: Part I post - Common Myna
The Common Myna or Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of the starling family. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments. The Myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world and its distribution range is on the increase to an extent that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN) declared it among the World's 100 worst invasive species, the other two invasive birds being Red-vented bulbul and European Starling. The Myna is one of only three birds in this list of invasive species.hey are believed to mate for life. The Asian Koel is sometimes brood parasitic on this species. Like most starlings, the Common Myna is omnivorous. It feeds on insects and fruits and discarded waste from human habitation. It forages on the ground among grass for insects, and especially for grasshoppers, from which it gets the generic name Acridotheres, "grasshopper hunter". The Common Myna is a hollow-nesting species; that is, it nests and breeds in protected hollows found either naturally in trees or artificially on buildings (for example, recessed windowsills or low eaves)Compared to native hollow-nesting species, the Common Myna is extremely aggressive, and breeding males will actively defend areas ranging up to 0.83 hectares in size (though males in densely populated urban settings tend to only defend the area immediately surrounding their nests). In Hawaii, where the Common Myna was introduced to control pest armyworms and cutworms in sugarcane crops, the bird has helped to spread the robust Lantana camara weed across the islands’ open grasslands.
Field note: Whenever we've visited this lake, we've noticed the mynas squabbling with the rose-ringed parakeets who are also hollow-nesting.
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II - Indian Roller
The Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), also called the Blue Jay in former times is a member of the roller family of birds. They are found in southern Asia from Iraq to Thailand and are best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. It is not migratory, but undertakes some seasonal movements. The Indian Roller is a stocky bird about 26–27 cm long The breast is brownish and not blue as in the European Roller. The crown and vent are blue. The primaries are deep purplish blue with a band of pale blue. The tail is sky blue with a terminal band of Prussian blue and the central feathers are dull green. The neck and throat are purplish lilac with white shaft streaks. The bare patch around the eye is ochre in colour. The feeding behaviour of this roller and habitat usage are very similar to that of the Black Drongo. During summer, they may also feed late in the evening and make use of artificial lights and feed on insects attracted to them.The display of this bird is an aerobatic display, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. The call of Indian Roller is a harsh crow-like chack sound. It also makes a variety of other sounds, including metallic boink calls.Being very common in the populated plains of India it is associated with legends. A local name is neelakant (meaning "blue throat") a name associated with the deity Shiva (who drank poison resulting in the blue throat). During former times, a captive roller would be released by the local ruler during festivals such as Dussera. The Indian roller has been chosen as the state bird by the Indian states of Bihar, Karnataka, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II - Green Bee eater
Read more at the Harlur Lake Diaries: Part I post - Paddyfield Pipit
Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a medium-sized passerine bird which is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Pakistan and India eastwards to Indonesia and the Philippines.It is found in open habitats, especially short grassland and cultivation. It builds its nest on the ground. Like other pipits, this species is insectivorous. This is a large pipit at 15cm.
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II - Rose ringed Parakeet
The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri), also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that originated in South Asia and is popular as a pet. This non-migrating species is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in 'disturbed habitats', and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call. As is the case with all Psittacula (Afro-Asian Ringnecked Parakeet) species, the Rose-ringed Parakeet is sexually dimorphic. The adult male sports a black neck-ring and pink nape-band while the hen and immature birds of both sexes either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck-rings and light (lighter coloured than surroundings) nape-bands. The Asian subspecies - Indian-ringnecked (aka IRN) Parakeet (P. krameri manillensis) originates from the southern Indian subcontinent and has feral and/or naturalized populations worldwide. In Australia, Great Britain (mainly around London), the United States, and other western countries, it is often referred to as the Indian Ring-Necked Parakeet/Parrot. In the wild, Rose-ringed Parakeets usually feed on buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds. Wild flocks also fly several miles to forage in farmlands and orchards causing extensive damage. They have been found to feed extensively on pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan ) during winter in India.Rose-ringed Parakeets are popular as pets and they have a long history in aviculture. The ancient Greeks kept the Indian subspecies P. krameri manillensis. Both the males and females of this species has the ability to mimic human speech. First it listens to its surroundings and then it copies the voice of the human speaker. Some people hand-raise Rose-ringed Parakeet chicks for this purpose. Such parrots then become quite tame and receptive to learning.
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II Pied Bushchat
The Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata) is a small passerine bird The iris is dark brown, the bill and legs black. The female is drab brown and slightly streaked. Juveniles have a scaly appearance on the underside but dark above like the females.The whistling call is somewhat like that of an Indian Robin and has been transcribed as we are tea for two with tea at higher note. Brood parasitism by the Common Cuckoo (race bakeri) has been noted to be common in the Shan State of Burma, with the cuckoo visiting the nest at dusk and removing an egg before quickly laying its own.The female has dark brown upperparts and rufous underparts and rump. She has no white wing patches. Juveniles are similar to females. Males display during the breeding season by splaying the tail, fluttering and puffing up the white scapular feathers.This species is insectivorous, and like other chats hunts from a prominent low perch. Adult birds have few predators although bats (Megaderma lyra) and wintering Asio flammeus have been noted.
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II White breasted Kingfisher
From Harlur Lake Diaries: Part II
Read more at the Harlur Lake Diaries: Part I post
*Disclaimer: All photos are original and taken on the date mentioned.
All information has been compiled from Wikipedia and can be inaccurate. If there are discrepancies, please write in and let us know.
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