Recently I came across this simple yet profound quote that made me think for a long time. Environmentalists around the world are faced by the same silly responses every time there’s a cry for saving the nature around us, “we don’t have time”, “who cares?” or “go to someone who loves nature better!”  The motivation to protect comes from our feeling of empathy towards the subject, but one cannot empathize with anything if they are not even familiar with it!

Polluting the Beautiful

Over the years, much publicity has been done to highlight the issues that have plagued the wildlife, but similar extent of awareness in public has not been achieved with regards to the life of these beautiful creations. Most would not like to be presented with problems of those whom they never knew. Would you go out of your way to fix a leaking roof of a guy few blocks away and whom you never met? The answer is mostly no.

Perhaps, what we can do is to include wildlife in school curriculum as something that is fun activity and inculcate the habit of understanding environment from early childhood. Our media can try to cover more and more about nature, its beauty and its impact than just printing small article on some conservation measure in page 4. Its a Catch 22 situation, media covers what people will like to see and people see what media shows them.

People do not miss nature enough to care for its saving, we can change it by making nature an integral part of everyone’s life and make them realize what’s at stake of being lost forever. – Avinash Hindupur

You can visit these links to see what others have to say on conservation and what one can do!

• Natural Wonders: Virgin Forests are Irreplaceable
• Urban Biodiversity is Important in Modern Cities
• One woman makes a difference
• Principle statement

Rajarhat is a marshy grassland and is home to many species of birds. This erstwhile birding hotspot of Kolkata is now engulfed in a construction spree and the remnant species remaining here have been listed out to help birders to evaluate the region and make an informed decision while visiting this place.

1. Little Grebe
2. Asian Openbill
3. Indian Pond Heron
4. Little Egret
5. Intermediate Egret
6. Cattle Egret
7. Little Cormorant
8. Great Cormorant
9. Common Kestrel
10. Black Kite
11. Black-eared Kite
12. Brahminy Kite
13. White-rumped Vulture
14. Eurasian Marsh Harrier
15. Shikra
16. Common Buzzard
17. Long-legged Buzzard
18. Indian Spotted Eagle
19. Booted Eagle
20. White-breasted Waterhen
21. Watercock
22. Small Buttonquail
23. Common Moorhen
24. Pheasant-tailed Jacana
25. Bronze-winged Jacana
26. Red-wattled Lapwing
27. Little Ringed Plover
28. Wood Sandpiper*
29. Common Sandpiper
30. Oriental Patrincole
31. Common Pigeon
32. Eurasian Collared Dove
33. Red Collared Dove
34. Spotted Dove
35. Rose-ringed Parakeet
36. Common Hawk Cuckoo
37. Large Hawk Cuckoo*
38. Plaintive Cuckoo
39. Asian Koel
40. Greater Coucal
41. Asian Palm Swift
42. Common Hoopoe
43. Indian Roller
44. White-throated Kingfisher
45. Common Kingfisher
46. Green Bee-eater
47. Blue-throated Barbet
48. Coppersmith Barbet
49. Eurasian Wryneck
50. Ashy Woodswallow
51. Brown Shrike
52. Long-tailed Shrike
53. Black Drongo
54. Bronzed Drongo
55. Black-hooded Oriole
56. Rufous Treepie
57. House Crow
58. Barn Swallow
59. Bengal Bushlark
60. Indian Bushlark*
61. Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark
62. Oriental Skylark/ Syke’s Lark *
63. Red-vented Bulbul
64. Plain Prinia
65. Zitting Cisticola
66. Common Tailorbird
67. Striated Grassbird
68. Clamorous Reed Warbler
69.  Jungle Myna
70. Common Myna
71. Asian Pied Starling
72. Bluethroat
73. Oriental Magpie Robin
74. Black Redstart
75. Common Stonechat
76. Blue Rock Thrush
77. Purple Sunbird
78. House Sparrow
79. Black-breasted Weaver
80. Baya Weaver*
81. Indian Silverbill
82. Red Adavat
83. Scaly-breasted Munia
84. Black-headed Munia
85. Yellow Wagtail
86. Citrine Wagtail
87. Grey Wagtail
88. White Wagtail
89. Richard’s Pipit
90. Paddyfield Pipit
91. Crested Bunting*

* Yet to confirm identification

Naming convention used as per Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp

Common Pigeons are perhaps the most seen species in urban spaces, and for many children in them, birds means pigeons! The feral populations of Common Pigeon, also called as Rock Dove, have adapted themselves very much to survive in cities and human settlements. The grey birds with iridescence on their necks are found in groups and pairs foraging for food or roosting on high structures of the vicinity.

Meaning of Scientific Name:

The Common Birds are called as Columba livia from Latin which was in turn derived from Greek. Columba is from kolumbos, a diver while livia is obtained from peleia ie. Greek for dove, supposedly derived from pellos dark colored referring to the coloring of these birds!

Common Name: Common Pigeon                                             Scientific Name: Columba livia

Local Names: Telugu:                                                                       Size: 30-35  cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Grey tail and body

2. Two bands of black on wings

3. Red legs

4. Red eyes

5. Iridescence in neck

Here are two pictures for you!

Common pigeon

Common pigeon

Tickell’s Thrushes are a species in the family of Thrushes and are among those birds on which one cannot gather much information on the internet. The only confusable species with Tickell’s Thrush is the Indian Blackbird, whose females can be quite similar to 1st winter males or females of Tickell’s Thrush. The major distinctive feature among these is the vivid dark stripe on the females, while the males are slight pale blue shade of grey in color. One can also observe a dark olive color wash on upperparts.

Tickell’s Thrush, while belonging to Thrush family which are songbirds, have very less vocal activity. Generally one can find Tickell’s Thrush deep inside canopy trees in big gardens or plantations during winter.

Meaning of Scientific Name:

Tickell’s Thrush is called Turdus unicolor which is Latin for “thrush of uniform color” which describes its appearance colorwise and attributes by mentioning that its a songbird(thrush).

Common Name: Tickell’s Thrush                                            Scientific Name: Turdus unicolor

Local Names: Assamese:                                                                       Size: 18-22 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. White belly graduated from breast

2. Yellow beak

3. Yellow eye ring

4. Dark stripe on sides of white throat on females

5. Spottings on throat extending from the stripe on females and juveniles.

I could capture just one presentable picture of this bird, which is perhaps a first winter bird or a just maturing female.

Tickell’s Thrush on a branch

Common Moorhens are found in swamps, fresh-water bodies and tanks with some green vegetation throughout India. These playful and open birds are easily recognized by their bright pink frontal shield on their completely slate black body with running white lines on the flanks. These birds are also seen in many mixed groups of waterfowl like Whistling ducks, White-breasted Waterhens and Pochards.

Common Moorhens can be confused with Watercocks from distance which look similar in appearance. The distinctive identifier of Common Moorhens in this case is smaller frontal shield and white bands on the flanks. For other waterbirds seen visit this checklist!

Meaning of Scientific Name:

Common Moorhen is called Gallinula chloropus, named from Latin and Greek as in many cases. Gallinula means a small hen or chicken, referring to the size and shape of the species in Latin, while cholorpus is derived from Greek Chloros and pous meaning green and foot. This refers to the strange green foot these birds have which might have come across as something distinctive in early days of naming.

Common Name: Common Moorhen                                            Scientific Name: Gallinula chloropus

Local Names: Assamese:                                                                       Size: 30-35 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Slake black body

2. Yellowish lime bill

3. Pink frontal shield

4. Green legs

5. White running lines on flanks.

Here are some pictures showing their nature and looks.

Common Moorhens playing Catch me if you Can

A Group of Common Moorhens

Common Moorhen looking for food

Brown Shrikes are the only species of Shrikes found naturally other than Long-tailed Shrikes and Grey-backed Shrikes. These birds arrive early winter every year and can be seen till late into March or early April. Easily the smallest among the three species, Brown Shrikes are easily recognizable even from a distance by their complete brown coloring and unmistakable black band across the eyes.

Most often seen alone on perched on a branch, the Brown Shrike exhibits habits of the Shrike family in general, looking for a prey from a height and then hanging their prey on thorny bushes. For other birds that give company to these butchers of the wild in our IIT Guwahati, visit this checklist!

Meaning of Scientific Name:

Lanius is derived from Latin laniare meaning to tear to pieces, characteristic of butchers, describing the general characteristic of the Shrike family of hanging their prey on thorns.  But, in general ornithological discussions, lanius is also used to mean birds with stout hooked bills or for those that look similar to shrikes. Thus, historically Shrikes were also known as Butcher Birds. Cristatus means crested or plumed in Latin referring to the coloring of the bird which was described as Russet ( a shade of brown) or Crested Red originally.

Common Name: Brown Shrike                                             Scientific Name: Lanius Cristatus

Local Names: Assamese:                                                                       Size: 16 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Brown body

2. Black band on eyes

3. White supercilium

4. Whitish brown underparts

5. White throat

Brown Shrike on a reed

Eurasian Coot is one of the most spread waterfowl found across the Old World and is easily recognized from its completely black body and white shield above its beak. Also known as Common Coots, these birds are bigger than White-breasted Waterhens but smaller than Purple Swamp Hens in appearance. Eurasian Coots are seen mainly on freshwater bodies and swamps in flocks ranging from just five to many with noisy calls. Some of the other birds that you might interested are listed out in this checklist!

Meaning of Scientific Name:

The Eurasian Coots are called Fulica atra which in Latin means “coot of black color” from Fulica meaning coot and atra meaning black, which describes the bird in appearance! Knowing the scientific name thus helps us remember the appearance or habits or habitats of birds in general and vice-verse!!

Common Name: Eurasian Coot                                             Scientific Name: Fulica atra

Local Names: Telugu:                                                                       Size: 33-38 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Black body (whitish underparts in juveniles)

2. Black eyes

3. White beak

4. White frontal shield

5. Whitish colored claws with slight webbing

Here are two pictures for your help!

Eurasian Coot

Eurasian Coot flock

Rufous Treepie is the largest and by far the most common resident Treepie found in India and is found only in Indo-Malayan ecozone. These Treepies look a lot like Magpies in shape and belong to Crow family in general. While these are generally found in open wooded forests, one can easily spot one after first glance by their long tail, contrasting color and high metallic calls.

Rufous Treepies like other arboreal birds such as Malkohas are very good climbers and can be seen going out of site by quickly climbing through the branches. These were observed to feed on insects, fruits and nuts under normal circumstances. For other birds found in nearby places, visit this checklist!

Meaning of Scientific Name:

The scientific name of this species describes its behavior and habitat in general with both Latin and Greek used to name it. Dendrocitta is Greek and has two components: Dendron meaning tree and kitta means Magpie. Vagabunda is latin for wandering. Thus, the name implies that this species is a “tree wandering magpie”!

Common Name: Rufous Treepie                                             Scientific Name: Dendrocitta vagabunda

Local Names:                                                                                   Size: 45-50 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Long silver tail with black tip

2. Cinnamon brown colored upper body

3. White-grey band on black wings

4. Dark grey colored head and throat

5. Red eyes with black iris

Some pics to assist you when you come across:

A Rufous Treepie eating

A Rufous Treepie watching in its territory

Plaintive Cuckoos are one of the smaller Cuckoos found in India and are seen only in the eastern and northeastern parts of the country. These birds are not easily visible and are generally considered shy dwelling near farms, open forests and similar habitats feeding mainly on insects and worms. As like other cuckoos, Plaintive Cuckoo females occur in hepatic morphs looking dark brown with regular barrings

Origin of Scientific Name:

The scientific name of the bird gives an interesting explanation for those interested in academic and history trivia, Cacomantis means the prophet of evil in ancient Greek (Kakos mantis : inner malice prophet) because the ancient superstitious Javanese considered these as prophets of doom as these usually called from graveyards in the night and merulinus in medieval Latin means thrush like describing its appearance in color.

Common Name: Plaintive Cuckoo                                             Scientific Name: Cacomantis merulinus

Local Names: Assamese:                                                                       Size: 23-25 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Grey head and throat

2. Whitish orange underparts

3. Red eyes

4. Dull rufuscent brown upperparts

5. Barred tail

Here are some pictures taken from many angles to clearly show all distinctive features:

A Plaintive Cuckoo sitting

A silhouetted Plaintive Cuckoo showing how it uses tail to balance

A Plaintive Cuckoo from front

A Plaintive Cuckoo from the sides

Striated Grassbirds are easily the largest Grassbirds found in India. The scientific name Megalurus palustris means Long-tailed Marsh living bird, thus explaining significantly about its habits and habitat and appearance. The Striated Grassbirds have long pointed tail with streaking on their dull brown body. These are generally noticed first for their high-pitched whistle calls, but are otherwise completely camouflaged in their habitat of brown grass and reeds.

These grassbirds have been observed to adopt to reeds/ grass or wetland habitats with variations in food hunt in both cases. One can observe that these birds fly up and down over a same place for quite some time catching insects while making the high pitched noises. Found mainly in central and north as well as north east India, these birds are little studied till date. Check out our complete checklist here!

Common Name: Striated Grassbird                                                                        Scientific Name: Megalurus palustris

Local Names: Assamese:                                                                                              Size: 20-25 cms

Global Status: Least Threatened                                                                               Local Status: ~ 50 in IITG

Distinctive Identifiers:

1. Brown body

2. Black streaking on upper body

3. White supercilium

4. Brown crown with brown streaks on breast and under wings

5. Long tail

Here are some pictures to help you when you come across one of these:

Striated Grassbird on a marsh

Striated Grassbird flying