Malabar Starling

The Malabar Starling (Sturnia blythii) is also known as the Malabar White-headed Starling or Blyth's Starling. Until recently it was considered conspecific with Chestnut-tailed Starling (Grey-headed Myna) and placed in genus Sturnus but is now considered a full species.

It is distinctive from the former species, in having a white head, which contrasts the cinnamon-brown breast.  The upper-parts are grey while the rump is orange-brown.

The wings are also grey with black primaries and brown secondaries. The tail which is grey is tipped with chestnut. The eye is greyish and the bill is amusingly coloured blue at base, green in middle and yellow at the tip.

The females have a greyer head and the juveniles are a grey-brown. However, there is also an opinion that the females and males be similar.

They can be usually found in pairs or in flocks – small or big. Like other starlings they can fly in large flocks with great synchrony.

This species is thought to be endemic to the Western Ghats and is resident here. They feed on insects, seeds, fruits and nectar.

The are found in open woodland and cultivations with scattered trees and in young forest plantations and also close to human settlements. The breeding season is thought to be between April and May.

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Sharavathi valley wildlife sanctuary
Date:	April 1 2012
Time:	Morning; 7:25 AM
Weather:	Sunny morning
Other Details:	A couple of these birds was seen high in the treetops. Flying back and forth. There was also a Pompadour Green Pigeon sitting in close proximity

Malabar Starling

Hump-nosed Viper

The Hump-nosed viper (Hypnale hypnale), is also known under several synonyms - Merrem's hump-nosed viper, hump-nosed pit viper, Oriental hump-nosed viper, hump-nosed pitviper, kunakatuwa (Sinhala), Churutta (Malayalam).

This snake is a small member of the pit-viper family and grows to just 30-45 cm in length. Pictured here is a fully grown adult snake.

It has a distinctly triangular head and brown colouration. The snout is pointed and turned upwards and ends in a hump. The body colouration is a brownish grey with a double row of large dark spots. The underparts are brownish or yellowish. The tip of the tail is yellow or reddish.

They are often found in leaf litter, tree cavities and low vegetation in forests. This species is restricted to south India and Sri Lanka.

They are mostly diurnal, being most active during early mornings and early nights. They can commonly be seen basking in the early morning sunshine by the side of streams.

It is generally sluggish but very alert when hunting or roused. It can coil back and remain in a striking pose when disturbed to deter its adversaries. However it will not hesitate to attack and is capable of fast strikes.

Their usual prey includes geckos, mice, frogs and lizards.

This snake is known to vibrate its tail when annoyed, much like a rattle snake.

Although, the bites from this species were previously only thought to cause minor localized complications, is now known to be serious, and can lead to fatality if not treated within a few hours.

Bites are usually sustained to the hands or feet and no antivenom has been developed from the venom of this species. The bite of this snake may result in hemostatic dysfunction, acute kidney injury and death. However, there are polyvalent antivenom which can be used to treat the bites.

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Linganamakki reservoir, in Sharavathi Valley wildlife sanctuary
Date:	1st April 2012
Time:	Morning; 8:20 AM
Weather:	Sunny dry morning.
Other Details:	Two individual snakes were seen, both heading away from the reservoir, probably after an early morning drink and/or sunbathing. This one was among the leaf litter, almost camouflaged, except for its movements. When handled it assumed its striking pose and maintained it for the next 10 minutes as I photographed it. Other than this, it displayed no aggression. At no point did it try to strike. After 10 minutes it started to flick its tongue out and test the air. At  this point the handler put the snake back into the litter and allowed it to go on its way.

Hump-nosed Viper

Black-winged Kite

The Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) is a small kite which is best known for its ability to hover in mid air like a Kestrel. It is very similar to the Australian Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus axillaris) and the White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) of North and South America.

The forehead, face and the lower plumage is white, except the region immediately around the eyes, which is white. The remainder of the upper plumage is grey.

The shoulder patch and wing tips are black. The tail is mostly white with median tail-feathers and the outer web of next pair light grey. The sexes are alike. Juveniles may have a rufous-fulvous head, browner shoulders, tail tipped with white and breast feathers tipped with fulvous.

It is a bird of open country and frequents cultivated country and is generally seen in the vicinity of grassy areas. It can be seen perched on telegraph poles or hovering in mid-air. The wings extend beyond the tail when the bird is perched.

While hovering it can swoop down on its prey. The pre consists of insects such as grasshoppers, crickets and other large insects, lizards and rodents. Injured birds, small snakes and frogs also fall prey. However, it does not always catch its prey like this. It also swoops at it from a perch or by hawking close to the ground.

The bird is mostly silent but they are known to have a high-pitched squeal or a soft whistle.

These birds are known to roost in communities of 15 or more birds. The nesting season varies widely and two broods per year have been known to be raised, with the rearing happening in more wooded areas. the nests are mainly twigs, lined with grass and placed in trees –preferentially Babul trees. Three to four eggs are laid.

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Nandanavana Layout, Bannerghatta outskirts.
Date:	18th Marc 2012
Time:	Morning; 7:00 AM
Weather:	hot, sunny morning.
Other Details:	A single bird seen perched on an electric post, adjusting its wings and jerking its tail up and down, in characteristic fashion and later looking out for prey studiously.

Black-winged Kite

Bay-backed Shrike

The Bay-backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus), is another member of the Shrike family. It has a very characteristic black “bandit” band running across the eyes.

It has its crown and upper neck, a light grey, divided from the black by a whitish area. The back and the shoulders are a deep chestnut brown colour.

The rump is white, the wings black with a white patch and the tail is also black, with white outer feathers. The lower parts are all white except for the breast and flanks which show a fulvous colour. The bills and legs are black.

It is a common bird in cultivations, often perched in exposed positions. It is widely distributed in in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In the South of India, it avoids the South-west rainy areas. It is a resident species but can migrate locally.

It is a bird of open country and cultivations consisting of groves of trees and avoids deserts and thick jungles. It can often be seen perched on the top of trees, bushes or on telegraph lines watching for prey. Its prey consist of insects, caterpillars and lizards etc. When the prey is spotted, it flies down, captures it and eats it on the ground before flying back to its perch. It is also known to impale prey on a thorn and then tear it apart with its beak

This bird has a fixed territory and one can repeatedly sight the bird in a defined area as it does not usually stray from its territory.

The call is a harsh churring note but the bird is known to have a more melodius warbling song and is known to mimic other birds.

the breeding season is from March to September and the nest is a large cup, intricately woven together from grass, twigs, rags feathers etc. It is plastered with cobwebs and lined with fine grass, usually located at the fork of a tree branch. Four – six eggs may be found.

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Nandanavana Layout, Bannerghatta outskirts.
Date:	18th March 2012
Time:	Morning; 8:00 AM
Weather:	Hot Sunny morning.
Other Details:	Seen perched atop a thorny bush, quite undisturbed by my presence watching for prey, which it would quickly descent to catch before returning to the perch.

Bay-backed Shrike

Report your sightings of common birds on ICBMI

There are times when I go bird watching and come across a common bird such as a myna, pigeon or crow and completely ignore it. Most of them don't make it to mine or anyone else's bird watching lists. As a result data on such birds are seldom recorded and they are barely noticed until something about them becomes a cause for concern. So, how do you get people to pitch in and report data from the more common birds?

The Nature Forever Society has come out with a brilliant citizen project called as the Common Bird Monitoring of India (ICBMI)

Built along the lines of SeasonWatch and MigrantWatch , ICBMI presents an opportunity for common people to register and define an area in which they can monitor and report sightings of common birds. The data will be used in a scientific study to undertake long term monitoring of India’s Common birds.

For useful practical purposes, 18 species have been listed as common birds. These are:

Coppersmith Barbet -Megalaima haemacephala, Common Hoopoe -Upupa epops, White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis,,
Green Bee-eater -Merops orientalis, Greater Coucal -Centropus sinensis, Rose-ringed Parakeet -Psittacula krameri, Rock Pigeon
-Columba livia, Black Kite -Milvus migrans, Cattle Egret -Bubulcus coromandus, House Crow -Corvus splendens, Black Drongo -Dicrurus macrocercus, Indian Robin -Saxicoloides fulicatus, Common Myna -Acridotheres tristis, Barn Swallow -Hirundo rustica, Red-vented Bulbul -Pycnonotus cafer, Ashy Prinia -Prinia socialis, Purple Sunbird -Nectarinia asiatica, House Sparrow -Passer domesticus.

The site reports that there is little or no study of the status , population and geographic distribution of these species on a landscape level. The common bird monitoring programme will help in collecting details on the population and distribution of these birds over a period of time and help in creating baseline data which can then be used to study region specific trends of many species.

Apart from these common birds, you can also report on any bird that you spot in your defined locality.

Once registered you can choose a time to watch birds for 15 minutes in your chosen space to watch birds (You can do that from anywhere and one can register more than one location) and then report your observation on the site.

There is a data tab on the website which also allows you to view data by locality, time or species.

The site also offers a CBMI kit. “The CBMI Kit includes materials like bird guide to 18 common birds you need to monitor when you go out to watch birds and a simple data form for recording your observations You can download the kit from this website or order it for free when you register or when you email cbmikit@cbmi.in”

With time, the project is expected to generate a huge quantity of useful data on common birds and if you are one of those nature enthusiasts who can take 15 minutes a day off (you probably do it anyway), go ahead and register.

 

PS: the success of citizen science projects depends upon the involvement of people and for people to get involved, people need to be made aware of such initiative. So, to my 216 followers on Facebook, 1063 followers on Twitter, 172 feed subscribers, 95 blogger (Google friend connect) and email subscribers and those of you who randomly drop by. Please share this and help spread the word.

Report your sightings of common birds on ICBMI

Tawny-bellied Babbler

The Tawny-bellied Babbler, (Dumetia hyperythra), also known as the Rufous-bellied Babbler, is a small bird of the babbler family.

It has the front half of its crown, a reddish brown and the upper plumage, wings and tail, an olive brown in colour. The sides of the face and entire lower plumage bright fulvous colour. The tail is narrowly barred.

There are four races present and only the southern populations have a white throat, as seen in the birds pictured here. This population also has a short supercilium. The legs are a very pale fleshy colour.

This bird is a bird of thick cover. It was difficult getting a good photograph of the bird as they kept to the scrub and only showed themselves briefly.

It usually keeps to thorny scrubs, and tall grass in small parties of 4-8 birds. The birds keep in contact using small cheep-cheep sounds along with harsh tittering notes.

The birds follow each other from bush to bush, keeping out of sight as far as possible. When an alarm is raised, they scatter in all directions and reassemble when the alarm is over. The food consists of insects and larvae but nectar from flowers is also taken.

The nesting season of this species is in the monsoon, generally between May and September. The nest is usually built on, or very close to, the ground, either amongst dead leaves, in coarse grass, or in small bushes. It is a ball constructed from bamboo leaves or grass. Three to four eggs are laid.

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Nandanavana Layout, Bannerghatta outskirts.
Date:	18th March 2012
Time:	Morning; 7:30 AM
Weather:	Hot sunny morning after overnight rains
Other Details:	A flock of 6-8 birds seen in burnt out thorny scrubs, in close proximity with a group of yellow-eyed and common babblers.

Tawny-bellied Babbler

Brown shrike

The Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) is a  small bird belonging to the Shrike family. It has a reddish brown upper plumage, especially prominent on the crown and nape.

There is a very prominent broad blackish line through the eye, often called as the “Bandit Mask”. The wings are a darker brown colour while the lower plumage dirty whitish, whiter on the throat and belly and  the breast and flanks are usually barred finely with black.

The legs are a bluish black and the bill is a horny-brown colour. It has a very harsh chattering voice:

It is commonly found in different types of vegetation including cultivation and dry scrub or mixed bamboo jungle to the fringes of forests. It usually perches on small trees, bushes or wires, from where it looks out for prey. When it spots the prey it launces itself to capture the prey from either the ground or mid air and returns with it to the perch.

The bird is a migratory species and they arrive in winter to India in August to September and depart in April. This makes it one of the earliest visitors to arrive and latest to leave. A few non-breeding birds also seem to linger in the plains
throughout the hot weather.

They breed between May-June and the nest is a massive cup of grass built in trees or thorny bushes. A closely related species is the Isabelline Shrike (L. isabellinus).

	Sighting Information:
Location:	Sarjapur
Date:	26th Feb 2012
Time:	Morning; 8:30 AM
Weather:	Sunny morning
Other Details:	A single bird seen sitting atop a thorny bush looking for prey.

PS: A brown shrike was featured here earlier, spotted in Karimannoor, Kerala.

Brown shrike