Common stonechat (Saxicola torquata)

The Male common stonechat(about 15 cm) is a black headed bird with white rump, orange-brown breast and black neck. There are conspicuous white patches on sides of the neck and on the wings. 

 Female has dark streaks on the upperparts which are rufous brown in colour. It has also got a white wing patch and the throat is whitish in colour.


Common stonechat can be seen in dry fields with bushes, in scrub areas, grasslands and cultivations between altitudes of about 700m-3000m.

White capped Water redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)

It is a small bird about 18cm in size with a White crown, black wings and rusty under parts. The tail is rusty with black tip. The bird is usually found on rocks in mountain streams and rivers. In summers it can be seen between altitudes of 1500m to 5000m. Whereas in winters it descends down to foothills and plains.

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)

It is a small(about 12cm in size) active bird with grayish head, neck and breast.With greenish upperparts and bright yellow under parts both the sexes look similar. Abundant in forests and open wooded areas it breeds at an altitude of about 1200-2500m and can be seen in lower areas as well during winters. In Himalayas it is generally a short distance altitudinal migrant. The bird is very restless and can be seen turning and twisting in the air after insects and flies.

Ultramarine Flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris)

Ultramarine flycatcher is a beautiful bird(about 11cm in size) with male having deep blue upper parts. The sides of the head and neck are also deep blue with white eyebrow. A prominent white patch runs from centre of throat, through breast to belly.

Female has grayish upperparts with blackish coloured edge of the tail. Sides of the neck and the breast are grayish white in colour. Occurring at an altitudinal range of about 1500-3200m, the bird keeps largely to low trees and bushes in open forests, bushy areas, grooves and gardens.

Spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis)

Spotted dove(about 30cm) is a long tailed slim bird with white spotted, pinkish and grey upperparts. The head and underparts are pinkish with a greyish shade on the face and lower portion of the belly.Both the sexes are similar and the black and white patchy (chess board type) band on the hind neck is the unique distinguishing feature of the bird. The legs are reddish in colour.

It is quite common in open well wooded forests,cultivations and near habitations as well. Often seen alone or in pairs the spotted dove has got a very swift and strong flight like other doves.

Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica)

About 10 cm in size the male has a metallic purple, coloured body. The female has got light yellowish underparts and the upper parts are dark greyish in colour. In non-breeding plumage the male is similar to the female but the wings are comparatively dark and a broad black stripe runs down middle of the breast.

The bird is quite common in open forests and gardens and can be seen upto an altitude of about 1600 mtrs in Himalayas. It is fond of the flower nectar but is also dependent on insects.Its slender curved bill is adapted for probing flower tubes and sucking the nectar. This way the bird helps a great deal in cross-polination.

Indian Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo)

About 26cms in size the Eurasian Golden Oriole is a bright golden yellow bird with black colour in the wings and the tail. There is a conspicuous black streak through the eye.It nests upto an altitude of about 1800 mtrs during April-July but has been noticed at higher altitudes as well.  Having a very sweet fluit like call the bird is common in  open but well wooded areas. It can be seen on  trees around villages and cultivations

The female is comparatively dull and greener with striated/lined underparts.The nest built by the bird is very well woven cup shaped nest hidden by the leaves of the broadleaved trees.

Black Drongo

   Black drongo  is a glossy black bird(about 26cm in size) which is very agile, with a long, deeply forked tail. Both the sexes are similar.Being a common bird of the open areas arround cultivations it can be seen on the wires and tree branches looking out for the insects. The Drongo can be seen riding the backs of grazing  cattle, looking forward to catch insects disturbed by the movement of the animals. Fires in the grass patches or the agricultural fields attract a large number of drongos for the want of insects running away from fire.    Drongo is very aggressive towards many birds which are much larger in size. It is known for chasing away birds of prey who try to invade its territory. This is the reason that many smaller birds nest in the well protected neighbourhood of the Black Drongo.

Indian Cabbage White

With a wing span of about 50-60mm it is the most common butterfly in the hills.It migrates to lower areas during winters.the cabbage is its favorite plant which probably gives its name. 

Large Cabbage White

With a wingspan of about  70mm it is very common butterfly which flies between 800-4000 meters in the Himalayas. 

White throated Kingfisher

The White-throated Kingfisher also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher  is quite large in size(about 26cm) and is widely distributed.The bird has a bright blue back, wings and tail. Its head, shoulders, flanks and lower belly are chestnut coloured while the throat and breast are white. The large bill and legs are bright red.  The female is similar to the male but the colours of juveniles are relatively dull.

         

The bird can also be found away
from water  in open country, 
cultivation and gardens upto 
an altitude of about 2200 meters.
 It is known as Kil-Kila in Hindi.

Peacock Pansy

This beautiful butterfly rich in colours with a wingspan of about 60mm  flies up to 2000m  on hills but it is more comfortable in plains.The upper wings with tawny orange colour have prominent eye spots on both wings. The Eyespot on the Hindwings is very large wheras the Forewings have two smaller Eyespots. 

The hind wing looks like a dry leaf in its Dry Season form(DSF). The dry leaf like appearance of the UnderWings  gives a very good camouflaging effect.

                                                                              

Verditer Flycatcher

This beautiful bird is named after its typical shade of Copper Sulphate-blue. About 15cm in size the bird is black lored i.e. it has a dark patch between the eyes and the bill. It is widely distributed in open forests especially the broad-leave forests.the bird breeds between 1200-3000 meters but it moves down to the lower areas during winters.

Oriental Turtle Dove

The oriental turtle dove is mainly found in higher altitudes. It breeds up to a height of about 4000 meters above sea level and is found in open forests especially near agricultural fields. Like all pigeons and doves it lays two eggs in a nest made up of twigs. The birds in the extreme northern latitudes migrate south during winters whereas those breeding in southern latitudes are mostly residents.

Asian Paradise Flycatcher

Asian Paradise flycatcher can again be seen dancing like a kite as the spring spreads the wings. The bird is called Dudhraj in Hindi due to milky white colour of its body. The long white tail of the bird looks even more beautiful when it flies in a wavy motion up and down, manoeuvring in the sky to catch insects.The long tail is used to impress the female and may be for balancing the body during frequent changes of direction in flight.    

The female on the other hand has
got a short tail and the colour of the body is brown.The sub-adult males resemble the female, but the long tail makes the differentiation easier.

The coming of Asian Paradise flycatcher highlights the struggle for existence among the birds.Being monogamous,both the female and male contribute in nest building,incubation, feeding and guarding the nest against predators.They can be seen scaring away the Yellow Billed Blue-Magpies which are about four times their body size.These birds build a deep cup shaped nest on the branches of trees,preferably in a fork.Many times the nest is built in the vicinity of the nest of Black drongos,which keep the predators away.

Shikra

Shikra has come again for nesting  on the Khirak (Celtis australis) tree in my backyard. Today in the morning,i heard the typical light,shrilling call of the bird.Last year it had come late in the month of April. Perhaps the summer is a bit early this year or may be Shikra is feeling the heat of Global warming. Anyway the bird is here preparing to nest on the same tree where it had been last year. Thats the most amazing thing about the birds. How do they they manage to locate the place and come back year after year to the same tree almost?

Shikra is a Raptor(bird of prey) and is fond of smaller birds and their young ones. When Shikra arrives here,the Himalayan crows are the first line of defense who try to scare it away by forming groups. But Shikra is quite brave and knows the nature of the crows and it does't leave.  This fight for existence keeps on going till the Shikra is here.

While Shikra comes, the other smaller birds move away and their encounter rate in the area is considerably reduced.

Alexandrine Parakeet

Alexandrine parakeet can be easily distinguished from other parakeets due to its large size(about 55cm) and the maroon patch on its shoulders.

The male has got a black strip on the chin and a pink collar. the voice is deep and heavy as compared to other parakeets.

The beak of Alexandrine parakeet is quite large and strong. I have seen it breaking wallnuts with its strong beak. interestingly it uses its feet as hands. it can also be seen using its beak as a support while going down on the branches. its really interesting to watch this bird breaking hard nuts by using its strong beak and feets. alexandrine parakeet is also fond of Jacaranda pods.

Grey headed woodpecker

This morning i heard a sweet bird call coming from the Deodar tree in my backyard. I had not noticed this call before. Soon a pair of grey headed woodpeckers appeared. This woodpecker is distinguished by the grey sides of the head. The underparts are greenish and without scaling. The male has a red crown whereas the female has black one. the bird is about 30cms in size and found in moist subtropical and temperate forests.

Blue Whistling Thrush

Blue whistling thrush 'the school boy" can be seen jumping around here and there just like a naughty school boy. it makes a very sweet whistling sound which gives the name whistling thrush. with metallic blue body colour and white spots it can be identified easily. but it is very easy to identify the bird by its peculiar jumping movement. about 30 cms in size and having a very wide range it is believed to represent the world's largest species of thrushes. In Kullu town it is one of the first birds to be heard along with blue-magpie in the mornings.

Blue-Capped Redstart

The Blue-capped Redstart is another beautiful creature resembling with the Grey Bushchat in size and habits, but its darker than the latter. its peculiar blue colour of the head gives it the

name Blue capped. I photographed the bird in Kullu this month. There is a very peculiar thing i have noticed about this bird that it is not at all shy and not affraid of humans as it allows you to move as close as 2 meters to it if you do not make sudden movements. it normally feeds on small insects and can notice them on the ground from very far which gives us an idea about how good the eyesight of the bird is. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!