Flying beauties of Himachal Pradesh

The oriental magpie robin is a small (about 19 cms) passerine bird with distinctive black and white colours. It has got a long tail which is normally held upright. They breed mainly from March to July and females spend more time and efforts on feeding the young.Males are quite aggressive in the breeding season to defend their territory. They even respond to and attack their reflections in water or in the mirrors. Male Oriental Magpie Robin in Perfect pose The female has grayish  upper parts . They can be seen nesting in wooden boxes, broken street light shades and other man made shelters. Like any other creature Oriental Magpie robin is very cautious for the safety of young ones. If someone is standing nearby they never enter the nest, and they try to enter and exit with lightening speed. Female Oriental Magpie Robin

If you are sitting in the sun or roaming outside and hear a small tak-tak-tak sound from the bushes or small branches on a nearby tree,and the sound is not loud or bold enough for a big woodpecker,then you are likely to see a small bird known as Speckled Piculet  in the woody bush or the branches of the tree. The bird is about 10 cms and has an olive green back.Though the male and female look alike but the male has an orangish colour on the fore crown as is visible in this picture.It can be seen in the Himalayan foothills upto an altitude of about 2500 meters.