Flying beauties of Himachal Pradesh

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.

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  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.

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. 

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

T he  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.

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.