8. Birds of Himachal

One of the reasons why I find Himachal Pradesh one of the most beautiful states of India is because of the amazing variety of unusual birds you get to see. On our last trip there we saw quite a few birds which I don’t see back home in Pune. I give below particulars of those, apart from the lovely Paradise Flycatcher covered elsewhere on this blog.

Speckled Piculet

Picumnus innominatus

Size 10 cm  M/F apart

Characteristics : I got the picture of this very tiny bird just by chance. Just when we were about to leave Jia, a small town in Himachal, I saw this little fellow land on the top branch of a tall tree. I took a picture to see what it is and discovered this little gem. It is a shy bird not often seen and the fact that it is tiny and likes to stay atop tall trees does not help its visibility. It has a olive back and whitish underparts with black spots, it has three alternate black and white stripes over the ears and eyes. The male has an orange patch on the forehead; the female has a olive green head. Mine is a female without the orange head patch.

Distribution : Resident bird found all across the Himalayas in the deciduous and tropical montane forests.
Diet : It  feeds mostly on ants and its larvae and eggs flicking out insects from inside crevices with its tongue.
Breeding : It nests in holes in rotting trees and bamboos from April to May.

Some more interesting facts :

• The Speckled Piculet is of the Picidae family ie. the wood-pecker family.

• Apart from the Indian Subcontinent it is found in the whole of South-east Asia and China.

Verditer Flycatcher

Eumyias thalassina

Size 16 cm  M/F apart

Characteristics : This beautiful greenish-blue (hence the name- copper sulphate blue) bird caught my eye sitting on a conifer on a hill top in Dharamshala, HP. These are widespread residents but breed in the Himalayas. An interesting fact I learnt about the bird is that its colour is not due to pigments but due to the way the feathers reflect light. This one is an adult male, the female is duller and greyer with some white on the sides of the throat. The male is blue all over except the grey vent and the black eye-patch and some black feathers in the wings and tail, with a black beak and legs.
Distribution : It is a summer migrant to the plains of India. It is found throughout South East Asia, India and China. It is seen in forests, parks and gardens.
Diet : It mostly hunts flying insects like all flycatchers. However, unlike other flycatchers it flys from branch to branch instead of returning to the same perch. My friend here is sitting still in anticipation of one.
Breeding :  Its breeding season is April to July and breeds in the Himalayas. It nests in natural hollows, mud banks and crevices and roofs of buildings making moss lined cup shaped nests. Mostly has a clutch of four whitish-pink eggs.

 

Chukar

 Alectoris chukar

Size 38 cm, Male/female alike

The sad part is this picture is of a pet Chukar, belonging to the little daughter of the caretaker of the guest-house we were staying in. If you are in India you would have heard of the lore around this bird, or at least heard the bollywood numbers on “Chand and Chakor”. The bird is supposed to pine away for the Moon etc. Incidentally, it’s the national bird of Pakistan. With this background I was quite excited to get to see the bird up close playing with the little girl even though I feel upset seeing birds’ in captivity- likewise for animals. The bird has been introduced in many parts of the world as a game bird :-<  

Characteristics : The rotund bird has this characteristic black band running down from the eyes to its throat (gorget), surrounding a white face, and black barring on flanks. The bill and legs are red. Their call is a repeated chuck, chuck like most partridges.

 Distribution : It’s a resident bird, found along the Himalayas and Pakistan. They inhabit open rocky or grassy hills or dry terraced cultivation.

 Diet : Their diet consists of seeds and small insects. Their water needs are met from succulent vegetation but during summer may drink water.

 Breeding : They breed during the summer. Nesting on the ground amidst small bushes or under overhanging rocks, they lay about 7 to 14 eggs. The male is quite aggressive during the breeding season.

Himalayan Bulbul

Pycnonotus leucogenys

Size 20 cm Male/female alike

 

Characteristics : The bulbuls, with their little crests, their bold demeanor and their song are a delight to sore eyes. In India people name their daughters, Bulbul. It is wonderful that they are, as a species, so prolific throughout the country. The Himalayan Bulbul with its curled brown crest, white cheek and yellow vent is a common sight in the Himalayan region.

Diet : The bulbuls feed on fruits and insects and also nectar.

Breeding : They breed from March to September depending on the local conditions, making cup nests with grass and roots etc. in bushes and shrubs. The bulbul’s trusting and tame nature extends to their nesting habits too. Many a times they have their loosely built nests in clear view of predators, like crows. As a schoolgirl, I remember, weeping more than the bulbul parents when, after watching and waiting for days the eggs hatch and on returning from school I would find the nest empty and the agitated bulbul parents, helplessly, flitting about.
 

Blue Throated Barbet

Megalaima asiatica

Size 23 cm Male/Female alike

This biggish bird was sitting on the electric wire when we reached Jia in the evening. The sight of this blue and green and red bird really made me feel welcome and was a promise of good bird sightings. Throughout our stay of 3 days we heard his characteristic call reverberating in the woods and once or twice got a fleeting glimpse of his bright blue colour. The woods were full of the sounds of woodpeckers and barbets pecking on the tree trunks with their strong beaks – but getting a visual is not as simple.

Characteristics : The barbets get that name because of the bristles around the base of their thick bills. Its throat and sides of the head is a bright blue colour, red head with a black band across the centre and a bit of yellow for contrast, the rest of the body is leaf green – he really looks like a nursery drawing! The female is a shade lighter and smaller.

Distribution : It is a resident bird of the Himalayas right up to the NE and Bangladesh. 
Diet : Their diet is fruits and berries and insects.

Breeding : Their breeding season is March to July. Like other barbets they nest in tree holes, laying 3-4 eggs at a time. Both parents take care of the chicks.

 

Plum Headed Parakeet

Psittacula cyanocephala

Size 36 cm

It is rather a cute sight, seeing a whole bunch of parakeets with heads in various shades of pink and blue and grey. If they sit on apple trees I think they will pass off as half ripened apples. 

Characteristics : The male has a plum red head which gradually fades to a bluish tinge towards the neck and cheeks; and the female has a grey one. The upper mandible is orangish in the male and  yellow in the female; the lower mandible is grey; the blue green tail is white tipped. The male has a black neck ring and a red shoulder patch. The female has a yellow collar and upper breast. The novices have green heads with both mandibles yellow.

Distribution : Widespread resident, inhabiting forests and open woodland right from the Himalayan foothills to Srilanka.

Diet : They eat fruits and grains and flowers, so are not very popular with farmers and fruit growers.

Breeding : Their nesting season is December to April. In Srilanka the nesting season is July to August. They lay 4-6 white eggs in tree holes dug out by them. After hatching the female alone feeds the babies.

To digress a little I saw this beautiful blue Dragon Lizard in Jia. It would be mostly sitting near the Hydrangea plants with blue flowers. He sure can match colours !