It was my wife who made me the habit of watching and reading more on the birds found in Kerala. Actually I was least interested in these types of birds and didn’t even know the local names of these birds. My wife has helped me a lot to prepare this post . So let me dedicate this post to my loving wife. To make the post more precise I’ve filtered the number of birds to the minimum.
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary in Kerala is one of the world famous birds habitats. It is located in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, occupying an area of 25 sq km.Designed by a famous ornithologist, Dr Salim Ali, the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary is home to a large number of bird species like Bee-eater, Sunbird, Shrike, Black winged Kite, and the Night Heron. Also around 28 species of animals and nine species of reptile can also be spotted in this sanctuary.
The most common birds found around Kerala are Myna, Sandpiper, Blue Kingfisher, Darter, Cattle Egret, Hornbill, Little Green Heron, Spinetail Swift, Emerald Dove, Bluerock Pigeon, Shama, Magpie-Robin, Crow, Indian Treepie, Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo, Lesser Golden-Backed Woodpecker, Koel, Syke’s Crested Lark, Grey Jungle Fowl, Brown Fish Owl, Pariah Kite, Indian Oriole, Orange Minivet, Weaver Bird, Nilgiri Wrenwarbler, Bulbul, Spotted Dove, Wood Owl, Babbler, Hoopoe.
Myna is one of the most common birds found around Kerala. It is also spelled as Mynah. It’s scientific name is Acridotheres tristis. It is a species of bird native to Asia with its initial home range spanning from Iran, India and Kazakhstan to Malaysia and China. The Myna has been introduced in many other parts of the world and its distribution range is on the increase to an extent that in 2000 the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN) declared it as one of the just three birds among the World’s 100 worst invasive species.
The Common Kingfisher also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies distributed across Eurasia and North Africa. One of this type is common in Kerala and it’s local name is ‘Ponman’. This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to enable it to pursue its prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank. If another kingfisher enters its territory, both birds display from perches, and fights may occur, where a bird will grab the other’s beak and try to hold it under water.
‘Kokku’ or Cattle Egret is another common type of bird seen in kerala region. It is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world.
Blue rock pigeon is a familiar slaty grey bird with glistening metallic green, purple and magenta sheen on neck and the upper breast. It has two dark bars on wings and a band across the end of tail. Both the sexes are alike. It can be see in flocks and colonies moving about cliffs and human inhabitations. It feeds on cereals, pulses, groundnuts etc. Their nesting season is undefined. Its nest is a flimsy collection of a few sticks on a ledge or in a fissure or cliff, or on rafters and ceilings of dwelling houses.
Indian Treepie is a common bird found in Kerala slightly smaller than the European Magpie (Pica pica) and has somewhat shorter, more rounded wings and a proportionately longer tail. The bill is shorter and thicker too, and slightly downcurved, and the legs are shorter. The head, neck and breast are a deep slate-grey colour, sometimes slightly brownish. It is extremely agile while searching for food, clinging and clambering through the branches and will sometimes travel in small mixed hunting parties with unrelated species such as drongos and babblers.
The Brahminy Kite also known as the Red-backed Sea-eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey . They are found primarily in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia.The Brahminy Kite is distinctive and contrastingly coloured, with chestnut plumage except for the white head and breast and black wing tips. The Brahminy Kite is about the same size as the Black Kite and has a typical kite flight, with wings angled, but its tail is rounded unlike the Milvus species, Red Kite and Black Kite, which have forked tails.
Another beautiful bird seen around Kerala is Magpie-Robin, a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. They are distinctive black and white birds with a long tail that is held upright as they forage on the ground or perch conspicuously. Distributed in many parts of tropical South and Southeast Asia, they are common birds in urban gardens as well as forests. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds.This magpie-robin is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from Bangladesh, interior India, Sri Lanka and eastern Pakistan east to Indonesia, Thailand, south China and the Philippines.
