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Birdwatching (and Ornithology)
An introduction
Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh
Why Birdwatching• Fascinating creatures,
colourful, musical, active
• Easy to watch, all around us (even cities!)
• Hardly any specialised equipment needed– Binoculars (or just bare eyes!)– Field guide– Notebook and Pen/pencil
Getting started• Learn a few basics
(physical features, behaviour…)
• Go birding with an experienced birdwatcher….or alone with a field guide
Detecting birds
• Visually– Using bare eyes or
binoculars• Vocally
– Listening to distinct calls
Observe the bird closely, & take notes:
1. Physical features (size, shape, colours, etc)2. Behaviour (call, flight/gait, feeding, etc)3. Habitat: Macro (forest, wetland, etc) & Macro
(tree hole, river bank, etc)4. Season (winter, summer, monsoon)
HOW TO IDENTIFY A BIRD?
1. Physical features
i. Size (relative to common bird)
Sparrow+/-Bulbul+/-Myna+/-Pigeon+/-Crow+/-Kite+/-Vulture+/-
1. Physical features (contd)
ii. Shape
Tall and slender (e.g. crane, egret)Round and dumpy (e.g. partridge)Awkward (e.g. babbler)Neat/smooth (e.g. drongo)
1. Physical features (contd)
iii. Colour(s)
Mainly one colour (white, black, green, red, blue, etc)
Black and white 2-3 main colours Lots of colours (like rainbow!)
Note: Different colours may show in flightMale and female may be v. different!
1. Physical features (contd)
iv. Distinct marks and patchesSpotsStreaks Bars Rings EyebrowsDark/bright patches
Note: Different marks may show in flight
1. Physical features (contd)
v. Peculiar/strange features
CrestWattle Hair bristles on beakBeard!
1. Physical features (contd)vi. Beak (size, shape, colour)
1. Physical features (contd)
vii. Eyes
Small/large (relative to bird)Colour Eye-ring
1. Physical features
viii. Legs/feet (length, shape, colour)
1. Physical features (contd) viii. Tail (length, shape, colour)
1. Physical features (contd)
viii. Wings (length, shape, colour)
2. Behaviour
Activity period Purely day (most species) Purely night (most owls,
nightjars) Overlapping (lapwing, magpie-
robin, spotted owlet)
2. Behaviour (contd)
Flight Constant/erratic Fast/slow Straight/up-&-down Circling/soaring Diving Hovering Wings flapping/gliding
2. Behaviour (contd)
Food
Insects Grain Nectar Fruits Meat
2. Behaviour (contd)
Communication
Vocal Contact calls Songs / Breeding calls Alarm calls
Non-vocal Drumming
2. Behaviour (contd)
Social behaviour
Mostly single Mostly in group (gregarious) Mostly/often in mixed flocks
2. Behaviour (contd)
Breeding
Territoriality Nesting Eggs & incubation Care of young Brood parasites
2. Behaviour (contd)
Other aspects
Silent/noisy? Constantly active/occasionally moving? Tail active (fanning/bobbing up-&-down)? Shy/bold in front of humans? Camouflaged/conspicuous? Any other peculiar behaviour…
3. Habitat
Macro-habitat Forest (evergreen, deciduous, scrub…) Grassland Wetland (lake, river, pond …) Marine/coast (sea, beach, mangrove …) Mountain (snowpeak, hill …) Desert (cold, hot, salt) Human settlement (village, town, city)
Terrestrial ecosystems…. deserts
Terrestrial ecosystems…. grasslands
Terrestrial ecosystems…forests
Terrestrial ecosystems…forests
Terrestrial ecosystems…mountains
Aquatic ecosystems….freshwater
Aquatic ecosystems….freshwater
Aquatic ecosystems….marine
Human-dominated ecosystems
Urban wildlife….
3. Habitat (contd)
Micro-habitat (in forest) tree hole, forest floor, ant’s nest… (at wetland) on water, edge, boulder … (in grassland) grass, rock … (in desert) dune, grassy patch … (in marine/coast) open sea, tide line … (in settlement) roof, wall, garbage dump …
4. Season & resident status
Season
Through the year Winter Summer Monsoon
4. Season & resident status (contd)
Resident status
Resident Migrant (from outside country) Local migrant Passage migrant
Group exercise…
Describe: •Physical features •Behaviour•Habitat
• Use field guide (or ask an experienced birdwatcher)
• Refer to local checklist if available (e.g. Dehradun, Rajaji NP, New Forest, Asan Barrage)
• Consult other books later
ONCE YOU’VE OBSERVED THE BIRD, TO IDENTIFY IT…
Field Guides• Pocket guide to the birds
of Indian Subcontinent: Grimmett, Inskipp & Inskipp
• Field Guide to the birds of India: Krys Kazmeirkzac
• Pictorial Guide to the birds of Indian Subcontinent: Salim Ali and Dillon Ripley
• Collin’s guide to birds of Indian Subcontinent
• Book of Indian Birds: Salim Ali
Reference Books Hand book of Birds of
India and Pakistan : Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley
Birds of South Asia: A Ripley’s Guide: Pamela Rasmussen and John Anderton
Birds of Indian Subcontinent: Grimett, Inskipp and Inskipp
Birdwatchers guide to India: Krys Kazmeirkzac
Hornbill / Buceros (BNHS) Indian Birds Newsletter for Birdwatchers Sanctuary Asia Forktail
Magazines / journals
Films/CDs• Audio CDs/DVDs
Bird-watching is a field hobby. There can be no better place to get initiated in it than the beautiful locales of Uttarakhand, in the lap of the mighty Himalayas. So go out and enjoy the beauty of these winged wonders…
Thanks to….
Pix: Ramana Athreya, Pallava Bagla, Rajat Bhargava, Bharat Bhushan, Ashok Captain, Raghu Chundawat, Ajay Desai, Clement Francis, R.K. Gaur, Joanna van Gruisen, Jean Howman-WPA, Girish Jathar, Ashish Kothari, Sujatha Padmanabhan, Vibhu Prakash, Asad Rahmani, Nitin Rai, Vijay Mohan Raj, Sunita Rao, Ravi Sankaran, Pankaj Sekhsaria, Krupakar Senani, Rajpal Singh, Farhad Vania, Mahendra Vyas, Shimpei Watanabe
Illustrations: Aranya Pathak Broome (courtesy Kalpavriksh’s ‘What’s That Bird?’)