A pair of Red Avadavat, also known as Red Munia or Strawberry Finch (Amandava Amandava), seen fighting for a feather. This moment was captured by city lensman G.S. Ravishankar near the Outer Ring Road in Mysuru.
Feature Articles
The story of Dumb Cuckoos, Smart Crows
December 1, 2018By Ragoo Rao, Ethologist Bird-brained. Calling someone bird-brained is an insult as it refers to the person as a dunce or a dimwit. The size of the brain of birds is likened to the brains of a dimwit. This might have been true until now as we were ignorant of the capabilities of small-brained birds….
Feature Articles
Backyard Birds
June 30, 2018By Ragoo Rao, Ethologist The Purple Swamp Hen is a large water hen with a distinctive heavy red bill and forehead shield. It has red eyes and a deep blue head and breast with black upper parts and wings. In bright sunlight the plumage shines with an intense blue sheen. These birds use a variety…
Feature Articles
Marvellous Birds…
December 6, 2017Pelicans are large squat birds of the water bodies. Of the three Species of Pelicans in the Indian Region, the Great White Pelican – Pelicanus onocotalus; The Dalmatian Pelican – Pelicanus crispus, and the third Spot-billed Pelican – Pelicanus philippensis, the third Spot-billed Pelican – Pelicanus philippensis, is the most widespread resident bird. It is…
Photo News
A home in the making…
November 8, 2017A Red Munia caught on camera as it was busy building a nest close to Ring Road at Devanur, Mysuru.[Pics by M.N. Lakshminarayana Yadav].
Feature Articles
The Sparrows didn’t go… …We drove them away !
May 23, 2017By Ragoo Rao The humble and adorable little birds, chirping and flitting around in our compounds and courtyards, the House Sparrow is a confirmed hanger on to man ever since humans started depending on agriculture and created settlements. These birds have even been mentioned in most of our mythologies and folklores, along with the common…
Photo News
Feeding foody kid…
May 17, 2017An Indian Roller – Coracias benghalensis, formerly falsely called as Blue Jay, busy feeding its baby bird (with insects and frog) which waits hungrily for its supper. This parenting moment was captured by SOM photographer M.N. Lakshminarayana Yadav at Bandipur National Park. Indian Roller is called ‘Neelakanta’ in Kannada & Sanskrit and is the State…
Columns, Pet Talk
Pet Talk
May 3, 2017By Maneka Gandhi In this week’s Pet Talk, Maneka explains the ecological importance of crickets, best way to treat dog’s paw pad injury and about need for birds to migrate. What is the importance of crickets ecologically? The field cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus) is found abundantly in a great variety of habitats (including fields and lawns,…
Feature Articles
RAPTORS OF MYSURU
April 28, 2017By Ragoo Rao Birds! Whenever one thinks of birds, visualises songs, flight, colour and adorability. Of course birds are adorable, they wake us up at dawn with their beautiful songs, keep our day animated with their presence and flitting around us. They make the world loveable and lively. A fairy tale setting is unimaginable without…
Editorial
Crowing about Crows
April 6, 2017An episode featuring Birbal, the brainy quick wit during the reign of Moghal Emperor Akbar in 16th century also features crows, the not-much-adored humble bird, wearing on its wings as it were the derogatory identity as a natural scavenger. The storyline, once again throwing spotlight on Birbal for his unchallenged and spontaneous wit, is about…
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