The Urban Birds of Gurugram-Unseen Wonders of Nature

Brown-headed Barbets, Copper-headed Barbets, Green Pigeons are rarely spotted in the cities; it is therefore, always a matter of great joy to spot them hopping around in the branches of trees. The birds except for the Silver-bill in this blogpost were spotted at Palam Vihar in Gurgaon recently. The Silver-bill was spotted at the Basai Wetland, and area that is fast becoming a prime zone for residential buildings.

Sparrows were once to be seen in large numbers in the city of Gurgaon but of lately none can be seen. While some might blame the pollution and noise for driving away these tiny birds, others might blame it on the the radiation purportedly emitted by cellphone towers! One bird that very few people will have seen is the Green Pigeon. This is a rather more plump version of the regular pigeon. 

Unlike the regular pigeon however, Green Pigeons roost in the branches of trees and so are probably never noticed by people. Also, Green pigeons like to feed on fruits and they are very shy birds. No wonder, they turn away from the camera's lens while being photographed.

Green pigeons are graceful, bashful and shy birds and they love stuffing themselves with fruits of the Peepal tree. Sometimes the only sign of their presence would be a slight ruffling of the leaves or a movement in the branches. Since they are green in colour it is often difficult to see them. These pigeons were spotted at Palam Vihar.

Another bird rarely spotted in the city is the Indian Silver Bill or the White Throated Munia. These little birds can be found in large flocks in scrublands and fields foraging for food on the ground. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was tamed and kept as a pet, which is why one of my cousins has Munia as her pet name! Sadly, like the Common House Sparrow, this rather sweet looking bird with its sweet chir-rup call is a sad victim of urbanization!

The Brown-headed Barbet is yet another tree dwelling bird that few in the city will have seen. Unlike its cousin, the Copper-headed Barbet, the Brown-headed Barbet wears feathers of a rather muted colours. Its distinctively red beak and the red patch around its eyes give it a more sedate and mature look. 

The Coppersmith Barbet is yet another tree dwelling bird that few in the city will have seen. Barbets are rather colourful birds. Rather resplendent in its copper-red, yellow, green and grey accents, this bird is a rather interesting study in colours. One might state that the Coppersmith Barbett is one of nature's marvels. Very few people might have seen this bird because like the green pigeon, it is a tree-dwelling bird that is often hidden within the depths of the foliage of the trees that it inhabits. The Coppersmith Barbet and the Brown-headed Barbet were spotted in Palam Vihar.

Amongst my list of urban birds is the Shikra or the Kestrel. This is a smaller version of the falcon and it has adapted to a life in the urban environment. During the earlier days, in fact during the Mughal period, Shikras were used to hunt small mice which would be then fed to falcons and other birds of prey that were in captivity. Today, the Shikra flourishes in Gurugram feeding on rodents and other scraps of food that it might find. Very few people would be aware of the fact that Gurugram continues to be home to a vast number of exotic bird species. It would only require a little bit of alertness, a good eye and an awareness of one's surroundings to be able to spot these birds.

Shikras are sleek, aerodynamic killing machines and to see them hunt rodents is a feast for the eyes. Their keen eye-sight is what helps them spot even the tiniest details. They latch on to movements of rats and rodents and dive to attack them. They carry the rodents to a perch in a tree and then eat them up in peace. The Shikras photographed above was spotted in New Railway Road. 

Another bird found in the city of Gurugram, an urban bird as I would call it is the Tailor Bird. This rather colourful bird is difficult to photograph for the very reason that  it never stays still. This little bird can be seen hoping from one place to the other, constantly on the move making chirruping sounds as it flits about looking for insects to eat. This Tailor bird was spotted on New Railway Road, Gurugram.

The coming of the winter season sees many more birds appearing on the branches of the trees in Gurgaon. While I have posted a number of photographs of Green Pigeons, the ones below are unique as they are a mark of togetherness and love amongst birds. Photographed from the balcony of my house, these Green pigeons seem to be preparing for the winter when they will lay eggs and bring up hatchlings in due course.

A more healthy and plump version of the Shikra was recently spotted by me at Palam Vihar, Gurugram hidden within the branches of a Peepal tree. This one looked somehow like a larger version of the skinny and lean looking Shikra that I had spotted on the New Railway Road area some time back.

Just today I was awakened from sleep early morning by the call of the Hornbill. I rushed to my balcony and sure enough, perched on the branches of the Peepal tree was this Hornbill looking for fruits to eat. It is amazing how these birds continue to survive in the middle of urban settlements.