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Home , Ashy drongo, Bronzed drongo, Brown shrike, Chestnut piculet, Common iora, Dendrocitta

Observed on Oct 11th to Oct 15th and Nov 15th to Nov 19th, 2017

Birds in and around Mugilu Homestay, Sakleshpur - A.Ajit

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Some Terminologies Used…

•Is a flock of eating of different which join together and feed. Mixed-species foraging suddenly see a spurt of activity in a specific place where this happens •Key benefit is that, as a group, it decreases chances of being attacked and increases flock possibility of finding more food

•Native or restricted to a certain place and not found naturally anywhere else Endemic •Endemic species have special importance as its locally restricted and hence needs extra sensitivity to ensure its protection

• Is a feeding strategy by birds in which they catch by plucking them Gleaning and Hawking from foliage or the ground, from crevices such as rock faces or from underneath leaves •Hawking is a feeding strategy where flying insects are caught mid air.

•The action or process of procreating and nesting is called as breeding. Breeding and Roosting •Roosting is a process where birds congregate to rest at night. Roosting spots need not necessarily entail breeding/nesting.

•Winter migrant Birds fly large distances, sometimes across continents to escape harsh Winter Migrant and winters to places which are less harsh weather wise. Resident •Resident birds are those that do not migrate and are locally found throughout the year Bird List

Total 81 species of birds seen over an observation period of 6 days. Birds were predominantly seen during the morning time from 6:15 AM till 9:30 AM. 30 out of that 81 birds seen have been presented in this document.

• Green Bee-eater • White-bellied • Bronzed • -wattled Lapwing • Lesser Yellownape • Greater Racket-tailed Drongo • Little Cormorant • Greater • Rufous • Indian Peafowl • • White-bellied Treepie • Red Spurfowl • Plum-headed Parakeet • Indian yellow • Gray Junglefowl • Malabar Parakeet • Velvet-fronted Nuthatch • Cattle Egret • Vernal Hanging- • crow sp. • Spotted Dove • Common • Gray-headed Bulbul • Greater • Orange • Red-whiskered Bulbul • sp. • Black-headed • Red-vented Bulbul • Malabar • • Yellow-browed Bulbul • Malabar Gray • Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike • Green/Greenish Warbler • • • Greenish Warbler • White-cheeked Barbet • • Phylloscopus sp. Bird List Continued…

• Western Crowned Warbler • Verditer Flycatcher • Black-throated Munia • Booted/Sykes's Warbler • Indian Blue Robin • Baya weaver • Blyth's Reed Warbler • Blue-capped Rock- • Speckled • Acrocephalus sp. • Orange -headed Thrush • Eurasian Kestrel • Oriental White-eye • Indian Blackbird • Lark sp • Dark-fronted Babbler • Chestnit-tailed • Indian Pond-Heron • Black-rumped Flameback • Southern Hill Myna • Nilgiri • Indian Paradise-Flycatcher • White-browed wagtail • Little • Indian Scimitar-Babbler • Eagle sp • Gray Wagtail • Rufous Babbler • Jungle Myna • Common Hawk- • Puff-throated Babbler • Jerdon's Leafbird • White-throated Kingfisher • Jungle Babbler • -backed • Oriental -Robin • Long-billed Sunbird • Tickell's Blue Flycatcher • Purple Sunbird Common Name: Malabar Trogon Scientific Name: fasciatus

Interesting Fact: They perch motionless in upright positions for long periods in the middle or lower storey of forests, even more so when they sense danger

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Seen mostly in , hill forests of central and some parts of . • The male has slaty black head and crimson on the underside. • The female has on its underside and brown on its back. • They are predominantly insectivorous. • They participate in mixed-species foraging flocks.

Common Name: White-Bellied Treepie Scientific Name: leucogastra

Interesting Fact: They can mimic calls of Greater Racket Tailed Drongo who themselves have an ability to mimic call of other birds.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Seen mostly in Western Ghats, Evergreen wet forests and undergrowth. • They are endemic to Southern India. • They belong to the Crow Family. A much more glamorous crow! • It has a loud and metallic call and has some similarity to the call of . • They participate in mixed-species foraging flocks.

Common Name: Lesser Yellownape Scientific Name: chlorolophus

Interesting Fact: These birds have long tongue to capture insects, sometimes as long as the woodpecker itself. To accommodate the tongue, it curls it up around the skull!

• Ever wondered how the woodpecker protect its brain from the severe impact of pounding on the wood? It has a thick skull with a spongy bone to cushion the impact. Some smart contractions in the mandibular muscle just before the hit helps to transmit the impact past the brain to the rest of the body. • They primarily feed on ants, termites and grubs and pupae of wood-boring beetles. • The loud rattle produced when pecking is also a kind of advertisement in defense of their territory. • It specially has yoked feet with two toes pointing forward and two backwards. This helps them get good grip on the bark of the tree while pounding and as well as to creep up

Common Name: Indian Scientific Name: horsfieldii

Interesting Fact: They are more often heard than seen as they hide among thick foliage of trees. They can be clearly identified with their loud fluty ‘oop-pu-pu’ call.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are predominantly arboreal (living in trees) but can also be seen foraging on the ground. • They are mainly insectivorous and collect food from leaves, moss, lichen and bark. • They can also be seen rummaging among leaf litter and flicking leaf aside to check for any insect beneath it.

Common Name: Rufous Babbler Scientific Name: subrufa

Interesting Fact: They can be easily identified by their loud high-pitched , shrill scolding squeaks which goes like ‘Treeenh-Treeenh’

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are endemic to Western ghats and seen only in South Western parts. • They are mainly found in grassy hill sides and amidst tall grass and bamboo.

Common Name: Scientific Name: Ocyceros griseus

Interesting Fact: It has an interesting old witch like maniacal call! Something hard to miss. Also the entire nesting process is one of a kind and very interesting.

• They are non-migratory resident birds • They are endemic to Western Ghats and seen in well-wooded areas only • The female shuts herself within the cavity of her nest by sealing its entrance with a sealant made from her droppings. • The female then lays three or sometimes four white and removes all its feather. • The entrance to the nest has a narrow opening through which the female expels excreta and receives food from the male. • Males tap the tree to tell the female that it has come. Berries are regurgitated one at a time and shifted to the tip of the bill before being passed to the female.

Common Name: Malabar Parakeet Scientific Name: columboides

Interesting Fact: They reuse nests of other birds like woodpecker and barbet.

• They are non-migratory resident birds • They are endemic to Western Ghats and seen in well-wooded areas only • The male and female can be differentiated only by their color. Males have red beak

Common Name: Yellow-browed Bulbul Scientific Name: Acritillas indica

Interesting Fact: The word bulbul is derived from Persian language which means Nightingale. This is because of the sweet call that bulbuls have.

• They are non-migratory resident birds • They are endemic to and seen in well-wooded areas only • It’s a and has a nice soft call which goes like ‘pruh-eeep, pruh-eeep’

Common Name: Scientific Name: Pericrocotus flammeus

Interesting Fact: They catch insects on trees during flight or while perched. It scares insects out of foliage by beating its wings hard and fast, which flushes out the prey

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Extremely pretty birds with brilliant but different plumage for both males and females. The male has color while the female has bright olive yellow. • They often join mixed-species foraging flocks. • They have a pleasant melodic whistling call.

Common Name: Scientific Name: concolor

Interesting Fact: Mistletoe fruit has sticky property because of which it sticks to the beak of the bird. To remove the sticky fruit, it rubs the beak on the bark of a tree and in that process, deposits the seeds. The plant gets a new life from there!

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are important pollinators of mistletoe plants in the . • They are found in woodland edges, cultivation and isolated stands of trees, often in hilly country. • The call of the Nilgiri Flowerpecker is a sharp ‘check’ or a rapid series of ‘ticks’, while the song is a high-pitched trill.

Common Name: Vernal Scientific Name: Loriculus vernalis

Interesting Fact: They habitually sleep upside down and hence they are known as Hanging !

• They are non-migratory resident birds • Found mostly in broadleaved evergreen and moist deciduous forests. • Their striking red rump and red beak stands out distinctly from their green plumage. • They feed mainly on fruits, seeds, buds, nectar and pollen and their diet is predominantly vegetarian. • The has been observed taking palm collected in pots and becoming intoxicated!

Common Name: Scientific Name: Dicrurus aeneus

Interesting Fact: Like all other , they are fearless and aggressive and will attack much larger species to protect their nest.

• They are non-migratory resident birds • Found mostly in broadleaved evergreen and moist deciduous forests. • They often join mixed- species foraging flocks • They actively forage for insects under the forest canopy by taking off into the air to catch its prey, often returning to their favourite perches

Common Name: Crimson-backed Sunbird Scientific Name: Leptocoma minima

Interesting Fact: They are small birds and quite vulnerable. There has been a recorded instance where a Preying mantis insect has killed this bird!

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are endemic to Western Ghats and seen in well- wooded areas only. • Found mostly in evergreen forests and plantations. • The larger purple-rumped sunbird can appear very similar but this sunbird has a darker on the upper side while the flanks and vent are whitish.

Common Name: Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike Scientific Name: Hemipus picatus

Interesting Fact: They have a typical upright perch which is different than other birds. This is the only bird in this seen in India.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They often join mixed- species foraging flocks along with other gleaning birds. • Found mostly in broadleaved forests and forest edges. • The call is a rapid and high tsit-it-it-it or a whriri- whirriri-whirriri and sometimes a sharp chip. Common Name: Malabar Barbet Scientific Name: malabaricus

Interesting Fact: Malabar Barbet has similarity in call with . The call sounds like a coppersmith using his tool which goes ‘tok’ ‘tok’…

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are endemic to Western Ghats. • They often join mixed- species foraging flocks. • They can commonly be seen on fruiting Ficus trees. • . Common Name: Speckled Piculet Scientific Name: innominatus

Interesting Fact: They are extremely restless birds and to top it, they are tiny too which makes it even harder to spot, identify and photograph them.

• They are non-migratory resident birds • They sometimes hang from a branch upside down similar to a woodpecker. • Like woodpecker they have large heads, long tongue and yoked feet but lack similarity in tail of that of a woodpecker. Common Name: Indian Scientific Name: aplonotus

Interesting Fact: It has a trendy hairstyle and hence the genus name Machlolophus. The word is derived from the classical Greek makhlos meaning luxuriant and lophos meaning crest.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • The song is a sometimes nuthatch- like chi-chi-chi. • Woodpecker or barbet holes are used for a nest, and this species will also excavate its own hole or use man- made sites. • It feeds on insects and spiders from canopy. Common Name: Rufous Woodpecker Scientific Name: Micropternus brachyurus

Interesting Fact: They prey on Black Tree Ants and ironically also put their eggs in the ants nest. When its time for nesting, the ants and woodpecker live in perfect harmony and hence is a great example of symbiosis beneficial to both organisms

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They break open black tree ant nests and causes havoc among the ants nest and eats them. • There are other birds like Racket-tailed drongo and Magpie robin which use this as an opportunity and feed on the eggs of the ant which otherwise they are unable to get. • They are mostly seen only in forests and secondary growth. Common Name: Greater Racket Tailed Drongo Scientific Name: Dicrurus paradiseus

Interesting Fact: This bird can imitate many other bird calls and is the one which starts mixed-species foraging flocks. A feature seen in forest bird communities where many insect feeders forage together. It can imitate alarm calls also which makes other birds drop their food in panic.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Very aggressive and protective when it comes to protecting their nest and can even mob larger birds too. • They can also be Klepto-parasatic(stealing food from other birds like Malabar Trogon) during mixed-species foraging flocks. • They have sharp metallic call and they are one of the earliest callers in the morning. Common Name: Little Spiderhunter Scientific Name: Arachnothera longirostra

Interesting Fact: In Sarawak, the Kayan, Kenyah and Punan people consider it a bird of good omen and when they are out collecting camphor, the men would wait until they heard the ‘sit’ call of one of these

• They are non-migratory resident birds . • They are good pollinators of wild banana species. • The distinctive long beak distinguishes it from other . • They are tolerant to human activity and can be seen near human establishments too. • The nest is suspended from the underside of the leaf using 150 or so "pop-rivets" of cobwebs and vegetable fibre, a unique method of using spider silk for architecture. Common Name: Indian Blackbird Scientific Name: Turdus simillimus

Interesting Fact: It is said that Blackbirds like to sing after the rain!

• They could be non- migratory resident birds or migratory based on the . • Breeds in moist deciduous and evergreen broadleaf forest, sholas, wooded ravines. Common Name: Plum headed Parakeet Scientific Name: Psittacula cyanocephala

Interesting Fact: The earliest reference to a talking bird comes from Ctesias in the 5th century BC. The bird which he called Bittacus, may have been a plum-headed parakeet.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They are endemic to Indian subcontinent. • They are found in forest and well wooded areas and are not found in dry areas. • It has a distinct ‘tooi’ ‘tooi’ call which can be used to differentiate from other parakeets. • The male has a red plum colored head and the female has a grey color head. Common Name: Indian Golden Oriole Scientific Name: kundoo

Interesting Fact: They choose to build their nest close to Drongo nests because Drongos are aggressive and drive away large predators which indirectly helps the oriole as well.

• It’s a partially migrant bird and the population found in India is predominantly resident. • They feed on fruits, nectar and in insects alike. • It has a nice fluty call as well as a harsh call. • One of the migrant individual ringed in Gujarat was recovered in Tajikistan more than nine years later! Common Name: Loten’s Sunbird Scientific Name: lotenia

Interesting Fact: We assume the sunbird sucks the nectar from the flower but its not true. The moment its tongue is in, capillary action forces the nectar all the way up!

• They are non- migratory resident birds • Its endemic to peninsular India and Srilanka • While foraging for nectar they hover over flowers a lot unlike the purple sunbirds that prefers to perch beside flowers

Common Name: Brown Shrike Scientific Name: cristatus

Interesting Fact: They are also known as “Butcher birds” because of their feeding habit where they tend to impale their victims on a sharp thorn before eating them!

• They are winter migrants and their timing of migration is very regular. They arrive in Aug-Sep and leave by April. • Birds that arrive early and establish territories appear to have an advantage over those that arrive later during winter. • Breeding season is late May or June and breeding includes the region. Common Name: Greater Goldenback Scientific Name: Chrysocolaptus lucidus

Interesting Fact: A tongue contain a sticky glue-like substance which is coated around the tongue to catch insects. When it brings the bug into its mouth, its produces a solvent to dissolve the glue so that the bug is separated out easily from the tongue.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Like other woodpeckers, the Greater Goldenback uses its bill to dig out food from trees and uses its yoked feet and stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks • Larger size, four instead of 3 toes and clearly divided black moustache - all taken together is a clear differentiator from other Goldenbacks. Common Name: Lesser Goldenback Scientific Name: benghalense

Interesting Fact: Woodpeckers tongue is like a spearhead with a number of barbs or hairs pointing rearward. This facilitates securing the insect while transporting it to the beak.

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • Like other woodpeckers, the Greater Goldenback uses its bill to dig out food from trees and uses its yoked feet and stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks • White spotted black throat and black stripe through the eye is a differentiator from other birds in the same genus. Common Name: Common Hawk-Cuckoo Scientific Name: Hierococcyx varius

Interesting Fact: In looks, flight style and landing, it imitates a bird called which is a and feared by other birds. This visual similarity helps to scare birds from their nests which in turn helps the cuckoo to quickly lay their eggs in someone else’s nest!

• A bird more heard than seen, it can be heard through the day, starting early before dawn and frequently during moonlit nights. • The call of this bird has been popularly transcribed as brain- fever in English, peea kahan or papeeha in Hindi. • They are Brood Parasites(rely on others to raise their young) and put their eggs usually in Babbler nests. Common Name: Scientific Name: Aegithina tiphia

Interesting Fact: During the breeding season, the male performs an acrobatic courtship display, darting up into the air fluffing up all its feathers, then spiralling down to the original perch. Once it lands, it spreads its tail and droops its wings

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They have a sweet whistling call. • They are monogamous which means they have only one partner throughout their life. • Males in breeding season have a black cap and back which makes it look like a Marshall’s Iora. • They sometimes join mixed- species foraging flocks. Common Name: Jungle Babbler Scientific Name: Turdoides striata

Interesting Fact: When foraging, some birds take up a high vantage point and act as sentinels. They are known to gather and mob potential predators such as snakes

• They are non-migratory resident birds. • They participate in mixed- species foraging flocks. • They are highly gregarious and move around in flocks of six to ten. They are called Seven sisters in the northern region of India. • When threatened by predators, they have been said to sometimes feign death. General Observations - 1

• Observed a huge lot of bird activity on most of the days on the patch of land with Casaurina trees just outside the homestay during early morning times. The birds seemed to be mostly gleaning around various parts of the dry twigs and fruit for insects. • Saw mixed-species foraging flocks many times on the Casaurina trees. Mostly gleaning birds were seen. However I noticed hawking birds like bee eaters and drongos join in too. • The birds seen on Casaurina trees were Vernal hanging Parrot, Common Iora, Black-headed cuckoo- shrike, Common Indian Tit, Orange Minivet, Rufous treepie, white-bellied treepie, Warblers, Indian oriole, Ashy drongo, Bronzed drongo, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Greater and Lesser Goldenback, Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Crimson-backed sunbird, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike and Racket-tailed drongo • Saw Malabar Trogon on most of the days, both male and female. Also saw Male Malabar trogon with a Preying mantis kill. • Saw Lesser Yellownape quite commonly on multiple occasions. • White-bellied treepie is also quite commonly seen. • Saw Malabar parakeets feed hungrily on Aporosa lindleyana fruit. • Saw couple of Scimmitar babblers on the ground gleaning among leaves. • Saw Rufous woodpecker aggressively chasing a Lesser yellownape. General Observations - 2

• Saw little Spiderhunter feed on plantain flower nectar. • Saw and heard a large gregarious group of Rufous babblers calling out and moving from one bush to the other. • Saw tailed feeding on Acrocarpus fraxinifolius flowers • Heard and saw Indian Blue robin twice on 2 different days among bushes. Hearing calls for the first time • Saw a common Kestrel returning back to its roosting spot on a high voltage tower. It was told that this has been seen since a long time. • Large number of Red-whiskered bulbul seen but saw red-vented bulbul only once. • Saw yellow-browed bulbuls fighting with its own reflection on the glass. • Saw Malabar grey hornbill feed on ripe red fruit of Heynea trijuga • Saw Common Hawk Cuckoo catch insect mid-air and later eating it. • Saw Nesting of White-browed wagtail. • Saw and observed detailed preening of Nilgiri Flowerpecker. Preened close to 10 minutes perched on a dry twig of the top most part of a tree. Recommendation

Early morning from 6:30 till 9:30 AM is the best time for bird watching. Evening time sightings were relatively less. Birding Routes Species to look out for Contribution • The patch of land with • Malabar Trogon is very • Be a citizen scientist by Casaurina trees just outside commonly seen inside the contributing your the property plantation itself all through observations to .org. • The road from Mugilu till the day. Use the ebird mobile app the entrance gate of Guddu • Other commonly seen which will also track the Estate is a highly birds are Lesser route you use recommended route. yellownape, Rufous • You can contribute your • The road all the way till the babbler, White-bellied images to Wikimedia. main road is also great treepie, Malabar parakeet, • You can use other portals • Look for a hand pump on Scimitar babbler, Vernal like iNaturalist, India the way to the main road, hanging parrot, Orange Biodiversity Portal, opposite to that, there is a Minivet, Iora, Tit and iFoundButterflies as well narrow road going down on yellow-browed bulbul the right. That is also a good trail for birdwatching, Dos and Don’ts of Bird Watching and Bird Photography

• Avoid Playing bird calls to attract birds. As per studies, this causes unnecessary stress to the bird and it expends its precious extra energy trying to locate the call. This also can disrupt social systems leading to pair breakups. • Avoid as much as possible photographing nocturnal species like , and lorises. They have sensitive eyes and can get temporarily blinded by powerful torches and flashes • Desist from chasing birds to get a good photograph or sighting. It causes tremendous stress to the birds and no energy is left for other activities. For all that we know the bird may have just completed a long migration of thousands of kilometres. It would be completely exhausted and having only an agenda to feed as much as possible. Chasing them reduces their opportunity of feeding making them even more weaker. That is also when it becomes highly vulnerable to predators. • Always have a binocular. It’s a bird watchers best friend. • Keep notes of interesting observations. • Avoid Nest photography. It causes stress to the bird and it may even abandon the nest as it would know that the nest has been discovered. • Do refer to these good articles on do’s and don’t for more details. – http://www.conservationindia.org/resources/ethics – http://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography

Images seen in this document have been contributed to Wiki and can be found at…

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Trogon_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Trogon_-_Mugilu_Homestay_04.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Trogon_-_Mugilu_Homestay_03.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-bellied_Treepie-_Mugilu_Homestay_01.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-bellied_Treepie-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lesser_Yellownape_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lesser_Yellownape_-_Mugilu_Homestay_03.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Scimitar_Babbler_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rufous_Babbler_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rufous_Babbler_-_Mugilu_Homestay_01.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Grey_Hornbill_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Parakeet_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-browed_Bulbul-Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_Minivet_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nilgiri_Flowerpecker_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vernal_Hanging_Parrot_-_Mugilu_Homestay_01.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronzed_Drongo_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crimson-Backed_Sunbird_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg Bird sightings have been uploaded to ebird citizen science portal and can be found at…

• http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40713929 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40693024 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40691582 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40690837 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40676499 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40675472 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40674213 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40656479 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39911545 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39911835 • http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39912133

Images seen in this document have been contributed to Wiki and can be found at(Continued)…

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crimson-Backed_Sunbird_-_Mugilu_Homestay_01.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bar-winged_Flycatcher-Shrike_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_Barbet_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Speckled_Piculet_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Black_Lored_Tit_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rufous_Woodpecker_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greater-Racket_tailed_Drongo_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Spiderhunter_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Blackbird_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plum_Headed_Parakeet_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Gilden_Oriole_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loten%27s_sunbird_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brown_Shrike_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greater_Goldenback_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lesser_Flameback_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Hawk_Cuckoo_-_Mugilu_Homestay_02.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Iora_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jungle_Babbler_-_Mugilu_Homestay.jpg References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-species_foraging_flock • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleaning_(birds) • Birds of the Indian Subcontinent second edition by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabar_trogon • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-bellied_treepie • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_yellownape • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picinae • http://www.malaysianbirds.com/woodpecker.htm • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_scimitar_babbler • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_babbler • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabar_grey_hornbill • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-winged_parakeet • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-browed_bulbul • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_minivet • https://www.beautyofbirds.com/scarletminivets.html • http://www.birding.in/birds/Passeriformes//scarlet_minivet.htm • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiri_flowerpecker • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernal_hanging_parrot • https://www.parrots.org/encyclopedia/vernal-hanging-parrot • https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-parrots-and-parakeets • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronzed_drongo References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson-backed_sunbird • https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7148303#page/700/mode/1up • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-winged_flycatcher-shrike • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabar_barbet • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speckled_piculet • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piculet • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_black-lored_tit • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_woodpecker • http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/22138/the-ant-and-the-woodpecker • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_racket-tailed_drongo • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_spiderhunter • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_blackbird • https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/581725/Blackbirds-top-facts • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum-headed_parakeet • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_bird • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_golden_oriole • http://jlrexplore.com/explore/focus/sunbirds-and-spider-hunters • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loten%27s_sunbird • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_shrike • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_flameback • http://creationcrusade.weebly.com/incredible-ceatures-that-defy-evolution.html

References continued…

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-rumped_flameback • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_hawk-cuckoo • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brood_parasite • http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cuckoos-impersonate-hawks-by-matching-their-outfits • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_iora • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_babbler • http://www.conservationindia.org/resources/ethics • http://www.audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography