Feathered Neighbours: Exploring the World of Birds

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A loud call rings out from a tree. A flash of green and purple moves between flowers. Something tiny darts past your eyes before you can focus on it.

That loud call could be a white-cheeked barbet, sitting very still but sounding like it has endless energy. The quick flash likely was a sunbird, stopping at a flower for just a second to drink nectar. And that tiny blur may be a flowerpecker, one of India’s smallest birds, often gone before you even realise it was there. This is just a tiny glimpse of our planet’s incredible avian diversity. About 11,000 bird species have reportedly been described so far, and India is home to about 1,300 of these.

Across the planet, birds have adapted to diverse habitats including forests, wetlands, coasts, and even cities! This National Bird’s Day, let’s take a closer look at the incredible world of birds around us.

Lives of Birds

So what do birds do all day? Birds lead busy lives, and many of their behaviours are surprisingly complex. Every day involves finding food, avoiding danger, communicating, and raising their young.

Hornbills show one of the most unusual nesting behaviours among birds. When it is time to lay eggs, the female hornbill seals herself inside a hole in a tree using mud, fruit pulp, and droppings. Only a narrow opening is left. The male hornbill brings food to the nest every day until the chicks are ready to come out. This behaviour helps protect the eggs and chicks from predators.

Some birds are skilled builders. The baya weaver is an expert nest-maker. Males weave hanging nests from long strands of grass, knot by knot. They may build several nests at once, but only finish the one a female approves. If she rejects it, the bird simply starts again.

Others rely on clever tricks. Drongos are known as the tricksters of the bird world. By copying the alarm calls of other animals, they create confusion and steal food in the chaos that follows. These behaviors help birds live and survive in different environments and situations.

Bird Talk: Calls and Communication

Sound is one of the most important ways birds communicate with each other and understand their surroundings. A single bird can have different calls to warn of danger, attract mates, or defend territory. Some birds sing, while others use short calls or repeated sounds to send messages. These sounds are often so distinctive that people learn to recognise birds by their calls even before they see them.

For example, the Common Hawk-Cuckoo is often called the “brain fever bird” because its loud, repeating call sounds restless and urgent. The coppersmith barbet makes a steady metallic tapping sound that can be heard for long periods and hence the name. The red wattled lapwing sounds like it is accusing some with its call of “did he do it?, did he do it?”

The pied cuckoo, arrives in many parts of India just before the monsoon and is often recognised by both its call and its timing. And because its arrival coincides with seasonal rains, it holds a unique position in Indian stories and songs as a harbinger of rains.

Birds on the Move

Every year, lots of birds migrate to India crossing thousands of kilometers. When conditions become too harsh in their home regions, birds travel in search of food, shelter, and breeding grounds, and return home once the season changes.

Amur falcons stop in large numbers in the northeast on their 20,000 kilometer long journey from Northern China to South Africa! Check out this comic to learn how the amur falcons are celebrated when they stop in India during their long journey!

Can you imagine travelling thousands of kilometers every year without GPS or maps? Not all birds undertake such long journeys, many birds move much shorter distances, and some do not migrate at all. Migration depends on a bird’s species, habitat, and the seasons. Learn more about Migration here.

Birds in the Cities

While some birds travel thousands of kilometres, others have learned to live much closer to us, adapting to places shaped by people. House crows, common mynas, and rose-ringed parakeets have adapted to human presence with remarkable ease.

Pause for a moment and you’ll notice more. Our cities are alive with birdlife! Purple-rumped sunbirds dart between flowering plants, helping pollinate them, while black kites circle high above, keeping rodent populations in check. These birds show how deeply interconnected urban life and nature are! Check out this interactive resource to learn more about the birds around us!

Conservation

Birds are closely linked to the environments they live in, and shifts in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and coastlines are often reflected in the presence and absence of birds. Across India, habitat loss, pollution, climate change, poaching, and expanding infrastructure are making survival harder for many species. Protecting birds also means protecting the ecosystems they depend on.

Want to know more about these fascinating creatures? You don’t need to go far. Look out your window. Watch closely when you walk outside. A small patch of land, a roadside tree, or a nearby park can be full of birds.

Listen to their calls. Watch them fly, land, and move from place to place. The more you watch birds , the more you begin to understand them! Use this cool resource to get started!

Activity: Birds and States

We’re sure you know what India’s national bird is…that’s right, the Indian peafowl! But did you know that every Indian state and union territory has its own official bird?

Can you match the states below with their state birds?

States	Birds
1. Rajasthan	a. Great Indian Bustard
2. Kerala	b. Indian Roller
3. West Bengal	c. Greater Flamingo
4. Gujarat	d. Great Hornbill
5. Assam	e. White-throated Kingfisher
6. Karnataka	f. White-winged Wood Duck