Aug 21
by Admin in Bangalore 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Baya, Baya weaver, Bird, finch, male, Nikon, Nikon D750, Tamron, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, Weaver, Weaver bird, wings

Baya Weaver Male

The male bird, the master craftsman who builds a nest that can last a full season – upto 3 months for its usage and then abandoned for other birds like silverbill etc which use the abandoned nests. The whole activity of building the nests is to woo a mate. The nests are made of blades of grass that are bought and weaved together to make a looped attachment to a branch or a hanging cable, different chambers and a tube shaped entrance.  The weaver birds are also known to knot together the grass blades using their beak…at times even doing a reverse knot. To build a nest the bird makes on an average anything upwards of 500 trips.
Read More
Aug 21
by Admin in Bangalore 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, black, black-headed, colored, headed, munia, Nikon, Nikon D750, Tamron, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, Tri colored, wings

Black headed munia

Tricolored munia just about to take a dip in the water. A small cute bird of roughly 12 cm in length. They feed on grains like grass seeds, rice, millet. They feed from the ground or use their claws to climb the grass blades and feed from the seed heads. Seen around swamps, marshes, grass land, rice fields. These birds lives together in small / large flocks. It is sometimes observed to use the nest of streaked weaver.
Read More
Aug 21
by Admin in Bangalore 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, male, Nikon, Nikon D750, Oriental White eye, Purple rumped sunbird, sun, sunbird, Tamron, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, white eye, wings

Purplerumped and Oriental White eye

Here you could see that the Oriental white eye is on the left and the sunbird male is on the right, both showing their back. The sunbird gets to move towards the white eye you can see the reaction of the whiteeye is to move back. This white eye is small (about 8–9 cm long) with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring, yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. The sexes look similar. They forage in small groups, feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upper parts. The purple rumped sunbird is also a small about 8-10 cm long bird, roughly the size of a humming bird. These small birds are usually seen feeding on the nectar from flowers, using their curved bill / beak.
Read More
Aug 21
by Admin in Bangalore 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Baya, Baya weaver, Bird, female, finch, Nikon, Nikon D750, Tamron, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, Weaver, Weaver bird, wings

Baya Weaver, Female

This is an image of the Baya waver, female. The weaver birds are known for their nests which is a marvel to look at and admire. The nests are generally built on areas palm, acacia or other thorny varieties. These are primarily seed eaters, and their IUCN category is least concern. The female of the species is easily identified by the lack of the yellow crown on the head (more visible during breeding season). The build – beak etc are like munias and share quite a few of their habits. The role of the female in building the nests is nothing in the start but once she inspects and accepts a nest and the male as the mate, it is the female bird which completes the nest.
Read More
Aug 21
by Admin in Bangalore 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, bellied, Bird, munia, Nikon, Nikon D750, scaly, Scaly Bellied Munia, Scaly Breasted Munia, Tamron, Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, wings

Scaly breasted munia

This is another tiny 11-12 centimeter bird with a large black stubby, conical beak is a predominantly feeds on grass seeds, millet, rice etc. They have adopted to feeding off tall weeds and even those seeds that have fallen off on the grounds. They are a social species known to roost together and are also seen with a flock of other munias too. They usually feed together and initially a few birds will move ahead and then a few of the other set of birds move. These birds are known with different names such as Spice finch, Nutmeg mannikin etc. These are marked as least concern as per IUCN. These birds are caught for pet trade.
Read More