intro to birds and birdwatching

7/24/2019 Intro to Birds and Birdwatching

1/5

AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRDS AND BIRDWATCHING

Version 0.1

4 Feb 2015

This presentation has been created for the Bird Count India partnership.It is meant for download

and use in educational and outreach efforts. ou are free to modif! it to suit specific purposes

and audiences. This presentation is being distributed on the understanding that none of the

material it contains will be used for commercial purposes, and that in all cases photograph

credits must be retained in any modified version."ost of the photo#raphs in this presentation

ha$e been used with the specific permission of the photo#rapher. %thers ha$e been downloaded

from the internet& for these we apolo#i'e for not ha$in# obtained ad$ance permission. If !our

photo appears in this presentation( and !ou wish to ha$e it remo$ed( please write to

birdcountindia)#mail.comand we will replace it.

The followin# te*t contains notes that are meant to help !ou decide what to sa! while displa!in#

each slide. +lease adapt as !ou see fit,

Slide 1 [Title]

Slide 2 PART- I: ABOUT INDIAN BIRDS

Slide 3: India is a hi#hl! di$erse countr!( rich in birdlife. Birds of all shapes( si'es and colours

inhabit our countr!. From the small munia to the lar#e -arus cranes. Birds in this slide/ hite/

rumped "unia and -arus Crane

Slide 4: From the cosmopolitan "!na to the erdon3s Courser/ one of the rarest birds in the

world( nown from onl! one location in ndhra +radesh,

Slide 5: From the sober and nondescript 6il#iri Flowerpecer to the ma#nificent 7imala!an

"onal

Slide 6: nd from birds which li$e in sun/baed deserts to birds that hide in the shade of dense

forests. Birds in this slide/ 8reater 7oopoe/lar and 9!ebrowed ren/babbler

Slide : India is home to o$er 1200 species of birds, Birds in this slide :clocwise;< 8reat

Indian Bustard( Forest %wlet( 6arcondam 7ornbill( Bu#un =iocichla and Brown 6odd!

Slide !: ith such an astoundin# di$ersit!( it is no surprise that birds also form a stron# part of

our m!tholo#! and culture. The 8aruda( the vahanaof =ord Vishnu is thou#ht to be inspired

from the Brahmin! >ite.

1 of 5
http://www.birdcount.in/http://www.birdcount.in/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.birdcount.in/


2/5

Slide ": =iewise( here3s ata!u :from ?ama!ana; who sacrificed his life to sa$e -ita from the

clutches of ?a$ana( was thou#ht to be a $ulture.

Slide 1#: part from m!tholo#!( different birds are held in hi#h re#ards in re#ional follore andculture. The -arus Crane is a s!mbol of fidelit! and marital prosperit! in 6orth India. These

cranes li$e in pairs and it is belie$ed that if one of the cranes dies( the other loses its life in #rief.

7ornbills( too( ha$e inspired man! traditional fol stories amon# the tribes of 6orth/east India.

Slide 11: @ifferent birds ha$e different wa!s of life/ some feed on #rains( some on insects( some

on fruits( fish( meat or Aust about an!thin#,The shape of the bea is indicati$e of a bird3s diet.

Slide 12: =ie the Curlew( a bird found around wetlands and coasts catches small insects and

crustaceans b! probin# the sand with its lon# and cur$ed bea. The Crossbill( found in some

parts of the 7imala!as has a uniue wa! of findin# food. It specialises on the seeds of firs and

pines( which it e*tracts b! pushin# its bea into the #aps of pinecones and pullin# them open.

The -immer( which is found in ri$ers( also has a distincti$e bea. The upper bea is shorter than

the lower one. The simmer open its mouth partl! and #lides and sims Aust o$er the water such

that all fish are scooped into its mouth. The %spre! is a specialist fish/eater and it uses its sharp(

hooed bea to cut the fish open.

Birds in this slide :clocwise;< 9urasian Curlew( ?ed Crossbill( %spre! and Indian -immer

Slide 13: The power of fli#ht #i$es birds the rare abilit! to fl! across continents :without a Visa

or passport,;. 6o tal about bird mi#ration is complete without a mention of the rctic tern

:which doesn3t normall! occur in India;. This bird holds the distinction of mi#ratin# from onepole to the other, It spends its summer in the rctic and when the winter be#ins to #et harsh it

mi#rates all the wa! across to ntarctic. This wa!( it also holds the record of seein# the

ma*imum amount of da!li#ht amon# all animals,

popular mi#rant in our countr! is the mur Falcon which mi#rates from ?ussia to -outh frica

$ia India. The! con#re#ate in countless numbers in 6ortheast India where the! tae a pit/stop to

prepare for the lon# Aourne! :o$er the rabian -ea; ahead.

Birds in this slide< rctic Tern and mur Falcon

Slide 14: Birds also li$en up our bac!ards and forests with their beautiful son#s. The son# of

the "alabar histlin# Thrush is so reminiscent of a human whistle that @r. -alim li nicnamed

the bird( the Idle -choolbo!3. The resonant call of the Indian Cucoo is also a common sound in

the forests durin# the summer. Clic on the sound icons to pla! the calls.

2 of 5


3/5

Slide 15: 7owe$er( despite their beaut!( their enli$enin# nature and abo$e all( their reli#ious and

cultural $alues birds face #ra$e threats from humans. 7umans mercilessl! hunt birds and ca#e

them to sell them as pets. The picture abo$e :top left; is from 6a#aland where an estimated

1(20(000 falcons were massacred, Below is the infamous e*ample of $ultures. our parentswould tell !ou that $ultures were as common as crows durin# their da!s. But o$er the course of

Aust a decade the! ha$e $anished due to chemical poisonin#. The situation of the 8reat Indian

Bustard is particularl! #rim. e3$e encroached upon its #rassland home and de$eloped

a#riculture( industries etc.s a conseuence less than 200 bustards remain in the whole world, If

we do not act now( our bac!ards( our forests and our laes would soon be bereft our the si#ht

and sound of birds.

The first step towards sa$in# an!thin# is to now watch it( obser$e it and now more about it/

which is what we aim to do in the rest of the presentation.

Slide 16: The pre$ious slides would ha$e con$inced !ou all that birds indeed are $er! deli#htful

creatures. 7ence( birdwatchin#( which is the acti$it! of spendin# time in nature and obser$in#

birds( is a hobb! that is becomin# popular all o$er the world. "an! birdwatchers would tell !ou

that it is the best hobb! the! ha$e culti$ated, =ie this uote from D-/based website

birdwatchin#.com puts it( birds are a window to 6ature,

Slide 1: Birds do not reuire an intensi$e search. The!3re all around us( e$en in cities. 9$en if

!ou loo outside !our window( !ou will find up to 5/10 common birds. lso( birdin# reuires no

special euipment. pair of binoculars and a noteboo should suffice.

Slide 1!: Binoculars are most important for birdin#. For starters( one could bu! a pocet/si'ed

binoculars :E*21 or E*25 ma#nification; but for lon#/term use a pair of E*40 or 10*50

binoculars is a must. #ood pair of binoculars :please do not bu! binocs of ?ussian Chinese

mae,; cost o$er ?s. G000( so ensure that !ou con$ince !our parents to #ift them to !ou on !our

birthda!, bird boo :also called field #uide3; is uintessential to help !ou identif! the birds

that !ou see. 6owada!s( these are easil! a$ailable at an! boo shop or on an online store.

9uall! important is a small field noteboo :a pocet/si'ed diar!; to write !our obser$ations. If

!ou3re #ood at setchin#( !ou could also setch details of a bird that !ou enAo!ed watchin# or

could not identif!. field noteboo is the most for#otten commodit!( but e*perienced( $eteran

birders will tell !ou how birdin# is practicall! meanin#less without main# notes.

3 of 5


4/5

Slide 1": =ie I said earlier birds can be found an!where( e$en around !our cities. But different

species of birds are adapted to different homes :habitats;. ou could set out to a nearb! forest or

$isit a wildlife sanctuar! durin# !our $acations to watch birds.

Slide 2#: If !ou belon# to a dr! area( !ou could also #o to #rassland to watch birds. ou3ll be

surprised to now how man! species !ou can see in a #rassland. nd these will be completel!

different than what !ou saw in the forest.

Slide 21: Birds also occur in hills and mountains. "ountains in fact ha$e some of the species

that are not found an!where else.

Slide 22: local wetland is often the best place to start !our birdin# ad$entures. @urin# winters

when mi#rator! birds $isit our countr!( !ou3ll be able to see plent! of ducs. @o not for#et to

carr! a #ood pair of binoculars as birds are liel! to be far awa!.

Slide 23: If !ou happen to $isit the coast on an! of !our $acations( do loo for birds durin# a

ferr! ride or durin# a wal at the beach. Birdin# alon# a beach can be the most deli#htful past/

time.

Slide$ 24 t% !4:+?T H II< C%""%6 I6@I6 BI?@-

Slide !5: +?T/ III< B9%6@ BI?@I68

Slide !6: Birdin# was populari'ed in India b! the British. -ince then birdin# has become a

popular hobb! in India and has further piced up in modern times. @espite the #rowth of

birdwatchers in India( we still lac basic understandin# of most of our birds. The distribution

maps that !ou see in field #uides is often inaccurate because the! are produced from museum

specimens and scientific literature( not from da!/to/da! obser$ations made b! birdwatchers.

"i#rator! routes and seasonal occurrence are nown at the countr!/le$el. But #i$en the $astness

of our countr!( there is $er! hi#h local $ariation. =iewise( the abundances of e$en the most

common species $ar! across the countr!. =astl!( toda!3s world is a human/modified world. Thus

it becomes important to now how our local birds will be affected b! de$elopment.

Slide !: The distance between birdwatchin#3 and bird monitorin#3 is of Aust one step. The

brid#e that connects the two is Citi'en -cience3. In this concept( citi'ens act as scientists b!

collectin# information throu#h their re#ular birdin# trips and upload their si#htin#s on a common

platform. s thousands of birdwatchers from all o$er the countr! participate in such an e*ercise(

a lot of data is #athered& at least 20 times more than an! ornitholo#ist can collect on his own,

Citi'en science is a common practice in se$eral other countries( and we must help it #row in

India.

4 of 5


5/5

Slide !!: %ne e*ample of Citi'en -cience in India is "i#rantatch3. -hown abo$e is a map of

+ied Cucoo distribution as it chan#es with the onset of the -outh/est monsoon. hat was

onl! nown to be a local belief was pro$en b! the citi'en contributors,

Slide !": nother Citi'en -cience initiati$e which has recentl! re$olutioni'ed birdin# is eBird.

eBird.or# was started b! the Cornell =ab of %rnitholo#! :D-;. 7ere birdwatchers can upload

checlists from their birdin# trips. eBird then #athers data on bird distribution and abundance

from these lists and also disseminates this information for public and scientific use. 6ot onl!

that( it is also a useful resource to eep a permanent cop! of all !our birdin# records,

Slide "#: t the clic of a button( one can $iew the distribution and abundance of different

species found not onl! in India but all o$er the world. 7ere is a map of 7ouse -parrow from

India. It is interestin# to note that the 7ouse -parrow is less common in -outh India than in

6orth India/ an information that one does not #et in a con$entional field #uide map. nd I a#ainreiterate( that this is completel! based on information contributed b! birdwatchers( and not

scientists, 7ence I3d lie to encoura#e !ou to use eBird. If a lot of us participate( our nowled#e

would soon match up to :if not surpass; that of British or 6orth merican le$els.

Slide "1: Before we end( I want to inform !ou about the on/#oin# 8reat Bac!ard Bird Count.

This is a #lobal e$ent( held e$er! !ear from 1Gth/1thFeb( where birdwatchers #o birdin# :or

simpl! loo out of their classroom windows for 15mins,; and upload as man! bird lists of 15

mins or more on eBird. Throu#h this( we #et an annual snapshot of the no. of species occurrin#

in each part of the planet, =ast !ear( 1G5 countries had participated amon# which India raned

6o.1 in the no. of species recorded,

Slide "2: The rules are e*tremel! simple. ust #o birdin# an!where, It could be !our bac!ard(

school( campus( lae or a nearb! #arden. Count birds for 15 or more minutes and upload !our list

to eBird. This !ear( we ha$e also or#ani'ed a Campus Bird Count3 which is an e*ercise to

document birds in !our school or colle#e campus( !our housin# societ! or an! such place. -o #et

to#ether a bunch of enthusiastic people and send them to different parts of !our 3campus3 and

encoura#e them to list birds.

5 of 5

intro to birds and birdwatching

Documents