A young girl recalls a story of bird feeders and kindness in summer heat.

From shy forest dwellers to confident neighbours, Indian peafowl are learning to live alongside people

Where happiness comes in small packages—the ever-delightful house sparrow. ************************************************************************************ We often ignore our immediate periphery in our quest for finding excitement. Just think of the house sparrows! As a kid, out of sheer ignorance, I recall embarrassingly how I plundered their nests. But now, I compensate by feeding their chicks, watering them, and sheltering them in their cushy abodes. In all this while, these humble birds never ever deserted their homes nor me...

Whenever that sweet tinkling sound traverses through my balcony, my entire mood rejuvenates. I crane my neck, investigating its source, and scan my lushy green enclave for a soft jingling song. Tracing the tsee…tseer… notes, I rejoice with delight on spotting the chirpy, cute, bundle of joy—the Indian White-Eye.

“Why didn’t you spot the Tiha today, dear?” That’s what my mother used to remind me on the New Year eves, when I was a little child like you. The Indian Roller bird, or the Tiha in Odia, is a very good omen. Believed to be a harbinger of happiness, sighting it is considered auspicious, especially at the beginning of any major life event. In fact, such is the faith in its sanctity that its feathers are preserved as lucky charms. Do you know Odisha, Telangana, and Karnataka have also declared it as their state bird?

If there is ever a bird that can rival even a hulk in roaring aloud, then that birdy has to be the Brown-Headed Barbet. This little creature’s blaring decibels can screech through the morning silence and can knock anyone out of their afternoon siesta as well. Its challenging, almost enticing, avian call proceeds like: tur-r-r-r kutrook-kutrook-kutrook...

If there was ever a parliament of birds, then this avian would have delivered the most vociferous speeches. No doubt quirky artists caricatured it in their popular Angry Birds game. I’m sure you all must have enjoyed playing this viral pastime and gotten amused by the perpetual furious look on the birds' faces. Recognised as the most argumentative bird, the Jungle Babbler couldn’t be named more aptly... 

This bird, the Oriental Magpie-Robin, is a master of vocabulary. It can mimic other birds and animals flawlessly. It is also as expressive and emotive as the late actor Irrfan Khan. It is vocal on emotions but expresses only when the need is unavoidable.

Its crown extends with a fineness and style as some royal aristocratic headgear. But the cinnamon-coloured plumage induces earthiness to its attitude. As it humbly blends into the woods, its black-white stripes flash a regal reminder. And as it walks thoughtfully on the ground, ‘hoopoe’ is what we admire.

Birds migrate thousands of kilometres every year. Why do they undertake such perilous journeys?