Majority
of the world’s human population lives in
urban areas. Urban features like less natural environment, air & water
pollution, loss of wildlife habitats, habitat fragmentation has lead to
numerous negative impacts on urban biodiversity. Such urban habitat supports
limited birds and animals. Some of the common urban birds are - Bulbul, Myna, Blue
rock pigeon, Oriental Magpie Robin, Crow, Green Bee-eater, Ashy prinia, Black Kite
and some less common are White-throated Kingfisher, Common Swift, Rose
ringed parakeet, Tailor bird, Shikra among others.
Birds
can be studied in urban ecosystems because they are highly visible.Study on
birds ecology can also shed light on how healthy our urban ecosystem is.Birds
and animals occupy any habitat which can supply food, shelter and suitable
conditions for breeding.
Bird
of prey is known as Raptor. Raptors are distinguished by keen vision, powerful
talons and beaks. Keen vision help them in finding food during flight, talons
or strong feet are for holding food, and a strong curved beak for tearing flesh.
Raptors are mostly diurnal i.e active during the daytime. Some raptors are
crepuscular implies active primarily during twilight.
Raptors
have a distinguished style of hunting. They use stealth and speed to sneak up
on their prey, and once in range, pursue with a great burst of speed, often
weaving deftly through tree branches and other obstacles while keeping their
eyes trained on their quarry.
There are some small
to medium sized bird of prey like Falcons and Baza. These feed upon small
mammals, insects, reptiles, small birds and carrion.
Large bird of prey
includes Eagles, Vultures, Hawks, Osprey. Their mainly feed upon insects,
birds, reptiles, medium-sized mammals, amphibians, fish, crabs, with some on
carrion.
Let us try to identify
some of these raptors, through their distinctive features. Some of these can be
spotted in urban areas but others in urban peripheral areas with open
grasslands, cultivation and hills.
1. Black kite
Local Name-Ghaar
It is world’s most
abundant bird of prey & widespread resident of India.
It is a medium-sized
raptor .,
The plumage varies
from moderate to dark brown with irregular light-brown markings
which appears black,
from a distance. The tail is forked .The eye is dark brown and the bill is
black with a yellow cere (area of skin around the nostrils). Both sexes are
similar. Young Black Kites are generally lighter in colour than the adults, and
have a comparatively shallower forked tail.
You can easily spot
this raptor hovering in sky over river waters of Pune.
2. Black winged Kite
Local name- Kapashi
This is a small sized
beautiful raptor. It has strikingly white colour with black shoulder patches.
It has rather long wing span which are visible in flight. It has owl like forward-facing
eyes with red irises.
This is not a
migratory bird but makes short-distance movements in response to weather.
Black winged kite can
be seen in open grasslands or grassland interspersed with agricultural fields
or scattered trees.
3. Brahminy
Kite
Local Name- Brahmini
It is a medium sized raptor.
It has distinctive colour with chestnut plumage except for the white head and
breast and black wing tips, which makes them easy to distinguish from other
birds of prey.
They are found mainly
on the coast and in inland wetlands.
It is primarily a
scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs but occasionally hunts live
prey such as hares and bats.
4.Shikra
Local
Name-Shikra
Shikra is small bird of prey. Adults
male have greyish upperparts and whitish underside with fine rufous bars .Adult
females have brownish upperparts
and heavier barring on the underparts.
Males have a red iris
while the females have yellowish orange iris .
The shikra is found
in a wide range of habitats including forests, farmland and urban areas.
5.Common Kestrel
Local Name-Kharuchi
It is a small bird of
prey. It has long wings and a distinctive long tail.
Male has greyish head,chestnut
brown upperside streaked with blackish spots, pale yellow with narrow blackish
streaks on the underside and grey tail..
Female and juvenile have rufous
crown, rufous upperparts heavily streaked with brown and black bars on rufous
tail.
Female has comparatively more
black spots and streaks. The cere ( structure at the base of the bill), feet,
and a narrow ring around the eye are bright yellow.
Common kestrels have a prominent
black malar stripe,which is the markings immediately beneath the eye which
serve as important distinguishing features between species or individuals.
Its habitat is cultivation,
grassland, shrubland and it readily adapts to human settlement, as long as
sufficient vegetative cover is available.
Common kestrels feed almost totally
on mouse-sized mammals & occasionally on small birds and lizards.
6.Indian Vulture
Local
Name-Gidhad
A robust and scruffy
scavenger which was very common once but now on the verge of extinction .It is
a large bird of prey.
The feathers on the
back and upperwings are brown, fading to cream on the underside. The thighs are
feathered, matching the underside.
It has a pale yellow
bill, pale eye rings and a sturdy, black neck and head, with pale down and a
white neck-ruff.
As a scavenger, the
Indian vulture feeds mainly on carrion from both urban and rural landscapes.
It nests in small
colonies, usually on cliffs and ruins. The Indian vulture once used to inhabit
cities, towns and villages near cultivated areas, as well as open and wooded
areas .
It is critically
endangered species on the verge of extinction. The cause of the rapid decline
in the population was traced to the drug diclofenac, which is lethal to
vultures when they consume the carcasses of dead animals treated with it.
Declofenac is used to increase milk production in cattle.
Vultures constituted
the natural animal disposal system played an important role in public
sanitation and their disappearance has resulted in a number of problems.
7. Short toed snake eagle
Local
Name- Garuda
It is a medium sized
raptor. They can be recognised in the field by their predominantly white
underside, the upper parts being greyish brown. The chin, throat and upper
breast are a pale, earthy brown. The tail has 3 or 4 bars. Additional
indications are an owl like rounded head, brightly yellow eyes.
It is generally seen
soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on wind thermals.
Its prey is mostly
reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards.
It is found in open
cultivated plains, arid deciduous scrub areas , foothills and semi-desert
areas. It requires trees for nesting and open habitats, such as cultivation and grasslands for foraging.
Birds of prey are predators at the top of the food
chain & referred as indicator species. The raptors also play an important
ecological role as scavengers ,
control populations of rodents and other small mammals.
They are especially vulnerable to environmental
influences, pesticides, drought and habitat loss and changes in their population size can give us
early warning regarding the health of the environment.
(This article has been appeared in "Tell Tail" Magazine Feb-Apr 2017 issue)
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