Birds of the Indian Hills Part 14

The most beautiful of all the flycatchers is _Terpsiphone paradisi_--the paradise-flycatcher, or ribbon-bird, as it is often called. This is fairly abundant on the Nilgiris. The c.o.c.k in the full glory of his adult plumage is a truly magnificent object. His crested head is metallic blue-black. This stands out in sharp contrast to the remainder of the plumage, which is as white as snow. Two of his tail feathers, being 12 inches longer than the others, hang down like satin streamers. Young c.o.c.ks are chestnut instead of white. Birds in both phases of plumage breed. The hen has the metallic blue-black crested head, but she lacks the elongated tail feathers. Her plumage is chestnut, like that of the young c.o.c.k. In both the hen and the young c.o.c.k the breast is white. As "Eha" remarks, the hen looks very like a bulbul.

THE t.u.r.dIDae OR THRUSH FAMILY

This heterogeneous family includes thrushes, chats, robins, accentors, and dippers.

The southern pied bush-chat (_Pratincola atrata_) is one of the commonest and most familiar birds of the Nilgiris. It frequents gardens and is often found near houses: hence it is known as the hill-robin. The c.o.c.k is clothed in black except the lower part of the back, the under parts, and a bar on the wing, which are white.

Those parts that are black in the c.o.c.k are brown in the hen, while her back and under parts are russet instead of white, but the white bar on the wing persists. This species lives on insects. It dwells in low shrubs and captures its quarry on the ground. It nests in a hole in a bank or well, lining the same with gra.s.s or hair. But summer visitors to the hills are not likely to come across the eggs, because these are usually hatched before May.

The Nilgiri blackbird (_Merula simillima_) is very like the blackbird of England. The plumage of the c.o.c.k, however, is not so black, and the legs, instead of being brown, are reddish. Its charming song, with which all who have visited Ootacamund are familiar, is almost indistinguishable from that of its European cousin.

The Nilgiri thrush (_Oreocincla nilgirensis_) resembles the European thrush in appearance. Its upper plumage is pale brown, spotted with black and buff; its throat and abdomen are white with black drops.

This bird has a fine powerful song, but he who wishes to hear it has usually to resort to one of the forests on the plateau of the Nilgiris.

THE PLOCEIDae OR WEAVER-BIRD FAMILY

This family includes the weaver-birds, famous for their wonderful hanging retort-shaped nests, and the munias, of which the amadavat or _lal_ is familiar to every resident of India as a cage bird.

The weaver-birds do not ascend the hills, but several species of munia are found on the Nilgiris. Spotted munias (_Uroloncha punctulata_) are abundant in the vicinity of both c.o.o.noor and Ootacamund. They occur in flocks on closely-cropped gra.s.sland. They feed on the ground.

They are tiny birds, not much larger than white-eyes. The upper plumage is chocolate brown, becoming a rich chestnut about the head and neck, while the breast and abdomen are mottled black and white, hence the popular name. The black spots on the breast and abdomen cause these to look like the surface of a nutmeg grater; for that reason this munia is sometimes spoken of as the nutmeg-bird. The rufous-bellied munia (_Uroloncha pectoralis_) occurs abundantly a little below c.o.o.noor, but does not appear to ascend so high as Ootacamund. Its upper parts are chocolate brown, save the feathers above the tail, which Oates describes as "glistening fulvous." The wings and tail are black, as are the cheeks, chin, and throat. The lower parts are pinkish brown. The stout bill is slaty blue. Like the spotted munia, this species is considerably smaller than a sparrow.

The Indian red-munia or red waxbill or _lal_ (_Sporaeginthus amandava_) is another very small bird. Its bill and eyes are bright red. Over its brown plumage are dotted many tiny white spots. There are also some large patches of red or crimson, notably one on the rump. The amount of crimson varies considerably; in the breeding season nearly the whole of the upper plumage of the c.o.c.k is crimson.

Amadavats go about in flocks and utter a cheeping note during flight.

Their happy hunting grounds are tangles of long gra.s.s. Amadavats occur all over the Nilgiris.

THE FRINGILLIDae OR FINCH FAMILY

Finches are seed-eating birds characterised by a stout bill, which is used for husking grain.

The common sparrow (_Pa.s.ser domesticus_) is the best known member of the finch family. Most of us see too much of him. He is to be observed in every garden on the Nilgiris, looking as though the particular garden in which he happens to be belongs to him. As a rule, sparrows nest about houses, but numbers of them breed in the steep cuttings on the road between c.o.o.noor and Ootacamund.

The only other finch common on the Nilgiris is the rose-finch (_Carpodacus erythrinus_). This, however, is only a winter visitor: it departs from the Nilgiris in April and does not return until the summer season is over.

THE HIRUNDINIDae OR SWALLOW FAMILY

This family includes the swallows and the martins.

The swallows commonly found on the Nilgiris in summer are the Nilgiri house-swallow (_Hirundo javanica_) and the red-rumped or mosque swallow (_H. erythropygia_). I regret to have to state that Oates has saddled the latter with the name "Sykes's striated swallow"; he was apparently seduced by the sibilant alliteration!

Those two swallows are easily distinguished. The latter is the larger bird; its upper parts are glossy steel-blue, except the rump, which is of chestnut hue. The house-swallow has the rump glossy black, but it displays a good deal of red about the head and neck.

In the cold weather the European swallow and two species of martin visit the Nilgiris.

THE MOTACILLIDae OR WAGTAIL FAMILY

In the winter several kinds of wagtail visit the Nilgiris, but only one species remains all the year round. This is the beautiful pied wagtail (_Motacilla maderaspatensis_), of which the charming song must be familiar to all residents of Madras. On the Nilgiris the bird is not sufficiently common to require more than pa.s.sing notice.

The pipits are members of the wagtail family. They have not the lively colouring of the wagtails, being clothed, like skylarks, in homely brown, spotted or streaked with dark brown or black. They have the wagtail trick of wagging the tail, but they perform the action in a half-hearted manner.

The two pipits most often seen on the Nilgiris in summer are the Nilgiri pipit (_Anthus nilgirensis_) and the Indian pipit (_A.

rufulus_). I know of no certain method of distinguis.h.i.+ng these two species without catching them and examining the hind toe. This is much shorter in the former than in the latter species. The Nilgiri pipit goes about singly or in pairs, and, although it frequents gra.s.sy land, it usually keeps to cover and flies into a tree or bush when alarmed. It is confined to the highest parts of the Nilgiris. The Indian pipit affects open country and seems never to perch in trees.

THE ALAUDIDae OR LARK FAMILY

The Indian skylark (_Alauda gulgula_) is common on the Nilgiris.

Wherever there is a gra.s.sy plain this species is found. Like the English skylark, it rises to a great height in the air, and there pours forth its fine song.

To the ordinary observer the Indian skylark is indistinguishable from its European congener.

The other common lark of the Nilgiris is the Malabar crested lark (_Galerita cristata_). This is in shape and colouring very like the Indian skylark, but is easily distinguished by the pointed crest that projects upwards and backwards from the hind part of the head. The crested lark has a pretty song, which is often poured forth when the bird is in the air. This species does not soar so high as the skylark.

Like the latter, it frequents open s.p.a.ces.

THE NECTARINIDae OR SUNBIRD FAMILY

A bird of the plains which is to be seen in every Nilgiri garden is the beautiful little purple sunbird (_Arachnecthra asiatica_). He flits about in the sunbeams, pa.s.sing from flower to flower, extracting with his long tubular tongue the nectar hidden away in their calyces.

He is especially addicted to gladioli. His head gets well dusted with yellow pollen, which he carries like a bee from one bloom to another.

In the case of flowers with very deep calyces, he sometimes makes short cut to the honey by piercing with his sharp curved bill a hole in the side through which to insert the tongue. The c.o.c.k purple sunbird needs no description. His glistening metallic plumage compels attention. He is usually accompanied by his spouse, who is earthy brown above and pale yellow below.

The other sunbird commonly seen in hill-gardens is one appropriately named the tiny sun bird or honeysucker (_Arachnecthra minima_), being less than two-thirds the size of a sparrow. As is usual with sunbirds, the c.o.c.k is attired more gaily than the hen. He is a veritable feathered exquisite. Dame Nature has lavished on his diminutive body most of the hues to be found in her well-stocked paint-box. His forehead and crown are metallic green. His back is red, crimson on the shoulders. His lower plumage might be a model for the colouring of a Neapolitan ice-cream; from the chin downwards it displays the following order of colours: lilac, crimson, black, yellow. The hen is brown above, with a dull red rump, and yellow below.

The purple-rumped sunbird (_Arachnecthra zeylonica_), which is very abundant in and about Madras, does not ascend the Nilgiris above 3000 feet. Loten's sunbird (_A. lotenia_) ventures some 2500 feet higher, and has been seen in the vicinity of c.o.o.noor. This species is in colouring almost indistinguishable from the purple sunbird, but its long beak renders it unmistakable.

THE DICaeIDae OR FLOWER-p.e.c.k.e.r FAMILY

Flower-p.e.c.k.e.rs, like sunbirds, are feathered exquisites. The habits of the two families are very similar, save that flower-p.e.c.k.e.rs dwell among the foliage of trees, while sunbirds, after the manner of b.u.t.terflies, sip the nectar from flowers that grow near the ground.

Every hill-garden can boast of one or two flower-p.e.c.k.e.rs. These are among the smallest birds in existence. They are as restless as they are diminutive. So restless are they that it is very difficult to follow their movements through field-gla.s.ses, and they are so tiny that without the aid of field-gla.s.ses it is difficult to see them among the foliage in which they live, move, and have their being.

These elusive mites continually utter a sharp _chick-chick-chick_.

Two species are common on the Nilgiris.

They are known as the Nilgiri flower-p.e.c.k.e.r (_Dicaeum concolor_) and Tickell's flower-p.e.c.k.e.r (_D. erythrorhynchus_). The latter is the more numerous. Both are olive-green birds, paler below than above.

Tickell's species has the bill yellow: in the other the beak is lavender blue.

THE PICIDae OR WOODp.e.c.k.e.r FAMILY

Woodp.e.c.k.e.rs are birds that feed exclusively on insects, which they pick off the trunks of trees. They move about over the bark with great address. Whether progressing upwards, downwards, or sideways, the head is always pointed upwards.

For some reason or other there is a paucity of woodp.e.c.k.e.rs on the Nilgiris. The Indian Empire can boast of no fewer than fifty-four species; of these only six patronise the Nilgiris, and but two appear to ascend higher than 5000 feet. The only woodp.e.c.k.e.r that I have noticed in the vicinity of c.o.o.noor is Tickell's golden-backed woodp.e.c.k.e.r (_Chrysocolaptes gutticristatus_). I apologise for the name; fortunately the bird never has to sign it in full. This woodp.e.c.k.e.r is a magnificent bird, over a foot in length, being 1 inch longer than the golden-backed species found in Madras itself.

The c.o.c.k has a crimson crest, the sides of the head and neck and the under parts are white, relieved by black streaks that run longitudinally. The back and wings appear golden olive in the shade, and when the sun s.h.i.+nes on them they become a beautiful coppery red.

The lower part of the back is crimson. The tail is black. The hen differs from the c.o.c.k in having the crest black. When these birds fly, their wings make much noise. The species utters a high-pitched but somewhat faint screaming note.