Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher caught our eyes at the Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary.
Meera Bhardwaj:
This small passerine bird was hip-hopping over bamboo at this famous bird sanctuary (declared as Ramsar Site in August 2022) even as the Cauvery River was brimming over with copious monsoons.
In the first edition of “Know Your Species” Green Minute will be introducing well known, common, native, rare and migratory bird species. We will also provide details, information and exclusive photos on many species from the spot.
With its prolific bamboo groves, the Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is a haven for a variety of birds.
Located on the Cauvery River bank, the sanctuary is a big support system for native and migratory bird species who migrate from cold winters in Siberia and Europe.
Between June-November, one can see many bird species including migratory birds thronging, nesting and breeding in the six islands at this sanctuary located in Srirangapatna taluk, Karnataka, India.
The dense bamboo groves provide a perfect retreat for the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and can be seen moving about very frequently.
At the river’s edge, the waters ebbs and flows and we can see insects which come to feed.
In the cooler and shaded parts of the vegetation abounding the river, we can see the Tickell’s blue flycatcher feeding on the insects merrily.
This insectivorous flycatcher is an attractive bird with blue upper parts while it is orangish in the throat and chest. The rest of the underparts are white.
Breeding in tropical Asia from the Indian sub-continent to Bangladesh to Myanmar, they are found in dense scrublands to forest areas.
Sitting with an upright posture, the Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher usually forages in dense overgrowths.
These flycatchers feed on flying and crawling insects including termites and earwigs.
Many subspecies are found in South and South-East Asia with variations in its size and plumages.
More than half of the bird species are passerines (Order: Passeriformes) that is perching birds with three of their toes pointing forward and one backward.
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher is a medium sized Passerine and listed this con-specific species as of Least Concern under IUCN Red List.
(PHOTO CREDITS: ALL IMAGES BY MEERA BHARDWAJ)