Birds found in Kerala-Kerala golden-backed woodpecker

General description-

Backside-greenish-yellow colour body and tail having same colour-black.their sound goes as “kler-kler-kler-kle-kle-kle”.male-head region is red 'female-part of head region and scalp are red.

There are about 12 varieties of woodpeckers found in Kerala out of which there is the sparrow-sized speckled piculet to the crow sized great black woodpecker.colourn variations between them are astounding.Almost all of them have a ‘cap’ above their heads.

Their legs have a unique pattern of toe arrangement seen only in them, with two toes facing forwards and two toes facing backwards and have sharp claws for gripping the bark of trees.The sharp and strong feathers that they have in their tail feathers act as extra insurance in the form of grip when these birds are climbing trees vertically.

They have specialties in their tongues and beaks in that the beaks acts as a multipurpose tool for foraging and nest building.Their tongues are peculiar to any other bird tongue in that their tongues originate from the forehead region and passes between the eyes through special tubes and end in the throat.Their tongues are used in astonishing speed and accuracy to collect worms and insects from deep burrows in tree trunks.

Their courtship music comprises of trumpet music from hollow trunks produced by the stamping of beaks.

They built nests by chiseling out small pieces of bark out of the wood just like a carpenter does.when the nest is complete they lay their their eggs on the floor of the nests just like mynah's.

The woodpecker that is being discussed here is common in all parts of Kerala and is seen in almost every backyards.

External links:

Birds found in Kerala-INDIAN KOEL

Indian koel :-
Scientific name:- eudynamys scolopacea
General features:-

Female sometimes known as spotted koel.male with red eyes and black body.female is brown coloured or reddish brown in colour with white dots or lines covering the body.

Malayalam names:- (കുയില്,കാക്കകുയില്,കോകിലം)

male female

There are many varieties of koel in Kerala.the common sounds of ‘koovu-koovu,are of the common koel.there are many mystical stories about koels in Kerala,one of them being that they bring “red-eye” diseases for children.

Most of the members of the koel family have a characteristic behavior for them.They don’t build nests themselves but utilizes the space and care of other bird,mothers, by laying eggs in their nests and letting them raise their young ones.

The Indian koel usually lays eggs in the crow,s nests.when the time for nesting comes a female koel searches for a suitable nest for laying.they lay their eggs in the crows nest when they go for foraging or when a time comes when the crow pair is not in the nests vicinity or by outsmarting them by tricks.they lay their eggs quickly among the crows eggs.

By way of evolution,the eggs of both crows and koels have been designed to look alike and so the poor crow pair usually never notices one or more of the koels eggs among their own and start incubating them all.

Immediately after the koel egg hatches some extraordinary and terrible(or so) things happen in the crows nest.before even their eyes open the koel chick vibrates or spasms out vigorously and pushes out the other crow eggs which have not still hatched and ensures that the fod the crow pair collects will be available for it.this is a phenomenon which have been perfected by the koel chicks to ensure the survival of its kind.this behavior is said to be an involuntary natural response to its kind perfected over the years(evolutionary years).and more over the koel chick is a;almost a perfect look-alike of a crow chick as long as it is dependent on the crow pair for survival,even the females striped color or appearance appears after the nest-dependent phase of its life is complete.

These are examples of natural adaptation of species occurring around us perfected by evolutionary natural selection.

Even today the truth behind the koel-crow relationship is only vaguely known to scientists.there are many views among them that the bird chick(koel) doesn’t actually kill the other eggs by pushing it down and that the koel will care for their young ones once they are hatched.
Not only does the koel give its housekeeping duties to other birds but also is said to attack other bird nests for eggs.

How did a species get to be so selfish and so adapted to its methods??
The answer is not simple but to explain briefly,every organism in this earth have acquired certain qualities in time for ensuring the better sustenance of its kind,for example our hands are the result of evolution from front legs of other former species.the same process culminated in the case of koels with the result of their cunningness and dependence of their nesting life for other birds.

In earlier times when first the species of koel emerged the could have been normal birds like many others,racing their young ones themselves,but in time a smarter bird came into being or circumstances of nature led to the development of the species to that of a nest borrower and this single change could be the reason of the behavior in it developing as a new species.The proof that this behavior led to the development of a separate species can be seen even today in the “southern caucal”,which is a neighbor species of the koel who have developed the normal behavior of nesting themselves.

other sites for reference:

Birds found in kerala-WHITE BREASTED KINGFISHER

WHITE BREASTED KINGFISHER

scientific name: halcyon smyrnensis
Malayalam name: (മീന്കൊത്തിച്ചാത്ത.)
general description:- [head neck and underside of body is chocolate coloured.throat,chest and chin are white coloured.upper surface of body is blue coloured.adult birds have dark red beaks,seen commonly in Kerala.]

Found equally in cities and rural areas.this bird doesn't require the presence of water bodies to survive.They equally prefer aquatic animals as well as ground dwelling lizards,insects and small snakes etc..

Normally they travel lonely.they spent most of their time looking for food in dry areas such as forests,teak plantations etc.their method of foraging resembles that of DRONGO’s and BEE-EATER’s in that they position themselves in a higher platform and watch the ground for movement,and when they spot something , they scoop down and grabs it.

When termites take to the air, they are found to chase them in mid air for feasting.When the prey is difficult to eat or is difficult to chew down their beaks,they take them back to a branch and squash them by beating the prey on the branch rigorously and then eat it slowly.

Although not that dependent on water like other kingfishers they are seen to do the ‘still air’ flight like the other ones.

Their sounds can be heard commonly in every backyards in Kerala.it goes as ‘kre-kre-kre’ or’kle-kle-kle’ and resembles a hoarse laughter.during the season of rain (monsoon) their sounds turn into ‘kilu-kilu-kilu’ and signifies the time of their courtship season.They are often seen to fly around rigorously while doing this.

from Wikipedia

Although they nest from February,most nests are seen during the commencement of rainy season (April).Their nesting behavior is similar to that of other kingfishers but are also seen to dig their nests in ridges found in paddy fields and wells.They don’t necessarily require water bodies near their nests.

Lizards found in Kerala-GREEN FOREST LIZARD

GREEN FOREST LIZARD

scientific name: calotes calotes

young male

Adult male(from Wikipedia)

Birds found in Kerala-RED SPURFOWL

RED SPURFOWL

scientific name:- Galloperdix Spadicea

Smaller than a jungle fowl,with darker more deeper reddish-brown coloured body is a forest bird.Although of the fowl family,(including domestic fowls) males don’t have the long sickle shaped tail feathers characterized in male members of the same family but is rather similar to the tail feathers of its female counterparts(small medium length feathers),nor does they have cockscomb’s in their head or throat like their domesticated cousins.They do have a distinct reddish skin exposed around their eyes which mainly helps us in distinguishing these creatures.

^{spurfowl male}

They get their name ‘spurfowl’ from their distinctive spurs or nails behind their feet(facing backwards)with males usually seen having two to four of them,whereas the females found to have only one or two.

spurfowl female

Females are quite similar in appearance to males except for black lines cris-crossing their body.The feathers on their heads are longer than that of the body and are seen held raised like a ‘fan’.

male and female

Their habitat usually comprises of valleys,mountain sides,shrub forests and bamboo forests.extremely shy creatures,often seen only when they run from you covering in thick undergrowth.although with wings they prefer running than flying.they are quiet good runners on feet.behavior is similar to that of jungle fowls.they usually prefer tree branches while resting for the night rather than the ground for protection against night active hunters.their sounds resemble that of domesticated fowls but with shorter and deeper sounds.