It is warming up here in Dehradun. Spring is just round the corner and everyone knows it. The birds seem most excited about the onset of spring and during my morning walks they announce it loudly from their perches. Among the most visible 'announcers' is a petite bird called the Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja). There are at least three male sunbirds in our housing society and during my walk each of them can be found sitting at its favourite spot, chirping loudly. Their calls are a series of 'cheep cheep' notes.
The male and female sunbirds are a study in contrast. The male bird is bright crimson on its head, upper back and breast while the female is a dull olive green. During the non-breeding season, the male loses some of its bright crimson colours and adopts a plumage called the eclipse plumage. The dull colours of the female and the eclipse plumage of the male make the birds less visible to predators. Come the breeding season, the male needs to dress up in its finest 'clothes' in order to attract a suitable mate. It moults (sheds its feathers) and grows fresh feathers that are brightly coloured. The three male sunbirds seem to have marked out their territory quite clearly. An intrusion of a rival male into another male sunbird’s territory typically leads to a skirmish, with the males quarrelling and chasing each other in order to establish their own spaces. The male sunbirds seem to have adopted certain flowering bushes. The bottlebrush with its red bristles is a favourite with the sunbirds.
With its long downward-curved beak, the sunbird digs into flowers to sip the tasty nectar. Occasionally, if the sunbird comes across a particularly long-necked flower, it will pierce its base with its beak in order to access the nectar. Interestingly, female sunbirds seem to have free access to the adopted flowering bushes of the males.
Even as the sunbird feeds on nectar, it helps the flowering plants by transferring pollen grains from one flower to another, thereby assisting the plants in pollination.
The male sunbirds have become more vocal in the last week or so leaving me wondering whether it is the onset of spring that they are celebrating or they know that the cricket World Cup is on and are excitedly discussing India’s (dim) prospects!
Go Green
The Great Backyard Bird Count was conducted from February 13-16. This global event is a great example where citizens help in generating data about birds in order to contribute towards conservation. You, too, can participate in such counts in your home or your school. Find out more about the bird counts here — http://www.birdcount.in/events/gbbc2015/ Feedback and queries are welcome at sanjay.sondhi1@gmail.com