Lets see the 10 common birds around you🐥

Photo Credit: Google GIF's

Waking up to bird songs in a city like Bengaluru is always beautiful, but not knowing which bird is highly difficult. Here are ten of the common birds, their scientific name, basic information and images we see in an urban environment.

1. Asian Koel

Scientific name: Eudynamys scolopaceus

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

The name Koel is echoic with several language variants. The Asian Koel like many of its related cuckoo kin is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of crows, who raise its young. The bird is a widely used symbol in Indian poetry.

The male of the nominate race is glossy bluish-black, with a pale greenish grey bill. The iris is crimson, and it has grey legs and feet. The female of the nominate race is brownish on the crown and has rufous streaks on the head. The back, rump and wing coverts are dark brown with white and buff spots. The underparts are whitish but are heavily striped or spotted.

2. Common house crow

Scientific name: Corvus splendens

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

A common bird of the crow family is of Asian origin, now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by shipping. The forehead, crown, throat and upper breast are a richly glossed black, whilst the neck and breast are a lighter grey-brown. The wings, tail and legs are black.

There are regional variations in the bill's thickness and the depth of color in areas of the plumage. The invasive potential for the species is great all over the tropics. This species can make use of resources with great flexibility and appears to be associated with humans, and no populations exist independently of humans. They are considered of high spiritual significance for Hindu community as they believe crows are linked with soul and afterlife.

3. Jungle Myna

Scientific name: Acridotheres fuscus

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

It is easily recognized by the tuft of feathers on its forehead that form a frontal crest. The eyes are pale yellow or blue depending on the population. A large white wing patch on the base of the primaries become conspicuous in flight, and the tail feathers are broadly tipped in white. The bill and legs are bright yellow, and there is no bare skin around the eye as in the common Myna and Bank Myna. The base of the beak is dark in adults with a shade of blue at the base of the lower mandible. They can talk if they are trained.

4. White-cheeked Barbet

Scientific name: Psilopogon viridis

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

It has a brownish head streaked with white, sometimes giving it a capped appearance. The bill is pale pinkish. Size varies from the larger northern birds to the southern ones.

Like many other barbets of Asia, white-cheeked barbets are green making them fit for camouflage, sit still, and perch upright making them difficult to spot. During the breeding season, which begins at the start of summer, their calls become loud and constant, especially in the mornings.

5. Rose-ringed parakeet

Scientific name: Psittacula krameri

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

Also known as a rose-necked parakeet, One of the few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in disturbed habitats, it has withstood the onslaught of urbanization and deforestation. The adult male sports a red and black neck ring, and the hen either shows no neck rings or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings. Both male and female have a distinctive green color in the wild, and captive-bred ring necks have multiple color mutations including blue, violet and yellow. Rose-ringed parakeets measure on average 40 cm, including the tail feathers, much of their total length. Captive individuals can be taught to speak. They are a herbivorous and non-migratory species.

6. House sparrow

Scientific name: Passer domesticus

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

It is a small bird that has a typical length of 16 cm and a mass of 24–39.5 g. Females and young birds are colored pale brown and grey, and males have brighter black and white with brown markings. The house sparrow is strongly associated with human habitation and can live in urban or rural settings. It feeds mostly on the seeds and weeds, but it is an opportunistic eater and commonly eats insects and many other foods. Its predators include domestic cats, hawks, owls, and many other predatory birds and mammals. Because of its numbers, ubiquity, and association with human settlements, the house sparrow is culturally prominent. It is extensive, and usually unsuccessfully, persecuted as an agricultural pest.

7. Common tailorbird

Scientific name: Orthotomus sutorius

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

Popular for its nest made of leaves "sewn" together and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as Darzee in his Jungle Book, it is a common resident in most urban gardens. Although these are shy birds who usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence.

Tailorbird commonly have bright green upper parts and creamy underparts. They range in size from 10 to 14 centimetres and weigh 6 to 10 grams. They have short rounded wings, a long tail, strong legs and a sharp bill with a curved tip to the upper mandible.

8. Black kite

Scientific name: Milvus migrans

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

Unlike others of the group, black kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They soar much and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. They are also vociferous with a shrill whinnying call. Black kites can be distinguished from red kites by the slightly smaller size, less forked tail (visible in flight), and dark plumage with no rufous. A medium-sized bird of prey from the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal-raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. Current global population estimates run up to 6 million.

9. Red-vented/whiskered bulbul

Scientific name: Pycnonotus jocosus

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It feeds on fruits and small insects. Red-whiskered bulbuls perch conspicuously on trees and have a loud three or four-note call. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within their range. The red-whiskered bulbul is about 20 centimetres. It has brown upperparts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black mustache line.

10. Barn Owl

Scientific name: Tyto alba

Photo Credit: Yashas Bharadwaj

Owls living on small islands are smaller and lighter, perhaps because they have a higher dependence on insect prey and need to be more maneuverable. The bird's head and upper body typically vary between pale brown and some shade of grey (especially on the forehead and back) in most subspecies. The barn owl is a medium-sized, pale- colored owl with long wings and a short squarish tail. There is considerable size variation across the subspecies with a typical specimen measuring about 33 to 39 cm in overall length, with a full range of 29 to 44 cm across the species. Barn owls have a typical wingspan of some 80 to 95 cm, with a full range of 68 to 105 cm.