Red whiskered bulbul: the ecstatic little bird

Red-whiskered Bulbul is a member of the bulbul family, are short-necked slender passerines is a common Asian specie from Pakistan and India to southeast Asia and China (incidentally this bird is absent in Sri Lanka). It has been introduced to different parts of the world as cage bird. There are approximately 185 species in this genus (red vent bulbul is another popularly found bird in india). The Red-whiskered Bulbul was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 in his Systema Naturae.

Red-whiskered Bulbul’s characteristics are its pointed conspicuous black crest, red whiskers (leading to itsname) red vent, sharp beak curved at the tip, thick black stripe running from its beak to neckline. The tails are long and the wings short and rounded. This bird like cuckoo you hear first before spotting, they are melodiuos unabashed singers. The flight is bouncing, it gives an impression of a bird that is immensely happy with life, the attitude is infectious (the reason why watching birds can be an ecstatic experience). It prefers wooden localities (and hence commonly found in hills) with bushes and shrubs, and are found next to human habitats. They are easily tamed and are popular as a cage bird. They are so popular that many kids are named bulbul.

Bulbuls feed mainly on fruits, berries, insects and sometimes do crop damage. In Hawaii these escaped caged birds are banned they have been accused of destroying orchid plantations because of bud and flower damage as also spreading the seeds of invasive plants.

Bulbuls are non migratory birds, they are known for their songs, the reason why it was taken to different parts of the world as caged birds. In Middle East they even find mention in Persian poetry. Last but not the least like stilts they too feign injury to distract predators from the nest.

The pic taken from hills of Kutta (Western Ghats), it is a small town on the Karnataka-Kerala border. This place was a pleasant surprise, and strongly suggested to bird watchers. Few Kms of morning walk and I saw atleast 30 species of birds (including fan tailed drango). Unfortunately the pics didn’t come out properly except the red whisker as they are tolerant to humans. I guess I might take few more years to get better lens, anyway I shouldn’t be complaining and consider myself fortunate to have atleast this camera.

Carl Linnaeus: poet who happened to become a naturalist

I recall learning about Linnaeus in school, it is only recently I came to know that he was an amazing man. Linnaeus was one of the greatest and inspiring man of his time. Rousseau wrote: "Tell him I know no greater man on earth". Goethe wrote: "With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly. Clearly that is an amazing credential. Linnaeus put the binomial nomenclature in place. This was a major achievement since it put all known species (and elements) in a systematic way, helped in easy classification and study. It was brilliant (in school it was miserable experience trying to mug these!!). He is rightly considered as father of modern taxonomy, creating a universal language. And it is this incredible guy who gave us the name homo sapiens..