Farmer’s friend birds

Hobby (hud hud):                                                                                              

ECOLOGY:                                                                                       

Hobbies

A hobby is a fairly small, very swift falcon with long, narrow wings. There are four birds called hobby, and some others which, although termed falcon, are very similar. All specialise in being superb aerialists. Although they will take prey on the ground if the opportunity presents itself, most prey is caught on the wing; insects are often caught by hawking, and many different birds are caught in flight.

The typical hobbies are traditionally considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis due to their similar morphology.

• African Hobby (Falco cuvierii).
• Oriental Hobby (Falco severus).
• Australian Hobby or Little Falcon.
• Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) of the North African desert.
• Eleonora's Falcon.

• New Zealand Falcon or Kārearea (Falco novaeseelandiae).
• Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)
• Taita Falcon (Falco fasciinucha)

(SHRIKE):                                                     

Shrikes

Shrikes are passerine birds of the family Laniidae. The family is composed of thirty-one species in three genera. shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. Shrikes are medium-sized birds, up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in length, with grey, brown, or black and white plumage. Their beaks are hooked, like that of a bird of prey, reflecting their predatory nature, and their calls are strident.

Shrikes are known for their habit of catching insects and small vertebrates and impaling their bodies on thorns,

ECOLOGY/HABITAT:

Most shrike species have a Eurasian and African distribution, with just two breeding in North America (the Loggerhead and Great Grey shrikes). There are no members of this family in South America or Australia, although one species reaches New Guinea. The shrikes vary in the extent of their ranges, with some species like the Great Grey Shrike ranging across the northern hemisphere to the Newton's Fiscal which is restricted to the island of São Tomé.

They inhabit open habitats, especially steppe and savannah. A few species of shrike are forest dwellers, seldom occurring in open habitats. Some species breed in northern latitudes during the summer, then migrate to warmer climes for the winter.

(INDIAN ROLLER)

 

Immature

A pair of Indian Roller, Coracias benghalensis, spotted near Bhopal.

Subspecies affinis from Thailand

 

The Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis), is a member of the roller family of birds. They are found widely across tropical Asia stretching from Iraq eastward across the Indian Subcontinent to Indochina and are best known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. They are very commonly seen perched along roadside trees and wires and are commonly seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. It is not migratory, but undertakes some seasonal movements. The largest populations of the species are within India, and Several states in India have chosen it as their state bird.

The Indian Roller is a stocky bird about 26–27 cm long and can only be confused within its range with the migratory European Roller. The breast is brownish and not blue as in the European Roller. The crown and vent are blue.

HABITAT:

The Indian roller is distributed across Asia, from West Asia (Iraq), through the Indian Subcontinent (including Sri Lanka and the islands of Lakshadweep and Maldive Islands) into Southeast Asia.

The main habitat is cultivation, thin forest and grassland. They are often seen perched on roadside electric wires.