Urban Jungle: Paradise Flycatcher
By: Ananth Aravamundan
There was something very different about my father’s voice that morning. He said just two words, “Come. Now.” In those words, I could discern urgency, awe, wonder, disbelief and sheer amazement. For he had seen Paradise.
As my family rushed to the rear balcony, my father pointed to the bamboo thicket in our backyard. What looked like a sun-speckled leaf suddenly swooped down in a graceful, incredibly long white arc, did a mid-air halt, and in the same arcing motion returned to where it had started. For our bird-loving family, this was a historic moment. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher, in its white variant, had made its appearance in our back garden after many years.
There is no sight more eye-popping, jaw-dropping or heart-stopping than a white male Indian Paradise Flycatcher swooping from branch to branch, it’s incredibly long tail feathers streaming behind, in pursuit of prey. This bird is part of the monarch flycatcher family, a group of birds that catch flying insects, on the wing. This is one reason for the looping flight pattern and the abrupt mid-air halts.
The species exhibits sexual and colour dimorphism. In layman’s terms, this means the male and female are quite different physically, and even within the males there are colour differences. The female has rufous brown wings with a black head. The male, with its beautiful elongated tail feathers, could be either rufous brown or white. Both variants, referred to as morphs, have very long central tail feathers or streamers, which could grow up to 30 cm in length – almost double the length of the bird’s body.
Where do these incredible birds come from? Strangely, Bangalore has an equal mix of resident birds and winter migrants that fly in from the Himalayas. For example, the bird I saw in my backyard is definitely a migrant, but I do spot the brown morph throughout the year in my locality. The birding hotspots around Bangalore like Nandi Hills and Bannerghatta National Park have plenty of reported sightings, but within the city you are best off searching for it in the wooded areas like Sankey Tank, Indian Institute of Science or Lalbagh, especially in winter.
For successful sightings, you want to be able to recognise the Flycatcher’s call. This is one noisy bird, uttering harsh, almost agitated shrieks while flitting from branch to branch. There are sites on the internet like xeno-canto, where you can listen to recordings of its call.
The Paradise Flycatcher is incredibly adaptable and opportunistic. I often wake up to its early morning calls, uttered in unison with those of a pair of Black Drongos who go shriek-tweet. But this is not a coincidence – there are many recorded instances of Paradise Flycatchers nesting in the same vicinity as Black Drongos, especially in urban areas. The Drongos, much more aggressive by nature, fiercely guard their nests and in the process offer protection to the Flycatcher’s eggs.
This beautiful bird is an enigmatic one as well, baffling scientists on two counts. Firstly why does a largely monogamous bird that pairs for life need such a potent sexual ornament in the form of its tail streamers? These do of course play a key role in attracting a mate the first time around, but after that they are largely without utility. It is surprising that the forces of evolution let the streamers survive so long. Secondly why are there two colour morphs? This is highly unusual among birds, where one evolutionary variant usually overshadows the other over time. One theory says that each morph dominates the other in cycles – the white being more attractive to females (more babies) but also easier to spot by predators (higher mortality). I say, if you do spot the Paradise Flycatcher, leave the mysteries to the scientists and just feast your eyes on one of Mother Nature’s most exuberant creations.
The writer is an engineer, social entrepreneur and nature lover
There was something very different about my father’s voice that morning. He said just two words, “Come. Now.” In those words, I could discern urgency, awe, wonder, disbelief and sheer amazement. For he had seen Paradise.
As my family rushed to the rear balcony, my father pointed to the bamboo thicket in our backyard. What looked like a sun-speckled leaf suddenly swooped down in a graceful, incredibly long white arc, did a mid-air halt, and in the same arcing motion returned to where it had started. For our bird-loving family, this was a historic moment. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher, in its white variant, had made its appearance in our back garden after many years.
There is no sight more eye-popping, jaw-dropping or heart-stopping than a white male Indian Paradise Flycatcher swooping from branch to branch, it’s incredibly long tail feathers streaming behind, in pursuit of prey. This bird is part of the monarch flycatcher family, a group of birds that catch flying insects, on the wing. This is one reason for the looping flight pattern and the abrupt mid-air halts.
The other reason, I suspect, is an overwhelming desire to show off, for the Paradise Flycatcher is by no means a shy bird. The male likes to strut his stuff, often attracting attention with harsh shrieking calls. He is a photographer’s delight, painstakingly picking perches of high visibility, where his streamers can dangle free. The female is more demure, going about her business without much ado. But when threat is perceived, both male and female can effortlessly blend into their surroundings.
The species exhibits sexual and colour dimorphism. In layman’s terms, this means the male and female are quite different physically, and even within the males there are colour differences. The female has rufous brown wings with a black head. The male, with its beautiful elongated tail feathers, could be either rufous brown or white. Both variants, referred to as morphs, have very long central tail feathers or streamers, which could grow up to 30 cm in length – almost double the length of the bird’s body.
Where do these incredible birds come from? Strangely, Bangalore has an equal mix of resident birds and winter migrants that fly in from the Himalayas. For example, the bird I saw in my backyard is definitely a migrant, but I do spot the brown morph throughout the year in my locality. The birding hotspots around Bangalore like Nandi Hills and Bannerghatta National Park have plenty of reported sightings, but within the city you are best off searching for it in the wooded areas like Sankey Tank, Indian Institute of Science or Lalbagh, especially in winter.
For successful sightings, you want to be able to recognise the Flycatcher’s call. This is one noisy bird, uttering harsh, almost agitated shrieks while flitting from branch to branch. There are sites on the internet like xeno-canto, where you can listen to recordings of its call.
The Paradise Flycatcher is incredibly adaptable and opportunistic. I often wake up to its early morning calls, uttered in unison with those of a pair of Black Drongos who go shriek-tweet. But this is not a coincidence – there are many recorded instances of Paradise Flycatchers nesting in the same vicinity as Black Drongos, especially in urban areas. The Drongos, much more aggressive by nature, fiercely guard their nests and in the process offer protection to the Flycatcher’s eggs.
This beautiful bird is an enigmatic one as well, baffling scientists on two counts. Firstly why does a largely monogamous bird that pairs for life need such a potent sexual ornament in the form of its tail streamers? These do of course play a key role in attracting a mate the first time around, but after that they are largely without utility. It is surprising that the forces of evolution let the streamers survive so long. Secondly why are there two colour morphs? This is highly unusual among birds, where one evolutionary variant usually overshadows the other over time. One theory says that each morph dominates the other in cycles – the white being more attractive to females (more babies) but also easier to spot by predators (higher mortality). I say, if you do spot the Paradise Flycatcher, leave the mysteries to the scientists and just feast your eyes on one of Mother Nature’s most exuberant creations.
The writer is an engineer, social entrepreneur and nature lover
