Birds of Sundarban

Where the land meets the ocean at the southern tip of state of West Bengal
lies the Sundarbans, a stretch of impenetrable flowering tree forest of nice size
and bio-diversity. Sundarban may be a huge space covering 4262 sq. kms in
India. Sundarban Tourism has a lot to offer. There are about 248 bird species
found in Sunderban national park including a large number of migratory birds
from higher latitudes that visits the park in winter months like Herons, Egrets,
Cormorants, Storks, Green Pigeons and Sand Pipers.

The main species of birds in Sunderban national park are Small Minivet,
Common Flameback, Black-hooded Oriole, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker,
Mangrove Whistler, White ibis, Osprey, Yellow Wagtail.

Small Minivet

The small Minivet is a small bird, measuring 15 to 16 cm in length and weighing

6 to 12 grams. There is much plumage variance among the subspecies. The
male small minivet has grey upperparts and orange under parts. The lower
forehead is dark grey. The face, ear coverts, lore, chin and upper throat are
blackish grey. The belly and under tail are yellowish. The rump and outer tail
feathers are orange. There is a orange wing patch. The female is grey on the
upperparts and has whitish or pale creamy yellow under parts. It has dark grey
lore. The bill is strong, pointed and dark grey in colour. The irises are blackish.
The legs and feet are black. The call of these minivet species is a thin, whistling
sound.

Common Flameback

The Common Flameback is a large woodpecker. Its contrasted bright plume

makes this bird a ray of daylight among branches and foliage. Adult male has
bright coloured plumage. On the upperparts, hind neck and upper mantle are
black. The rest of upperparts are olive, strongly washed golden. The feathers
are edged yellow and that we will see generally orange or red tinge on the
rear. The lower back and the rump are bright red. The blackish-brown higher
tail-coverts could also be colour olive and also the tail is black. On the top,
crown and crest are red, whereas forehead and upper lores are brownish-red.
The crown is finely edged black. The head sides are black and white, with a
black stripe from the eye to the nape, and a narrow black moustachial line
extending down to the upper breast. The Common Flameback feeds primarily
on invertebrates, various insects and larvae. It forages at all levels in
woodlands and although it prefers the lower parts of the trees, it also forages
near the treetop or at mid level.

Black-hooded Oriole

The Black-hooded Oriole may be a bird of open timber and cultivation. Their
food is insects and fruit, particularly figs, found within the tree canopies where
the orioles pay a lot of their time. It is a member of the oriole family of
passerine birds. The male is with the typical oriole black and yellow coloration.
The plume is preponderantly yellow, with a solid black hood, and black also in
the wings and tail centre. The female Black-hooded Oriole may be a drabber
bird with green underneath components, but still has the black hood. Young
birds square measure just like the feminine bird, but have dark streaking on
the under parts, and their hood is not solidly black, especially on the throat.

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker

The fulvous-breasted woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, measuring

17 to 20 cm in length and weighing about 25 to 40 gram. These fulvous-
breasted woodpeckers have black upperparts with heavy white barring. The
forehead, lores, face, ear-coverts and throat are fulvous or white. The black
malar stripe extends down the sides of neck to meet black line from breast. It
belongs to the family of piculets and woodpeckers, the Picidae. The bill of the
fulvous-breasted woodpecker is slaty grey. Their food consists mainly of
arboreal insects, insect larvae, grasshoppers, locust, cicadas and crickets. These
woodpeckers are mostly arboreal and forage in mid-storey and canopy on tree
trunks, branches and foliage.

Mangrove Whistler

The mangrove whistler is a medium-sized whistler, measuring 15 to 27 cm in

length and weighing 20 to 25 grams. The mangrove whistler belongs to the
family of whistlers and shrike thrushes, the Pachycephalidae. The crown of the
mangrove whistler is ashy grey. The forehead is light grey. The upperparts and
wings are uniformly greyish brown. The chin and throat are whitish. The breast
is pale grey. The rest of the under parts are white. The bill is black. The irises
are dark brown. The feet are silvery grey. The food of Mangrove Whistler
consists mainly of insect larvae, beetles, grasshoppers, locust, crickets,
dragonflies, cicadas, moths, butterflies, crickets, spiders. The nesting sites are
usually located on small trees 1-4 meters above the ground.
White ibis

White Ibises are massive walking birds with football-shaped bodies. They have
long legs and a protracted neck that they hold out straight on the wing. Their
bill is long and curved. Ibis is nearly entirely white, except for the black-tipped
wings and brilliant reddish pink legs and bill. The blank skin around their blue
eyes is additionally red pink. Juveniles (fall through winter) are brown on top of
and white below with a patterned brown neck. The legs and bill of juveniles are
orange-pink. These long-legged waders forage in groups in shallow wetlands
and other areas with standing water. They walk slowly with their heads down
searching the muddy surface for insects and crustaceans. In flight their long
necks are extended and their feet behind.

Osprey

The Osprey bird weighs around 1400 – 2000 grams and has a length of 52 – 60
centimetres. It has a 150 – 180 centimetres wingspan. The Pandion haliaetus
has primarily white underneath components and head, apart from a dark mask
through the eye, and fairly uniformly brown upperparts. Its short tail and long,
narrow wings with four long ‘finger’ feathers (and a shorter fifth) give it a very
distinctive appearance. The Ospreys diet consists mainly of fish. The Pandion
haliaetus bird is commonly illustrious by different conversational names like
'fishhawk’, ‘seahawk’ or ‘Fish Eagle’.

Yellow Wagtail

The Yellow oscine is olive-green with a yellow face and a black-and-white tail.
Males are brighter than females. The similar grey oscine additionally contains a
yellow belly, however contains a grey back and black wings. It feeds on
invertebrates and is mainly a migratory bird. They nest on the bottom or in
long grass, exploitation plants, grasses and stems to build a cup-shape which
they line with fur. They can have up to two broods, each with five or six eggs. A
summer visitant, they arrive from their African wintering grounds from March
forward.

Though most of the birds in the Sundarban National Park are migratory and
most are from cold African region of origin they move to tropical areas for
warmth. So if we do not take up actions now against pollution then soon there
will be a day coming where the bird sanctuaries will be empty.