OT Staff & Waquar Habib
The Rock Pigeon thrives in Indian cities: you’ll often see them nesting under air conditioners, on ledges, building crevices. Grey-blue with wing bars, tame around humans, cooing in large flocks.
Vibrant green plumage, red beak; males sporting a rose ring. These loud, social parakeets forage in fruit trees, parks, gardens. Very visible in cities, often perched on wires.
Glossy black-grey crow, well adapted to urban waste and food scraps. Opportunistic, omnivorous, found in rooftops, busy markets, forming roosts in large numbers. Highly intelligent urban survivor.
Bright blue back, chestnut head, white throat—can be seen perched along roads, open fields, ponds inside cities. Eats insects, fish, frogs; very adaptable to mixed habitats.
Crested, black-headed bird with red vent patch. Melodious calls, often seen among flowering plants, gardens and urban trees. Fruit and nectar lover, handy at adapting to human vegetation.
Brown body, black head, yellow eye ring. Frequently seen walking on pavements or scavenging in garbage. Very loud calls. One of the fastest urban birds to spot in Indian metros.
A raptor that soars above cities. Dark brown, forked tail. Scavenger by habit, often seen circling busy roads, landfills, sometimes grabbing food scraps. Widely distributed in Indian urban skies.
White heron-family bird usually seen near grazing animals or in open fields around towns. During breeding season, head plumage turns buff-orange. Flocks often follow livestock or tractors.
Small, streaked brown bird; males with grey crown, female duller. Once ubiquitous, now declining in some cities due to lack of nesting sites. Still common in gardens, window sills.
Tiny bird with brilliant male plumage — metallic purplish-black — female duller. Prefers flowering plants, shrubs in parks and gardens. Probes nectar with curved beak; delightful flash of colour in grey cityscapes.