"Align with nature...Magic happens."- John Friend
Flycatchers are birds that feed exclusively on insects, which they catch on the wing. They prefer wooded areas and the Sinhagad valley forest is an ideal place to get a glimpse of most of the flycatchers seen around Pune.
Of all the flycatchers the most sought after bird for bird photographers in India is The Indian Paradise Flycatcher (formerly referred to as Asian Paradise flycatcher). It belongs to the family of monarch flycatchers which are distinguished by their shorter legs, yellow gape (colour of mouth when open) and extravagant looks of the males!
The male and female, when they are young look rather like specimens of the bulbul family, being rich chestnut-hued birds with the head and crest metallic bluish black. The female is content with a gown of this style throughout her life. The male on the other hand at around 3 years of age rids its chestnut plumage to dawn a snowy white one. Its two middle tail feathers grow till they become three or four times as long as he is, and so flutter behind him in the wind like streamers when he flies. The first time one catches sight of this white bird with his satin streamers floating behind him, one wonders whether he is but an object seen in a dream.
Indian paradise flycatcher (m)
(Terpsiphone paradisi)
Sony A77II
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO1600, 420mm
Sinhagad Valley, Pune (India)
Feb 2020