“When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.”
- Anthony Douglas Williams
Although fairly common they are difficult to spot because they prefer the upper canopy of trees. The best time to encounter these bird is during the breeding season when the male dressed in gold and black tries to impress his female dressed in yellow, dancing around in lower branches singing their sweet three syllable song.
Primarily insectivorous, this bird sometimes indulges in seasonal fruits! The fruit of the Indian Elm tree (Chilbil) is attached very loosely to its stem to aid seed dispersal. This iora is seen carefully removing the edible part of the winged fruit with utmost dexterity.
Common iora (F)
(Aegithina tiphia)
Sony A77II
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO320, 560mm
Home, Kahun Road, Pune (India)
Apr 2020