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Avian World: Rare Indian Bird Behaviour Documentation

byVinod GoelAvailable online; Travels across India for speaking engagementsStarts from7,500 per articleView full gallery

Beyond the peacock lies a secret world of avian stories. From the devoted Indian Grey Hornbill to the acrobatic courtship of the Golden Oriole, I document the real, unscripted lives of birds in our backyards and forests.

A Changeable Hawk-Eagle cools off in a waterhole at Nagzhira. During the scorching heat, it dominated the water source, not allowing any other animal near. This image, showing its powerful presence, now adorns the wall of the WWF-India office.

This courtship of Golden Orioles is very dear to me. I saw four of them on the day Shri Narendra Modi first took oath as Prime Minister. It felt like a sign of a golden period returning, a story that was later published in Air India's magazine.

An Indian Grey Hornbill male flies to its nest to deliver food. The female remains sealed inside the cavity for over two months to raise the chicks. The male is truly one of the most devoted husbands in the avian world.

Many have heard that the Asian Koel lays its eggs in a crow's nest, but few have seen the result. Here, a crow foster parent is feeding a demanding Koel chick. I witness and document this fascinating behaviour in Delhi every year.

A pair of White-throated Kingfishers during their courtship. The male spreads his brilliant blue wings to lure the female. These beautiful birds are a joy to watch and are often seen in our backyards, hunting for small reptiles and insects.

It has become rare to see House Sparrows in a big city like Delhi, which is why it was declared our State Bird. I captured this pair mating at a resort in Dehradun, a reminder of a bird that was once a common sight in all our homes.

About Avian World: Beyond the Peacock

I capture behaviour that most people walk past without noticing. Take the Asian Koel; while many know they use crows as foster parents, actually witnessing that feeding interaction in a local Delhi park is quite different. It is these small, daily dramas—the Hawk-Eagle dominating a waterhole or a Hornbill playing the devoted provider—that form the core of my documentation.

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