Coracias benghalensis

State Bird of Karnataka, Odisha & Telangana, India

Our story today is of a brightly coloured bird found widely from West Asia to the Indian Subcontinent. It is best known for the aerobatic displays of its males during the breeding season and is often seen perched along roadside trees, wires, in open grassland and scrub forest habitats. The largest population of the bird occurs in India where several states have chosen it as their state bird. This is the Indian Roller, a a bird of the family Coraciidae.

I have seen the Indian Roller in almost all the national parks I have been to across India and these are but a few I have photographed them at.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

Almost at the heart of the nation lies the jewel of Vidarbh, “Tadoba National Park and Tiger Reserve”. Also known as the "Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve" it is the oldest and largest National Park in the state of Maharashtra and one of 47 Project Tiger reserves existing in India.

Tadoba is a jungle where, early in the day, the sun follows one like a lodestar through the tangled heads of the trees and as the day progresses it burns with a blinding exquisiteness that makes us shield our eyes and bless our existence. The light is lustrous in the open spaces and seemed undistllled from heaven to earth seeming like a laser show at times as gem clear beams filter through the trees. The warmth of it settles over our faces like a silken mask and life is a golden joy. That is the thing about the seraph-light of this jungle; it can sweep down like the handloom of the gods one moment, pure and clear and long of line.

Tadoba lies in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state, once ruled by the Gond Kings in the vicinity of the Chimur Hills, and is approximately 150 km from the closest major city, Nagpur. The total area of the tiger reserve is 1,727 km², which includes the Tadoba National Park, created in the year 1955. The Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary was formed in the year 1986 and was amalgamated with the park in 1995 to establish the present Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. The word 'Tadoba' is derived from the name of God "Tadoba" or "Taru," venerated by the local adivasi (tribal) people of this region and "Andhari" is derived from the name of the river Andhari flowing in this area. Legend holds that Taru was a village chief killed in a mythological encounter with a tiger. Taru was deified and a shrine now exists beneath a large tree on the banks of the Tadoba Lake. The temple is frequented by the adivasis between the months of December through January.

Home to some of central India’s best native woodland bird species, about 181 including endangered and water birds, the park also boasts leopards, sloth bear, the Indian bison (Gaur), Nilgai, Dhole, Striped Hyena, small Indian Civet, numerous Jungle Cats, Chital (Axis Deer), Sambhar, Barking Deer, Four-horned antelope, Marsh Crocodiles, a profusion of Langurs and Rhesus Macaques and a good measure of reptiles like the Indian Python, Cobra and numerous other species. Tadoba, unfortunately, also has a high rate of man tiger conflict. Several instances have also been reported of wildlife killing domestic livestock and there are villages still within the forest contrary to the efforts of the Forest department so we were told. Note it is man conflicting with nature and not the other way round.

As of May 2020, there were 115 royal bengal tigers, 151 leopards estimated in Tadoba and the surrounding buffer areas. A booming population supported by the incredible and diverse biodiversity making the reserve a paradise for tiger enthusiasts who have the choice of some of the best forest tracks in the country.

This is not a reserve where one will say I saw a bengal tiger, here one will say I saw the Telia Sisters, I saw the huge Matkasur, I saw beautiful Maya, I saw the gorgeous Choti Tara. Tadoba today has probably the highest Sighting Rating Index (SRI) for the tigers in the country with SRI defined as the number of successful sighting safaris vs the total number of safaris undertaken in the prior 28 days.

Kabini

In the lush Nilgiri Biosphere, to the south of the famed Nagarhole Tiger Reserve & National Park, on the banks of the river Kasbani lies the area known as Kabini. A major tributary of the Cauvery, the Kasbani is also known as the Kapila River and Kabini River giving the area its name. Consisting mainly of moist deciduous forests, interspersed with teak and eucalyptus plantations, and at a lower altitude compared to Bandipur across the river, Kabini is sprinkled with open grasslands, making it easy to spot wildlife, and providing amazing photographic opportunities. Especially so in winter when the forests are a verdant green and the magnificent coats of the big cats pop. Together with the adjoining Bandipur National Park (870 km²), Mudumalai National Park (320 km²) and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (344 km²), it forms the largest protected area in Southern India, totalling 2,183 km².

The erstwhile exclusive hunting grounds of the kings of Mysore, Kabini has lush forests, small rivulets, hills, valleys and waterfalls making it a veritable paradise for many species like the tiger, dhole, gaur, chital, sambhar, elephants and the leopard. One can also spot the critically endangered oriental white-backed vulture, various species of eagles and the Nilgiri wood pigeon.

Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is an isolated national park in the Yavatmal area along the borders of Telangana and Maharashtra. It lies in the Pandarkawada district of Yavatmal stretching over an area of 148.63 sq.kms sprawled among the Patanbori and Parwa ranges of the Pandarkawad Forest Division. The sanctuary is a compact patch of dense forest cover with hilly undulating territory and various types of vegetation that varies with altitude. It derives its name from the "‘Goddess Tipai” who is enshrined in a tiny temple on the hillside near the Tipeshwar Village within the sanctuary area just about 2kms from the Tipeshwar Forest Guest House.

This still relatively unknown fragment of forest was created when the corridors connecting the forested areas of central India broke down due to the exponential increase in human settlements inside and on the fringes of the forests. Tipeshwar has emerged as a successful tiger-cradle in the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape (one of the prominent Tiger Conservation Landscapes of India) and has demonstrated the potential to populate nearby tiger reserves like the Kawal Sanctuary in Telangana. However, like almost all other tiger reserves in India, Tipeshwar too, is plagued by the usual suspects – it is surrounded by densely populated and human dominated landscape with all the associated baggage that unhindered human activity brings - poaching, cattle grazing, trespassing etc., development – illegal mining, highway expansion etc., forest and prey-base degradation, human-tiger conflict etc. There are also a number of villages within the sanctuary area and their inhabitants are dependent on the forest for their livelihood.

But that said Tipeshwar went through an extensive village relocation program creating much needed inviolate spaces for wildlife, especially tigers, in the region. Additional measures such as the introduction of prey like sambar has helped the increase in the population of tigers. The three villages in the sanctuary - Tipeshwar, Pitapingri and Maregaon - mostly dominated by the Kolam tribe were relocated, I think, in 2014-15. Five tribes occupy the Tipeshwar forest region viz., Pardhan, Gond, Kolam, Navbuddha & Kunbi, of which the former three are said to be aboriginal. The total populations of these tribes range from a few hundred to thousand and are seemingly vanishing

Indian Roller

The Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is 30–34 cm long with a wingspan of 65–74 cm and weighs 166–176 g and look like stocky short legged Jays and are predominantly blue or violet in colour. The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light & dark blue on the wings & tail. The bright blue markings on the wing are prominent in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognised.

• C. b. benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) occurs from western Asia to India north of the Vindhya Range.

• C. b. indicus (Linnaeus, 1766) occurs in central & southern India and in Sri Lanka. It is distinguished by its slightly shorter wing and tail, darker blue crown and upper wing coverts, more brownish mantle and shoulder, and more pronounced red-brown collar on hindneck.

I had the good fortune to photograph both the subspecies with the former in Tadoba and Tipeshwar and the latter at Kabini and Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and they are both featured above.

It is a bulky and broad-winged bird with a large head and short neck and legs. The bare skin around the eyes is dull orange, the legs and feet are yellow-brown. The bill is tinged with brown at the base. The iris is grey-brown. The blue colours of the flight feathers are structural and are formed by microstructures in the barbs that produce blue through scattering, which C.V. Raman noted in the 1930s as being more complex than can be explained by the Tyndall effect. Studies in 2010 found the feather barbs structured like a channel with β-keratin rods 100 nm (3.9×10−6 in) in diameter with airspaces between them.

Adult males & females are similar in appearance and there are no seasonal changes. Juvenile birds are duller, paler and browner in colour, with a dull green crown and dull green-blue belly tinged with buff. The bill is brown with a yellowish base rather than black.

They occur widely from West Asia to the Indian subcontinent and are often found perched on trees along roadsides and wires, it also frequents open grassland and scrub forest habitats, and has adapted well to human-modified landscapes. It mainly feeds on insects, especially beetles. They have a distinctive courtship flight and are best known for the aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. During the courtship display they dive from extreme heights, rocking and rolling while making loud, harsh calls. Adult males and females form pair bonds and raise the young together. The female lays 3–5 eggs in a cavity or crevice, which is lined with a thin mat of straw or feathers. The roller is the state bird of several Indian states. It is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.

The Indian Roller is said to be 5 of the most beautiful Roller birds in the world. The Indian Roller is also associated with Hindu legends and is said to be sacred to Lord Vishnu & is said to be caught and released during festivals like Dussehra. Also adding the Indian Rollers chopped feathers to grass and feeding them to cows was believed to increase their milk yield - I have heard of this but have never actually come across someone who has seen this happen.

The Indian roller is generally not very gregarious and is usually found alone or in pairs. It is often territorial, though migrants may forage in flocks with no aggression. They patrol their territory by flying at treetop height or three-stories high and when an intruder is spotted, they drive it away by a fast rolling flight. Its migration patterns are not well understood; in Oman they are present year-round but appear to be more common in winter than summer. Nesting Indian rollers act aggressively towards potential predators. They drive away Indian jungle crows (Corvus culminatus) from nests and have even been recorded repeatedly dive bombing an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), and flying at humans.

In India, the Indian roller received legal protection in 1887, when hunting it was banned under the Wild Birds Protection Act of 1887 and later under the Wild Birds and Animals Protection Act of 1912. In Iran, the Indian roller is protected by the Islamic code, but not listed as protected by law. As of 2016, the Indian roller was listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List, due to its wide range and apparent increasing population. The total population size is unknown, but it appears to be common in most of its range. As of 2015, about 2,500 breeding pairs were estimated to live in Iraq and 15,000 breeding pairs in the Arabian Peninsula; the population was thought to have increased in particular in the United Arab Emirates.

The numbers of Indian roller I think have been on a downward slope due to their habit of perching along the roadsides and flying into traffic especially in Northern India. This same habit of utilising power lines puts it at risk of electrocution. In Rajasthan, it was found to be the second most commonly electrocuted bird after the house crow (Corvus splendens). But for now it is listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

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