Instagram story viewer> @backyard._.birder> Posts

Namitha Varma Rajesh

@backyard._.birder

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Everyone is gaga over the Lodhi Garden Oriental Pied Hornbill. A good time to brush up on our hornbill ID skills, including male-female-juvenile differences. Hope these notes help you identify these 2 hornbills without any confusion.

@nids.vibes this one is for you. I hope I did well.

Bird ID: Malabar Pied Hornbill vs Oriental Pied Hornbill

#malabarpiedhornbill #orientalpiedhornbill #hornbillsofindia #indianbirders #birding101

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

169

8

8 days ago

What do you wish you knew about birding when you started out?

Presenting 3 things I wish I knew when I began birding.

#birding101 #birderlife #amateurbirder #backyardbirder #birdingmyths taken in Mangalore, Karnataka, India by @backyard._.birder

149

40

6 days ago

When you start birding, it can be very difficult to tell apart birds that look similar in colours, shape, or size. Hope these tips help you identify these 3 black-and-white birds without any confusion.

Bird ID: Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-browed Wagtail, and Pied Bushchat

#orientalmagpierobin #whitebrowedwagtail #piedbushchat #birding101 #birdinglife

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

678

82

24 days ago

I hope I've been able to cover the four common drongos of India well. Let me know what you think.

Bird ID: White-bellied Drongo vs Bronzed Drongo

#whitebellieddrongo #bronzeddrongo #drongosofindia #birding101 #birdinginfo

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

43

1

8 hours ago

Who here finds field guide language confusing and needing a hundred Google searches? 🙋

Here’s to making bird identification simpler 🍻

Which ornithological terms baffled you the most when you started birding?

#birding101 #birdidnotes #birdingfieldguides #fieldguides #glossary by @backyard._.birder

69

6

4 days ago

Here’s the most interesting tidbit about Black Drongos and Ashy Drongos: they don’t come in just one colour—their subspecies become lighter in plumage towards East Asia. Black drongo has 7 subspecies, and Ashy drongo has 15 subspecies, some of which don’t even look like they are the same species!

How many drongos have you seen?

Bird ID: Black Drongo vs Ashy Drongo

#blackdrongo #ashydrongo #drongosofindia #birding101 #birdinginfo

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

633

21

2 days ago

ID field notes: Common Hawk-cuckoos have an ashy grey back and lighter grey head. The front is a gradient of grey on the face to reddish brown throat, with the tummy and bottom sporting brown and white bars. The tail bars vary in shades of black, gray, white, and brown. If you know how shikras look, the CHC mimics that look pretty well, except the vivid yellow eye-ring and eye colour. Female CHCs are smaller, browner, and have clearer bars.

The Indian Cuckoo’s colour palette is similar, but the colouring, pretty different. The back is brownish-grey, and there’s no reddish gradient on the front for the male—but the female’s throat is paler and the chest, reddish. The chest and bottom are prominently barred in black and white. The tail, however, doesn’t have lines—it has broad black bands with white edges. The iris is darker, surrounded by a duller yellow eye-ring.

Bird ID: Common Hawk-cuckoo vs Indian Cuckoo

#commonhawkcuckoo #indiancuckoo #cuckoosofindia #indianbirders #backyardbirder

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

155

36

15 days ago

34

0

10 days ago

Did you know there are ~20 bulbul species in India? How many have you seen?

I saw my first White-Browed Bulbul in my Mangalore home backyard this April. I was recording bird sounds on @merlin.bird.id when I saw the name come up, and I went looking for it. Found it flitting about inside the shrubs. I love these little surprises nature has for us.

Bird ID: Red-vented Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, and White-browed Bulbul

#bulbulsofindia #birdersofindia #birding101 #birdinglife #backyardbirder

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

236

24

a month ago

If you could talk back to one species, which would you pick?

A gist of the study by @ucberkeleyofficial https://www.instagram.com/p/DRvctkRD9F2/

#zebrafinch #interspeciescommunication #birdresearch #birding #birdnerds by @backyard._.birder

154

45

22 days ago

Regional names of many of these birds are actually closer to how they sound. So why can’t we have them in English, eh?

What are each of these birds called in your language?

#birdersofinstagram #birderlife #birdingjokes #birdinglife #funny by @backyard._.birder

79

10

17 days ago

4 colours on a lovely little bird. Brown, blue, red, and white. Can you guess the bird?

It’s very common, it’s not always near a waterbody (unlike what you’d expect from its name), and it has lent its name to one of India’s most iconic beers!

#whitethroatedkingfisher #kingfishersofindia #birding101 #birdinglife #backyardbirder

All photos, videos, and audio that do not belong to me have been sourced for educational purposes only, from Wikimedia Commons, Animalia.bio, and Macaulay Library. by @backyard._.birder

59

25

19 days ago