India is home to a large number of rare species of flora and fauna, which includes beautiful birds, varied animals, and abundant forests. We all know that the peacock is the national bird of India.
Check out this list of birds from few states in India and find out which one is your state bird!
Indian Roller (AndhraPradesh, Karnata, Telengana, Orisa)
Widely distributed across Asia, the bird is locally known as Neelkanth, due to the bluish tint on its wings. It feeds on insects, arachnids, small snakes and reptiles. Interestingly, it’s due to the acrobatic displays of the male, during breeding season, that this bird got its unique name!
Great Hornbill (Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala)
The Hornbill is a large bird that mainly feeds on fruits and figs and can live for up to 50 years. Hunting and poaching poses a great threat to this bird, which has been evaluated as near threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
White-winged Wood Duck (Assam)
The White-winged Wood Duck is one of the largest species of ducks in the world. The bird is known to be very secretive and feeds only during the night! Due to habitat loss, the White-winged Wood Duck has also been enlisted as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Sparrow (Bihar)
The house sparrow is found all across the world. It is most commonly found in cities and towns due to its association and adaptability to human co-habitation. Although, its numbers have declined in recent years.
Hill Myna (Meghalaya, Chattisgarh)
Also known as the Mynah, the Hill Myna is slightly bigger than the common Myna. Both the male and the female of this species can produce a wide range of sounds such as whistles, screeches, gurgles, wails and other sounds that are so melodious and unique that they are sometimes mistaken for actual people!
Black-crested Bulbul (Goa)
Found all across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the head of the Black-crested Bulbul is jet black while the rest of the body is tinted in different shades of yellow. The bird resides mainly in forests and dense scrub and feeds on insects and fruits.
Greater Flamingo (Gujrat)
Found mostly in the Indian Subcontinent, Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe, the Greater Flamingo is the largest species of flamingo in the world. Young flamingos are whitish-grey and attain their patented pink colour around their legs and bills only as they enter adult life.
Black Francolin (Haryana)
The Black Francolin is widespread in the northern and central parts of India. They mostly reside in areas of thick vegetation and close to water sources. The call of this bird is a loud klik cheek-cheek-cheerakik, commonly heard during the entire day when the birds are breeding.
Western Tragopan (Himachal Pradesh)
This beautiful, medium-sized bird prefers to nest in dense temperate, sub-alpine, and broad-leaved forests. It is known as the rarest of all living species of pheasants. Its local name is Jujurana, which means, the King of Birds.
Black-necked Crane (Jammu & Kashmir)
The Black-necked Crane is easily identified by its black neck and black-tipped wings and breeds on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. It is most commonly found in China, Vietnam, Bhutan and also in India, in smaller numbers. The bird is widely respected and held in high reverence in Buddhism.
Incredible India Indeed!!