Small Green Bee-eater

 Small Green Bee-eater  

Size: Bulbul-like   22.cm

Our little bird is a very widespread bird, found everywhere in Gujarat.  Beautiful in color, thin in body, cheerful in voice, crisp in manner.  One thing seems surprising though.  Very few know it by name in proportion to its prevalence.  The cockroach, pigeon, kabar, hola, crow, samadi, vulture, heron are all known to the common people.  Let's take the name of any of these so that its figure can be seen by anyone.  Not so with the kite.  Let's name it

Many stare at us.  They have no idea which bird you are talking about.  What a beautiful bird and how neglected!  Folklore - It has not found a place even in the legend, as a result the little kite has remained unaware like "someone's pampering".

It is very easy to identify a small kite.  You don't have to search much.  Sitting on electricity or telephone wires.  Bright green in color.  The beard and throat appear blue.  The head and neck are gilded.  Dark line across the eye.  Sore throat.  Brown in the wing.  Scarlet eye.  Beak black, thin and curved.  The legs are lead colored and short.  If you can't recognize a small kite despite all these descriptions, look at its tail.  Five centimeters long, black, twine-like feathers protrude from the middle of the tail.  The big sign of recognizing the kite is the appearance of males and females.

There is a black line like kajal around its eyes.  Its throat and torso are light brown.  The rest of the body is green like sweet grass, and yes as the name suggests, its back part and its long sharp tail are blue.  This is a very attractive bird.  It lives in small herds around lakes, ponds and dense trees.

It is found almost all over India. It likes to be around open green plains, forests, lakes, rivers.  Do not know why, hey bee-eater who is there, where there is more food than there is his residence.

Its sound is very lovely t-tu - tu-tu.  It makes its nest between March and June.  Do you know how and where its nest is?  I will tell  Its nest is like a small narrow tunnel which they build in mud or sand in a quiet uninhabited corner on the banks of the river or on the mounds of mud.  Their nests are inhabited as a colony.  Their nests are narrower than the front, behind where there are eggs there are few broad ones.  Blue tailed bee-eater lays 5 to 7 eggs at a time, which are completely white.  Both the male and female Blue Tailed Bee-Eaters build a nest, incubate eggs and feed their children, teach them to fly.

Small Green Bee Eater

It is called Hariyal and Patringa in Hindi.  Its shape is similar to that of Gourayya.  Color shines like green grass.  There is a slight shade of brown color on its head and neck.  On its back side, it goes forward and turns into a needle-like tail.  It has a long, thin and slightly bended beak, which makes it easy to catch insects.  It has a deep black stripe around its neck which looks like noseless.  They are also of similar color and shape.  They can be seen sitting in pairs or in small groups on telephone wires, tree twigs.

Small green bee-eater is found all over India.  It likes to live in open green areas, gardens, fields, light forest, golf links etc.  Occasionally found on the sandy banks of the river and also on the beaches.  Small green beeters also eat the same insect and moths.  Its sound is different from the Blue Tailed Bee-eater.  It sounds like a Tit-Tit or tree tree.

Its sleep time is between February to May.  Its nests are also almost like the blue tailed bee-eater, the tunnel shapes built in moist soil along the river.  The Small Green Bee-eater also builds nests in the colony.  Small Green B-Eater gives 4 to 7 eggs at a time, which are completely white.  Both the male and female small green bee-eater also nest together, incubate eggs and feed their children, teach them to fly.

So how do you children feel about birds?  So far you have not told which of the birds I have seen?  Next which bird would you like to know about writing.