This summer I spent a day at a bird park. I was delighted to see so many different kinds of birds at one place. Some parts of the park had huge bird cages called an aviary. Other parts had the birds in the open. A guide explained that the birds out in the open had their wings clipped and so could not fly. He took us on a tour of the park.
We saw pelicans and kingfishers in a lake. They were being fed their favorite food-fish. The pelican has a long yellow beak with a pouch below it. Then there were the flamingoes which stood on one leg. They rested, with one leg held up close to their body while standing on the other one. We also saw macaws in brilliant colors with long blue red rails they made loud whistling and screeching sounds.
The Koel
Cuckoo…Coo. Can you hear that lovely sound?
Do you know from where it comes?
It is Koel singing. In spring time, we can hear the Koel singing all through the day and night. The Koel is one of the most musical among our Indian birds and many poets have sung his praises. But do you know what happens when winter comes? It becomes silent and migrates to the warmer areas.
The male Koel is Shiny black with yellowish-green and crimson round eyes. The female is quite different in color. It is dull brown with white spots and lines.
The Koel is a very clever bird. It never builds its own nest. The mother bird goes in search of a crow’s nest and lays eggs. She even leaves them for the crow to hatch1 the Koel’s eggs are very much like a crow’s eggs, so the crow without knowing hatches the Koel’s eggs. She even takes care of the baby Koels like her young ones!
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