Commonly known as ‘Doel’ in West Bengal, Oriental Magpie-robin is basically a singing bird. Few years back a robin was a resident in my balcony. Surprisingly that bird found comfort in sitting on the grill of the balcony throughout the night! I was not as enthusiastic as I am now nor did I find much time to photograph that bird. But this lockdown was a perfect time to do that. Also being a relatively less shy and fearless bird, they gave me enough time to capture them.

It is wonderful to hear their call especially after a splash of rain. They usually prefer to sit on a higher structure, usually a cell phone tower or on pipes of water tanks. Their caller tune variation often made me think that it is coming from some new species, but to my surprise every time I was proven wrong! This time it was sitting on my parapet and allowed me to take pictures for almost fifteen minutes!

দোয়েল

There is clear distinction between the male and the female as evident from this comparative image bellow. Clearly, the males are of almost blackish-blue colors, while their female counterparts have more greyish feathers.

Resident of West Bengal.

• Often seen in pairs.
• Prefer to sit on a higher structure and sing melodiously. But sometimes while chasing/playing/fighting among themselves, they call in a very typical rough voice!
• Like shrubby areas to find their meals, mainly small insects.
• Prefer to spend the night on branches of trees, but sometimes also take shelter in a household corner!

They are found through out the city of Kolkata and also everywhere else in the state. Among the birding hotspots of the city, Chetla forest has a large habitat of this species.