Which bird is this?

Thanks a ton for helping to identify the catch They are now labelled and safe in my blog.

I had forgotten to post an interesting photograph taken 2 days back from the building terrace.

Story time .

I had seen about 4 kites hovering in the sky about 4 buildings away and that did not go well with the resident House crows and parakeets of this locality. Probably it is the nesting time for these crows and I presume that they have the nests on the water tanks on the building terrace where these kites were hovering.

The moment the kites settled on the parapet or on the edge of the terrace, the crows would attack them and see to it they were chased away from the place. During one such attacks I took this photograph, a very long shot (atleast 300 mts as the crow flies ), but we can see clearly the crow attacking the kite which also seemed angry.

aditiban: Your bird is Chestnut-tailed Starling.
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Below is the photo you posted.

Crows are very serious and very brave about dealing with prey birds. They usually do so with numbers on their side, mobbing the birds in the air. If they manage to ground one, they don't show it much mercy.

@rwhfy : possibly ... it could be

I have tried to identify 2/3 birds from this post! My guess here! Would anyone like to confirm what I have id-ed is right or wrong, please?

Will everybody fly around in a panic, kaaa, kaaa, kaaaa, if I bring a snake in here?

What's this little fellow? And he is little; smaller than the impression given by the photo. Maybe 8 or 9 inches long, and slimmer than a pencil.



He was found in our side passage way this morning by our maid, who put a big plate over him (her?).

I doubt that his teeth could have done much more harm than a mosquito, but we were still wary. I played the big, brave snake catcher . I remembered the trick to safely catch a bee or a wasp flying at a window with a glass tumbler and a piece of card. I took a PET jar, put it over the chinna paambu, slide a card under it, wiggled it a bit until he took his tail inside with him --- and released him in our hedge.

Nick-H, I took off vertically from my chair the minute I saw the photograph!! That is real scary to look at! How could you let it back in the hedge??

Chinna or Periya paambu - Paambu is a paambu ! You should have let it elsewhere, may be towards some distant water source! Even though you mention it to be small it looks very frightening. What if it makes it way back, your domestic help will take to her heels , I certainly would hang on to the ceiling fan .

But to you, I could say 'Bravo, bravo'.

Not just chinna, but tiny. Maybe half the size the photo shows! It was not at all frightening. A lesser being than our maid might have just stamped on it .

My guess is rat snake, as we have had those before, and the pattern looks familiar, along with the slight green tinge. Rat snakes are not poisonous, and, as there are rats, somewhat useful

You mean they eat rats

I'm sure they do, but I don't know what the babies eat; I don't know what is small enough?

This seems to be Lycodon capucinus, which usually eat small lizards and maybe frogs.

Hi Nick

I'm really not very good at identifying snakes - we don't get much practice here with only three species and they are quite variable. However there is a good field guide to Indian snakes available by Romulus Whitaker. I assume you know about him - he's a pretty amazing character. I have had a brief look in his book but don't own it, so youl'll have to find an excuse to go to a bookshop. Never a real trial, I find!

Best wishes
Mike

Nick-H, I was wondering if other snakes would come there to devour this small one?

Oh! My baby snake getting eaten !

Thanks all, maybe a "wolf" or "house" snake, then.

I should indeed get the book