Indian Silverbill, a forest bird, has been found to adapt itself to urban environs at Mannachanallur in Tiruchi district.
Degradation of forest habitats has been cited as a cause by Q. Ashoka Chakkaravarthy, conservation field biologist, after making a study of the bird’s nesting and habitat in the town. Wildlife is under threat due to anthropogenic activities.
He has been studying nest ecology for the last one year and found the dwelling of Indian Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica) at Sai Madheshwari abode in the heart of Mannachanallur. It was surprising to see a forest bird building a nest in a polluted environment. These birds had built three nests over its year-long breeding. They usually prefer dry open area with scrubs and bushes, he said.
Indian Silverbill has buff-brown upper parts, white under parts and dark wings. The black central tail feathers are slightly elongated and the upper tail coverts are white. Both sexes are similar but young ones have buff under parts and shorter tail. Its nests are oval in shape, built with grasses and other materials.
The birds feed on standing crops, specially millet and small seed. Adult birds fly to certain distance in search of food in cultivated land and bring the food back to feed their young ones. The landscape of the city’s surroundings has witnessed drastic changes due to modifications in land use, hunting, fragmentation of forests and felling of large trees for road-widening projects.
Loss of tress is the reason why the bird has built nests in a human settlement area. Also, excessive use of pesticides on agriculture land drives such wild birds to urban localities. Creation of green belts in the city and surroundings has become vital to ensure the survival of the bird species, he said.