Common Woodshrike

Whi..Whi..Whi… Whi, a quick loud whistling sound heard approaching the tree outside the kitchen, near the waterbody. A distinctly different call from the sweet notes of sunbird, oriental magpie, Indian robin or any of the bulbuls. At first, I expected kingfisher or a variety similar to it since our waterbody has plenty of mollies, which attract such birds. By the time I could get a good look at it, it flew away with its catch. I could not get a glimpse of its prey nor its features. Could only gauge its size and color, which is not sufficient information to identify it.


Thereafter, whenever I was in the kitchen, I would keep my ears on guard for the whistle. We had good supply of its food so was assured of it. And as expected it did come again. A small bird, dull grayish brown in color, with a dark cheek patch, a pallid white brow patch above the eye, a strong head and a sharp hooked bill. It fed on dragonflies hovering on the water-body. Announcing its arrival with its peculiar whistle, it perched on a young Gulmohar tree, adjusted its tail for a different flight angle, set eyes on its prey and swooped down to make the kill. Shrikes have very brutal ways of hunting. They impale their prey (living or dead) on a thorn or barbed fence. Then they pull it downwards so as to fix it there well, before eating it. Though they do not have powerful grip like raptors, they hunt for rodents, reptiles, insects and small birds, sometimes equivalent to their weight, using their sharp hooked bills and their unique impaling technique.


Jp, my better half, had designed and constructed 3 water bodies around the house for several reasons. First and foremost was to store rain water since we stay in a semi dry region of the state. Since we started collecting water, he thought of growing water lilies and other aquatic plants. This provided a natural environment to our mollies which were in an artificial tank for almost 7 years. Little did we know that this would attract so many dragonflies, bees, butterflies, frogs, toads, water spiders and their predators. How wonderfully nature rewards a conscious effort towards sustainable living!!

Gujarati name : કાટનો લટોરો / વન કસ્યો

Hindi name : Keroula, Tarti tuinya, करौला , तैरती टुइँया