Haryal - Yellow footed Green pigeon

[shooter]

Hariyal used to be soooo common. I have shot (photographed) quite a few. There is an apparent increase in their numbers in that there are more hariyal in the cities and more birds per tree as compared to say 20 years ago. However the number of trees around Jaipur have halved in that time. So I am not sure if they have increased. Their droppings are very peculiar and different from other pigeon varieries so one may, looking at their freshness predict which trees are being frequented. Ficus trees as mundaire stated are preferred and this is more true in jan when there is the red fruit on them. You won't find hariyal much on the ground and it takes practice to spot them in a tree; so perfectly it is camouflaged. In another thread I have written how traditionally hariyal shooting was an important shooting lesson for kids.

List of disappeared birds:
Horn bill
Vulture
Quail
Lava: don't know the translation. It is NOT quail. Coveys of dozens were so common but now gone.
'Bhassa pasand' in vernacular don't know Hindi or English name. A very large brain to body mass ratio. So good for cooking its head.
Black geese
Surkhaab or Brahmi duck

[TC]

Navi, thanks for the lovely post and a rush of nostalgia.
Haryals, a name quite apparently derived from the word 'Hariyali', used to be found in hundreds in Bengal till I was 9 or 10 i.e. mid 70s. But as years passed their numbers dwindled and now it is practically impossible to spot even a pair in most parts of my state except certain agrarian belts in Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and Murshidabad districts. I distinctly remember watching them landing like green clouds on our farmland in Burdwan during and after harvest and feed on whatever was left of the paddy. I used to think they were parrots till my dad told me.
If they cant be seen now is because haryals used to be one of the top favourites among hunters and later, poachers. Haryals were shot or trapped with nets at rampant in Bengal and Bihar. In fact there was (still is) this practice of flying kites with tiny fishing hooks tied to the strings. Can't say more on this because of forum rules but as a Bengali I want to apologise for whatever people in this part of the country have done to push this lovely bird towards extinction.

A little guest ... I kept mentioning renovation of one of my floors for months. Well, I am done with that and my wife and I have moved in. To the North East side of our bedroom is my neighbour's quite huge garden with tall trees. A couple of days ago as I was sipping my first cuppa and going through the dailies when I spotted an old friend who had stopped visiting for years... it was a kingfisher... I ran for the camera and took a few quick (not so good) shots. Will post the pics in a day or two...

Not everything is lost... it seems

TC

[Tango_ Charli]

My grandfather had tales on seeing flocks of these haryals in Narowal Pakistan before 47. i dont recall ever seeing one in Punjab like house sparrow another common bird headed for extinction. Hopefully members could contribute on sightings etc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-footed_Green_Pigeon

Some pictures
http://indianhomemaker.wordpress.com/tag/hariyal/

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... state-bird
Hariyal, green with envy
Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN Jul 2, 2011, 07.41pm IST

Birds don't know boundaries, it's the humans who set them. Does the beautiful yellow toed green pigeon, popularly known as hariyal, know it is the state bird of Maharashtra? Although the controversy over the hariyal being stripped of the state bird status to forest owlet has been put to rest, bird-watchers debate whether there is a need to raise such issues which may threaten both the species.
Amid the debate, TOI went hunting for the commonly found hariyal at its hot spots in the city but couldn't sight one in the past four days. Bird watchers say it is an alarming sign and the specie may be on the decline, but a section of bird experts say the hariyal forage in flocks and is only seen in the early mornings basking in the sun on the top of fruit-bearing trees.
Bird-watchers are overjoyed with the state government decision but feel retaining hariyal as the state bird is not enough and called for varied steps to increase its numbers.
"It's a good move. Declaring endemic forest owlet as the state bird would have led to influx of people in its pockets, with bird watching becoming a popular hobby. Ecologically also it would have been a bad move. I feel that even any controversy on the issue generates publicity threatening the birds," says Dr Tarique Sani, a regular bird watcher and expert.
Dr Sani admits that poaching is the biggest threat to hariyals but doesn't agree that the birds are on decline. He says sightings in monsoon are rare.
Ashish Tiple, an avid bird watcher and assistant professor with zoology department at Vidyabharti College, Selu, says retaining hariyal's status is a good development.
One of the arguments made against the green pigeon was that it's commonly found not only in Maharashtra but also entire India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. "I feel this logic isn't strong. Magpie robin is the national bird of Bangladesh, but is widely found in Maharashtra," Tiple argues.
On the hariyal's poor sightings in the city, Tiple says hariyal is a shy bird. It migrates locally but is mostly focused in Central Indian region. It is found in Ramtek, Pench, Melghat and Amravati areas. In the city, it is seen on big banyan and pipal trees at Telengkhedi, Ambazari, Gorewada, Seminary Hills, Maharajbagh and VNIT.
Not many know about its breeding. Hariyal lays eggs in the month of January. They hatch after 21-25 days. During this period the male hariyal takes care of the food and is always near the nests. The female also never leaves the nest and comes out for sunning from 7 to 8am. After two months, usually in March, the chicks start moving out.
Raju Kasambe, project head of the important birds area programme (IBAP) at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), says it needs a bird's-eye view to sight hariyal, which hides itself in the greenery.
This genus contains 23 species, remarkable for their green colouration, which comes from a carotenoid pigment in their diet. Green pigeons have diets of various fruit, nuts and seeds and dwell in trees and occupy a variety of wooded habitats. These birds rarely come on the ground like other pigeons.
Although birders don't know when hariyal was declared a state bird or why it was chosen, the controversy has led to a strong feeling that now steps should be taken to conserve the bird.
City birder Tarun Balpande says retaining hariyal as a state bird is a positive move. However, it is facing threat from poachers belonging to the Pardhi community. The bird is hunted for meat and sold for Rs 100 a pair. Besides, it is also exported to Nepal as an exotic bird. The state bird should be protected by the state government and BNHS also needs take initiatives.
On poor sightings, Balpande says the bird may be on decline, but sightings are still there in rural areas where there are plenty of banyan and pipal trees. "Two months ago, I sighted a flock of 30 green pigeons in Paradgaon, 30km from Nagpur, and 15 birds in VNIT campus," he says.
Among the other threats to green pigeon include excessive use of pesticides, destruction of fruit-bearing trees in road widening and rampant construction activity in the city. "All this has led to habitat destruction," says naturalist Kundan Hate who has written an information book in Marathi on birds specifically for the forest workers.
Hate adds declaring any specie as state animal or bird doesn't help in its protection. It needs specific measures. "Take for example, the endangered sarus crane," he says. "The bird is endangered in Maharashtra, but is widespread in Uttar Pradesh. It is also the state bird of UP. This means that a bird which is beautiful and commonly found is the state bird of any state."
KYC OF GREEN PIGEON
BREEDING HABITS: The hariyal lays eggs in January, which hatch after 21-25 days. During this period the male takes care of the food and remains near the nest. The female also never leaves and comes out for sunning from 7 to 8am. In March, the chicks start moving out
SPOT THEM: The hariyal forage in flocks. They can be seen in the early mornings basking in the sun on top of fruit-bearing trees. Sightings in monsoon are rare. Unlike other pigeons, they rarely come on the ground
COLOUR SOURCE: The hariyal gets its colour from a carotenoid pigment in their diet which usually is various fruit, nuts and seeds.

Thanks for sharing this informative posts here.

[jatindra Singh Deo]

Thanks members for the encouragement..

@Shooter Hornbills are not dissapeared in my part of the world.We have a teak plantation at our farm ,along with a mango and guava orchard .It was a recent phenomenon,I noticed that hornbills in large numbers of different sizes have take to our property ,with the teak maturing in growth .They are a extremely shy species and incredibly alert bird which would hardly let you come close .

Recently I have noticed along with my elder cousin that there is a sudden drastic reduction in birds of smaller varieties .He made a startling discovery ,which has got me worried .There is a sudden exponential splurge in numbers of common hawks ,which are preying on these birds.

[shooter]

I have again gone through the article and am surprised at the breeding habits mentioned. It may be a weather affected variation but I always believed mating season jan feb and chicks in march.

[mundaire]

I've spotted hornbills in Central & South Delhi on more than one occasion, Delhi of course (especially central & south) is a pretty green city. They aren't easy to spot in the foliage though...

Cheers!
Abhijeet