Meet the beautiful Asian Brown Flycatcher, ladies and gentlemen.
A bird that travels 3000 - 4000 kms to come over to the Ghats for the Winter
One of my favourite birds ever – like the Malabar starling, and the Indian golden oriole. 😊
It’s indeed a cuteness-overloaded birdie!
I was busy clicking away snapshots of the Asian Brown Flycatcher today, across a few locations.
Then, one of my birder-friends said that, the ABF comes all the way from Siberia. Another one quipped that it’s from the Himalayas.
So to set the records straight, I looked up a few lovely books on the subject.
It is titled, A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo by Susan Myers.
Well, Susan Myers is a highly experienced bird tour leader with over 30 years of experience in Asia. This “on-site” experience is evident in all through the book.
For most birdwatchers in South India, you musta gotta darshan of this bird during the winter months – especially from September to March. Yes, the Asian brown flycatcher is a winter visitor to the Western Ghats, and huge numbers migrate from their breeding grounds in the Himalayas, Eastern Siberia, and Japan to spend the winter in the warmer climates of Peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
And so, although they are resident birds in India, they come to South India as winter visitors only during the winter months.
What a long journey they cover during their flyway zone – OMG! The journey is often over 3,000 kms to 4,000 kilometres!
However, this migration is indeed a matter of survival for the Asian Brown Flycatcher!
In their breeding grounds (Siberia, Mongolia, and the Himalayas), winters are quite harsh and brutal. As temperatures drop, their insect buffet - the flycatcher’s sole food source become rarer for them.
The warm tropical climate of the Ghats remains warm all through the year, thus ensuring a continuous, ‘high-protein supply’ of flying insects.
Migration then isn’t just a choice; it’s almost an evolutionary strategy for the Asian brownie!
Quite insightful, ain’t it?
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