A tale of two birds captivating the birding community

Indian Pitta and Spur-winged Lapwing captivate birders at Ameenpur Lake and Ammavaripeta, showcasing beauty and adaptability.

For the birding fraternity, two beautiful birds — Indian Pitta or Navrang at Ameenpur Lake in the City and the Spur winged Lapwing at Ammavaripeta in Warangal — have become the cynosure of all eyes for different reasons!

Well, Jagan Pannala, who holds a Doctorate in Zoology from Kakatiya University and recorded the first-ever sighting of the spurred lapwing in the country itself for the first time in January 2024, is still puzzled at the winged visitor becoming a ‘resident’ bird of the lake since then.

“It is amazing how it is surviving all alone for so long after we saw her for the first time,” says Mr. Jagan. “Interestingly, this spur-winged lapwing is very comfortable in the company of common lapwings. There is no discernible change in the behavioural pattern,” says Mr. Jagan.

So is the case with Indian Pitta at Ameenpur Lake, said to be one of the most beautiful bids for its regal splendour and amazing colours. “Indian Pitta has been there since 2020 and rarely disappeared, always moving around in the periphery,” says avid birder Syamala Rupakula.

“Honestly, the exact reason for this pitta staying put can be debated. The pitta normally prefers scrub lands and bushes with lots of undergrowth with leaf litter as ground-cover with not too bright sunlight,” she said.

“Interestingly, with passing time, the bird seems to have got used to the movement of human beings too as if the birders squat on the ground, it comes out in the open and indulges in a complete show of its beauty,” Syamala Rupakula said.

For his part, another birder Rajashekhar Muddam said it was a great habitat for pittas at Ameenpur because there are plenty of food sources and good shrubby bushes. “But this year, many trees, shrubs, and bushes were cut down for development, so I’m interested to see how the pittas will adjust to this area next year. Although there were fewer species than in previous years, pittas are still present,” he added.