At Malibu Towne, we are blessed to be surrounded by a wide variety of biodiversity. Along with introduced tree species like Saptparni (Alstonia scholaris) or “Seven leaved trees” which line up most of the colony, there are Amaltas, Jacaranda, Siris, Gulmohar, Copperpod, Peepal, Neem, Amla, Frangipani, Bauhinia, Elm, Mango, Jamun, Mulberry and even beautifully tropical banana trees in abundance. With an unmatched tree cover, it’s no surprise we get a staggering variety of birds, butterflies, bees and bats in our colony.
If you wake up at 5:30 am these days, you’ll invariably hear a morning Raga of at least 5 – 6 bird species. Oriental Magpie Robin is the most common bird, singing these days at nearly every green patch. A Black and White bird with a male having a striking glossy black head, back and tail with a shiny white underbelly, while female dons a more jaded greyish slaty colour in place of black, the pairs are courting these days. A bold bird, it’s an accomplished songstress. The male sings a melodious song to woo its partner and in the process, announces itself to the other competing males if they can produce a better sonorous effect. It’s also capable of many other calls like a long sweep in the hot summer afternoons. If you hear it, look up in the middle of the tree and you’ll find it easily.
Play The Audio Below To hear The Bird Call:
This is breeding time for many resident birds like Bulbuls, Sunbirds, Mynas, Barbets, Parakeets, Rufous Treepie etc. In the coming editions, we’ll detail out each of these birds and other biodiversity of our colony and where you can spot them.
We have a Malibu Nature Club where we discuss the rich biodiversity of the colony and also organize nature walks from time to time. The latest walk was done in the 2nd week of May where amongst other resident birds, we also spotted a flock of Alexandrine Parakeets which is a Near Threatened species as per IUCN. It, therefore, becomes our collective responsibility to conserve the various habitats within the colony and ensure the beautiful denizens of nature can co-exist with us happily.
by Soma Ateesh Tripathi (WW17, Ground floor; 98104 15483)
