Essay: Love at first bite

On brown headed barbets double dating on electricity wires, exchanging gifts of love, and nesting in Delhi gardens

“Can we have our tea inside the house?” I was surprised to hear my friend say this. When the weather permits, she usually loves sitting in the garden. It was springtime, and the flowers were blooming and the weather was pleasant.

“Over the years, I have gotten so used to the kutroo-kutroo of the brown-headed barbet (Psilopogon zeylanicus) that I have stopped noticing it. You can hear it in most areas of Delhi, especially from January to June, which is the bird’s courtship and nesting season.” (Prerna Jain)

“This loud bird call has triggered my tinnitus. When there are loud noises, I hear a ringing sound inside my ear, which no one else around me hears,” she explained when she saw the surprised look on my face.

“Because of their green plumage, these birds blend with the leaves.” (Prerna Jain)

Over the years, I have gotten so used to the kutroo-kutroo of the brown-headed barbet (Psilopogon zeylanicus) that I have stopped noticing it. The sound is loud and monotonous. You can hear it in most areas of Delhi, especially from January to June, which is the bird’s courtship and nesting season. I have seen brown-headed barbets double dating – two couples romancing at the same time on the electric wire just outside my house. This electric wire has been a witness to many romantic bird stories, year after year. I wish I could understand bird language; I could have written stories of the Romeo-Juliets and Laila-Majnus of birds.

“The sound of the brown-headed barbet officially declares the end of winter and the arrival of spring in Delhi.” (Prerna Jain)

Coming back to the brown-headed barbet, the sexes look alike so I had no way to find out which gender takes the lead in wooing. The couples sang duets. At times, they seemed to be responding to the music created by the other couple. I’ve watched many noisy concerts where they’d repeat, “kutroo, kutroo”.

I wished they’d break the monotony by changing the lyrics or the tune. But their love life is their business. I cannot be the music police for them. Unsurprisingly, one of the Hindi names of the brown-headed barbet is kutroo. Changing the sound could have led to an identity crisis.

“The orange fruit was used to propose to the eligible partner.” (Prerna Jain)

Brown-headed barbets are known to many people only by sound. Because of their green plumage, they blend with the leaves. I love clicking pictures of this beautiful bird again and again. Their green bodies and streaked brown heads contrast beautifully with their brown-yellow bills that turn orange-red when breeding. They are a beautiful sight. The sound of the brown-headed barbet officially declares the end of winter and the arrival of spring in Delhi. That’s why one of its Hindi names is bada basanta or hara basanta. “Basant” is spring in Hindi.

On one pleasant spring morning, I saw a brown-headed barbet perched on the china-berry tree outside my house. It had a bright orange fruit in its beak. I wondered why it was not eating the fruit. Then, after a few minutes, another brown-headed barbet perched on the branch next to it. The orange fruit was used to propose to the eligible partner. The fruit was consumed after mating. I clicked lots of pictures. In my defence, I was very far away, used my telephoto lens, and didn’t disturb them at all.

“The fruit was consumed after mating.” (Prerna Jain)

The barbet couple decided to build a nest in a tree in my garden. This was done by excavating a hole in the trunk. The partners worked together to build the nest. And so I learnt that woodpeckers are not the only ones who make holes in trees. The barbet couple was soon very comfortable. On some mornings, I woke up to them tapping on my window, even shouting on the ledge. They were my loud alarms which I could not snooze.

“The partners worked together to build the nest.” (Prerna Jain)

After a few weeks I saw a scared baby barbet sitting alone on the ground. Perhaps it had fallen out of the nest. I was worried. There are crows, black kites, rufous treepies and other predators in the neighbourhood always ready to devour hapless bird babies and small animals. I stood at a distance and kept a close eye on it. Thankfully, the parents soon took it to a safer place.

“After being our guests for a few weeks, the barbet family left our garden, hopefully to live happily ever after.” (Prerna Jain)

After being our guests for a few weeks, the barbet family left our garden, hopefully to live happily ever after. But they will be back during the next nesting season. While they stayed, they made me forget about all that is wrong with the world. They’ve left me optimistic and upbeat.

I hope, next year, by the time the barbets return, my friend’s tinnitus will be better and she will enjoy bird calls with me, along with a hot cup of tea in the garden.

Prerna Jain is an artist and photographer based in New Delhi. An extensive collection of her work can be found at her website www.prernasphotographs.com and at facebook.com/prernasphotographs. She is the author of My Feathered Friends.