 If you observe birds closely, you will learn a lot of interesting and amazing things about them. The birds you see flitting constantly from tree to tree are engaged in work. Like human beings, they set up home and have children; they even have language of their own.
In bird land there are craftsmen too- tailors, woodcutters, fishers and other workers.
Tailors: The tailorbird uses fine fibers, cobwebs and silk from cocoons as thread. Then, taking two or more leaves, he sews them together skillfully with his sharp slender beak to make a nest.
Woodcutters: One example is the woodpecker, which hammers at tree trunks in search of insects. His bill has a sharp cutting edge. He uses it as an axe to splinter the bark or as a chisel to chip out holes.
This bird has a very interesting tongue. It is long, rounded and barbed, or fitted with a horny tip armed with sharp barbs. The tongue darts in and out of the bill, scooping and dislodging grubs and eggs.
  Fishermen: Of all the fishermen among birds, the most lovely is the kingfisher. You will meet him on the banks of wooded lakes, quiet shady pools, or by the side of murmuring streams. Perched on an exposed bough overhanging the water, he gazes unwinkingly at the water below. If a silvery fish comes swimming by, he suddenly swoops down from his perch into the water. Soon he emerges with the fish held crosswise in his long, straight bill.
Scavengers: The vulture is one of the scavengers. With his large heavy body, baldhead and bare scraggy neck, he is not a pretty sight, but he is unrivalled in the perfection of flight. He soars and wheels high up in the air, surveying the world below. With his allies the kites, he patrols the streets, villages and burning-ghats, clearing away refuse from garbage dumps and removing dead animals left lying on the ground.
Thieves: The commonest of these is the crow. With his glossy black plumage and dark intelligent eyes, he is really most attractive. But nobody likes him because he will steal from man or animal. Whenever there is grain, in shop or field, you will find him stealing boldly. He even robs nests of eggs and young birds.
Policemen: The drongo is a perfect example. His plumage looks like a black glossy uniform. He keeps watch over the countryside and will not hesitate to attack birds much larger than himself. Timid birds build their nests near a drongo's, for he guards not only his own nest but also those of others in the neighbourhood. He is particularly hard on that egg-robber, the crow. He is the earliest bird to rise-as soon as the faintest glimmer of dawn break through the eastern whistle of the drongo is heard heralding the morn.
  Night Watchmen: After sleeping away the daylight hours, the owl wakes when night falls. All night long he keeps vigil over the countryside, skimming noiselessly over fields and barns in search of mice and rats. His hooked beak and strong curved talons help in killing his victims.
Hunters: Eagles and hawks are the fierce hunters of the daytime. With their sharp, hooked beaks and powerful talons, they kill great numbers of field mice and squirrels, which do untold harm to crops; they feed on numberless harmful insects too. Their flight is strong and swift. Sharp hooked beaks and powerful talons help them to grasp and tear their victims with ease.
Idlers: The repeated 'Kuhu-Kuhu' of the koel must be familiar to you all. The koel is too lazy even to build her own nest. She cunningly lays her eggs in a crow's nest. The crow hatches the koel's eggs too and rears the young ones at his own. When they grow up, they belong, of course, to the koel family!
 Singers: The magpie robin is foremost among the singers. In cold weather he whistles softly, but in spring, he pours out a fine range of melodies. He is a striking figure, especially when the melody is punctuated by a constant spreading and upward jerk of his black-and-white tail.
Dancers: It is a delight to watch the fantail flycatcher's dance. Hopping about among boughs, she suddenly stops and, turning from side to side with mincing steps, she begins dancing. She constantly opens and closes the rounded fan of her tail and flicks it daintily from side to side, almost exactly as a lady uses her fan.
 Weavers: The weaver-bird's nest is just as neat as the tailor-bird's. Strongly woven from grass or palm-fiber, it is shaped like a bulb hanging from a short cord. Inside the nest runs a partition, which divides the spout from the chamber in which eggs are laid. The spout helps to keep out enemies. These birds do not try to hide their nests, as they always build in company. The nests, which are of all shapes and sizes, are hung at the tips of branches or palm fronds, usually over water.
Butchers: The shrike has earned for himself the popular name of 'butcher' because he has the strange habit of impaling his prey on thorns. He kills more than he needs to eat at one time and then stores the food in this way. He lives on insects, but does not hesitate to kill lizards and mice, which he pulls to pieces with his strong hooked bill.
Travellers: The wild duck is only one example of the many birds that travel or migrate. All kinds of duck come to India in winter from Europe, North Asia, Ladakh and Tibet.
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