Birds of a Feather

Bird Scientist has such a lovely ring to it; ornithologist, the more scientific name for it. Salim Ali was India's Bird Man and this book by his grandniece serves as the perfect backdrop for our Other Animals this issue

- Zai Whitaker

When we found The Bird Man of India: Salim Ali by Zai Whitaker - published by Hachette India - on our office table, we were delighted as this was a work-in-progress and one that would give us such valuable gems on the most famous ornithologist of our country, and beyond, and the very subjects he studied.

You will be fascinated to learn how it all began for Salim Ali (with the accent on the 'a' in his first name which has it pronounced as Saa-lim and not Sa-leem.) As a nine-year-old boy who was curious to know more about the behaviour of the male sparrow, he learned how they would guard the nest of the female and her eggs, even if it were not their own. Read just how he goes about it when you get a copy home.

As you go through the pages, discover how in the name of 'development', our green cover is compromised, the old forest trees cut down and the homes of several birds destroyed. This is a book for children to understand the types of birds we have in our country and the urgent need to preserve and protect them. Thousands of bird enthusiasts are working hard towards this cause, many of whom were encouraged or inspired by Salim Ali. Long after he passed away in 1987 at the age of 90, his legacy continues where birdwatching has gone forward to become a research-based activity for so many age groups in the country today. Where migration is studied more closely to determine the reasons why large flocks of birds travel to and from India, when the weather is cold, to warmer places, only to return in the Spring. Where the camouflage colouration of birds in the desert throws light on the characteristic of species like the Taloor or the Houbara Bustard to blend into the sandy environment or the wet soil around them during a rain shower.