Tussar Silk Moth – Saving nature, one moth at a time
Best thing you will read today, guaranteed! 12 year old Daanya Purohit, a Bookosmian from Goa enthralls us with her love for moth conservation. Tell us about your passions!
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Moths, how beautiful they can be! Unfortunately we don’t really pay attention to them. Many of you may not even have heard the word moth, or know that they are different from butterflies. Most think of them as an ugly dull coloured insects that fly around light bulbs. In fact, the true beauty of moths never gets appreciated.
Prehistoric Being
Well, let’s start with the first question, what are moths? Moths are insects that belong to the Lepidoptera order. Other insects that belong to the same order are butterflies and skippers.
Now, what makes them so special or important? We can survive without them right?! Well, actually, moths are very important to us humans and for our ecosystem. They help inpollinating flowers of fruit bearing plants and several food crops. That is not all, they are also an indicator species, which means that their presence indi
Moths serve a huge role in the natural food chain. Both adult moths and their caterpillars are food for an immense diversity of wildlife, like insects, spiders, frogs, lizards, birds and bats
Finally, why don’t we know much about moths? That is because most moths come out at night while we are asleep. Being mainly night creatures, they are dull coloured, in comparison to their cousin – the butterfly. In reality, moths are far more ancient than butterflies and have been living on planet earth for over 200 million years.
The Tussar Silk Moth Lays Egg
One late evening, it was the month of August, when a huge moth flew into my balcony. It was the biggest I had ever seen. Its wings were bigger than my palm.
I was so surprised and amazed with the beauty of this stunning creature. It was brown and had eye like patches on its wings. It was a Tussar Silk moth.
After admiring the moth for a few minutes, I decided to click some pictures. As I was clicking the pictures, through the camera lens I saw the moth was actually laying eggs. Yes eggs! I could not believe my eyes. I had never witnessed the egg laying process of any insect. But sadly the moth had chosen the wrong host plant. It was laying eggs on a Bougainvillea shrub, while the host plants of a Tussar Silk Moth are wild berry, wild nut, or the Jamun trees. Later she also laid eggs on by balcony glass window pane.
Tussar Silk Moths lay egg in clusters, which when dries sticks together hard, and becomes difficult to separate. So, I had to act fast. I could not have let the eggs get wasted, could I?!I quickly got a box and put the moth and her eggs inside it. Since the eggs would take a week to hatch, I thought it would give me enough time to search my neighbourhood and find the right plant for release of the caterpillars.
It was only by the next afternoon that the moth finished laying her eggs. There were over 50 of them clustered together. The moth died soon after. Since Tussar Silk moths don’t have mouth parts they do not eat or drink anything, surviving only on the energy they gathered while eating as a caterpillar. The only purpose of an adult Tussar moth is to reproduce. This moth had completed its purpose.
About 6 days later, one morning I woke up to few tiny caterpillars. I was delighted. Through the day, and the next few days, the eggs hatched in batches. I spent hours staring at them, watching the tiny caterpillars crawled out and munch on the eggshells. By then, I had identified few host trees in my neighbourhood. I took the caterpillars down and realised them on its branches. However, I kept five of them with me, so that I could study their lifecycle. I made a large terrarium, fed them fresh leaves everyday and watched them grow.
About a month later, one early morning the first moth emerged. It was stunning, just like its mother. In the evening I took it to the nearby nut tree and set it free.
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About the author-
Daanya Purohit
Save Tigers – Teach Kids About Tigers, Not Angels | Bookosmia
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to show our care for nature.
Tigers, our beautiful big cats will soon go extinct if the kids of today are not taught about them, writes 12 year old Krisha Nijhawan, a Bookosmian from Delhi.
She goes to the Millenium school, Noida.
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Tigers are the king
Thats all what we know
Not a colossal box of gold
Not a propitious crop which often you could sow
In the forest do they reside
But in the future they may only exist,
In the fantasy of a child
They are the evidence of our past
But today their population doesn’t apparently surpass
Teach about tigers, not angels,
Tigers are better than angels even though they dont have wings
Teach children how to save them before they go extinct
Saving tigers is ardous I know
But try give it a go
So let us bring our train of thought onto tigers before they die
Everyone should give it try.
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About the author-
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The Bengal Tiger- A Prayer for you | Bookosmia
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to show our care for nature.
Here is a powerful poem that all of us must read and think over.
11 year old Prabhgeet Kaur from Kolkata makes a compassionate plea to save tigers . I am with her. Won’t you join us too?
Prabhgeet goes to Loreto House School, Kolkata.
The Lure Of The Extraordinary Peacock | Bookosmia
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.
10 year old Prachi Kothari, a Bookosmian from Mumbai can’t help gushing about the magnificent peacock in this lovely poem. What is your favourite bird? Tell us!
Prachi is a student of Children’s Academy Group of Schools(Malad).
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A blue glow,
That makes everyone say “Ooo”,
The peacock’s feathers when spread look like they give to the ground, blue light,
Which brings to the watchers, a charming smile.
When the wet rain with the ground together clap,
This scene is extraordinary, incredible, fab,
The peacock starts dancing exceptionally arresting,
We feel around us an ecstasy fencing,
Golden green rays emit from their feathers,
That we can’t stop to gather,
For perceiving this wondrous sight,
It would be more marvellous if it could take a sky-high flight,
When looking at it our eyes pounce out and magically stop,
The peacock is so magnificent from bottom to top.
If it comes dancing on the road,
Everything from cars to people would be on hold,
It spreads out its wings with valor,
In us, we need to imbibe that gleaming colour.
Learn that,
We shouldn’t just sit and perch on the tree,
Do something outstanding that makes everyone feel glee.
Animals should be given importance and cared,
Don’t let them become extinct and rare.
Increase the number of animals and birds,
Build national parks and sanctuaries where they can freely and happily run,
Store the peacock’s beautiful sights in your mind and heart,
So that these pleasant sights keep coming repeatedly and ever last.
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Fun Fact 1: Peacocks can emit sounds humans can’t hear
When a peacock fans its ornamented train of feathers for the peahen during mating season, its feathers quiver, emitting a low-frequency sound inaudible to human ears. Depending on whether they want to attract females from far away or up close, they can change the sound by shaking different parts of their feathers. Peacocks make “infrasounds” at low frequencies (below 20 hertz) that are totally inaudible to us—but very pertinent to peafowl. Just think of it as bluetooth for birds, says Audubon article here.
Fun Fact 2: Peacocks, peahens, peafowls? getting the name right
Only the males are actually “peacocks.” The collective term for these birds is peafowl. The males are peacocks and the females are peahens. The babies are called peachicks. A family of peafowls is called a “bevy”. A group of the birds is also sometimes called an “ostentation,” a “muster,” or even a “party.”
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About the author-
‘Spectacular Spectacled Eiders’ by 12 year old Bookosmian from Kolkata + Cool Facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.
Today’s write up is an epistolary work, which means in the form of letters, by 12 year old Laksha Khanna from Kolkata.
Laksha is a 12 year old , studying in class 7 in Sushila Birla Girls School, Kolkata. She is a student of Word Munchers.
Laksha is passionate about writing from an early age. She is also fond of dramatics. She enjoys being on the stage and performing for an audience.
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Dear Pamela,
Hope you are doing well. I came to know about your obsession with birds. Recently we had a school trip to Russia and I was a volunteer to accompany a bunch of seventh graders. I am writing to you to tell you about our encounter with the Spectacled Eider, an endangered species.
It was a Saturday morning and we had a free day before we left for home. I took a bunch of seventh graders to a park to spend the day there. There was a tranquil lake nearby and a lot of ducks were merrily swimming in it. My juniors bought a loaf of bread from the nearby bakery and started feeding the ducks. I would have never found the Spectacled Eider if one of the kids hadn’t pointed out that one of the ducks was wearing glasses. All the children gathered around the lake and started pointing and gasping at the duck. I came closer and I found out from one of the locals that it wasn’t a regular duck but it was a Spectacled Eider who has a large white patch around their eyes, outlined with black which makes it appear as if it is wearing spectacles. It had a marvelous white and black body, a green neck and an orange beak.
Suddenly it swopped down and grabbed a mollusk in its mouth. The children watched carefully how the mollusk fought for its life and how the eider was fighting for its food. Later that evening, one child was really fascinated by this bird so he started telling us all about the eider. He told us that the Spectacled eider was an endangered species because it was a common prey for predators if they didn’t travel in large groups.
Overall it was a rare experience viewing an endangered species in a park. Hope to hear from you soon.
Yours lovingly,
Laksha
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‘Scarlet Ibis’ An Epistolary (letter writing) by 13 year old Bookosmian from Kolkata
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Here is a wonderful coming together of epistolary (letter writing) creative writing with a love for the vibrant world of scarlet ibis birds, by 13 year old Aanya Surana from Kolkata.
Aanya Surana is a student of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, studying in class nine. English has been one of the most fascinating subjects to her. She goes to Word Munchers.
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42 Ribbon Street
Kolkata-700023
26th November, 2020
Dear Riya,
Its been a while since we have caught up with each other, I hope you’re doing well. I know we’ve lost touch ever since I moved to Brazil for my further studies, but I really miss you and would do anything to stay as attached and close as we were before.
The weather here is so beautiful currently and the autumn season is passing and the winter is setting in and during this time of year we generally have expeditions and for this year as a part of the science class activity we went to a bird sanctuary, it was so beautiful. I was in charge of a group of children from class six and we were led by an ornithologist. He was so experienced that he could identify the only check with their chirping noise. We saw a number of birds but across the lake there was a beautiful flock of vibrant, colourful, scarlet coloured birds which was were rare species known as scarlet ibis.
I was so mesmerized seeing the beautiful red bird that I could sit there forever and enjoy the calmness around her. Our ornithologist told a lot about that bird and I found it very interesting . He told us that the scarlet ibis is a sociable and gregarious bird, and very communally-minded regarding the search for food and the protection of the young. I thought that it would be a fun activity to feed the bird so the students and I asked our guide their check what it check and he said that it had a varied diet and that it and it ate stuff like crabs frogs worms and insects. Hearing this the students stepped back from feeding it because they were terribly scared of worms and insects themselves!
We went further inside the sanctuary and saw numerous and rare species of the bird. It was a trip to remember.
Give my greetings to uncle and aunt and I hope you like the pictures I have sent because I know you love nature and everything about it.
Hope to see you soon.
Your loving friend,
Radhika
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Fun fact #2 : The scarlet ibis is a gregarious bird, living, traveling, and breeding in flocks.
While in flight, ibises form diagonal lines or V-formations. This formation decreases wind resistance for trailing birds. When the leader of the pack tires, it falls to the back of the formation and another ibis takes its place at the front.
Read more here at the the Seaworld.org
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‘Graceful Demoiselle Cranes’ by 16 year old Ishita Jain from Kolkata + Cool Facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature.
Today’s write up is an epistolary work, which means in the form of letters by 16 year old Ishita Jain from Kolkata.
Ishita is a 16 year old who loves reading and writing. She is someone who would rather curl up with a book, with a hot cup of tea than go out and socialize. She loves to listen to music as well.
She goes to La Martiniere for Girls School and is a student of Word Munchers.
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Dear Aunt,
Do you remember the day you told me to take time out of my busy schedule from time to time to be in the lap of nature? Well, this December, I got such an opportunity. As a part of a science class activity, I was handed the responsibility of leading a group of juniors on a bird watching expedition. We went to Keoladeo National Park, India’s most famous bird watching park. It is a small wetland in Rajasthan that domiciles over 400 species of birds.
Our science teacher was a retired ornithologist, who helped us throughout the trip. We were told by our guide, to be quiet in order to experience the thrill of observing exotic birds. The group of juniors were very cooperative and understanding; the group touring with us, were an obstreperous lot.
In that tranquil atmosphere in the wilderness, we saw many birds such as painted storks, bar-headed goose and Indian courser. However, the bird that caught my eye the most was the Demoiselle Crane, which is the smallest of the crane species. Their bodies and outer wings are a pale silver-blue in colour and their tails and the underside of their wings, are black in colour. Their necks are black while there are pearly white feathers on the side of their eyes. They also have a mane-like set of feathers on their chest that makes them look graceful and elegant. This attractive bird has red eyes and small, ivory beaks, with grey and pink marks on them.
Seeing this bird, all of us were left awe-struck and unable to tear our eyes away from it. Their call is like that of a ‘high-pitched trumpet’, as our guide had told us. They are migratory birds who migrate to South-Asia during the breeding season of winter.
We spent that entire day in awe of the entire park filled with beautiful, exotic birds. I learnt a lot about different kinds of birds that day and I plan on visiting the park along with you next time you are in Rajasthan.
Yours Lovingly,
Ishita.
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In the mythology of Valmiki, the composer of the Hindu epic Ramayana, it is claimed that his first verse was inspired by the sight of a hunter kill the male of a pair of demoiselle cranes that were courting. The demoiselle crane is known as the Koonj /Kurjan(????,??????
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‘Exciting Egret’ by 9 year old Bookosmian from Kolkata+ some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
If you were a bird in a zoo, how would you feel? Would you love it? Would you rather be free?
9 year old Atreyo Bhattacharyya from Kolkata shares his perspective, in this epistolary (letter writing) piece. Atreyo goes to The Heritage School and is a student of Word Munchers.
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Dear Grandpa,
I am very sad as I have been locked up in this cage. I am in an enclosure named The Egrets. But people still admire me for my beautiful snow white plumage.
We have cages that restrain a bird from flying away. I was brought to this zoo by a man named Kalan. He first dug a big hole and then covered it with leaves. Without seeing properly, I stepped on that and fell into it. I miss my freedom and how I used to roam around and jump from one tree to the other.
But the advantages of this zoo are that I regularly get good food to eat and big bowls of water everyday. My life in this zoo is comfortable because the people give me food and water at the right time and take care of me properly.
But I feel lonely here because I can’t talk to my friends. Slowly, I am forgetting how to fly as this is a small cage, nor do they allow us to fly. My flight feathers are becoming of no use. I miss my freedom and abhor this life of a prisoner.
Hope I could fly back to you whenever I wish as I used to do….
Miss you Grandpa
Yours lovingly,
Jack
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2. The great egret faced near extinction and is a conservation success story
Nearly wiped out in the United States in the late 1800s, when its plumes were sought for use in fashion, the Great Egret made a comeback after early conservationists put a stop to the slaughter and protected its colonies; as a result, this bird became the symbol of the National Audubon Society. The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society and represents a conservation success story. The birds have enjoyed legal protection over the last century, and their numbers have increased substantially.
Read more at Audubon here
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‘Let the birds be free’ Poem by 9 year old Bookosmian from Bangalore
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts.
Today’s lovely poem on the significance of birds is written by 9 year old Aashritha Surya Prakash from Bangalore.
Aashritha goes to Vidya Niketan School, Bangalore and is a student of Talespin.
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There go the ducks, “Quack, quack, quack”
There go the robins, “Chack, chack, chack”
There go the eagles, soaring through the sky
There go the vultures, flying ever so high.
Over hills and dales
And woodland pines
Over hidden caves
And huge gold mines
Never faulting
Never halting
Till they find a warmer place
Clever people call it migrating.
They are wonderful creatures
They truly care
But who are their enemies?
An elephant or a hare?
Then I wonder,
“Who could it be?”
It’s nobody else,
Just you and me.
Yes, we are the ones
Invading their homes
But what harm have they done?
The answer is none.
On the contrary,
They help us a lot
Pollinating seeds in little pots
So stop cutting trees
And let them be free.
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‘The unique Oilbirds of South America’ A write up by 9 year old Bookosmian from Kolkata + some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts.
Today’s write up is an epistolary work, which means in the form of letters by 10 year old Devaanshi Nathany from Kolkata.
Devaanshi studies in Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata. The magical book of spells, Harry Potter is her favorite. She likes to run and play but not studying. Without mischief there is nothing for her to do.
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Dear Uncle,
Your previous letter is still with me. Apologies for not responding as I was busy with my trip. It’s so lovely in South America that I don’t get time to see the letters.
By the way, do you know that when I went to the jungle for studying the animals with my mates, we saw the most unusual bird! Oilbird was the creature’s name. It was mainly reddish brown with white spots on its nape and wings. Its lower parts were cinnamon-buff with white diamond shaped spots edged in black. These spots started to decrease towards the throat and grew bigger as they reached the back.
Their stiff tail feathers were rich brown spotted with white on either side. I came to know that they are a small nocturnal cave-dwelling creature, which hunts its food by echolocation just like bats and dolphins do. It is also the only flying, fruit- eating nocturnal bird in the world.
The oilbirds forage at night, with specially adapted eyesight. When I searched about them in google, I found out that they favor oily, fatty wax palm and avocado fruits, which they pluck from trees with their formidable-looking hooked beaks. I am not sure whether they migrate but they surely aren’t in broods. And do you know that the oil birds are so oily that people used to boil them to extract their oil and use it as a fuel! It was a strange observation!
It was a jolly good experience knowing about the bird.
Yours Loving
Devaanshi
Read more about it at Audobon here
Cool Fact #2: Oilbird’s body enables it to move around in the dark
Their retinas pack one million rods per millimeter—the highest rod density recorded in any vertebrate—which allows their eyes to take in more light than any other bird’s. And those whiskers, pathetic looking though they might be, actually serve a purpose, providing additional sensory cues that help the Oilbird get around, not unlike many mammals.
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‘The Mighty Eagle’ Essay by 7 year old Bookosmian from Kolkata+ some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts.
Here is 7 year old Rajveer Chowdhary from Kolkata sharing an essay on why he is awed by the eagle.
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The Eagle
Often, they feed on rabbits, hare, sea birds and even on dead animals.
Occasionally, it can be seen on Discovery Channel from which I gained the knowledge.
Eagles may be apex predators at the top of their food chain, but they don’t stay that way forever. Aside from the weakening of its talons, eagle beaks warp and bend upon ageing. Once their beaks change shape, it’d be hard for them to feed.
Read more about it here – https://facts.net/nature/
Cool Fact#2 : The largest bird’s nest was built by a pair of bald eagles.
Eagles have got into the Guinness book of world records!! The largest bird’s nest was built by a pair of bald eagles and possibly their successors, near St Petersburg, Florida, USA. It measured 9 ft. 6 in wide and 20 ft. deep. It was examined in 1963 and was estimated to weigh more than two tonnes (4,409 lb).
Read more about it in the Guinness Book of World Records here
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‘Don’t worry, Mr. Owl’ A cute write up by a 6 year old Bookosmian from Delhi +some cool facts #Nature with Sara
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contests around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?
Cool Fact#1- The Forest Eagle Owl has very long, almost horizontal ear-tufts.
The Forest Eagle Owl is a large, powerful owl with very long, almost horizontal ear-tufts. The large ear tufts slant off to the sides It is also known as the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl.
Cool Fact 2: The Forest Eagle Owl is known for its weird, human-sounding call.
This call consists of a scream, which rises and then falls in tone. The territorial call of the species, like that of most other eagle-owls, consists of low hoots with two-second intervals between hoos.[2] The voice is booming, deep and carries quite far. A low, deep double hoot lasting two seconds – “hoo hoo.” It also utters a mournful, mewing scream that rises and then falls in pitch and lasts about one second – “njaauuuw.”
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Here is a lovely gift set for every child by Bookosmia- a big bundle of a stunning picture book with lovely birds , a colouring book, a jigsaw and lots of fun.
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‘I flutter and smile, seeing the dazzling butterfly’ Essay by 9 year old Nandini Maheshwari from Delhi
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts, shared/ acknowledged by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, a nature enthusiast and a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India.
We are back with butterflies, this time 9 year old Nandini Maheshwari from Delhi sharing her excitement with them.
Nandini has a lot of hobbies- drawing, painting, baking, reading, DIY crafts but the one that calms her down is doing ballet while swaying her arms. She is a keen learner and driven by her curiosity at all times. She loves fairies ,animals, birds, dinosaurs and even monsters. Nandini is a student of Air Force Bal Bharti School, Delhi and Chamatkaar.
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I flutter and smile with a sparkle,
And feel like flying when I see a dazzling butterfly.
Butterflies are totally awesome and mesmerizing creatures of nature. They also have colourful and transparent wings. They are harmless and gazing at their beauty is so relaxing in itself. My favourite butterfly is Rainbow Monarch and blue butterfly because of its ravishing colors.
They have a four stage life cycle which goes like this –
A butterfly lays an egg,
A caterpillar comes out which is so so hungry . It eats leaves. If you offer, I think it would also eat fruits, vegetables, leaves, burgers, pizzas and cheese .Now it’s a fatso and turned into a cocoon. After 2 weeks, it comes out as the prettiest butterfly.
If I get to hold a butterfly , I will play with her with a gentle hand and release her into the sky to flutter, flutter, flutter….butterfly, keep soaring high!
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Cool Fact#1: A whopping 75 percent of known insects, undergo metamorphosis.
Among them bees, beetles, flies, and moths—develop in four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Most striking about complete metamorphosis is how different the larva looks and behaves from the adult.
Other species, such as grasshoppers and dragonflies, experience incomplete, or simple, metamorphosis, which involves three life stages—egg, larva or nymph, and adult or imago. The nymphs look like tiny adults, eating and shedding their skins until they reach adulthood.
Read more at National Geographic here
Cool Fact#2: A Caterpillar has as many as 4,000 muscles in its body
By comparison, humans have just 650 muscles in a considerably larger body The caterpillar’s head capsule alone consists of 248 individual muscles. That’s one seriously muscle-bound insect!
Read more at ThoughtCo here
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‘Hello, I am the Indian fox,’ Poem by Jeevasini Patnana from Bhubaneswar
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contests around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?
Cool Fact 1: The Indian fox’s favourite time of day is dawn or twilight.
Bengal foxes are predominantly crepuscular(active primarily during the twilight period) and nocturnal (being active during the night and sleeping during the day). While individuals may sometimes become active during cool periods of daytime, they typically spend warmer daylight hours under vegetation.
Cool Fact 2: The tail of the Indian Fox is around 50–60% of the length of the head and body.
The Indian Fox is more small and delicate in built, than the red fox. It can readily be recognized by its bushy, black-tipped tail, which is around 50–60% of the length of the head and body.
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‘Cats, cats, I love cats!’ Poem by 7 year old Ayraa from Mumbai+ some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature and wildlife, while still being locked in.
Here is 7 year old Ayraa from Mumbai sharing her love for cats and why they make for purr-fect pets! Dont miss the cool facts that follow.
Ayraa is 7 years old. She loves to hoola hoop and skate. She loves to read too.
Ayraa is a student of Ava Bai Petit Girls High School, Mumbai.
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Cats, cats I love cats!
Cats love milk.
They love to chase mice, and they love to eat fish.
Cats have soft fur on their body and have whiskers.
When it’s happy and likes someone, it purrs.
I love cats because they have soft pink ears.
Cool Fact #2: Cats spend between 30-50% of their days grooming themselves.
Grooming helps cats tone down their scent so they can avoid predators. It cools them down, it promotes blood flow, and it distributes natural oils evenly around their coat, allowing them to stay warm and dry. Grooming also serves as a sign of affection between two cats, and it’s thought that saliva contains enzymes that serve as a natural antibiotic for wounds.
Read more facts at Mental Floss here.
Cool Facts #3: A group of kittens is called a Kindle
A kindle isn’t just an e-reader—it’s also a word that’s used to describe a group of kittens born to one mama cat. Meanwhile, a group of full-grown cats is called a clowder.
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‘Forest Eagle Owl’ Short Story by 8 year old Shreeda Thakkar from Hannover, Germany
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contests around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?
Don’t miss this acrostic story and winning entry by 8 year old Shreeda Thakkar from Hannover, Germany. Shreeda is fond of reading and writing. She is well organized and loves to watch cartoon movies. She use her imagination and pen down.
Cool Fact 1: The Forest Eagle Owl is known for its weird, human-sounding call.
This call consists of a scream, which rises and then falls in tone. The territorial call of the species, like that of most other eagle-owls, consists of low hoots with two-second intervals between hoos.[2] The voice is booming, deep and carries quite far. A low, deep double hoot lasting two seconds – “hoo hoo.” It also utters a mournful, mewing scream that rises and then falls in pitch and lasts about one second – “njaauuuw.”
Cool Fact 2: There are 33 species of Owls in India
Some small, some large and some extremely fierce predators. The young spot bellied owl, or forest eagle owl is paler than the adult
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‘ Golden Crowned Crane’ Poem by 8 year old Arkendu Banerjee from Kolkata
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contest around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?
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Cool Fact# 1- A spray of stiff golden feathers forms a crown around their heads.
With a striking crown of stiff golden feathers, the gray crowned crane’s greatest threat comes from humans who view this bird as a status symbol, resulting in widespread poaching and illegal trade.
Cool Fact# 2- This bird is Uganda’s national bird, and a sacred symbol for Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and South Africa.
The grey or golden crowned crane is the national bird of Uganda and features in the country’s flag and coat of arms.
‘Hello Mr.Owl’ write up by 8 year old Shreya Girish from Geneva+some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contests around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?==============================================================
Cool Fact# 1- The Forest Eagle Owl has very long, almost horizontal ear-tufts.
The Forest Eagle Owl is a large, powerful owl with very long, almost horizontal ear-tufts. The large ear tufts slant off to the sides It is also known as the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl.
Cool Fact#2 – The Forest Eagle Owl has a low, deep double hoot lasting two seconds – “hoo hoo“
It also utters a mournful, mewing scream that rises and then falls in pitch and lasts about one second – “njaauuuw”
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‘Forest Eagle Owl’ Write up by 7 year old Keshav Lodha from Navi Mumbai and some fun facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to the exciting Children’s Day contests around wildlife. We found a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in, isn’t it?
Cool Fact# 1- The spot-bellied eagle-owl is nocturnal and often spends its day hidden in the dense foliage of large forest trees.
While popular belief is that all owls are nocturnal, there are some owl species (~20%) who are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day but rest at night. However, as the young writer Keshav indicates in his write up, the Forest Eagle Owl is primarily nocturnal.
Cool Fact #2– Almost all of the prey for this species is very large and impressive, much of it being presumably as heavy or heavier than the eagle-owls themselves.
This is a very powerful and bold predatory owl, which is assuredly at the top of the avian food chain in its forested range. However, no extensive study of its dietary habits is known. Even in larger eagle-owls such as the Eurasian eagle-owl, although they can and do prey on a wide range of prey including impressively large prey, most of the diet consists of small mammals, often small rodents such as voles and rats.
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‘Caterpillars and Butterflies’ Poem by 7 year old Kiaan Raj Nathan from Delhi+ Some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts, shared/ acknowledged by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, a nature enthusiast and a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India.
Today 9 year old Kiaan Raj Nathan from Delhi shares a wonderful poem on his intrigue with butterflies. Kiaan is a big fan of dinosaurs and animals of the prehistoric . His hobbies are reading, playing, chess and drawing. The Enchanted Forest has been his favourite book so far.
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Caterpillar would eat leaves, build a cocoon and within it quietly lie,
Then come out as a colourful butterfly.
They are majestic creatures,
Spreading pollen is one of their special features.
Curly tongues and multicoloured wings,
Butterflies are such beautiful things.
They flutter about and are difficult to hold,
Butterflies bring good luck, we are told.
They have been around for millions of years!
And, always remind us to forget our fears.
They enhance the beauty of gardens with their lovely features,
We must all protect these lovely creatures.
Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy that informative poem? Now, as promised, some cool facts about butterflies, shared by Subhadra Devi
Cool Fact# 1- Butterflies are millions of years old!
Butterflies mate and the females oviposit (lay eggs), which passes on their genes to the next generation. This process has been at work for the last 48 million years for butterflies and 170 million years for moths. Can you believe that?
Read more by the Smithsonian here
Cool Fact# 2- Caterpillars increase their body mass by as much as 1,000 times or more!
We all have read stories of how much the caterpillar eats, right?
During the larval stage, the caterpillar must consume enough to sustain itself through its pupal stage and into adulthood. Without proper nutrition, it may not have the energy to complete its metamorphosis. Malnourished caterpillars may reach adulthood but be unable to produce eggs. Caterpillars can eat an enormous amount during a life cycle stage that typically lasts several weeks. Some consume 27,000 times their body weight during their lifetime.
Read more by the ThoughtCo here
Cool Fact#4- Caterpillars have 12 eyes!
On each side of its head, a caterpillar has 6 tiny eyelets, called stemmata, arranged in a semi-circle. One of the 6 eyelets is usually offset a bit and located closer to the antennae. You would think an insect with 12 eyes would have excellent eyesight, but that’s not the case. The stemmata serve merely to help the caterpillar differentiate between light and dark. If you watch a caterpillar, you’ll notice it sometimes moves its head from side to side. This most likely helps it judge depth and distance as it navigates somewhat blindly.
Read more by the ThoughtCo here
Cool Fact#3- Butterflies are not the only ones going through complete metamorphosis
Butterflies are perhaps most famous for the process by which a plump little caterpillar transforms into a winged work of art. But they’re not unique in going through this drastic life change, called complete metamorphosis, or holometabolism.
A whopping 75 percent of known insects—among them bees, beetles, flies, and moths—develop in four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Most striking about complete metamorphosis is how different the larva looks and behaves from the adult.
Read more by the National Geographic here
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Limericks on Birds and Butterflies by 8 year old Harshika Agarwal from Kolkata+ some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Dont miss the accompanying cool facts, shared/ acknowledged by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, a nature enthusiast and a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India.
On Butterflies
Butterflies are pretty,
Sometimes they fly out of the city.
They live for a small time,
Their contribution is very prime.
They are loved by all, old or kiddy.
Moths and butterflies are in the order Lepidoptera, deriving from the Greek words for “scale” and “wing.” The approximately 135,000 moth species and almost 20,000 butterfly species worldwide all have tiny scales on their wings.Butterflies evolved from moths, so it may be easier to think of butterflies as specialized day-flying moths. Moths typically have feathery antennae that taper from a wider base to a pointed end, whereas butterflies have wiry antennae with a knob-like or truncated end. Since moths are primarily nocturnal insects, these feathered chemical receptors help them navigate and find mates at night. There are a lot of day flying moths as well.
Read more here
On birds
The bird is sitting on the window sill,
She could feel the chill.
I gave her some grains,
And she took off like a train.
She loves the greenery around the hill.
Hey Sara here, again. Enjoyed reading?
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‘My life as a pet parrot’ story by 8 year old Agneesh Raj Banerjee from Kolkata + some cool facts
Hey, your friend Sara here! I am amazed by the flow of your entries to our ‘Nature with Sara’ section. Thanks to all young writers for sharing their love for birds and butterflies!
Today lets read how 8 year old Agneesh Raj Banerjee from Kolkata imagines his life as a parrot.
Agneesh goes to La Martiniere for Boys School in Kolkata. He loves to look into his atlas and see the maps of various countries. He wants to go to Russia some day. Agneesh loves reading books and his favourite authors are Enid Blyton and Ruskin Bond. He is a student of Word Munchers, Kolkata.
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My life as a pet parrot.
I am a parrot. I was born from an egg along with seven siblings. One day, when my mother was out to get some worms, a bad bird catcher came and tried to catch us. All the other chicks escaped but I was late and he caught me, put me in a cage and took me to the market nearby to be sold.
There were a lot of people in the market. There was a boy with his father. He started pleading with his father to buy me. So he bought me and took me to their home. He named me Rostov. His father came and tied my ankle to a chain which was tied to a perch, so that I could not escape. The boy seemed very fond of me and was joyous to have me as a pet. Every morning, when the sun would rise, I would start chirping and the boy would wake up. I would have chilly and chickpea for breakfast.
Every evening, his father would come near me and start whistling in front of me and I would try to copy him.
When I would stare at the blue sky, I would see other birds flying in the sky. Then one day, I had a brilliant idea. I acted dead and hung myself from the perch head down. They were worried and gave me a tap but I wasn’t responding. So they thought I was really dead and took me to the forest and dropped my body under a tree. When they turned around, I flew away searching for my nest and after a few hours of flying, I found my family. I hugged my mother and my siblings.
I tasted freedom for the first time. Now I am a free bird. I have no chain around my leg. I sure liked that boy but I like my freedom more. And now, if I am lost, I can fly around the place looking for my mother.
Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy that thought provoking write up? How about some some cool facts about parrots, shared by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, who is now turning into a nature enthusiast. She is a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India.
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The vulture, is a bird that fascinates me! Poem by 15 year old Siddhant Vodela from Kolkata
Hello hello, Sara here! Thanks for pouring in your entries to my ‘Nature with Sara’ section, in which we find a beautiful way to enjoy nature, while still being locked in.
Did you know that 5th Sep’ 20 was the International Vultures Awareness Day. Here is a very impressive poem by 15 year old Siddhant Vodela from Kolkata that will make you appreciate this magnificent but fast depleting creature.
Siddhant Vodela is a storyteller by heart. He is passionate about writing, poetry, filmmaking, art and animation. He also loves nature and ancient Indian history. Siddhant is a home-schooler.
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The vulture, is a bird that fascinates me.
A bird that in the city sky, I never see
Yet for me, it is a mythical hero and a selfless cleaner.
A bird that lurks near the remains of death
A warrior who destroys the forces of disease and contamination.
The creature that keeps the biome clean and homely
At first glance, it looks intimidating yet regal.
Its long neck is like a lean trunk of an ancient tree
Its sharp eyes are like a magnifying glass.
Its prescient instinct to detect the demise of a creature,
Makes it the predator of death.
The vulture is a bird that fascinates me.
A bird, whose group is defined by what they are doing in the moment.
A flock of vultures, when they are soaring through the heights of the sky.
A committee of vultures, when they are seated, introspective and observant of their surroundings.
A wake of vultures, when they are feasting on corpses, and cleansing the land.
The vulture, is a bird that fascinates me.
The bird whose fame is not as expansive, as that of the great eagle or the peaceful dove.
Yet it is as impactful, in the world of birds and the world of humans
The vulture is going subtly extinct. Yet it clings on, to survive and thrive.
The vulture fascinates me, because its heroic efforts keep the rest of us alive.
Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy that wonderful poem? How about some some cool facts about vultures, shared by Subhadra Devi, bird photographer turned birder, who is now turning into a nature enthusiast. She is a member of the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), India“Perhaps the most dramatic decline of a wild animal in history has been taking place in India and Pakistan”– Smithsonian Magazine
Of the 23 species of vultures that exist, over half of them are considered either Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered as a result of human impact.
As beautifully pointed out by Siddhant in his poem, Vultures are sociable creatures and are often seen as a collective unit, but the name assigned to a group of vultures all depends on what they are doing at that given time.Like most bird groups, vultures can be referred to as a flock, though they can also be labelled as either a venue, volt, or a committee. However, when it comes to the vulture group feeding around a carcass, they are called a wake, and when the birds are in flight formation, they are known as a kettle.
Cool Fact#3 : Vultures keep cool by urinating on themselves.‘Urohydrosis’ is a process in which an animal urinates on itself in order to cool down when temperatures reach blistering highs. However, vultures also use this technique as a means to disinfect their legs of bacteria following a feed on a rotten carcass as their urine possesses high levels of acid.
Cool Fact#4: A major part of the vulture’s diet is bones
As well as their urine, vultures also have extremely strong acids inside their stomachs. These acids not only help the birds to fight and destroy lethal bacteria, but also help to break down the bones of the carcasses that the birds devour, which contribute between 70-90 per cent of their overall diet.
Here is a video of a vulture dropping a bone on the rocks to get to the bone marrow which is a major part of their diet.
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‘Sparrows, please come back!’ by 7 year old Darshali Agarwal from Bhilwara, Rajasthan
Hey, your friend Sara here! I am amazed by the flow of your entries to our ‘Nature with Sara’ section. Thanks to all young writers for sharing some love for birds and butterflies!
Cool Fact#3: Domestic cats are one of the main predators of House sparrows.
Wow, thats really cool, right? Would you want to get published on this global writing platform? Here is how to go about it-
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‘Butterfly, you dear pollinator’ Poem by 8 year old Arnika Jain from Almere, Netherlands and some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! The Big Butterfly Month may be coming to an end, but we are not done yet!
Our ‘Nature with Sara’ section buzzing with butterfly stories and poems!
Today, 8 year old Arnika Jain from Almere , Netherlands shares this adorable poem on butterflies. #BigButterflyMonth
Arnika loves to read chapter books because they take her to a world of imagination and adventure. Apart from building legos, she loves to draw and doing craft work. Thats why her classmates call her Artist Arnika. She dreams of having an art gallery of her own in future, like that of Van Gogh. She goes to International Primary School, Almere , Netherlands
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BUTTERFLIES
Butterflies, butterflies,
They’re very cute, what a big surprise!
Do not hurt them, just be wise.
Some are sleepy, some are awake,
If they’re not, then do a little shake.
Butterfly, you dear pollinator,
Tie a knot with flowers together.
Hey you kids, don’t hold butterfly
Grabbing forcefully will make her shy.
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Cool Fact#1 : Butterflies Live on an All-Liquid Diet
While we have all heard of how much the hungry caterpillar eats, adult butterflies can only feed on liquids—usually nectar. Their mouthparts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can’t chew solids.
Cool Fact#2 : Butterflies Drink From Mud Puddles
A butterfly cannot live on sugar alone; it needs minerals, too. To supplement its diet of nectar, a butterfly will occasionally sip from mud puddles, which are rich in minerals and salts. This behavior is called puddling.
Wow, thats really cool, right? Would you want to get published on this global writing platform? Here is how to go about it-
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‘The Butterfly Sisters’ Story by 5 year old Siyona from Sharjah, UAE and some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! As the Big Butterfly Month comes to an end, here is the ‘Nature with Sara’ section buzzing with a butterfly story!
5 year old Siyona from Sharjah, UAE shares this adorable story around butterflies.
SIYONA is very creative child, loves activities such drawing, singing, story reading, and dancing. Her
imagination are high and represented from her activities, love minute clay arts.
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Once upon a time there were three butterflies sisters. One was yellow, one red, and one was white. Whole day they used to play and dance in my garden.
One day it started to rain, the butterfly sisters’ wings became wet. They decide to go back home but the door was locked and no one was there at home. So they had to stay out in the rain, and they became more and more wet.
One of the sisters decided to take help of red and yellow Tulips nearby and said, “Friend Tulip, will you open your flower cup and let us in till the rain is over?”
The Tulips answered, “The red and yellow butterflies may enter, because they are like our colours, but the white one should not come in.”
The red and yellow butterflies did not like the answer, so they all decided to stay out in the rain. It was raining harder and harder and the poor butterfly sisters started shivering because of the cold.
So they went to white Lily and said, “Lily, could you please open your bud a little so that we can enter inside as it is raining heavily.
The Lily answered, “The white butterfly may come in, but not the red and yellow as they are of not my colour. ”
The white butterfly said, “If you do not allow my red and yellow sisters inside, then I will stay out in the rain with them. ”
So they all stayed out in the rain.
But the sun who was behind the cloud heard it all, and he knew how the three sisters were together in spite of getting wet. So he pushed his face through the clouds and chased away the rain. Soon it was bright everywhere.
He dried the wings of the three butterflies and warmed their bodies. The three sisters were very happy and started to dance. They forgot the pain and danced with flowers the whole day. They happily went back home and found the door was wide open.
Good times or bad, the butterflies stayed together!
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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy that meaningful story? After that beautiful write up, how about some some cool facts.
Cool Fact#1 : Butterflies hide when it rains.
They usually go to the same places they do for the night. Some butterflies hide under large leaves, some crawl down into dense leaves or under rocks, and some just sit head down on grass stems or bushes with wings held tightly. If the rains are exceptionally hard or of long duration many of the butterflies become tattered or die.
Cool Fact#2 : Butterfly wings are delicate.
Butterfly and moth wings are made of thin layers of chitin, the same hardened protein that makes up their outside body. They are also covered with thousands of tiny scales that lend color to the wings. The wings are strengthened by a system of veins. The wings have to be strong enough to support the body in the air, but still flexible enough for flight movements.
Wow, thats really cool, right? Would you want to get published on this global writing platform? Here is how to go about it-
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‘Butterfly, oh butterfly’ Poem by 9 year old Aashritha from Bangalore and some cool facts
Hello hello, Sara here! Weekends mean its time to enjoy nature. If not physically, through the wonderful write ups and cool facts in our ‘Nature with Sara ‘section !
Did you know that In India, the month of September ‘20 has been dedicated to one of the most loved, beautiful, and colourful winged wonders—butterflies?
So, here is a wonderful poem by Aashritha Surya Prakash on the charming butterflies. #BigButterflyMonth
Aashritha is a 4 grade student studying in Vidya Niketan School, Bangalore. from reading and writing, she loves DIY crafts and classical dancing. She thoroughly enjoys her creative writing classes at Talespin
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Butterfly , oh butterfly!
Oh Nature’s enticing mysteries,
Butterfly , oh butterfly !
Are you from another world ?
Where flowers grow ,
In all their glow,
Without withering at all ?
You fly so light
In the sky ,
Without a single flaw ,
You drink nectar
And survive,
Without any food at all?
Butterfly , oh butterfly!
Where do you get those patterns ?
Do fairies paint you
In the night,
Or in the deep dark wood ?
No, not at all
But you thought so, of course you would.
The truth is
The great god painted us
Each of us differs
In our own way!
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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy the poem? After that beautiful write up, how about some some cool facts by passionate birder, Subhadra Devi!
Cool Fact#1 : Butterflies taste with their feet
Butterflies have taste buds (just like our tongue, but stronger) on their feet. They use it for testing for toxins on the plant before they would lay their eggs.
Cool Fact#2: There are around 1400 species of butterflies in India!
India is one of the 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries of the world, with so many species.A lot of these species are endemic to India, which means they can be seen only in India!
Cool Fact #3: Butterflies have different colour and pattern through tiny scales
The colours and patterns on butterfly wings are made up of tiny scales on them. Some butterflies’ wings reflect light, creating the shiny effect on their wings.
Photo credits: Subhadra Devi
‘Bees’- An adorable poem by 8 year old Sara Gupta from Lucknow and some cool facts!
Hello hello, Sara here! Weekends mean its time to enjoy nature. If not physically, through the wonderful write ups and cool facts in our ‘Nature with Sara ‘section !
Keep those lovely entries coming in. Today I am sharing this adorable poem by my namesake, 8 year old Sara Gupta from Lucknow.
Sara is a curious child with a very good imagination. She loves to write, bake and paint.
Sara is a lovely abstract art painter with a great sense of colour combinations.She loves the water and is a good swimmer.
Sara Gupta goes to Kunskapsskolan, Lucknow and is a student of Jabberwocky-Speech and Drama.
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Bees make their home
On the trees,
And they can
Fly over the seas.
They suck on flower piles
And have huge hives.
Their skin colour is yellow and black
And have wings that quickly flap.
Bees make honey
And people buy it with money,
Never ever let a bee sting
Or you will jump like a spring!
Bees are unique social insects and probably one of the best known insects in the world. It performs a vital role in the pollination of flowering plants, including crops and vegetables in the forests.
Cool Fact#3 : A honey bee dies after stinging humans
A honeybee’s stinger is made of two barbed lancets. When the bee stings, it can’t pull the stinger back out. It leaves behind not only the stinger but also part of its digestive tract, plus muscles and nerves. This massive abdominal rupture is what kills the bee.
Wow, thats really cool, right? Would you want to get published on this global writing platform? Here is how to go about it-https://bookosmia.in/submit-a-story/
Owls are Fascinating Creatures: A wonderful poem by 9 year old Sanvi from Kolkata and some cool facts
Hey, your friend Sara here! I am amazed by the flow of your entries for our recently launched ‘Nature with Sara’ section, kicking off with birds that fascinate us.
Today, I am happy to share this lovely poem along with a lovely artwork, by 9 year old Sanvi Atul Sharma from Kolkata. And do not miss the cool facts which follow later.
Sanvi is a 9 year old poet from Modern High School For Girls, Kolkata. Her hobbies are reading, singing and drawing.
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Owls are fascinating creatures,
With the most amazing features,
They fly without making any noise,
And are just so full of poise.
They say owls are wise,
They even improvise,
This bird has great judgement,
And are abundant.
Owls’ necks are flexible,
And they are very respectable.
This bird is Goddess Laxmi’s steed,
How sweet!
I really want one, let’s!
Flying in the night sky,
Owls are saying goodbye.
Owls have very small brains proportionate to their body size, and they are less trainable than crows, hawks, parrots or pigeons. In fact, most owls can’t be trained to do simple tasks.
However, some types of owl do have complex behaviours. The little owl uses stashed meat to grow maggots for food in a way that other birds of prey don’t, for example. Its cousin, the burrowing owl, will take dung into its burrow and cultivate dung beetles.
Owls have extremely good night vision. This is enabled by their large, tube-shaped eyes that contain many more rods than human eyes, which allow them to be more sensitive to light. Their irises widen to allow more light to reach their retina at night. Because the iris adjusts, owls can also see during the day (unlike other nocturnal animals that can only see well at night), but their vision is slightly blurry and they cannot see colors well.
Unlike most birds, owls make virtually no noise when they fly.
Owls swallow their prey whole and regurgitate the parts that can’t be digested as pellets. If you find a spot where owls roost, you can find these pellets below that spot. You can dissect these pellets to find what the owl had eaten.
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‘Bird Friends’ by 8 year old Shifa Zahra Touseef from Lucknow +Cool Facts #NatureWithSara
Hey friends, Sara here!
Lock down doesnt mean locked in fully! The birds, plants, trees, wind et al are all there, waiting for us.
So in this beautiful section, I will share everything that kids write to me about nature.
Remember the phrase,’ birds of a feather, flock together?’ Today, 8 year old Shifa Zahra Touseef from Lucknow shares a beautiful story on a similar theme, followeded by some cool facts on actual bird behaviour.
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Have you ever seen birds making friends with other birds?
Have you ever seen a bird rescue a bird ?
No? Well I have.
This story is quite unbelievable, but it is true. I was five and I regularly went to the park. One day I noticed 2 birds sitting on a branch and singing. I had never seen birds singing together. As they finished, I started clapping happily. As a reward, I gave them breadcrumbs that were in my pocket.
After that, I went there daily. These two birds would sing and I would feed them. Over time we became friends. In my neighborhood there was a competition named ‘Best Bird’ Competition. It sounded silly to me.
Here is what was to happen in the contest-
‘You need to capture a beautiful bird. The owner of the best bird is the winner.’
Many people were trying to get my little friends. Poor things!
Finally my neighbor Mr. Glegg managed to catch one of my friends. The other one went free but it did not leave. It wanted to hurt Mr. Glegg so he would set its friend free.
The little bird failed. It looked at me for help. I nodded and smiled and went to Mr. Glegg and said, “ Er… Mr. Glegg that bird is…. Er… my pet!”
Mr. Glegg thought for 5 minutes and guess what? He set the bird free!
The bird went to its friend when everybody went away and started to sing.
One week later I went to Dubai and stayed there for five years, before coming back. One day while I was sitting in the park, I noticed two beautiful birds staring at me as if I were yummy food. Suddenly as a flash it came to me.
Who were they? The birds I had helped all those years ago?
I smiled at them.
They started singing my favorite tune.
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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy that lovely story? And now its time for some cool facts about birds and their behaviour, shared by Subhadra Devi, a passionate birder.
Cool Fact#1:
Do birds make friends with other birds?
A study shows that many species of birds are quite friendly with others of their species and even other species. Some types of chickadees and titmouse have been known to let other birds know when they discover a well-stocked feeder, rather than keeping all the food to themselves.
Cool Fact#2:
Do birds watch out for other birds?
Geese are flock birds but studying them will show that when everyone is feeding, there will always be one or two with their heads up, watching for trouble. These guard geese are watching over their friends while they eat and then will take their turn while someone else stands watch.
Source– https://thefinchweekly.com/study-shows-birds-like-nest-near-friends/
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‘Peacocks fascinate me’, by 9 year old Nandini from Delhi and some cool facts
Hey friends, Sara here!Lock down doesnt mean locked in fully! The birds, plants, trees, wind et al are all there, waiting for us. So in this beautiful section, I will share everything that kids write to me about nature.
Today 9 year old Nandini Maheshwari from Delhi shares this beautiful and mature piece of writing on her favourite Peacock.
Nandidi is a kid full of life and enthusiasm.She gets joy from the smallest things of life.
#NatureWithSara
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The bird that fascinates me is the King of all birds- Peacock .It is India’s National bird which brings pride to our nation because of its mesmerizing beauty.
A peacock feather is one of Krishna’s important symbols,adorning his head.
Its feathers are also used in pooja.
Peacock fascinates me because…it has feathers that are simply divine. The feathers of peacock are also very soft and colourful. When it rains they do a wonderful rain dance. But still many times they are hunted for their feathers…which is bad.
They should also not be hunted because they are a big help to farmers.As they eat snakes and insects etc.
So we should SAVE PEACOCKS! Which is the right thing to do.
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Hey, Sara here again. Did you enjoy the poem? After that beautiful write up, how about some some cool facts about peacocks, acknowledged by Subhadra Devi, a passionate birder. Since Nandini’s write up mainly focused on the feathers, so will our facts 🙂
Cool Fact#1:
Nandini rightly spoke of how peacocks are hunted for their feathers. While we all love the beautiful feathers that make this bird stand out, we must not look to buy or sell the feathers, which may lead hunters to hurt these birds.
Cool Fact #2
Peacocks can fly, even with their massive tail feathers, that can reach up to six feet long and make up about 60 percent of its body length. Despite these odd proportions, the bird flies just fine, if not very far.
Cool Fact #3
What makes the peacock’s feathers so brilliant? Microscopic “crystal-like structures” that reflect different wavelengths of light depending on how they’re spaced, resulting in bright fluorescent colors. Hummingbirds and shimmering butterflies have mastered a similar visual effect on their own wings.
Cool Facts #2 and #3 Credits- Mental Floss https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62371/9-feathery-facts-about-peacocks
Cuckoo- A bird that fascinates me’ by 10 year old Pratham H Shenoy from EPS Mysore+ some cool facts #NatureWithSara
Hey, your friend Sara here! I am amazed by the flow of your entries for our recently launched ‘Nature with Sara’ section, kicking off with birds that fascinate us.
Today, I am happy to share this touching essay by 10 year old Pratham H Shenoy from EPS Mysore.
Dont miss this beautiful coming together of a cuckoo bird, a child’s empathy and a wonderful lesson from his grandma.
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I love animals and birds so I quickly took it and put it in my cycle basket and went to my house. I asked my grandparents to help me out to save the bird. I put it in a small box and gave it food and water.
After an hour, I came back running and asked my grandmother how the bird was doing. My grandmother told me that the baby bird was wounded, it tried to fly a few times but it fell down every time. I felt very bad for the baby bird.
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‘Peacocks’ a poem by 7 year old Ayraa Shriwardhankar from Mumbai+ some cool facts #NatureWithSara with Sara
Earlier called Common peafowl, this bird’s name has been changed to Indian peafowl to show the country of origin. The female and male Indian peafowls are usually called ‘peacocks’ and ‘peahens.’
The adult female is smaller than the adult male and has a shorter tail, an iridescent green neck, and browner plumage and lacks the sweeping train.
Cool Fact #2
The male Indian Peafowl is the one we would see dancing.
The dance is by the male to attract females for mating.
A lot of Indian peafowls have been transported to other places of the world for their beautiful plumage and these birds have established populations in places like the US, Hawaiian islands, South Africa, Japan, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Australia.
Wow, thats really cool, right? If you have any questions to ask or your own writing or artwork on a favourite bird, I will be waiting for you at sara@bookosmia.in. Adios.