One fine day, I finally saw it appear suddenly within my view - a White-spotted Fantail. It stood on the ground, and from my first floor window, I could see it chirp away, moving this way and that, with brisk movements. It would hover suddenly in the air, then settle down on the ground once again. Not once would it stand still, it would be moving constantly, with a spurt of raw energy.
The reason this bird brought so much excitement to me, was that it was the first bird I saw, other than the crows, sparrows, and pigeons, and came to be aware of its existence on the Copperpod tree that grows behind my house.
After that day I would see it at many instances. Though it was a small bird, bigger than a sparrow and smaller than a pigeon, it was the most energetic bird of all the birds that I saw on that tree. Their agility and rapid movements also make them the most difficult to shoot.
I have seen them peck at crows and cats, trying to get rid of them, and every time they would launch an attack at them, their tails would open up like a hand held fan (hence the name "Fantail").
They are fearless birds - the White-spotted Fantail - and also notoriously naughty, I assume, for they would spare nobody - not even the cat that would doze off in the hot afternoon sun - and they would dart with amazing speed at the cat, until the cat, its sleep disturbed, would leave the spot.
White-spotted Fantail is a passerine bird. In simple terms, passerine bird is a bird which is very vocal and emits a wide range of notes. Its notes are not identical, and you might hear a different note from the same bird at different times. On many occasions, I have heard its call, almost like a sweet song.
Passerine also means a "perching bird", and the best places to spot the White spotted Fantail are trees, where it stands perched on its branches.
I have not seen them single, but always two of them at a given time, and assume them to be male and female of the species. Though I have not seen their nests, I know, for sure, that it must be somewhere up there on that Copperpod tree.
Copyright © 2021 Abhijit Pandit
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