THE BIRDS OF BANGLADESH
OR, THE COMMON BIRDS OF BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is a darling child of nature. She is blessed with-the priceless gifts. She has been pleasing all our senses since her birth. We sleep with the sweet smell of different fruits and flowers. Then we wake up with the melodious music of birds. Briefly, this is our homeland; this is our Bangladesh.
There are birds living near our houses, in woods, marshy lands and hills. They are different in sizes, shapes, colours, habits and natures. Some are beautiful; some are ugly to look at. Some birds have sweet notes and some have harsh voice. In short, there is a large variety of birds in Bangladesh.
Of all the common birds of Bangladesh the crow comes first. Some of them are black and.some are of ash colour. They look ugly. They are found everywhere in Bangladesh. The crow is very cunning. It is a thief. It steals our food. Its voice is harsh and it annoys us. Nobody likes it but it keeps our environment neat and clean.
The sparrow is a very small bird. It is found twittering around our dwelling houses. It is also commonly known to all.
The cuckoo, the doel, the baukathakao, the bulbuli, the magpie-robin etc. are known as song birds. Evervone likes them. Of all these birds the cuckoo is the most favourite one. It arrives at the advent of spring. So, it is called the harbinger of spring. It gives romance to all young minds in spring. It leaps from branch to branch and pours forth sweet melody. The doel is the national bird of Bangladesh. It is very beautiful.
The sparrow, the babui and the tuntuni are familiar tailor birds. The sparrow is generally found living in the holes and ventilators of our houses. It builds its nest with straw. It is a harmless bird. The babui makes its nest in a high tree especially in palm trees. Its nest is very beautiful and scientific. There are some compartments into it. The sun and rain cannot easily reach there.
We are spellbound by its skill of weaving: The parrot, the mayna, the shalik, the shyma, thé kakatoa, the chandana etc are very common talking birds. They can imitate our voice. People tame them for their sweet voice.
We catch and kill some other birds for their sweet and tasty flesh. They are called game birds. The dove, the pigeon, the sandpipers, the cranes, the stork, the heron, the partridge, the goose and the duck belong to this class. They are found in almost every part of Bangladesh.
The kite, the hawk, the eagle, the vulture, the owl etc are the birds of prey. They are noted for their plundering habits. They swoop down upon their prey and carry it away. These birds possess keen eyes and sharp nails. The sea-gulls also belong to this class.
Birds are the beautiful creations of God. They are our neighbours. They are a part of nature because thoy keen the environment balanced. Therefore, we should not kill birds at random and we should take proper care of them.