the koel sings concealed in the ? (a) banyan tree (b) peepal tree (c) mango leaves (d) nest
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I stand under a banyan tree in Perur, sipping coconut water, when I hear them. Is it the cuckoo? Or the myna? I can’t figure it out; but it sounds like all the birds in the city have decided to sing their hearts out. The sounds get louder as dusk sets in, and the entire area is engulfed in the music. “They gather here every day,” says Nagathaal, the tender-coconut seller. “Don’t we all go home after work? It’s the same with birds. This is their home.”
The tree must be way over 100 years old. Its branches spread out like an umbrella and the thick canopy casts a cool darkness below. Nagathaal’s shack is right next to the trunk. She has been waking up to the sound of the birds every morning for the past 35 years. “They come at around dusk and chatter till 11 p.m. They are up by 3 a.m.,” she says, speaking of her bird-neighbours. There are many trees in the area, but none of them is as alive as this one; mynas and crows seem to have a special liking for it.
“Birds are attracted to huge, old trees,” says bird expert A. Sukumar. “They roost in their branches in the evening. Dense canopies protect them from predators.” Sukumar says that many species of birds prefer banyan and peepal trees since they can feed on their fruits.