Black-headed cuckooshrike
Bannerghatta National Park, Karnataka
The cuckoo shrike is a sturdy bird, primarily black, white, and grey in color. Its size is similar to that of a common myna, or slightly larger. One day, I spotted this bird inside the Bannerghatta Butterfly Park. It was almost afternoon when I came out of the 3 Dome Hall after watching the butterflies and began searching for the Blue-bearded bee-eater. Suddenly, this cuckoo shrike appeared and started hopping on a tree branch. It was not very shy and allowed me time to photograph it until the tree branch became a threat. The bird's beautiful color combination was incredibly attractive, even though the lighting conditions were not ideal. But there was no need to worry, as we can find this bird here and there.
Valley School, Karnataka
I remember taking a nature walk led by Chandu Bandi inside Valley School. During that walk, we spotted a cuckoo shrike sitting on the top branch above our heads, not moving at all. I have never seen any cuckoo shrike sit so still, even though it is not a particularly shy bird. However, it was probably the closest I've ever seen a cuckoo shrike sit so far.
