Western crowned warbler

Old magazine house, Dandeli, Karnataka

I had heard about this warbler many times but never thought of taking pictures because of its agility and size. Sometimes, you visit a bird-watching destination without having a particular bird on your wishlist, and suddenly, you find the species right in front of you. That was the story behind this picture. Surprisingly, that day, this individual sat on a specific branch and started preening. The situation was too tough to capture a decent posture. Even though it was not moving from branch to branch, its face was not stable due to continuous preening.

But it was so nice to witness this tiny, beautiful bird for a long time. I remember that, for half the time, the bird was not visible to my fellow birders. I pointed it out and said, "Hey, see, it is still preening!" Yet, they still couldn't see it. Now you understand how tiny and well-camouflaged it was. The feature of the bird that attracts people the most is its eyebrows and orange beak, even though the crown is supposed to be its main feature. However, it's rare to get a clear view of the crown because the bird moves on high-level branches and, most of the time, only offers a belly shot.

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