Common Birds of Western Himalayas 



country it checks its flight now and again and 

 hovers on rapidly vibrating wings. It does this 

 when it fancies it has seen a mouse, lizard, or 

 other living thing moving on the ground below. 

 If its surmise proves correct, it drops from 

 above and thus takes its quarry completely by 

 surprise. It is on account of this peculiar habit 

 of hovering in the air that the kestrel is often 

 called the wind-hover in England. Needless 

 to say, the kestrel affects open tracts rather than 

 forest country. One of these birds is usually 

 to be seen engaged in its craft above the bare 

 slope of the hill on which Mussoorie is built. 

 Other places where kestrels are always to be 

 seen are the bare hills round Almora. The 

 nest of this species is usually placed on an 

 inaccessible crag. 



THE COLUMBID^ OR DOVE FAMILY 



The cooing community is not much in 

 evidence in the hills. In the Himalayas doves 

 do not obtrude themselves upon our notice in 

 the way that they do in the plains. 



The green pigeon of the mountains is the 



kokla (Sphenocercus sfhenurus), so called on 



account of its melodious call, kok-la, kok-la. 



97 G 



