Nature Quest: A fairy 'tail' from paradise

An adult male Indian paradise flycatcher spotted among the greenery in Salampur of Natore's Lalpur upazila. This magnificent looking bird is native to the Indian subcontinent, central Asia, and Myanmar.

It is a migratory bird and prefers spending the colder seasons in tropical Asia. The most fascinating aspect of this bird, evidently, is the long, ribbon-like tail, which it shows off unabashedly.

Photo: Mosabber Hossain Ribon

However, only the males are blessed with such a feature. Socially monogamous, both males and females take part in nest-building, incubation, brooding and feeding the young.

It is the state bird of Madhya Pradesh, where it is referred to as "doodhraj" and was also mentioned in Satyajit Ray's Feluda detective stories – Chinnamaster Abhishap and Jahangirer Swarnamudra.

Photo: Mosabber Hossain Ribon

Due to its wide distribution, it has been listed as a "Least Concern" species in the IUCN Red List since 2004.