In search of the rare Chandial
Photo Collected
During the day, I took pictures of the rare Patisaras at the big haor of Kanighat in Sylhet and returned to the city in the evening. Two of the group of six went back to Dhaka and four of us boarded the Srimangal bus. I came to Srimangal after two years.
Wake up in the morning, have breakfast and take an autorickshaw for the whole day for bird watching at Adampur and Kurma Pakhi Abhayashram. I reached Adampur Bit by 9 o’clock. For 2 hours and 20 minutes, I visited different places of the forest and took pictures of more than 30 species of birds-animals-butterflies. After that, I came to the mouth of Rima, a possible place to see three or four targeted birds.
Once upon a time, dwarf fishers made their nests here. However, I continued to move forward by a narrow margin. The forest here is quite dense. After walking for about 15 minutes, I stopped at a place. Accomplished ornithologist Abdul Majeed Shah Shakeel through binoculars found a green new bird inside the green leaves of a huge tree. We quickly pointed the camera at it and took a picture of the bird. But I am saving this bird watching story for another day.
After that, I took two or three more pictures of birds and moved forward a little. It seems that another new bird or lifer is on the forehead. Been looking for the bird for almost an age. Shakeel called the bird on the phone. And within a couple of minutes the bird responded. But I could not focus on him easily as he was hidden by thick branches and leaves. Apart from that, when I see a new bird, my hands start shaking. At 12:12:38 on the clock, I took the first picture with trembling hands. Then I took 27 pictures with two clicks. But not a single picture was to my liking. But from the 29th film, good films started to emerge. After a couple of minutes another bird appeared. I took a total of 129 pictures in 6 minutes and 45 seconds and proceeded further into the forest in search of another new bird. This is the incident of 26 January 2026.
The new bird found with so much difficulty is Chandial, a rare resident branch (passerine) bird of this country. In fact, he does not have a common Bengali name. Many people say Chandibuk Motathunti in the translation of the English name. The name Chandial is from West Bengal. The English name is Silver-breasted Broadbill. Genus Eurylamidae, scientific name Serilophus lunatus. Found in various countries of South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh.
Chandial is a small bird. Adult birds are only 19 cm long. 35 grams in weight. The hummingbird has a large head, broad beak, thick neck and short tail and wings. Silver gray head. Wide and long black eyebrows over the eyes. Dorsum dark grey, becoming orange-brown towards the waist. The underside of the body is silvery-grey. The wings are black, tipped with white. Blue spots on wings. The tail is fairly black. Lips bluish-white. Although male and female look almost the same, the female has a silver ring like an ornament between her neck and chest. Both male and female have brown eyes and yellow orbits. Legs and feet are yellowish green. Juvenile birds look like adults but have black beaks.
They are residents of mixed evergreen forests of Sylhet and Chittagong divisions. Diurnal and arboreal birds often travel singly, in pairs or in small groups. Searches for food in hanging leaves and tree branches. Insects and snails are favorite foods. Most active at dawn and dusk. Sits upright on a tree branch and occasionally wags its tail. Makes high-pitched sounds like ‘ki-woo…’, ‘chir-r-r-r…’ or ‘kittiktiki…’.
March to June breeding season. At this time, it makes a nest like an oval bag on a narrow branch hanging at a height of 1-3 meters from the ground. The female lays four to five white or soft eggs. Men and women give it together. Eggs hatch in 15-18 days. Chick rearing is done by both together. Life expectancy is about six years.
Source: Prothom Alo Bangla
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