The Oriental Magpie Robin and Gecko

During my childhood in an apartment building in Mumbai suburb, I have very often seen Sparrows, Feral Pigeons and House Crows in my building compound but do not remember having seen any other species of birds. 

 

But during the last eight to nine months, I found an Oriental Magpie Robin very often inside my building compound. It seems to have taken up residence in an Indian Almond Tree (Terminalia catappa) that has grown inside the compound of one of the buildings in our neighbourhood.

This bird renders a delightful and melodiously varied song. Early in the morning it would perch itself on the tallest available structure and merrily sing its heart out.

Today morning I found this bird out side my residence window trying to pick up some thing lying on the concreted floor inside the compound. I thought it must be picking up some grains or insect or nesting material. 

But on closer scrutiny I found that it had caught a House Lizard/Gecko. The Gecko had dropped off its tail to distract the bird and save its life. The bird did get confused. Some times it took up the tail and some times the Gecko. Eventually it chose to take up the Gecko instead of its tail and flew away.

I tried to track the bird and found it perched on a wire overlooking a hallow in that Indian Almond Tree. An Oriental Magpie Robin female too was perched near it.

So I guess that the pair may be building a nest in that hollow of the tree as summer is generally the breeding season for most of the residential birds such as Oriental Magpie Robin in India.

So far I thought that the diet of Oriental Magpie Robin includes mainly insects and other invertebrates. Therefore House Lizard too forms its diet is a learning for me