“The Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) in our garden… yes she actually tailors! We have found many nests over the years after her children have flown away – three clerodendrum leaves stitched together, usually with silk cotton inside them to make a soft bed for her babies! Their nests are made of leaves still attached to the tree/vine, and hidden in thick foliage, to provide camouflage.
“Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence. The call of the tailorbird we have not yet managed to film any. However, Lakshmi Ravishankar has kindly given permission to make use of her video of a male Common Tailorbird calling – see below.
“Tailorbirds are mainly insect eaters, and that is what they feed their chicks too. Some of the food the parents bring back to the nest to feed chicks are moths, spiders, bees, termites, grasshoppers, caterpillars and worms.
Anjana Mehta (text and video of tailorbird in our garden)
Rajasthan, India
11th May 2019
Lakshmi Ravishankar (video of tailorbird making territorial call)
Pune, India
13th May 2019
