On 5 September 1982 at 9am I was taking a round of the courtyard of my house at Panchwati, Udaipur. I saw two alexandrine parakeets perched over a pomegranate tree. Three brahmini mynas were also sitting under the tree.

The parakeets slowly crept towards the fruits, dug their beaks in the pomegranates and started eating. As per the habit of parakeets, pieces of fruits started falling on the ground. To take the titbits mynas darted here and there and quarrelled for the spoils of the parakeets.

Sometimes they tried to catch the falling pieces in air. This went on for about seven minutes. Then the parakeets flew away and settled over a nearby guava tree. The mynas followed them and sat under the guava tree looking intently towards them. The parakeets crept towards unripe guavas and started tearing the pieces of fruits. The mynas again became active – darting and quarrelling over the falling pieces.

This went on for sometime. Then the parakeets flew away closely followed by the mynas and all of them sat over an anvla tree for a short while. From there the parakeets flew away with the mynas close behind them and disappeared from my sight.

Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites. – William Ruckelshaus

Published in Hornbill: Tehsin, R. H. (1982) Association Between Alexandrine Parakeet & Brahmini Mynas. Hornbill 4: 31