We were bird watching near Udaipur on 13^th July 1996. At 0930 hrs we found a nest of a Paradise Flycatcher on a bare branch of a mango tree. We observed birds from a distance of about 15 m from the nest.

There were four chicks in the nest and both the male and female were feeding their nestlings. Soon we saw that on a leafy part of the same branch, two White-eyes were darting in and out of the leaves. We found the nest of the White-eye about 2 m from the nest of the Paradise Flycatcher on the same branch.

At 1015 hrs, the frequency of feeding by the paradise flycatcher slowed down. Both the birds flew away out of the vicinity of their nest. At this juncture, one of the White-eyes came and perched on top of the nest of the flycatcher.

The chicks raised their necks with wide-open beaks and begged for food. The White-eye fed the chicks, or at least was seen putting its beak into the mouths of two nestlings. When the chicks calmed down, the White-eye started feeding on the nest material of the Paradise flycatcher’s nest. The rocking of the nest agitated the chicks and the White-eye once again calmed them down by putting its beak in the mouth of the chicks.

It remained on the nest for three minutes and then flew away.

Published in Journal of Bombay Natural History Society:

Tehsin, R.. H. & Tehsin, H. (1998) White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) Feeding The Chicks Of Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi). J. Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. 95(2): 348