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| Bangladehs Info /Animals of Bangladesh |
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The Royal
Bengal Tiger
The majestic
Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal
Bangladesh. Highly endangered, the Royal
Bengal can now be mostly be found in the
Sundarbans.
One of the
largest of the 'big cats', it has extremely
bold and striking colour pattern - making it
perhaps the most magnificent and
sought-after fiery beast of the world! The
vivid pattern of stripes on the glossy skin
serves as a very effective camouflage in the
grasses and foliage almost in all the
seasons.
The male
averages 3 metres in length including 1
meter of tail and wiighs about 180 kg.,
though much larger speciemens have been
lnown. The giant one is the Siberian tiger,
almost 4 metres long and weighing about 300
kg.
Deers The Sambar
Deer is the most widely spread deer species
in the world, covering many countries in the
Asian continent. It is also one of the
larger members of the deer family. Some
males are known to weigh up to 300 kgs and
can grow to a height ranging from 135 - 150
cms at the shoulders.
These animals
have a life expectancy ranging between 16 -
20 years. They are the favourite prey
species of the tiger. A large sambar can
feed a feed tiger for up to 4 days. Unlike
the Spotted deer, which shouts an alarm and
darts away at the sight of a predator, the
sambar tends to alertly watch and keep
giving alarm calls until the danger has
passed. A reason due to which many of them
fall prey for predators. The Sambar can be
found in the wooded hills of the north-east
and east.
The
Barking Deer
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The Chital (spotted deer) is also very common in the
forests of the Sundarban. The Chital is
perhaps the most beautiful of all deer. Its
coat is bright rufous-fawn profusely spotted
with white at all ages and all seasons. They
are seen in herds of 10-30, which contains
2-3 stags. They are seen in grassy forest
glades, forest edges, woodland and shaded
streams in moist and dry deciduous forests
upto 1000 m. Average height is 36 in. (90
cm.) and weighs about 190 lb. (85 kg.)
The barking
deers are small deer of the forests. They
are noted for barking like dogs when alarmed
and during the breeding season, and for
having tiny antlers and tusklike canine
teeth.
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Apes and Monkeys
Primates also abound all over
Bangladesh, but most abundantly in
the Sundarbans and the Hill Tracts.
Amongst the various species you will
find the Hoolock Gibbon (the only
ape in the subcontinent) as wells as
langurs, and various species' of
monkeys. Hoolock gibbons mate for
life and defend their territories
with whistling songs that echo
through the forests in the early
mornings, giving rise to their
nickname of the "singing ape." |
***
Elephants
The elephant
is mostly found in the wild in the Hill
Tracts and is also a protected animal.
Elephant
habitat in Bangladesh is confined almost
entirely to the forested hills of the east,
and even there habitat is giving way to
monoculture plantations of teak, rubber, and
tea.
Only 200-350
wild elephants are thought to survive, with
herds moving between Bangladesh and
neighbouring India. There may be around 50
domestic elephants.
***
Plant and
animal life
Bangladesh in
general possesses a luxuriant vegetation, with
villages appearing to be virtually buried in
groves of mango, jackfruit, bamboo, betel nut,
coconut, and date palm. About 15 percent of the
country's land surface is covered with forests.
Bangladesh has four different areas of
vegetation.
The eastern zone,
consisting of parts of the Sylhet and Chittagong
areas, has many low hills covered with jungles
of bamboo and rattan (a species of climbing
palm). The most common plant is a large kind of
bamboo that is the basis of the country's paper
industry. The central zone, covering parts of
the country extending north of Dhaka, contains a
large number of lakes and swampy vegetation; the
soil of part of this zone is laterite, which
produces the Madhupur jungles.
The area lying to
the northwest of the Brahmaputra and to the
southwest of the Padma forms a flat plain, the
vegetation of which consists mostly of
cultivated plants and orchards. Babul (Acacia
arabica) is the most conspicuous plant. The
southern zone along the Bay of Bengal contains
the Sundarbans, with their distinctive mangrove
vegetation. In this vast forest grow many
commercially valuable trees, such as the sundri,
for which the Sundarbans are named (Heritiera
fomes or minor); gewa, or gengwa (Excoecaria agallocha), a
softwood tree used for making newsprint; and
goran (Ceriops roxburghiana), a type of
mangrove.
Among the
astounding variety of flowers are the shapla (water lily), the country's national flower; the
marigold; the lotus jasmine; the rajani
gandha (a tuber rose); the china rose (jaba);
the flame of the forest; and the bokul (Mimusops
elengi). Bangladesh is said to have about
200 species of mammals, 750 of birds, and 150 of
reptiles and amphibians, as well as about 200
species of marine and freshwater fishes.
Elephants, living in herds ranging from fewer
than a dozen to about 100, are found in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts and northeastern Sylhet.
The domesticated,
or water, buffalo are used for plowing and
pulling carts. Of the different kinds of deer,
the barking deer, the barasingh (or 12-horned deer), and the sambar deer, with
its maned neck, are well known. The barasingh,
which reaches a height of about four feet at the
shoulder, mostly inhabits the Sundarbans. The
sambar, which lives in the eastern jungles of
the country, attains a height of four and a half
feet and a length of six to seven feet. The
spotted deer, the barking deer, and the hog deer
are smaller species. Of the carnivores, the
royal Bengal tiger is the best known.
The clouded
leopard, dark gray with spots that are oval or
oblong in form, is smaller than the leopard. The
ferocious leopard cat is about the size of the
domestic cat but with longer legs. There are
three types of bear: the sloth bear, the
Himalayan black bear, and the Malayan sun bear.
The sloth bear is the most numerous. The jackal,
whose eerie howling at night is a familiar sound
in Bangladesh, is a common animal, as is the
mongoose.
The Bengal, or
rhesus, monkey is the most common primate in the
country. The common house crow is found
everywhere, and its shrill cries are detested by
the people of Bangladesh, who regard them as a
bad omen. The bulbul, the magpie robin, and a
wide variety of warblers are also found; some
are migrants that appear only in winter.
Several kinds of
flycatchers also occur, and there are mynah
birds of several kinds. Other species of
birds include the common game
birds, parakeets, cuckoos, hawks, owls,
kingfishers, hornbills, woodpeckers, and
vultures. Among the eagles, the crested serpent
eagle and the ring-tailed fishing eagle are the
most common. There are also hoopoes, herons,
storks, ducks, and wild geese.
Birds
Doel (Magpie Robin)
The Doel or the
magpie robin is the national
bird of Bangladesh. One of
the more familiar birds
about towns and villages.
Shy, silent and unobtrusive
during non-breeding season,
then skulking in shrubbery
and only uttering plaintive swee-ee and harsh chur-r. Conspicuous
during breeding season when
male sings lustily from
favourite tree-top or post,
chiefly early mornings and
late afternoons. Song
punctuated by upward jerks
of white fringed tail. Also
very good mimic of other
birds' calls. Breeding
territories jealously
guarded, and intruding males
defied with puffing- out,
strutting and much show of
pugnacity.
***
Shalik
The Shalik (myna) is
a very common bird in
Bangladesh.
The common myna is
about the size of an
American robin. Its colors
range from rich wine-brown
on the lower breast to deep
black on the head, neck, and
upper breast. It has a
splash of white on the lower
edge of its wings, and its
bill and legs are a bright
yellow. This myna feeds on
plants, insects, and worms.
It often builds its nest in
crevices of buildings. It is
a noisy bird that is common
about yards and buildings.
It is often seen among
chickens or perched on the
backs of cattle. People have
released the common myna
into the wild in many
tropical Pacific islands,
including Hawaii, where the
bird is now abundant.
Talking mynas are sometimes
kept as pets. Many imitate
the human voice and can
talk, sing, and whistle.
***
Kingfisher
The Machhhranga or the kingfisher is very common
in riverine Bangladesh.
Twelve varieties of
kingfishers have been
recorded here including the brown-winged,
white-collard, black-capped
and the rare ruddy
kingfisher.
***
Woodpecker
The Kaththokra or the
woodpecker can be found in
twenty two species in the
country, especially in the
Sundarbans.
The red-cockaded woodpecker
as seen in the picture is
becoming rarer and
identified as a vulnerable
group, which is a
classification just under
endangered.
1. Pati Kak, House Crow Corvus splendens
2. Daar Kak, Jungle Crow, Large-billed
Crow, Corvus macrorhynchos
3. Doyel, Magpie Robin, Copsychus saularis-
National bird
4. Bhat Shalik, Common Myna, Acirdotheres
tristis
5. Jhuti Shalik, Jungle Myna, Acirdotheres
fuscus
6. Goborey Shalik, Pied Starling, Sturnus
contra
7. Kath or Badami Shalik, Grey-headed or
Chestnut-tailed Starling, Sturnus malabaricus
8. Charui, House Sparrow, Passer
domesticus
9. Tuntuni, Tailor Bird, Orthotomus
sutorius
10. Bulbuli, Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus
cafer
11. Sipahi Bulbuli, Red-whiskered Bulbul,
Pycnonotus jocosus
12. Jalali Kobutor, Rock Pigeon, Columba
livia
13. Chhoto Kaththokra, Fulvous-breasted
Woodpecker, Dendrocopos macei
14. Boro Kaththokra, Black-rumped
Flameback Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker, Dinopium
benghalense
15. Kutum Pakhi or Harichacha, Treepie,
Dendrocitta vagabunda
16. Niltuni, Purple Sunbird, Cinnyris
asiaticus* (Nectarinia asiatica)[*scientific names of
animals and plants frequently get changed]
17. Moutushi, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Leptocoma
zeylonica (Nectarinia zeylonica)
18. Fuljhuri, Pale-billed Flowerpecker,
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
19. Fingey, Black Drongo, Dicrurus
macrocercus
20. Haldey Pakhi, Black-hooded Oriole,
Oriolus xanthornus
21. Latora, Ashy Woodswallow Artamus
fuscus
22. Chhoto Sat Soheli, Small Minivet,
Perocrocotus cinnamomeus
23. Sat Bhaila, Jungle Babbler, Turdoides
striatus
24. Dhushurmatha Bontuni, Ashy Prinia,
Prinia socialis
25. Towfik or Fotikjol, Common Iora,
Aegithina tiphia
26. Shetakkhi or Babunai, White-eye,
Zosterops palpebrosa
27. Gangra, Great Tit, Parus major
28. Kanakuka or Kankua, Greater Coucal,
Centropus sinensis
29. Tia, Rose-tinged Parakeet, Psittacula
krameri
30. Chhoto Basanta Bauri, Coppersmith
Barbet, Megalaima haemacephala
31. Boro Basanta Bauri, Lineated Barbet,
Megalaima lineata
32. Nilavo or Bora Basanta Bauri,
Blue-throated Barbet, Megalaima asiatica
33. Tila Ghughu, Spotted Dove,
Streptopelia chinensis
34. Dhabol Ghughu, Ringed Dove,
Streptopelia decaocto
35. Kokil, Koel, Eydynamys scolopacea
36. Chokhgelo Pakhi, Common Hawk Cuckoo,
Hierococcyx varius
37. Boukotha Kow Pakhi, Indian Cuckoo,
Cuculus micropterus
38. Sorgom, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Cacomantis
sonneratii
39. Suichora, Green Bee-eater, Merops
orientalis
40. Chhoto Machhranga, Common Kingfisher,
Alcedo atthis
41. Sadabook Machhranga, White-throated
Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
42. Nilkantha, Indian Roller, Coracias
benghalensis
43. Nak-kati or Nakuti, Palm Swift,
Cypsiurus balasiensis
44. Ababil, Barn Owl, Hirundo rustica
45. Kutorey Pencha, Spotted Owlet, Athene
brama
46. Bhutum Pencha, Brown Fish Owl, Ketupa
zeylonensis
47. Bhuvan Chil, Pariah Kite, Milvus
migrans
48. Shankha Chil, Brahminy Kite, Haliastur
indus
49. Baaz, Shikra, Accipiter badius
50. Ratchora Pakhi, Indian Nightjar,
Caprimulgus asiaticus
51. Lalbook Chotok, Red-breasted
Flycatcher, Ficedula parva
52. Dhushar Chotok, Greyheaded Canary
Flycatcher, Culicicapa ceylonensis
53. Laejnachani, White-throated Fantail,
Rhipidura albicollis
54. Chhoto Gudhuka, Common Woodshrike,
Tephrodornis pondicerianus
55. Kalokhupa Chotok, Black-naped Monarch,
Hypothymis azurea
56. Lejjhula or Lal o Sada Sipahi,
Paradise Flycatcher, Terpsiphone paradisi
57. Babui Pakhi, Baya, Ploceus philippinus
58. Munia, White-rumped Munia, Lonchura
striata
59. Tila or Chitrito Munia, Scaly-breasted
Munia, Lonchura punctulata
60. Sada Khonjoni, Pied Wagtail, Motacilla
alba
61. Dhushar Khonjani, Grey Wagtail,
Motacilla cinerea
62. Tulika, Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus
rufulus
63. Bhorot Pakhi, Rufous-winged Bushlark,
Mirafra assamica
64. Baghatiki or Kalumatha Koshai Pakhi, Long-tailed Shrike, Lanius schach
65. Badami Koshai, brown Shrike, Lanius
cristatus
66.Lal-lotika Ti-Ti, Red-wattled lapwing,
Vanellus indicus |
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