Episode 76: Bird Behaviour with Rohan Chakravarty

Rohan Chakravarty is a Cartoonist, illustrator, and wildlife buff. Creator of Green Humour, the comic strip. He is an author and illustrator known for his work in bridging art and science, particularly in the field of bird behavior. His book, “Bird Business,” focuses on showcasing the quirks, antics, and daily lives of 100 Indian birds, offering insights into their unique behaviors. 

 

1. How does a cartoonist and illustrator think about birds? Can you walk us through the process of creating this book.
2. How did you choose the birds that feature in your book? 
3. You are clearly interested in bird behaviour. You say, for instance, that the Lammergier- bearded vulture, takes 7 years to master its bone-throwing skill. These are very specific facts.  How did you learn all this and how did you choose what to throw in.  Rewrites? Anita’s intervention?
4. For those who haven’t read your book, can you mention some of the fascinating bird behaviors that you have come across?
5. Have you seen all the species in this book? Bar tailed treecreeper?
6. Why do nuthatches move/spiral downwards while the treecreeper spirals upwards, do you know?
7. Baya nesting colonies are usually built close to water bodies to reduce risk of predation by snakes— but aren’t there water snakes? Do snakes not climb up trees?
8. Why does the brown fish owl wade instead of doing the traditional thing that owls do?
9. Bar-headed geese (raising the bar). How do you come up with puns? Because you are a cartoonist or a writer or both?
10. What are your favourite species and why?
11. What is your technique of going birdwatching, as in do you go every week? Favourite binocs? Or do you sit and draw outside?