India is a country that has the best of everything, diversity is used to describe different cultures, societies, regions, languages etc., which makes them different from the rest.

This brings me to the subject of birds, there is no place in the country where you will not find birds, it does not matter if if it is rural or urban, if you look carefully, you will spot different types of birds flying in the sky and their graceful movements are a thing of beauty.

Here are some of the birds that are not just colorful and beautiful, they are on the way to disappearing altogether:

A) The Alexandrine Parakeet is a colorful red and pink bird that is present in South Asia, it looks similar to the parrot but has its own unique character and is difficult to spot.

Like most birds that are on the brink of extinction, it suffers from the destruction of its habitat and it's attractive appearance makes it a popular choice as a pet which has taken a toll on its population with its numbers decreasing at an alarming rate.

B) The Mangrove Pitta is one of the most colourful birds you can find anywhere in the world. It is said that good things come in small packages, this is what accurately describes the mangrove pitta.

Unlike other birds, it does not have a distinct voice but it's colorful exterior is eye catching and enough to grab your attention. This is a bird that is essential to keeping the balance of nature and unfortunately nothing is being done to protect them from extinction.

C) The Yellow Weaver is a resident of the dense forest areas of North Eastern India, it get its name because of the bright yellow colour of its body and like other rare birds it's existence is seriously threatened by human activity.

These birds prefer to live in the wild with wide open spaces, they do not like to be caged and their numbers are declining due to the destruction of forests that are their habitat.

D) The Nilgiri Flycatcher is found in the Western ghats, they are are so called because they catch flies which is their favourite food. They do this while they are in the air, unlike frogs who are amphibians.

It is said that these unusual birds are vanishing because man continues to destroy their habitat which threatens their survival.

E) The Forest Owlet is another unusual bird that says in Central and Western India, you will not find it during the daytime and gives the impression of knowing it all.

It is small, clever and alert to the slightest movement, unfortunately, like other rare birds it suffers from human interference that is destroying the forest areas and making survival difficult for them.

In the end, birds are gifts of nature, they are vital to maintaining biodiversity and we must learn to protect and allow them to live as they have since the beginning of time.

Humans have caused a lot of damage and destruction to nature and if we are not careful, a lot of these rare species of birds which are one of a kind will be lost forever.