Plum headed Parakeet Make Up

Ever overdone your make-up and felt you resemble a Plum-headed Parakeet? Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Defying beauty stereotypes, it is the male Plum-headed Parakeet that likes loud make-up, while females prefer a subtle grey head!

The cartoon also ran as a caption contest on Roundglass's Instagram. Check out the winning entries here: 

Illustrations for Singapore Bird Race

I'm delighted to be a virtual part of the Singapore Bird Race this year, having created three illustrations of the threatened song birds that will be the faces of the event: the White-rumped Shama, Blue-rumped Parrot and Greater Green Leafbird. The Bird Race will be held on the 5th of December. To know more and register, visit the Facebook events page.

Thanks to Yong Ding Li of Birdlife International and the Singapore Nature Society for commissioning me for the illustrations.

Bird Species Recently Declared Extinct

Birdlife International recently released a list of bird species recently declared extinct, among which was the Spix's Macaw immortalized in the animated film Rio. Here's a comic about these species lost to oblivion, from my column with Sunday Mid-day.

The Illegal Bird Trade in India

A comic on India's illegal pet trade that resulted from a visit to Hyderabad's 'Murgi Chowk', that appears in my column with Mid-Day. Thanks to Chemudupati Samyukta and Shreya Paropkari of The Humane Society International, India, for their inputs and for accompanying me on the visit.

(Readers may note that there is no communal angle intended in the comic. The comic resulted from a sting visit to Murgi Chowk, where most pet traders are dressed like the character depicted here).

The Parakeet Pet Trade

The ability of parakeets to mimic human voices has been their greatest curse, making them the subject of one of the most rampant wildlife trades. Nearly all species of wild parakeets found in India are captured, caged and traded openly, and a general lack of awareness ensures that the trade goes unchecked. What's worse is that for each parakeet caged, several are killed. 

If you're a parakeet owner, it is time to hand your illegal possessions over to the forest department. If you know a parakeet owner, take some time out and educate him/her (this comic strip should help!)

The comic appears on my Sunday column with Mid-Day today.

To Let- Woodpecker Hole

Did you know that secondary cavity nesters like parakeets, mynas, owls, rollers and several other birds depend on woodpeckers for nesting sites? These birds compete for and occupy woodpecker holes to breed. So if you have good populations of any of these birds around where you live, you know which bird to thank!

The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today.