Our lovely campus with its tree-lined vistas, multiple water bodies and a forest next door, is a biodiversity hotspot and home to a large number of birds! This crossword features many of the residents and visitors of the winged variety that are commonly seen on campus. Test your skills and find out how many you know.
This crossword is brought to you by Garima Bhatia, a ’95 alumnus now based in Bangalore, who is part of an initiative called Early Bird, which aims to introduce children to birds and nature. Check out the numerous games and resources (print and digital) produced by Early Bird, on their website www.early-bird.in.
1a. Affected by mobile towers? No evidence to prove that! (7)
2a. Often mistaken for a hummingbird as I feed on nectar (7)
5a. A nocturnal bird, anagram of towel (5)
6a. Accompaniment to Batman (6)
8a. My beak is sharp and pointed to impale fish (5)
9a. I like to feed in squelchy mud (9)
14a. See a completely blackbird perched with outstretched wings? That’s me! (9)
15a. I’m seen flying over water bodies with graceful turns (4)
16a. See 18a
17a. Did he do it? (7)
18a and 16a. White bird taking on orange hues while breeding. Guesthouse lawns are my favourite hangout! (6, 5)
1d. Skilled hunter, I live up to my name (6)
2d. I’m the purple bird you see at water’s edge! (8)
3d. Also called “snake bird” because of the way my neck sticks out of the water (6)
4d. You can find me in chattering, squawking, noisy groups, dapper in my yellow goggles (4)
7d. My long curved beak helps me avoid the “sting” in my food! (3-5)
9d. Child of a star? I’m a cousin of 4d (8)
10d. I’m often illegally caged as I can mimic humans (8)
11d. An accomplished dancer and melodious singer, you can find me strutting from branch to branch (7)
12d. I’m black with white headgear. You can find me swimming in Powai lake (4)
13d. Nine colours on my body, I hop about in the undergrowth picking up worms (5)
Go to the next page for answers.
