Ranjit Lal
Lal is an author, environmentalist and bird watcher.
Authors you can follow
More From Ranjit Lal
Why birds look the way they do: Decoding Mother Nature’s LogicSubscriber Only
September 06,2025 08:40:07 AM
In the painted snipe, a water bird, the lady sports snazzy white straps and kathakali dancer-like face make-up. Her husband looks similar but as though he’s been given a good rubbing down with a pencil eraser
Sat, Sep 06, 2025
Making sense of the dilemma over stray dogs
August 27,2025 15:13:23 PM
We have allowed the problem to achieve gargantuan dimensions before going in for solutions that are clearly impossible to achieve
Wed, Aug 27, 2025
Jungleland wishlist: What animals have, and humans wantSubscriber Only
August 20,2025 18:41:45 PM
We’ve been grossly short-changed, but if we put on that sweet, inane smile the three-toed sloth wears, maybe Mother Nature will bestow us with her benediction
Thu, Aug 21, 2025
Independence Day Special: Author and environmentalist Ranjit Lal decodes how freedom has everything to do with loveSubscriber Only
August 10,2025 03:06:06 AM
The little birds took off. 'Didn’t that give you a lovely feeling? Like you were taking off with them?'
Sun, Aug 10, 2025
What we can learn from Jim Corbett on watching natureSubscriber Only
August 05,2025 10:45:24 AM
Corbett had the incredible power of observation and the ability to describe a location or scene in such detail that it was like staring at a photograph of the place
Tue, Aug 05, 2025
What babies do in the animal kingdom, even when they know the end is nearSubscriber Only
July 30,2025 06:00:21 AM
No little animal ever seems to just roll over and give up. All the while, it continues to fight valiantly in its corner
Tue, Jul 29, 2025
Tag and you’re dead: Not just hide and seek, some species in the animal kingdom can be lethal in their camouflageSubscriber Only
July 23,2025 15:37:34 PM
The insect world is replete with invisible wonders – from the praying mantis and big cats to octopuses and cuttlefish. They shape-shift to ambush and escape from predators
Wed, Jul 23, 2025
Wildlife in times of social media – Part IISubscriber Only
July 17,2025 17:39:32 PM
In the concluding part of this series, conjuring up social media profiles for animals
Thu, Jul 17, 2025
Wildlife in the times of social mediaSubscriber Only
July 09,2025 18:53:53 PM
If animals had social media profiles, what would their status say?
Wed, Jul 09, 2025
It’s raining in Goa — be careful, very careful on its beachesSubscriber Only
July 02,2025 15:47:01 PM
The ocean is a completely different beast at this time: it's ranting and raving, sending spume and spray high in the air – nothing well-mannered about it
Sun, Jul 06, 2025
Man vs Birds: The art of aerodynamicsSubscriber Only
June 25,2025 19:36:35 PM
Aircraft need powerful engines, jet or propeller driven, to deliver the thrust required to enable their wings to generate enough lift. In birds, the wings do both
Wed, Jun 25, 2025
What the tiger and the dog learned in the wellSubscriber Only
June 18,2025 10:00:04 AM
A tiger and a stray dog fell into an abandoned well in Kerala’s Idukki district. Just what did they say to each other?
Mon, Jun 16, 2025
How our earth is more than a pale blue dotSubscriber Only
June 16,2025 15:27:48 PM
From deep blue night skies to flowering yellows that attract bees, from the fiery reds of blood to the orange of roaring fires – colours signal the fullness of life and love
Sat, Jun 21, 2025
Two memories that recount how water nourishes and ravages in equal measureSubscriber Only
June 07,2025 07:30:27 AM
From the American River to the Yamuna in Delhi – the ducks, the gulls and the slipping sand
Fri, Jun 06, 2025
Funny Birds: From militant flamingos to crafty crows, there’s a flock of them that make you laughSubscriber Only
May 28,2025 01:00:10 AM
Take time to look at the jungle babblers, like dishevelled policemen, bouncing up and down your glass door or charm your partner with dancing cues learned from the Sarus cranes
Mon, May 26, 2025
Why mushrooms have magical stories spinning around themSubscriber Only
May 21,2025 17:15:40 PM
Mushrooms are a form of fungi that continue to be studied extensively to discover, sometimes the magic, and at other times the menace, they can unleash
Wed, May 21, 2025
Why extinction is not the siren to wait forSubscriber Only
May 19,2025 17:50:06 PM
From the Asiatic lion to the Indian rhinoceros to the Pygmy hog, we only try to save our fauna when they’re close to extinction
Mon, May 19, 2025
Laws of Attraction: How animals and birds chase loveSubscriber Only
May 07,2025 12:36:03 PM
Animals and birds are not very different from humans when it comes to looking for the right partner
Wed, May 07, 2025
Leaving home: How seeds find their way into the worldSubscriber Only
May 02,2025 17:10:49 PM
Many seeds are deliberately taken from one place to another and become crops. Occasionally, they become an invasive species
Fri, May 02, 2025
Why I’m always curious about natureSubscriber Only
April 25,2025 19:09:19 PM
Start questioning how flora and fauna have survived Earth for millions of years and it’s impossible to resist looking for answers
Fri, Apr 25, 2025
A swirl of smoke: The season of the rosy starlingSubscriber Only
April 19,2025 10:00:57 AM
The loud and fast bird is stopping by North India on the way to Eastern Europe during its annual winter migration
Sat, Apr 19, 2025
Why Charles Darwin was sick seeing a feather in a peacock’s tailSubscriber Only
April 09,2025 07:00:51 AM
While it head-butted his theory of natural selection, Darwin emerged with the theory of sexual selection as a way to emphasise that, perhaps, females kept their eyes on beauty in selecting their mates
Wed, Apr 09, 2025
There are happier ways to get out of bed: listen to the musicians of the airSubscriber Only
April 02,2025 10:00:33 AM
From the blue-whistling thrush to the mellifluous red-whiskered bulbul and the ear-piercing calls of the peacock, nature has its way of bringing in the day
Tue, Apr 01, 2025
From the tiniest to the largest, how the ladies call the shotsSubscriber Only
March 29,2025 10:32:24 AM
Be it the African mole rats, killer whales or the spotted hyenas, females rule; it's all about survival
Sat, Mar 29, 2025
Tiger, Tiger Out of Sight: Why the big cats are elusive in our national parksSubscriber Only
March 21,2025 21:41:42 PM
These days people expect to have tigers on the tap on wildlife safaris. But what does that mean for animals and their habitats
Fri, Mar 21, 2025a better experience