Panan-g-kadai

I took this picture a few months back on the outskirts of Tiruchi. I was travelling in an autorickshaw when I saw this beautiful pair on a wire. I did not have my long lens with me but decided to use the 210mm anyway. The guy with the grasshopper in his beak was jittery and took off when I tried to get closer.

This post is not just about the pic but the short conversation with the autorickshaw driver that followed.

The auto-driver told me they are known as `panan-g-kadai.'
(Panai: as in `panai maram' (palm tree) and `Kadai' as in quail.)
Then...
Do you like birds, he asked.
Yes, I like to take pictures of birds, I said.
I too like birds. They are very tasty, he said.