New Delhi, Feb. 13 -- A narrow path winds its way through the forest high above Bhimtal Lake in Uttarakhand. It is flanked by towering oaks and pines that throw deep shadows and shroud the path in darkness. Even mid-morning in early November, it is quite cold. Everything is quiet but the forest is hardly still. The path is littered with a carpet of dry, crunchy leaves, and we tread as soundlessly as possible. A sudden noiseless movement on the right has us stand still and we focus intently through the trees. About 20ft inside, camouflaged on a mossy tree trunk, a common green magpie flits about. It is a dramatic specimen-bright green with a cherry beak and a black Zorro-like mask around its eyes.

Eyes glued to a pair of binoculars, I fol...