Large Grey Babbler

The Large Grey Babbler, Turdoides malcolmi, is an Old World babbler found in India. They are locally common in the scrub, open forest and gardenland. They are usually seen in small groups and are easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by their nasal call and the whitish outer feathers to their long tail. It is one of the largest babblers in the region

Spotted Dove

Dharamshala - 18th Aug 2012

The Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon which is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The species has been introduced into many parts of the world and feral populations have become established. This species was formerly included in the genus Streptopelia with other turtle-doves, but studes suggest that they differ from typical members of that genus. This dove is long tailed buff brown with a white-spotted black collar patch on the back and sides of the neck. The tail tips are white and the wing coverts have light buff spots. There is considerable plumage variations across populations within its wide range. The species is found in light forests and gardens as well as in urban areas. They fly off from the ground with an explosive flutter and will sometimes glide down to a perch. It is sometimes also called the Chinese Dove, Mountain Dove, Pearl-necked Doveor Lace-necked Dove.

Crested Kingfisher

Dharamshala - 19th Aug 2012

The Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris is resident of the Himalayas and foothills of Northern India, Bangladesh, northern Indochina, Southeast Asia and Japan. It is a very large (41 cm) black and white kingfisher with evenly barred wings and tail. It lacks a supercilium and has a spotted breast, which is sometimes mixed withrufous. This bird is mainly found in mountain rivers and larger rivers in foothills.

Black-crowned Night Heron

FEMALE

The Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia (where it is replaced by the closely related Rufous Night Heron, with which it has hybridized in the area of contact).

Red-naped Ibis

The Red-naped Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) also known as the Indian Black Ibis or just the Black Ibis, is a species of ibisfound in parts of the Indian Subcontinent. The sexes are alike. It has a curlew-like long down-curved bill, a black head with a patch of crimson, and a white patch near the shoulder. This largish black bird is found at lakes, in marshes, in riverbeds and on irrigated farmland—it is not as aquatic as many other species of ibis. It is gregarious and generally forages on margins ofwetlands in small numbers. It is a common breeding resident in Haryana. It nests in trees and breeds from March to October in North India.

Yellow-eyed Babbler

The Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense is a passerine bird species found in open grass and scrub in south Asia. Its common name refers to its traditional placement with the Old World babbler family Timaliidae. The genus Chrysomma has recently turned out to form, together with its relatives, a clade with the parrotbillsand Sylvia warblers and would thus be moved to the Sylviidae

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Merops persicus, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in Northern Africa, and the Middle East from eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan and India. It is generally strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, although some populations breed and live year round in theSahel. This species occurs as a rare vagrant north of its breeding range.

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

RECORD SHOT

The Grey-bellied Cuckoo or the Indian Plaintive Cuckoo, Cacomantis passerinus, is a member of the cuckooorder of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the Hoatzin.

It breeds in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China and Indonesia. It is a short-distancemigrant, since birds at more northerly latitudes and on higher ground are summer visitors, leaving for warmer areas in winter.

Red Collared Dove

The Red Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), also known as the Red Collared Dove, is a small pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the tropics in the Indian subcontinent.

Red-headed Bunting

RECORD SHOT - MALE

The Red-headed Bunting, Emberiza bruniceps, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from thefinches, Fringillidae.

It breeds in central Asia. It is migratory, wintering in India. Its status in western Europe, where it is a potential vagrant, is confused by escapes, especially as this species is more commonly recorded than the closely related Black-headed Bunting, despite the latter have a more westerly breeding range. Reports in Britain have declined dramatically over recent years, co-inciding with the decline in Asiatic imports for the cage-bird trade.

Black Francolin

The Black Francolin, Francolinus francolinus, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It was formerly known as the Black Partridge.

Indian Bush Lark

The Indian Bush Lark, Indian Bushlark or Red-winged Bushlark (Mirafra erythroptera) is a species of bushlark found in South Asia mainly in India

Rufous-fronted Prinia

The Rufous-fronted Prinia (Prinia buchanani) is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in India and Pakistan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

European Roller

The European Roller, Coracias garrulus, is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East andCentral Asia and Morocco.

There are two subspecies: the nominate garrulus, which breeds from in north Africa from Morocco east to Tunisia, southwest and south-central Europe and Asia Minor east through northwest Iran to southwest Siberia; and semenowi, which breeds in Iraq and Iran (except northwest) east to Kashmir and north to Turkmenistan, south Kazakhstan and northwest China (west Xinjiang). The European Roller is a long-distance migrant, wintering in southern Africa in two distinct regions, from Senegal east to Cameroon and from Ethiopia west to Congo and south to South Africa.

It is a bird of warm, dry, open country with scattered trees, preferring lowland open countryside with patches of oak Quercus forest, mature pine Pinus woodland with heathery clearings, orchards, mixed farmland, river valleys, and plains with scattered thorny or leafy trees. It winters primarily in dry wooded savanna and bushy plains, where it typically nests in tree holes

Baya Weaver

Male

Female

Male

The Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) is a weaverbird found across South and Southeast Asia. Flocks of these birds are found in grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growth and they are best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves. These nest colonies are usually found on thorny trees or palm fronds and the nests are often built near water or hanging over water where predators cannot reach easily. They are widespread and common within their range but are prone to local, seasonal movements mainly in response to rain and food availability.

Large Cuckooshrike

The Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei is a species of cuckooshrike found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are mostly insectivorous and usually fly just above the forest canopy. They have a loud call Klu-eep and have a characteristic habit of shrugging their closed wings shortly after landing on a perch.

Rufous-tailed Lark

The Rufous-tailed Lark (Ammomanes phoenicura) also sometimes called the Rufous-tailed Finch-Lark is a ground bird found in the drier open stony habitats of India and parts of Pakistan. Like other species in the genus it has a large finch-like bill with a slightly curved edge to the upper mandible. The dull brown colour matches with soil as it forages for grass seeds, grain and insects. Males and females are indistinguishable in the field but during the breeding season, the male has a courtship display that involves flying up steeply and then nose-diving and pulling up in a series of stepped wavy dips accompanied by calling. They forage on the ground in pairs or small groups.

Lesser Florican

RECORD SHOT

The Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus), also known as the Likh, is a large bird in the bustard family and the only member of the genus Sypheotides. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall grasslands and is best known for the leaping breeding displays made by the males during the Monsoon season. The male has a contrasting black and white breeding plumage and distinctive elongated head feathers that extend behind the neck. These bustards are found mainly in northwestern and central India during the summer but are found more widely distributed across India in winter. The species is highly endangered and has been extirpated in some parts of its range such as Pakistan. It is threatened both by hunting and habitat degradation. The only similar species is the Bengal Florican (Houbarobsis bengalensis) which is larger and lacks the white throat, collar and elongated plumes

Crested Lark

The Crested Lark, Galerida cristata, breeds across most of temperate Eurasia from Portugal to northeast China and eastern India, and in Africa south to Niger. It isnon-migratory, and the sedentary nature of this species is illustrated by the fact that it is only a very rare vagrant to Great Britain, despite breeding as close as northern France.

This is a common bird of dry open country and cultivation. It nests on the ground, laying two or three eggs. Its food is weed seeds and insects, the latter especially in the breeding season.

This is a smallish lark, slightly larger and plumper than the Skylark. It has a long spiky erectile crest. It is greyer than the Skylark, and lacks the white wing and tail edges of that species.

In flight it shows reddish underwings. The body is mainly dark-streaked grey above and whitish below. The song is melodious and varied, with mournful whistles and mimicry included.

Some care must be taken to distinguish this lark, which has many subspecies, from its close relatives in areas where they also occur. In the west of its range theThekla Lark, Galerida theklae, is very similar, as is the Malabar Lark, Galerida malabarica, in western India.

Rock Bush Quail

RECORD SHOT

The Rock Bush Quail (Perdicula argoondah^[1]) is a species of quail found in parts of peninsular India. They are very similar to and overlap in range with Perdicula asiatica. They are found in small coveys and are often detected only suddenly, when they burst out into flight en masse from under vegetation.