White-browed Fantail

The White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) is a small passerine bird.

The White-browed Fantail breeds across tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Vietnam. This species is found in forest and other woodland. Threeeggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree.

Indian Pitta

The Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura) is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds mainly in the sub-Himalayas and winters in southern India and Sri Lanka. These birds are found in thick undergrowth and are often more easily detected by their calls.
The Indian Pitta is a small stubby-tailed bird that is mostly seen on the floor of forests or under dense undergrowth, foraging on insects in leaf litter. It has long, strong legs, a very short tail and stout bill, with a buff coloured crown stripe, black coronal stripes, a thick black eye stripe and white throat and neck. The upperparts are green, with a blue tail, the underparts buff, with bright red on the lower belly and vent. The bird normally hops on the ground to forage and has been known to get trapped in ground traps meant for small mammals. It has been suggested that the width of the coronal stripe may differ in the sexes.

Jungle Bush Quail

The Jungle Bush Quail, or Perdicula asiatica is a species of quail found in Indian Subcontinent, ranging across India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Very different from the female, the male Jungle Bush Quail has a white moustache, heavily barred white underparts, and variegated wings. The female has a uniform, rich chestnut breast and belly. However, both the male and the female have red and white streaks on the head. It is roughly 6.3–7.2 in (16–18 cm) in length and weighs 2–2.85 oz (57–81 g)
The diet of the Jungle Bush Quail consists mainly of seeds. particularly of grasses, although it also takes insects. Breeding takes place after the rains and lasts until the onset of colder weather, with the precise period varying across the range; five or six eggs are produced and incubation takes between 16 and 18 days. The species is not globally threatened as it has an extensive range and tends to avoid agricultural areas. The population in Sri Lanka has contracted since the 1950s, but is thought to be widespread and common elsewhere in the range.

White-bellied Redstart

The White-bellied Redstart (Hodgsonius phoenicuroides, or wrongly Hodgsonius phaenicuroide) is a species of birdof the Muscicapidae family, in the monotypic genus Hodgsonius.
It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.

Red-fronted Serin

The Red-fronted Serin or Fire-fronted Serin (Serinus pusillus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is 11–12 cm long.

This bird breeds in the Caucasus and the higher mountains of Turkey and Iran, with vagrants occasionally reaching the Greek Eastern Aegean Islands in winter. This bird is also found in Ladakh and other parts of the Indian Himalayas. Outside the breeding season, it occurs in small flocks, typically seen searching through thistle patches. It is a popular cagebird, and escapes from captivity are occasionally found throughout Europe.

The bird is variable in plumage, with adults resembling very dark redpolls. The foreparts are sooty and the forehead is red; juveniles have buff-brown heads. The call is a rapid, shrill "titihihihihihi", resembling that of a Linnet.

The bird will breed in captivity and thrives on a diet of canary grass seed, millet, and other small seeds. They bathe daily if water is accessible.

Tickell's Leaf Warbler

Tickell's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis) is a leaf warbler found in Asia. The species has a yellowish underside and supercilium. It is a common bird watchers' target in this region.

Beautiful Rosefinch

The Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch (Carpodacus pulcherrimus) is a true finch species (family Fringillidae). It is one of the rosefinches that may belong in thegenus Propasser. It is found primarily in the northern regions of the Indian Subcontinent, mainly the lower-to-middle altitude Himalayas, and ranges across Bhutan,India, Mongolia, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

Pink-browed Rosefinch

RECORD SHOT

The Pink-browed Rosefinch (Carpodacus rodochroa) is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family. It ranges across the northern regions of the Indian Subcontinent, mainly in the Himalayas, and is migratory. It is found in Bhutan, Tibet, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.

Western-crowned Warbler

The Western Crowned Warbler (Phylloscopus occipitalis) is a leaf warbler which breeds in Central Asia. It winters in the forests of the Western Ghats.

The nest is built in a hole, and the typical clutch is four eggs.

The species has a distinctive crown stripe and two wing-bars. It often moves in small flocks or in mixed hunting parties.

Long-tailed Broadbill

The Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) is a species of broadbill that is found in the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia. It is the only birdin the genus Psarisomus. The Long-tailed Broadbill is about 25 cm (10 inches) in length and weighs between 50 and 60 grams. It can be identified by its shrill call.
The Long-tailed Broadbill is a forest bird that lives on insects. It is very sociable and normally travels in large, noisy parties except during the mating season. It builds a pear-shaped nest in a tree. The female usually lays between 5 and 6 eggs that are incubated by both sexes; both sexes also help to feed the young.

Spot-winged Starling

RECORD SHOT

The Spot-winged Starling (Saroglossa spiloptera) is a species of starling in the Sturnidae family. It is found in the northern regions of the Indian Subcontinent and adjacent parts of Southeast Asia. Its range spans across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and possibly Bhutan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Black-winged Cuckooshrike

The Black-winged Cuckooshrike or Smaller Grey Cuckoo-Shrike (Coracina melaschistos) is a species of cuckooshrike found in South to Southeast Asia

It is distributed from Northeast Pakistan through the lower Himalayan region (Uttarakhand, Nepal, Arunachal Pradesh and into the hills of NE Myanmar continuing toChina and Southeast Asia. It winters in the foothills, occasionally longer distances (e.g. Kerala).

Habitat: open forest, groves, singly or in pairs.

Hill Partridge

Location & Date : near Chopta, Uttarakhand, India (April 2018)

RECORD SHOT

The Hill Partridge (Arborophila torqueola) is a species of bird in the Phasianidae family. It is found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Thailand andVietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Males of the species have ornate patterns and markings, a combination of an orange crown and face set against a black head and streaked throat. Females lack the head markings but share the variegated wings and grey-streaked underparts of the male. Four subspecies have been identified on the basis of differences on the head markings on the male. The food of this species comprises seeds and various invertebrates, which it collects by scratching in leaf litter. The birds are mostly seen in pairs or small coveys of up to 10 individuals that may be made up of family groups.

The Hill Partridge has a hen-like contact call that is constantly uttered when it is feeding. Indian populations breed between April and June, although earlier breeding has been recorded at lower altitudes. The average clutch size is 3-5 eggs but up to nine eggs have also been observed. Incubation times are unrecorded in wild birds but are reported to be 24 days for captive birds. The nest is shaped like a bowl, with a dome of glass when it is placed in a bank. The range spans over a narrow band from the western Himalayas to north Vietnam. The species is not globally threatened and is common in most parts of its range. The length of this species is roughly 10.5–12 in (27–30 cm) and weight can vary between 8 oz (230 g) for a small female to 13.6 oz (390 g) for a large fat male

Eurasian Cuckoo

The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) (formerly European Cuckoo) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.

This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of Dunnocks, Meadow Pipits, and Eurasian Reed Warblers.

Stripe-breasted Woodpecker

RECORD SHOT

The Striped Woodpecker (Veniliornis lignarius) is a woodpecker found in southwestern South America. It occurs northwest- and southwestwards of the range of itssister taxon, the Checkered Woodpecker, in the Cordillera Patagonica and its foothills, and in another population in the Andes of Bolivia and the adjacent foothills. As the latter is isolated and differs in numerous respects, it is being considered to separate it as V. (lignarius) puncticeps.

This species was long placed in the genus Picoides where it was, together with its sister species, considered something of an oddball. In 2006, Moore et al.published research on mtDNA COI and Cyt b sequences which suggests that the Striped and Checkered Woodpeckers are actually most closely related to theWhite-spotted Woodpecker, Veniliornis spilogaster, a peculiar Picoides-like species which also was hitherto unique in its genus

Indian Cuckoo

RECORD SHOT

The Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, that is found in Asia from Pakistan and India, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and north to China and Russia. It is a solitary and shy bird, found in forests and open woodland at up to 3,600 m. In Kerala (India), it is called "Vishu Pakshi" (the Vishu bird) as it appears with its distinctive call around the Vishu festival time in April.

Rosy Minivet

RECORD SHOT

The Rosy Minivet (Pericrocotus roseus) is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.Male is distinguished from other minivets by having deep pink/light red shade in wings and tail and female having olive /olive yellow rump as against bright yellow in other minivets.Both male and female are grey above.

Distribution

It is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.In India, it is found in the Himalayas from west to east to Arunachal Pradesh and hills of Nagaland and Manipur.In winter in peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Olive-backed Pipit

The Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) is a small passerine bird of the pipit (Anthus) genus, which breeds across South, north Central and East Asia, as well as in the northeast of European Russia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to southern Asia and Indonesia. Sometimes it is also called Indian, or Hodgson's, Tree Pipit, owing to the resemblance with the Tree Pipit. However, its back is more olive-toned and less streaked than that species, and its head pattern is different with a better-marked supercilium.

Taiga Flycatcher

The Taiga Flycatcher or Red-throated Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.

It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, and Japan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the Red-breasted Flycatcher.