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.

Dusky Warbler

The Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) is a leaf warbler which breeds in east Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia. It sometimes occurs in North America in Alaska, and has also occurred in California.

This is an abundant bird of taiga bogs and wet meadows. The nest is built low in a bush, and 5-6 eggs are laid. Like most Old World warblers, this small passerine isinsectivorous.

This small warbler is prone to vagrancy as far as western Europe in October, despite a 3000 km distance from its breeding grounds. It has wintered in Great Britain.

This is a warbler similar in size and shape to a Chiffchaff. The adult has an unstreaked brown back and buff underparts. There is a prominent whitish supercilium, and the bill is fine and pointed. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are more olive-tinged above. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will take other small food items, including berries.

The song is a monotonous whistle, and the call is a harsh check. The call is often the first clue that this typically skulking species is present, away from the breeding grounds.

Great Myna

The White-vented Myna (Acridotheres javanicus), also known as the Javan Myna and the Buffalo Myna, is a myna, a member of the Starling family. It is primarily found in Java.

It is conspecific, and thought to be in competition with the Common Myna (A. tristis) in some of its range (for example, Malaysia and Singapore).

The White-vented Myna has an extremely liquid voice and, like the European starling, incorporates imitation into its repertoire (though it is not able to imitate the human voice, like the Hill Myna Gracula religiosa).

The White-vented Myna is predominantly black, with a white vent, a white wing patch, white on the underside of the tail, and has a thick yellow eye ring for grown adults, legs and beak. It sometimes has grey (white) flecking on its belly. It can raise the feathers on its forehead into a dramatic crest.

Like other sturnids it is omnivorous, roosts in colonies and is abundantly successful in a variety of habitats. Javan Mynas are as accomplished in cities as they are in padi fields, where they will prey on insects disturbed by water buffalo, often riding the buffalo like the related oxpecker.

It is usually found in southeast Asia.

There is some confusion over naming between A. grandis and A. javanicus, which was until recently considered a subspecies of the Pale-bellied Myna, A. cinereus. It lays 2-6 eggs. Javan Myna can live 8 to 20 years. It eats ants, worms, fruits, human feeds, insects and grains.