Category "World of Wonder - Birds"

The Black-winged Stilt is a widely distributed bird found in almost all the continents of the world and are hence thought to be ‘cosmopolitan’. They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. […]

The White Bellied Sea Eagle is a large, majestic, bird of prey and are residents of India, Sri Lanka, South East Asia and Australia. They are found on coasts and waterways, residing and breeding near waterways where they hunt for fish and other carrion and small animals such as birds that form its diet. They are generally territorial, though some are nomadic and wander inland in search of food, often up to 1000 km from the shore. […]

The Lesser Crested Tern has an interesting genus name is from the Greek Thalasseus,- “fisherman” from thalassa, “sea”. The specific bengalensis means “of Bengal”, found in the regions of northern India and Bangladesh where it is found, through they are spread throughout sub tropical coastlines across Southern Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean regions and Australia where they also breed in dense colonies on coastlines and islands. […]

The Nilgiri Flowerpecker is a tiny bird that are found in the Western Ghats and other parts of India, feeding predominantly on nectar and fruits. They forage within the canopy of forests. They are resident and non migratory, preferring to stay within a range. […]

The Nilgiri Blackbird is a specific resident of the Western Ghats of the Indian subcontinent upto a height of 2000m, covering the southern range of the Western Ghats. They are a member of the family of Thrushes. […]

The Spotted 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. They are seen all over the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and are residents in light forests, gardens as well as some quieter and greener urban areas. […]

The Indian Silverbill or White-throated Munia is a common resident breeding bird in the drier regions of the Indian subcontinent. They forage in small flocks in grassland and scrub habitats. Although mainly found on the plains, they can be found up to about 1200 m in some sub-Himalayan regions. They are largely resident, though some populations make seasonal movements to nearby areas. […]

The Plain Prinia is also known as the Plain Wren-Warbler or White-browed Wren-Warbler. It is a small bird found in Southeast Asia. It is a resident breeder from Pakistan and India to south China and Southeast Asia. Sexes are identical, with tails being shorter in summer and longer in winter. […]

The White-Spotted Fantail is a small, beautiful bird with a tail that spreads to resemble a fan, from where it gets its name. It is found in forest, scrub and cultivation in southern and central India. […]

“Rosefinches” and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage, and the Common Rosefinches are found in Asia and Europe. […]

The Pied Bushchat is a small bird found extensively from West to Central to South-East Asia and across the Indian Subcontinent. It is seen quite easily in the countryside and open scrub or grassland where it is found perched at the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs, looking out for insect prey. They pick up insects mainly from the ground. […]

The Black Headed Jay is found in the Himalayas, ranging from Afghanistan across to India and Bhutan. It is a large, striking bird with a black head and crest that stands out when it lands after a short flight. It has a long, well defined blue with black barring tail. […]

The Great Barbet is a large, colourful and striking bird with a red vent, blue head, brown and green and yellow streaked body and a large yellow bill, found in South East Asia and foothills of the Himalayas. They are well over a foot in length and can easily be spotted due to their large size and noisy calls, of which they have three types. […]

The Himalayan Black Lored Tit is a very beautiful yellow and black bird. The name ‘lore’ refers to the black area between the eye and the bill. […]

The Blue Whistling Thrush is widely distributed in the mountains of Central Asia, China and South East Asia, and in India are found along the foothills of the Himalayas. They feed on the ground and are found along streams foraging for insects, crabs, snails and fruit. They make altitudinal changes in the Himalayas, descending in winters to lower altitudes. I photographed this specimen in Chakki Mor in Himachal Pradesh, about an hour’s drive from Chandigarh. […]