14cm Male: Bright blue upperparts Red throat and breast White underparts Female: Duller Less red on the breast Juvenile: Scaly brown upperparts, head and breast Blue wings and tail
Distribution
Asia
Nepal, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra.
Taxonomy
Subspecies:
C. t. tickelliae: India to south-weestern China (southern Yunnan), northern Myanmar and Bangladesh.
C. t. jerdoni: Sri Lanka.
C. t. sumatrensis: Southern peninsula Thailand to Malaysia and north-eastern Sumatra.
C. t. indochina: Southern Myanmar to Thailand and Indochina.
C. t. lamprus: Anambas Islands (South China Sea).
Habitat Open dry forest, deciduous woods, scrub, coffee plantations, bamboo and gardens. Behaviour
It nests in a hole in a tree or amongst rocks and 3-5 eggs are laid.
Appears large-headed and owl-like due to face s hape and position of eyes.
Flight
Shallow dihedral in soaring flight.
Tail and flight feathers black with broad white stripes.
Distribution
Southern Asia. Widespread and generally common from northern India south to Sri Lanka east to southern China, Hainan, Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands and south to the Andaman Islands and Malay Peninsula. Also breeds on Palawan, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and many smaller islands.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
About 20 subspecies are currently recognised, some of which may be deserving of full species status.Nominate race is found in northern India.
melanotis in southern India.
spilogaster in Sri Lanka and davisoni in the Andaman Islands.
S. c. burmanicus occurs from Burma to central and southern Indochina.
ricketti in south-east China and northern Indochina.
rutherfordi on Hainan.
hoya on Taiwan.
perplexus in the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Further south race malayensis is found in southern Burma, Malaysia and northern Sumatra.
batu on Batu Island and southern Sumatra.
sipora on the Mentawi Islands and Sipora.
bido on Java and Bali.
baweanus on Bawean Island.
pallidus on Borneo.
natunensis on Bunguran and Billiton Islands.
asturinus on Nias.
abbottii on Simalur.
palawanensis on Palawan, Balabac and the Calamian Islands.
Habitat
Forest and forest edge, riverine woodland, farmland and sometimes near villages. Occurs up to 3,000m in the Himalayas.
Behaviour
Diet
They specialise in reptiles hunting over woodland for snakes and lizards.
Immature: lacks the dark head. Underparts are more uniform.
Distribution
Asia: found in India and Sri Lanka.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies:
L. k. kelaarti: pinkish underparts and rump South-western India (Kerala to western Tamil Nadu) and Eastern Ghats.
L. k. jerdoni: barred black and white underparts and rump Highlands of Sri Lanka.
An additional subspecies, vernayi, is not recognised by all authorities.
Habitat
Open hill woodland and cultivation.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes seeds.
Breeding
The nest is a large grass dome in a tree or creepers on a house wall; the Indian species lay 3-8 white eggs but more usually 5 are laid by Sri Lankan birds.
Located just 17 km from the Matale city, Elkaduwa estate is an ideal place for relaxing, Nature walks, photography and sightseeing. Elkaduwa estate is situated on the western side of the knuckles mountain range. Elkaduwa belongs to Matale district of Central province.
One of the main attractions of Elkaduwa is the Sembuwatta Lake, which is created from natural spring water. Sembuwaththa Lake is believed to be 30 to 40 feet deep (According to locals). Along side of the Sembuwatta Lake there is a natural swimming pool, consisting of natural spring water, which has captured the hearts of many nature lovers.
White patch runs between belly and tail, flanking the neck to the sides of crown
Short tail is tipped black
A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye
Black-tipped red bill
Long yellow legs
In flight, prominent white V-shaped wing bar
Distribution
Iraq, south-western Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Kashmir, Nepal.
Taxonomy
Four subspecies are recognized:
V.i. aigneri - southeast Turkey to Pakistan
V.i. indicus - east Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh
V.i. lankae - Sri Lanka
V.i. atronuchalis - northeast India and Myanmar to northern Malaysia and Indochina
Habitat
Open country and forest clearings, freshwater wetlands. Dry fields, bush country, near swamps, rivers and coasts.
Behaviour
The breeding season is mainly March to August. The courtship involves the male puffing its feathers and pointing its beak upwards. The male then shuffles around the female. Several males may display to females and they may be close together. The eggs are laid in a ground scrape or depression sometimes fringed with pebbles, goat or hare droppings. About 3–4 black-blotched buff eggs shaped a bit like a peg-top (pyriform), 42x30 mm on average. Nests are difficult to find since the eggs are cryptically coloured and usually matches the ground pattern. In residential areas, they sometimes take to nesting on roof-tops. They have been recorded nesting on the stones between the rails of a railway track, the adult leaving the nest when trains passed. Nests that have been threatened by agricultural operations have been manually translocated by gradually shifting the eggs. When nesting they will attempt to dive bomb or distract potential predators. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and divert predators using distraction displays or flash their wings to deter any herbivores that threaten the nest. Males appear to relieve the females incubating at the nest particularly towards the hot part of noon. The eggs hatch in 28 to 30 days.
Gallery
Male - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
Female - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
Male and Female - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
45cm. Grey wings, black primary flight feathers, grey back, brown crown, long tail black with white sides, and the underparts are white. Sexes are similar, although the male has a cream-coloured bill, whereas the female's is black with a cream stripe. Immature birds have dark grey upperparts, a cream bill, and a tail with a white tip.
Distribution
Endemic to Sri Lanka.
Common in parts of its small range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species which is sometimes considered conspecific with Malabar Grey Hornbill.
Habitat
Forests, parkland and open thorn-forest.
Behaviour
The diet includees mainly figs, occasionally it eats small rodents, reptiles and insects.The nest is a tree hole blocked off during incubation with a cement made of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. There is only one narrow aperture, barely wide enough for the male to transfer food to the mother and the chicks. 4 white eggs are laid.
Gallery
Male - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
Female - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
Juvenile - Knuckles Mountain Range, Matale, Sri Lanka
Dark brown wing with large white wing patches, obvious in flight.
White vent and center of belly.
Yellow legs and bill.
Sexes similar. Juveniles are duller and browner.
Distribution
Found from Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan) south to Iran, Afghanistan, almost the entire Indian Subcontinent and east to Burma, South China (Yunnan and Hainan), Thailand, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and Singapore.
Has been introduced widely elsewhere, including Florida, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Brunei, Sumatra, Taiwan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Russia (around Moscow and in Trans-Baikal region), Ascension, St Helena, Tenerife, Hawaii, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa (and many other small Pacific islands), Madagascar, Comoros, Mascarenes, Seychelles, Chagos, Maldives and Andamans and Nicobars.
Common to abundant in its range.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
A. t. melanosternus in Sri Lanka
A. t. tristis in the rest of the range
Habitat
Typically in open woodland, cultivation and around habitation, also in towns and cities. Avoids forest. Occurs up to 3000m in the Himalayas, up to 1525m in southeast Asia.
Behaviour
Omnivorous. Feeds on insects, frogs, fish, geckos, other small lizards, eggs and nestlings, mice, carrion, worms, snails, spiders, seeds, fruit and nectar. The generic name Acridotheres means "grasshopper hunter".
Forages singly or in pairs, mostly on the ground.
Forms communal roosts in trees, sometimes with thousands of birds. May roost with other species like Javan Myna, Asian Glossy Starling, Purple-backed Starling, Common Starling, Rosy Starling or Crows, Parakeets and Sparrows.
Breeding season differs through range, breeds all year in India. Monogamous, belived to form pairs for life. Nests solitary. The nest is placed in tree holes, particularly palms but also in other nooks and crannies (including buildings). The normal clutch is 4 - 6 eggs.
A resident species.
Gallery
Male bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Female bird in Matale, Sri Lanka
Male and Female birds in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Whitish underparts heavily striped and spotted brown
Olive or green beak
Red eyes
Distribution
Found from southern Asia, China, Indochina and Indonesia to New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Formerly also "Common Koel".
Asian Koel with thirteen subspecies were split from Australian Koel and Black-billed Koel by some authorities, however, others still think that the best treatment is to consider all three as one species which would then be named Common Koel, Eudynamys scolopacea.
At least one authority goes the other way and want to split subspecies orientalis (and other subspecies) from the rest of Asian Koel: the new species if accepted would become Pacific Koel, Eudynamys orientalis and would include Australian Koel.
Subspecies
There are 13 subspecies:
E. s. scolopaceus: Nepal to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Laccadives and Maldives
E. s. chinensis: Southern China and Indochina; winters to Borneo
E. s. harterti: Hainan (southern China)
E. s. malayanus (dolosa): North-eastern India to Thailand, Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo and Lesser Sundas
E. s. simalurensis: Simeulue Island (off western Sumatra)
E. s. frater: Northern Philippines (Calayan and Fuga)
E. s. mindanensis: Philippines, Palawan, Sulu Archaepelago, Sangihe Island and Talaud Islands
E. s. corvinus: Northern Moluccas (Morotai, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
E. s. orientalis: Southern Moluccas (Buru, Manipa, Kelang, Seram, Ambon, Watubela)
E. s. picatus: Kai Islands and Sumba to Timor and Roma
E. s. rufiventer: New Guinea
E. s. salvadorii: Bismarck Archipelago
E. s. alberti: Solomon Islands
Habitat
Light woodland and on the fringes of urban areas, mangrove, scrub, plantations, orchards, gardens, parks, rare in forests.
Behaviour
Breeding
These birds are what you call brood-parasitic, meaning it lays its eggs in nest of Large-billed Crow, and House Crow.
Diet
Whilst the adults feed mainly on fruit, their diet also includes insects, caterpillars, eggs and small vertebrates.
Vocalization
Call: This is most unique. It consists of a series of 'tuhoo's wherein the 'hoo' is slightly drawn out. The repetitions are very quick, one after the other.
In Culture
Since the bird is most active just before the onset of monsoon, Indians believe that its arrival heralds the oncoming rains.
In Sri Lanka, this bird has a strong association with the traditional new year celebrations of Sri Lanka. In the literature around the festival, the song of the bird is regarded as heralding new year. This bird is known as the koha in Sri Lanka by the Sinhala speaking community.
Adult Breeding: Head and neck light buffy-brown, Long head plumes, Scapulars and Mantle redish-chocolate brown. White Throat, Greater Upper Coverts slightly buff.
Adult Non-breeding and Juvenile: Indistinguishable from other Pond Herons in Non-breeding/Juvenile Plumage.
Distribution
Iran, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Burma and on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Taxonomy
Monotypic, Superspecies with A. bacchus, A. speciosa and perhaps A. idae.
Habitat
Usually freshwater, sometimes brackish lagoons or on coastal mudflats.
Behaviour
They usually feed at the edge of ponds but make extensive use of floating vegetation such as Water hyacinth to access deeper water. They may also on occasion swim on water or fish from the air and land in deeper waters. They have also been observed to fly and capture fishes leaping out of water. Sometimes, they fly low over water to drive frogs and fishes towards the shore before settling along the shoreline.
The breeding season is prior to the Monsoons. They nest in small colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Most nests are built at a height of about 9 to 10 m and in large leafy trees. The nest material is collected by the male while the female builds the nest. 3-5 eggs are laid. The eggs hatch asynchronously, taking 18 to 24 days to hatch. Both parents feed the young. Fish are the main diet fed to young. Nest sites that are not disturbed may be reused year after year.
