Monday, October 1, 2012

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher (Cyomis tickelliae)



Identification

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:
  1. C. t. tickelliae: India to south-weestern China (southern Yunnan), northern Myanmar and Bangladesh.
  2. C. t. jerdoni: Sri Lanka.
  3. C. t. sumatrensis: Southern peninsula Thailand to Malaysia and north-eastern Sumatra.
  4. C. t. indochina: Southern Myanmar to Thailand and Indochina.
  5. 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.

Gallery






Friday, September 21, 2012

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)


Identification
  • These are large members of the Cuckoo family approx 48 cm.
  • Black head.
  • Black, glossed purple upper mantle and underparts.
  • Chestnut back and wings.
  • Lack pale shaft streaks on the coverts.
  • Red eyes.
Juvenile
  • Duller black with spots on the crown.
  • Whitish bars on the underside and tail.
Distribution

Found in southeast Asia from India east to south China, Indochina and Indonesia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies:
  1. C. s. sinensis: Pakistan to northern India and southern China.
  2. C. s. parroti: Southern peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
  3. C. s. intermedius: Bangladesh to Myanmar, southern Thailand, Indochina and Malay Peninsula.
  4. C. s. bubutus: Greater Sundas and adjacent islands to south-western Philippines.
  5. C. s. anonymus: Southern Philippines (Jolo, Tawitawi, Basilan and Sanga Sanga).
  6. C. s. kangeanensis: Kangean Islands (Java Sea).
An additional subspecies, eurycercus is generally considered invalid.

Habitat

Scrubland and woodland floor.

Behaviour

Movement
Wanders around like a pheasant, but walks more like a raven. The are well known for sunbathing with wings open wide.
When disturbed they make short flights with shallow wing beats and brief glides into cover.
Diet
They eat large insects, frogs, lizards, snakes, caterpillers, snails, birds eggs fruit and seed.
Breeding
They are a non parasitic member of the Cuckoo family.

Gallery




Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)


Identification

Medium large raptor about 55-75cm in length. 

Adult
  • Dark brown upper parts and head.
  • Hooded appearance at rest.
  • Pale brown underparts and under wing coverts.
  • 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.

Gallery





Black-throated Munia (Lonchura kelaarti)


Identification
  • 12cm
  • Dark brown upperparts
  • Blackish head, breast and wings
  • Long black tail
  • Bill is short and thick
  • Sexes similar
Immature: lacks the dark head. Underparts are more uniform.

Distribution

Asia: found in India and Sri Lanka.

Taxonomy

Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies:
  1. L. k. kelaarti: pinkish underparts and rump South-western India (Kerala to western Tamil Nadu) and Eastern Ghats.
  2. 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.


Gallery


Male bird in Knuckles Mountain Range , Matale


Female bird in Knuckles Mountain Range , Matale

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sembuwaththa Lake - Matale




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.




Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Sunset In Unawatuna Beach

Unawatuna is a coastal village in Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction and famous for its beautiful beach and corals.



Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)



Identification
  • 35cm
  • Light brown wings and back
  • Black head and chest and front part of neck
  • 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:
  1. V.i. aigneri - southeast Turkey to Pakistan
  2. V.i. indicus - east Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh
  3. V.i. lankae - Sri Lanka
  4. 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

Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis)



Identification

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

Monday, August 6, 2012

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)



Identification
  • 25cm. A fairly large, stocky Myna.
  • Brownish plumage.
  • Black hood.
  • Bare yellow eye-patch.
  • Very short frontal crest.
  • 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:
  1. A. t. melanosternus in Sri Lanka
  2. 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


Juvenile  bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka


Video of behavior of Common Myna

Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)


Identification

40-45cm
Male:
  • Bluish-black
  • Pale green bill
  • Red eyes
  • Grey legs and feet
Female:
  • Brownish upper parts with white spots
  • 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:
  1. E. s. scolopaceus: Nepal to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Laccadives and Maldives
  2. E. s. chinensis: Southern China and Indochina; winters to Borneo
  3. E. s. harterti: Hainan (southern China)
  4. E. s. malayanus (dolosa): North-eastern India to Thailand, Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo and Lesser Sundas
  5. E. s. simalurensis: Simeulue Island (off western Sumatra)
  6. E. s. frater: Northern Philippines (Calayan and Fuga)
  7. E. s. mindanensis: Philippines, Palawan, Sulu Archaepelago, Sangihe Island and Talaud Islands
  8. E. s. corvinus: Northern Moluccas (Morotai, Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Bacan)
  9. E. s. orientalis: Southern Moluccas (Buru, Manipa, Kelang, Seram, Ambon, Watubela)
  10. E. s. picatus: Kai Islands and Sumba to Timor and Roma
  11. E. s. rufiventer: New Guinea
  12. E. s. salvadorii: Bismarck Archipelago
  13. 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.

Gallery



Female Bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka


Male Bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka


Male Bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka


Male Bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka


Male Bird in Malabe, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)



Identification



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.

Gallery



 Adult Male In Non-breeding Season 


Adult Female In Non-breeding Season


Adult Male In Breeding Season


Adult Female In Breeding Season




Juvenile Bird