Bearded vultures or “Lammergeiers” are considered to be “Old World” vultures and are distributed in the high mountains of S Europe, the Caucasus, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and Tibet. (Marius Coetzee / www.mariuscoetzee.com / www.oryxphotography.com)

Blue-breasted fairy-wrens are endemic to the south-western part of W Australia and the Eyre Peninsula of S Australia. (Erica Siegel)

Indian pond herons breed on the water’s edge where they often display prior to the breeding season. (Bob Khan)

Crested barbets are a common resident in disturbed, scrubby forests and have become particularly abundant in gardens across southern Africa. (Richard & Eileen Flack / www.theflacks.co.za)

Greater spotted eagles are breeding residents from N Europe eastwards across Asia, wintering in SE Europe, NE Africa, the Middle East and S Asia. (Nandhini Raveendran)

Lesser golden-backed woodpecker or black-rumped flameback are widely distributed in the open forests and cultivated lands of the Indian Subcontinent. (Gurum Ekalavya)

Helmeted guineafowl are distributed throughout the scrubby grasslands of Africa south of the Sahara. The quintessential “bush chicken”, they form an important addition to the diets of most predators. (Krzysztof Olejniczak)

Lilac-breasted roller are distributed throughout southern and eastern Africa and are one of the most photographed birds in Africa due to their perching behaviour near roads with lots of traffic. (Karel Mauer)

Resplendent quetzals are part of the Trogon family and are restricted to the humid highland forests and woodlands from S Mexico to W Panama. (J.Bernardo Sánchez)

Indian pond herons are often missed on the water’s edge where they are common in parts of S Iran E to India, Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. (NaiNy ShaH)

Hoopoes are best known for their amazing crown feathers and are found throughout Africa, the Indian SubContinent, SE Asia, China, and Japan. (Dharmveer Suthar)

Yellow-throated spurfowl are found in medium-sized flocks throughout the grasslands areas of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. (Peter Wallack)

Great white pelicans breed in swamps, deltas and shallow lakes from SE Europe through Asia and into Africa, nesting in a wide variety of nest types and locations. (Richard Bach / www.rockjumperbirding.com)

The wild range of the red junglefowl was historically S India, E across to S China and into Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. (Ritesh Sharma)

Indian yellow or black-lored tit are common in open tropical forests of the Indian SubContinent, but are absent in Sri Lanka. (Shishir Saksena)

Purple-rumped sunbirds are endemic to the Indian SubContinent and are common residents of S India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. (Shishir Saksena)

Silver-eared mesia is a large, colorful “Old World” babbler that breeds across much of SE Asia. (Gururaj Moorching)

“Skowroneks” or eurasian skylark breed across most of Europe and Asia, and can also be found in the high mountains of north Africa. This one is puffed off to ward off the cold. (Krzysztof Olejniczak)

Bald eagles are distributed throughout most of Canada and Alaska, as well as all of continental United States and N Mexico. (Dave Lychenheim)