THE WHITE-BELLIED SEA EAGLE OCCURS ALONG THE COASTS OF AUSTRALASIA AND INDIA. HERE IT HAS CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE TO MANY COMMUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE ON NISSAN ISLAND (PAPUA NEW GUINEA), THE EAGLE’S CALL IS BELIEVED TO SIGNAL DANGER. PHOTOGRAPH BY PRANESH KODANCHABAYA WEAVERS PREFER OPEN HABITATS NEAR TO WATER. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMIT KUMAR SRIVASTAVAA BEAUTIFUL FEMALE RED AVADAVAT, PHOTOGRAPHED BY TAPASH KUMAR DUTTA. UNLIKE THE MALES, WHO ARE COMPLETELY RED, FEMALES JUST HAVE A RED RUMPCITRINE WAGTAILS PREFER MARSHY HABITATS WHERE THERE ARE PLENTIFUL INSECTS FOR THEM TO PREY ON. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMIT KUMAR BALA COMMON KESTREL WITH PREY. THEY EAT MAINLY RODENTS AND OCCASIONALLY SMALL PASSERINE BIRDS. PHOTOGRAPH BY AWAIS ALI SHEIKHMALE AND FEMALE COMMON SHELDUCKS HAVE DIFFERENT VOCALISATIONS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE BREEDING SEASON. PHOTOGRAPH BY BIRUPAKSHYA MITRACOMMON STARLINGS ARE A HIGHLY ADAPTABLE SPECIES, THEY ARE OMNIVOROUS AND WILL FEED OPPORTUNISTICALLY ON WHATEVER THEY HAVE CAN FIND IN THE AREA. THIS SPECIES IS NATIVE TO EURASIA BUT HAS ALSO BEEN INTRODUCED TO A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES INCLUDING SOUTH AFRICA, AUSTRALIA AND AMERICA. SINCE THEY ARE HIGHLY ADAPTABLE, THE SPECIES HAS DONE REMARKABLY WELL IN THESE REGIONS. IN SOME AREAS COMMON STARLINGS HAVE BECOME SO NUMEROUS THAT AUTHORITIES CONSIDER THEM AN INVASIVE SPECIES. PHOTOGRAPH BY GAURAV BUDHIRAJAA BEAUTIFULLY CAPTURED CRESTED LARK BY JAY DESAICRESTED MYNAS PREFER OPEN HABITATS, THEY WILL AVOID WOODED AREAS. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMIT SRIVASTAVATHE NUMBER OF EGYPTIAN VULTURES IN INDIA HAS DECLINED DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST 10 YEARS! THIS IS LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO THE VETERINARY DRUG, DICLOFENAC WHICH WAS PRESENT IN THE LIVESTOCK CARCASSES THAT THESE VULTURES ARE FEEDING ON. DICLOFENAC WAS BANNED IN 2006 AND STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THE DECLINE HAS NOW SLOWED. PHOTOGRAPH BY VISHAL MONAKARA VIBRANT ASIAN GREEN BEE-EATER CAPTURED IN PUNE, INDIA BY SUSHIL KHEKARETHE GREEN SANDPIPER TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF INVERTEBRATES BY BREEDING IN NORTHERN EURASIA DURING THE SUMMER AND THEN SPENDING THE SOUTHERN SUMMER IN SOUTHERN EURASIA AND AFRICA. PHOTOGRAPH BY INDRANIL BHATTACHARJEETHE EURASIAN GREEN WOODPECKER IS WELL ADAPTED TO THE SNOW, THEY WILL BUILD TUNNELS UP TO A METRE, IF NEEDED, TO FIND INSECTS AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES ON THE GROUND. PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLO GALLIANITHIS BEAUTIFUL GREEN-TAILED SUNBIRD WAS PHOTOGRAPHED BY RADHAKRISHNAN SADASIVAM IN BHUTANTHE HILDEBRANDT’S STARLING IS FOUND ONLY IN KENYA AND TANZANIA. THIS STRIKING INDIVIDUAL WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE MAASAI MARA BY RAMESH AITHALTHE INDIAN COURSER CAN OFTEN BE FOUND IN DRY FALLOW LAND AND WASTELANDS, WHERE INSECT PREY CAN BE EASILY CAUGHT. PHOTOGRAPH BY ZAMEERPASHA JUNAIDITHE LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER IS A COMMON SIGHT IN THE ACACIA WOODLANDS OF AFRICA. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS, ESPECIALLY IN FLIGHT WHEN THEY REVEAL THEIR BRILLIANT, METALLIC-BLUE FEATHERS. THIS ONE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN KENYA BY RAMESH AITHALA BEAUTIFUL LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, PHOTOGRAPHED BY ARUP DUTTA ON THE DAMODAR RIVER, NEAR BARSUL, INDIAIN PAKISTAN AND MYANMAR, PIED BUSHCHATS ARE OFTEN PARASITISED BY COMMON CUCKOOS. PHOTOGRAPH BY TUSHAR TRIPATHI T TTHIS RED-BILLED LEIOTHRIX FAVOURS THICK UNDERGROWTH, WHERE THEY FORAGE FOR INSECTS, BERRIES AND SEEDS. PHOTOGRAPH BY VISHAL MONAKARA MAGNIFICENT RED-TAILED HAWK PHOTOGRAPHED IN PUERTO RICO BY RAYMOND D’JESUS ASENCIO
A SPOT-BELLIED EAGLE-OWL PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHYAM SUNDAR NIJGAL IN DANDELI, INDIA. THESE EAGLE-OWLS HAVE DISTINCTLY SPOTTED BREASTS AND LARGE, STRIPED EAR TUFTS MAKING THEM QUITE A STRIKING SPECIES
AS A SPECIES, STORK-BILLED KINGFISHERS ARE AMAZINGLY DIVERSE, THIS HAS LEAD TAXONOMISTS TO SPLIT THE SPECIES INTO 15 SUB-SPECIES. THIS INDIVIDUAL BELONGS TO THE SUB-SPECIES, CAPENSIS. PHOTOGRAPH BY SOUVIK DEY
HERE WE HAVE A TICKELL’S BLUE FLYCATCHER PHOTOGRAPHED BY NARAHARI KANIKE. THIS IS A MALE, DISTINGUISHABLE BY HIS VIBRANT BLUE BACK, FEMALES ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE A DUSKY BLUE BACK
A MAGNIFICENT WHITE-BELLIED SEA EAGLE IN FLIGHT, PHOTOGRAPHED IN MALAYSIA BY SUSHIL KHEKARE
