WHEN BIRDS USE THE SAME HABITAT AND SAME FOOD SOURCES, ONE WILL OFTEN OUTCOMPETE THE OTHER. IN NORTH AMERICA THIS WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH WOULD THEORETICALLY COMPETE WITH THE VERY SIMILAR, PYGMY NUTHATCH. HOWEVER THESE TWO BIRDS HAVE FOUND A WAY TO LIVE ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT PYGMY NUTHATCHES FORAGE IN THE UPPER BRANCHES OF TREES WHILE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES FORAGE IN THE LOWER BRANCHES (JOLA CHARLTON)
AN INDIAN ROLLER BEAUTIFULLY CAPTURED BY GOUTAM MITRA
THIS BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN SUNDERBANS, A COASTAL RESERVE IN INDIA. AT LOW TIDE THESE COASTAL BIRDS WILL PREY ON CRABS SCURRYING ALONG THE SAND (SUBHENDU KHANRA)
A BREATH-TAKING CAPTURE OF A BALD EAGLE ALONG THE COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA (LARRY KELLY)
THE BLACK DRONGO IS A VERY GOOD MIMIC, THEY COPY THE ALARM CALLS OF OTHER BIRD SPECIES TO CAUSE BIRDS TO DROP THEIR PREY (VAIDEHI GUNJAL)
A VERDITER FLYCATCHER PHOTOGRAPHED IN SATTAL, INDIA BY YOGESH KUMAR
A BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER WITH PREY IN MYSORE, INDIA. BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATERS OFTEN PREY UPON STINGING INSECTS SUCH AS WASPS, HORNETS AND HONEYBEES, ONCE CAUGHT THEY WILL RUB THE STING AGAINST A BRANCH TO REMOVE IT (SHYAM SUNDAR NIJGAL)
COMMON IORAS OCCUR IN INDIA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA. THEY DO VERY WELL IN SUBURBS AND OTHER TRANSFORMED AREAS SUCH AS PLANTATIONS AND ORCHARDS (AVINASH SHARMA)
HERE WE HAVE AN ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD. THEY OCCUR ALONG THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, ALTHOUGH IN RECENT YEARS THEY HAVE BEGUN TO MOVE FURTHER SOUTH-EAST DURING THE WINTER (SUBHRAJIT CHATTERJEE)
THE BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON IS AN INCREDIBLY WIDESPREAD SPECIES, THEY OCCUR ON EVERY CONTINENT OTHER THAN THE POLAR REGIONS AND AUSTRALASIA (SOUVIK PAL)
AN ORANGE-HEADED THRUSH TAKING A BATH IN DANDELI, INDIA (RAJIV BASU)
EGYPTIAN VULTURES ARE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HUMANS FOR FOOD, THESE INCLUDE FOOD SOURCES SUCH AS LIVESTOCK CARCASSES AND HUMAN WASTE (ZAFER TEKIN)
A EUROPEAN BEE-EATER SHOWING OFF THE MANY SHADES OF BLUE, RED AND YELLOW IN ITS PLUMAGE (CARLO GALLIANI)
THE GADWALL IS ONE OF THE SPECIES WHICH HAS BENEFITTED FROM HUMANS MODIFYING THE LANDSCAPE, THEY OFTEN MAKE USE OF DAMS AND WATERBODIES WHICH HAVE BECOME EUTROPHIC (MUKESH MISHRA)
GREAT BARBETS EAT MAINLY FRUITS BUT THEY WILL TAKE INSECTS. THEY HAVE BEEN OBSERVED HUNTING FOR INSECTS MUCH LIKE HAWKS, HOVERING FROM ABOVE AND DROPPING DOWN TO CATCH THEM (SHANTHARAM HOLLA)
THE GREATER CRESTED TERN OCCURS ALONG THE COASTS, ISLANDS AND REEFS OF AUSTRALASIA AND AFRICA. THIS ONE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED ALONG THE WEST COAST OF INDIA BY GANESH RAO
AN INDIAN ROLLER CAPTURED IN FLIGHT BY AVDHUT KANAGO. THIS PICTURE REALLY CAPTURES THE BEAUTIFUL SHADES OF BLUE IN THE FLIGHT FEATHERS!
A STUNNING MALE MALABAR TROGON, FEMALES ARE QUITE DIFFERENT, HAVING A BROWN HEAD AND YELLOW BREAST (RAM VAIDYANATHAN)
MOUNTAIN BULBULS DO WELL IN FOREST EDGES AND DISTURBED VEGETATION, INDICATING THAT THIS SPECIES IS RESILIENT TO HUMAN DISTURBANCES IN THEIR HABITATS (VISHAL MONAKAR)
A FEMALE PALLID HARRIER, PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMITH RAO. THESE HARRIERS ARE CONSIDERED NEAR-THREATENED, MAINLY DUE TO THE CONVERSION OF THEIR STEPPE BREEDING HABITAT TO AGRICULTURE
A TRIUMPHANT PIED KINGFISHER PHOTOGRAPHED IN ACTION BY MOHAMMAD ASLAM AHMADBASHA SHAIKH
AN ASIAN PLAIN MARTIN LEAVING ITS NEST. DURING THE BREEDING SEASON THESE MARTINS EXCAVATE BURROWS WHICH CAN BE UP TO 1.5 METRES LONG! (SUVADIP MONDAL)
THIS BEAUTIFUL BIRD IS A GALAH, A COCKATOO SPECIES WHICH OCCURS ONLY IN AUSTRALIA (RADHAKRISHNAN SADASIVAM)
A SADDLE-BILLED STORK PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE SERENGETI BY OWEN DEUTSCH. ADULT SADDLE-BILLED STORKS CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIED BY THE YELLOW ‘SADDLE’ ON THEIR BILL. THIS CHARACTERISTIC WAS USED IN THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK OF SOUTH AFRICA TO CENSUS THE PARK’S POPULATION
AN INDIAN SPOT-BILLED DUCK PHOTOGRAPHED BY TUSHAR TRIPATHI TT. THIS DUCK SPECIES MAKES USE OF A WIDE VARIETY OF COASTAL AND INLAND WATER BODIES, MAKING THEM FAIRLY COMMON IN INDIA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA
