A BARN SWALLOW PHOTOGRAPHED BEAUTIFULLY IN FLIGHT (HEMANT KIROLA)THE RANGE OF THE ENDANGERED EGYPTIAN VULTURE IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON ITS PRIMARY FOOD SOURCES, LIVESTOCK CARCASSES AND HUMAN WASTE (RAJEEV TYAGI)BLACK KITES HAVE ADAPTED WELL TO URBAN LIFE, THEY CAN BE SEEN SOARING ABOVE LARGE CITIES IN AFRICA AND ASIA (PANEENDRA BA)WATER DROPLETS CATCH THE LIGHT AS A COMMON MYNA SHAKES OFF AFTER A BATH (NARAHARI KANIKE)A SILHOUETTED BLACK-WINGED STILT AT SUNSET IN UCHALI, PAKISTAN (WASIF YAQEEN)MOST OF THE WORLD’S DOMESTIC GEESE ARE DESCENDED FROM THIS SPECIES, THE GREYLAG GOOSE (GAURAV BUDHIRAJA)A COMMON MOORHEN MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE SNOW IN RIVER BRAID, IRELAND (JOHN PARKINSON)THESE STRIKING BIRDS, RED-TAILED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, OCCUR IN AND AROUND THE EVERGREEN FORESTS OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA AND CHINA. THIS PAIR WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN BAIHUALING, CHINA BY MOHIT GHATAKLAUGHINGTHRUSHES ARE TYPICALLY A GREGARIOUS SPECIES, TRAVELLING IN GROUPS OF ABOUT A DOZEN. THIS RUFOUS- CHINNED LAUGHINGTHUSH IS NOT AS GREGARIOUS HOWEVER, THEY ARE TYPICALLY SEEN IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS (HARSHIL SHARMA)THE STORK-BILLED KINGFISHER PREYS MAINLY ON FISH AND AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES. THEY HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO FOLLOW FORAGING OTTERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PREY DISTURBED BY THEM (SAPTARSHI BHATTACHARJEE)THIS IS A PIED CURRAWONG, A SPECIES ENDEMIC TO THE EASTERN PARTS OF AUSTRALIA. CURRAWONGS ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO MAGPIES (MICHAL RICHTER)A BEAUTIFUL WHITE-BREASTED KINGFISHER PHOTOGRAPHED IN NOIDA, INDIA. DURING THE BREEDING SEASON THESE BIRDS ARE FREQUENTLY SEEN PERCHED ON PROMINENT PERCHES, CALLING AND FLASHING THE WHITE COVERTS OF THEIR WINGS (VISHAL MONAKAR)THE BAILLON’S CRAKE CAN BE FOUND ON EVERY CONTINENT IN THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE. IN AFRICA AND AUSTRALIA THEY ARE RESIDENT BUT IN ASIA WHERE IT IS COOLER, THEY MIGRATE SOUTH FROM THEIR BREEDING GROUNDS IN CENTRAL ASIA TO THEIR WINTERING GROUNDS IN INDIA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA (SUJOY SARKAR)A LITTLE SPIDERHUNTER PHOTOGRAPHED IN DANDELI, INDIA. SPIDERHUNTERS ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE SUNBIRDS, THEY FEED ON NECTAR BUT ALSO INSECTS AND AS THEIR NAME SUGGESTS, SPIDERS! (MANSUR KHAN)CITRINE WAGTAILS MAKE USE OF A MULTITUDE OF WET HABITATS, INCLUDING MARSHES, LAKE EDGES, TUNDRA, LAGOONS AND SEWAGE FARMS (GOUTAM MITRA)A JUVENILE COPPERSMITH BARBET PEEKS OUT FROM ITS NESTING CAVITY. PHOTOGRAPHED IN SINGAPORE BY LIL’TOGRAPHY LILIAN SNGAN ENDANGERED GREY-CROWNED CRANE IN KENYA’S MAASAI MARA. THESE BIRDS ARE DECLINING DUE TO LOSS AND DEGRADATION OF THEIR WETLAND BREEDING HABITATS (MUNISH RAJA)AN INDIAN PEAFOWL SILHOUETTED AGAINST THE SKYLINE IN KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK (DR S. ALAGU GANESH)A PIED KINGFISHER PHOTOGRAPHED IN FLIGHT WITH FRESHLY CAUGHT PREY. PIED KINGFISHERS ARE ONE OF THE MOST ABUNDANT KINGFISHER SPECIES IN THE WORLD (NARAHARI KANIKE)RICEFIELDS ARE AN IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR GLOSSY IBISES IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING SPAIN, AUSTRALIA AND CUBA (APARNA MONDAL)THE SHORT-EARED OWL IS WIDESPREAD, THEY CAN BE FOUND IN THE AMERICAS, EURASIA AND AFRICA, TYPICALLY IN OPEN HABITATS. THIS OWL WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AT THE TAGUS ESTUARY IN PORTUGAL (ANTONIS TSAKNAKIS)THIS SPOTTED PARDALOTE, ENDEMIC TO AUSTRALIA, RELIES HEAVILY ON PLANT EXUDATE IN THEIR DIETS, SUCH AS THIS MANNA, A SUGARY SUBSTANCE GIVEN OFF BY EUCALYPTUS TREES (GREGORY F COONGHE)THE COMMON GREENSHANK BREEDS IN THE TAIGA OF NORTHERN EURASIA, TYPICALLY IN BOGS OR OPEN FOREST CLEARINGS. THEY THEN MIGRATE SOUTH FOR THE WINTER, WHERE THEY WILL SETTLE IN A NUMBER OF WETLAND HABITATS, INCLUDING ESTUARIES AND ARTIFICIAL WETLANDS LIKE SEWAGE PLANTS (YOGESH KUMAR)A PRIVATE EXCHANGE BETWEEN TWO SCALY-BREASTED MUNIAS IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA (SUMANTA BASU)THIS FEMALE SMALL MINIVET IS ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE FOR INCUBATING THE EGGS, WHILE THE MALE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVISIONING THE CHICKS (HANU MANDALAPU)
