“Mom and baby” African crakes are fairly common throughout SubSaharan Africa and are resident breeders in the tropics and summer migrants in the subtropics. (Richard & Eileen Flack / www.theflacks.co.za)

 

“Miniature perfection” African pygmy kingfishers are found in the woodlands, savanna and coastal forests of tropical and subtropical Africa. (Peter Chadwick)

 

“Outrageous hairstyle” Andean cock-of-the-rocks are considered to be the national bird of Peru and are distributed in the Andean cloud forests of S America. (George Scott)

 

“Yellow hunter” Common Ioras prefer the found in scrub and forest habitats of of the tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent. (Bhanu Singh)

 

“Moustached pheasant” Brown-eared pheasants are considered Vulnerable to extinction and are endemic to the mountain forests of N China. (China Wild Tour)

 

“Leaf-gleaner” Chestnut-bellied nuthatches prefer the subtropical or tropical dry, moist lowland, and moist montane forests of the Indian Subcontinent. It is seen in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibet. (Pinaki Baidya)

 

“Eurasian forester” Great spotted woodpeckers have one of the widest distributions of any woodpecker species and are found throughout Europe and the N parts of Asia. (Fabio Usvardi)

 

“Andean giant” Hooded mountain tanagers are one of the largest tanager species and are found in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. (George Scott)

 

“Supermodel” Lilac-breasted rollers are distributed throughout E and S Africa from the Red Sea coastlines of Ethiopia and NW Somalia all the way down to Angola and the N parts of South Africa. (Chris Krog)

 

“Favourite perch” Masked trogons are a fairly common, but very popular, sighting in the humid highland forests of S America with largest populations in the Andes and Tepuis. (George Scott)

 

“Little woodsman” Snowy-browed flycatchers are found in the subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forests of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. (Adi Sugiharto)

 

“Colour flash” Rainbow lorikeets have a wide sistribution in Austaliasia and are found in Australia, eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. (Doug Gould)

 

“Odd couple” Oriental white-eyes and ashy bulbuls are found from the Indian SubContinent all the way to SE Asia, preferring open woosland areas and tropical and subtropical montane forests respectively. (Swethadri Doraiswamy)

 

“Confusing sparrowhawk” Shikras were a favourite among falconers in India and Pakistan due to ease of training, and are widely distributed in Asia and Africa. (Nithya Purushothaman)

 

“Love birds” Mute swans are indigenous to most of Europe and Asia, as well as a rare winter visitor to N Africa. They have been introduced to the Americas, Australia, and S Africa. (Jilly Sidebottom)

 

“Little brown job – LBJ” Brown-cheeked fulvettas are a little-known babbler that breeds on the Indian Subcontinent and SE Asia. (Murali Krishna)

 

“Masked American” Montezuma oropendolas are a sought-after sighting and resident breeder in in the Caribbean coastal lowlands from SE Mexico all the way to central Panama. (Melissa Penta)

 

“Auctioneer bird” Southern screamers are known for their loud calling during the breeding season and are found in southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina. (Trevor Kleyn)

 

“Just cruisin’” Spot-billed ducks have a wide distribution from Pakistan and India all the way to S Japan with some N birds migrating S to SE Asia. (Hrishikesh Jadhav)

 

“Plum-coloured gem” Violet-backed starlings are sexually dimorphic and monogamous, and are found throughout SubSaharan Africa (except the S and W parts of South Afrca and Namibia. (Richard & Eileen Flack / www.theflacks.co.za)

 

“Aerial insectivore” White-fronted bee-eaters are distributed throughout the savanna biome of Africa S of the equator. (Chris Krog)

 

“Forest tenor” Woodland kingfishers are migratory away from the equator and are widely distributed throughout SubSaharan Africa. (Ed Raubenheimer)

 

“Big beach-bum” Beach stone-curlews are considered to be one of the world’s largest shorebirds and occur in Australasia, the islands of SE Asia. (Yuyun Yanwar)

 

“Forest red” Temminck’s sunbirds are found in the tropical lowland forests and subtropical montane forests of Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia and SW Thailand. (Markus Lilje / www.rockjumperbirding.com)