Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, black winged stilt, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, stilt

Black winged stilt juvenile, Jaipur

The black-winged stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family  They have long pink legs, a long thin black bill and are blackish above and white below, with a white head and neck with a varying amount of black. Males have a black back, often with greenish gloss. Females’ backs have a brown hue, contrasting with the black remiges. In the populations that have the top of the head normally white at least in winter, females tend to have less black on head and neck all year round, while males often have much black, particularly in summer. This difference is not clear-cut, however, and males usually get all-white heads in winter. Immature birds are grey instead of black and have a markedly sandy hue on the wings, with light feather fringes appearing as a whitish line in flight. The Black winged Stilt is a social bird species, and is usually found in small groups. The Nesting season is principally between April and and August. The mated pairs strongly defend their individual territories. The artificial ecosystems of these black-winged stilt species include irrigated lands, irrigation canals, flooded agricultural lands, fish ponds and flooded pasture lands. […]
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, harrier, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Pallid Harrier, raptor

Pallid harrier male sub adult assuing adult plummage, Talchappar

The pale or pallid harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. It breeds in southern parts of eastern Europe and central Asia (such as Iran) and winters mainly in India and southeast Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to Great Britain and western Europe. long wings held in a shallow V in its low flight. It also resembles other harriers in having distinct male and female plumages.The male is whitish grey above and white below, with narrow black wingtips. It differs from the hen harrier in its smaller size, narrower wings, paler colour, and different wing tip pattern. The female is brown above with white upper tail coverts, hence females and the similar juveniles are often called “ringtails”. Her underparts are buff streaked with brown. This feeds on small mammals and birds and, especially in winter quarters, large insects. Takes advantage of demographic explosions of rodents. The image here is of a subadult male attaining the adult plummage as some of the feathers are turning into the pale color. It is classified as  Near Threatened by IUCN.
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, raptor

Montagus harrier female portrait, Talchappar

The Montagu’s harrier is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Its common name commemorates the British naturalist George Montagu. Sexual dimorphism is particularly apparent in the plumage of this species. Adult males are characterized by their overall pale grey plumage contrasting with black wingtips. Compared with other harriers this species has characteristic black bands along the secondaries, both above and below the wing and rusty streaks on belly and flanks. Adult females have a broadly similar plumage to that of pallid and hen harriers. The underparts are mostly pale yellow-brown, the belly with longitudinal stripes and the wing coverts spotted. The upper parts are uniform dark brown except for the white upper tail coverts (“rump”), and the sightly paler central wing coverts. The juvenile plumage resembles that of the female, but differs by the belly and under wing coverts which are not spotted, but uniformly red brown in colour. A melanistic form occurs regularly in this species. In this form the male is much darker than usual, with a black head, brownish black above and grey underparts. The melanistic female is entirely chocolate brown except for grey flight feathers. Partially melanistic morphs can also be found. The […]
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Falcon, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, raptor, Red necked falcon

Red necked falcon about to take off, Talcappar

The red-necked falcon is a bird of prey in the falcon family with two disjunct populations, one in India and the other in Africa. This medium-sized falcon has bluish grey wings and upper body, a chestnut red cap with short chin straps passing through the eye. The primary feathers of the wing are black and a single black band at the tip of the tail are distinctive. The Indian subspecies isalso known as the red-headed merlin or red-headed falcon is found mainly in the open plains of the India Subcontinent although it is thought to have occurred further west in southeastern Iran. The red-necked falcon usually hunts in pairs, often at dawn and dusk, sometimes utilizing a technique in which one of the pair flies low and flushes up small birds while the other follows higher up and seizes the prey as it flushes from cover. They fly with a fast and dashing flight. The breeding season in India is January to March. It prefers to prey on birds found in open areas and recorded to hunt small sparrow sized birds. It is classified as  Near Threatened by IUCN.
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Bangalore, desert gerbil, desert jird, Digitalfrescos, fauna, Gerbil, jird, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500

Desert Jird feeding out of its burrow, Jorbeed

The Indian desert jird or Indian desert gerbil (Meriones hurrianae) is a species of jird found mainly in the Thar Desert in India. Jirds are closely related to gerbils. The Indian desert jird has a grey-brown coat with yellowish-grey belly. The distinguishing characteristics include short ears, long black claws and orange incisors. Jirds inhabit desert and barren areas preferring firm soil. They are not to be found in pure sand dunes or rocky outcrops. The Indian desert jird is diurnal. It is classified as  Least Concern by IUCN.
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