May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Rufous breasted accentor

Rufous breasted accentor male, Bhutan

The rufous-breasted accentor (Prunella strophiata) is passerine bird in the Prunellidae family, endemic to the Himalayas, descending in the winter to lower-to-middle altitudes. It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It has a rufous band across breast, white –and-rufous supercilium, blackish ear-coverts, and streaking on neck sides and upperparts. Juvenile similar to juvenile Robin Accentor but has streaked belly. Breeds on high-altitude slopes. It feeds on Invertebrates, including worms; small seeds, berries and fruit by Foraging in skulking manner on ground beneath bushes. Not globally threatened. Most widespread and abundant accentor in W of range; probably less numerous in China.
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May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Eurasian magpie, magpie, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500

Eurasian magpie on a log, Bhutan

The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of “monochrome” magpies. In Europe, “magpie” is used by English speakers as a synonym for the European magpie: the only other magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is limited to the Iberian Peninsula. The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all non-human animals. Magpies were originally known as simply “pies”. This comes from a proto-Indoeuropean root meaning “pointed”, in reference to either the beak or the tail. The prefix “mag” dates from the 16th century and comes from the short form of the given name Margaret, which was once used to mean women in general (as Joe or Jack is used for men today); the pie’s call was considered to sound like the idle chattering of a woman, and so it came to be called the “Mag pie”. “Pie” as a term for the bird dates to the 13th century, and the […]
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May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, black faced laughing thrush, Digitalfrescos, laughing thrush, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500

Black faced laughing thrush, Bhutan

The black-faced laughingthrush (Trochalopteron affine) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. It is about 24–26 cm in length and  weighs about 52–85 g. It is a fairly large, dark brownish laughingthrush, scaled above and streaked below pale grey, with blackish-brown head. It is found in the Eastern Himalayas. Its range extends from eastern Nepal eastwards to Arunachal Pradesh in India and further to Myanmar, along with Bhutan and southeastern Tibet. Small disjunct populations also exist in continental Southeast Asia. It feeds on Insects, including beetles (Coleoptera); also berries and fruits, including wild strawberries (Fragaria), crabapples. Not globally threatened. Common in Nepal, including Langtang National Park. Abundant in alpine and temperate zones in Bhutan. Common in India. It is classified as least concern by IUCN.
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Apr 27
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Black giant squirrel, Digitalfrescos, fauna, Langur, Mammal, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Squirrel

Black giant squirrel resting, bhutan, Bhutan

The beautiful Black Giant Squirrel is one of the largest squirrels in the world. It inhabits tall primary forest and generally remains high in the canopy, but at times may be found at lower levels when feeding. It is largely solitary in habits and extremely shy, rarely coming to ground. It can confidently make huge leaps from branch to branch in the high canopy. The black giant squirrel rarely enters plantations or settlements, preferring the wild forest. Its diet consists of seeds, pine cones, fruits, and leaves. It is primarily solitary, and has a litter of from 1 to 2 young, which it raises in a drey (or nest), often located within a hollow space of a tree. Its upperparts and tail are jet black, but the cheeks, chest, front of the forelimbs and underparts are cream or orange. The tail is long and dorso-ventrally flattened. It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and western Indonesia. However, in recent decades, Black Giant Squirrel’s habitat has been steadily encroached upon by human settlement, timber harvesting and agriculture, which along with overhunting by human predation in parts of […]
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Apr 27
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Great Indian hornbill, hornbill, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500

Great hornbill male on a ficus tree, Bhutan, Bhutan

Great Hornbills also known as the great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. They are the largest hornbills in India (112-150 cm), males: 2.6 to 3.9 kg; females: 2.16 – 3.35 kg. It has a white tail with a horizontal black band, white neck and wing bars, wing edges are white-tipped. Eye colour: males: red, with black skin; females: white eyes with red skin around the eyes. The yellow beak is topped by a casque. The male has a flat casque forked in front and edged with black; the female’s casque is smaller with no black. The white plumage on the head, neck, wing coverts and tail base are often stained yellow with oil from the preen gland. It flies with heavy wing beats, a few flaps and a long glide. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. The casque appears U-shaped when viewed from the front, and the top is concave, with two ridges along the sides that form points in the front, whence the Latin species epithet bicornis (two-horned). The back of the casque is […]
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