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

Pied Avocet pair not in talking terms, Jaipur

The pied avocet is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family. This species gets its English and scientific names from the Venetian name avosetta. While the name may refer to black and white outfits once worn by European advocates or lawyers. It is also called as black-capped avocet, Eurasian avocet. They breed in temperate Europe and western and Central Asia. It is a migratory species and most winter in Africa or southern Asia. Some remain to winter in the mildest parts of their range, for example in southern Spain and southern England. These birds forage in shallow brackish water or on mud flats, often scything their bills from side to side in water (a feeding technique that is unique to the avocets). The Pied Avocet feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates such as insects and larvae, molluscs, crustaceans, worms, and also fish and plant materials. It feeds by picking, or by strong sideway sweeps of the bill. It also performs up-ending. It forages in watery mud and often swims too. . This species keeps the same plumage all year round, without any seasonal variation. It is classified as least concern by IUCN.
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Asian pied starling, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, pied starling, starling

Asian pied starling looking for titbits, Jaipur

The pied myna or Asian pied starling is a species of starling found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. They are often seen within cities and villages although they are not as bold as the common myna. They produce a range of calls made up of liquid notes. Several slight plumage variations exist in the populations. This myna is strikingly marked in black and white and has a yellowish bill with a reddish bill base. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The upper body, throat and breast are black while the cheek, lores, wing coverts and rump are contrastingly white. The sexes are similar in plumage but young birds have dark brown in place of black. They have also adapted well to urban living and are often seen in cities and villages, and are generally seen in small groups. In urban environments, they are becoming so abundant that they are considered pests by many human residents. Pied Mynas are omnivorous and can often be seen foraging in fields, lawns, open ground and in grazing land amongst cattle. They feed on grains, fruit, insects, […]
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Sep 29
by Admin in Rajasthan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, ruff

Ruff non breeding plummage portrait, Jaipur

The ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia. The ruff is a long-necked, pot-bellied bird. This species shows marked sexual dimorphism; the male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that inspired this bird’s English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. The ruff forages in wet grassland and soft mud, probing or searching by sight for edible items. It primarily feeds on insects, especially in the breeding season, but it will consume plant material, including rice and maize, on migration and in winter. The ruff normally feeds using a steady walk and pecking action, selecting food items by sight, but it will also wade deeply and submerge its head. On saline lakes in East Africa it often swims like a phalarope, picking items off the surface. It will feed […]
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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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