May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Oriental turtle dove

oriental turtle dove by the cliff, Bhutan

The oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis) is a member of the bird family Columbidae. The species is has a wide native distribution range from Europe, east across Asia to Japan. The populations show variations in the patterning of plumage and have been designated into at least six named subspecies. Populations in the higher latitudes tend to migrate south in winter while those closer to the tropics are sedentary. Vagrants have been recorded in North America. The species is predominantly granivorous and forages on the ground.The genus name Streptopelia is from Ancient Greek streptos, “collar” and peleia, “dove”. The specific orientalis is Latin for “eastern”, in this case referring to the type locality, China. The Oriental turtle dove has two distinct migratory northern races, S. o. orientalis in the central Siberian taiga, and S. o. meena in open woodland of central Asia. The differences in the tail patterns of the forms S. o. orientalis and S. o. meena help separate identification in their wintering grounds. The nominate form is described as having a grey tip to the tail and more black in the outer web of the outer tail-feathers, while the meena has a white tip to […]
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May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, snow pigeon

Record shot of a snow pigeon, Bhutan

The snow pigeon (Columba leuconota) is a species of bird in the genus Columba in the family Columbidae from hilly regions of central Asia. They are grey, black, pale brown and white birds, and two races are recognised; C. l. leuconota occurs in Afghanistan and the western Himalayas; C. l. gradaria occurs in the mountains of East Tibet and from East Nan Shan (Qinghai) to Yunnan. The birds forage in open country in pairs or small groups, feeding on grain, buds, shoots, berries, and seeds. They roost at night on cliffs, breeding in crevices where they build untidy stick nests and lay a clutch of usually two white eggs. Snow pigeons have a blackish head contrasting with white neck collar and white underparts shading into ashy on the abdomen. Their backs are brownish grey with a white patch on the lower back. Their wings are pale grey with three brown bands. Their black tails have a clear white band in the middle which narrows and curve forward to reach the tip of outermost tail features. Young birds have narrow, pale buff margins to the feathers of the upper parts and wings. The white of the underparts is sullied with buff. […]
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May 26
by Admin in Bhutan 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bhutan, Bird, birds, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Red billed Chough

Red billed Chough, Bhutan

The red-billed chough, Cornish chough or simply chough (CHUF; Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. Its eight subspecies breed on mountains and coastal cliffs from the western coasts of Ireland and Britain east through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia, India and China. This bird has glossy black plumage, a long curved red bill, red legs, and a loud, ringing call. It has a buoyant acrobatic flight with widely spread primaries. The red-billed chough pairs for life and displays fidelity to its breeding site, which is usually a cave or crevice in a cliff face. It feeds, often in flocks, on short grazed grassland, taking mainly invertebrate prey. The adult of the red-billed chough, P. p. pyrrhocorax, is 39–40 centimetres (15–16 inches) in length, has a 73–90 centimetres (29–35 inches) wingspan, and weighs an average 310 grammes (10.9 oz). Its plumage is velvet-black, green-glossed on the body, and it has a long curved red bill and red legs. The sexes are similar (although adults can be sexed in the hand using a formula involving tarsus length and bill width) but the juvenile has an orange bill […]
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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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