Rare Bird — Gold-crested Myna

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Of all the Indian mynas, the Gold-crested Myna (Ampeliceps coronatus) is probably the most mysterious. Very rarely has this bird been sighted within Indian limits. Very little is known to the general public of its whereabouts, though it is regularly found in other countries like Thailand and Myanmar.

The definitive encyclopedia on Indian birds, Ali and Ripley’s Handbook, records two sightings from South Assam Hills (Cachar) and Manipur, and describes the bird to be “uncommon” and “little … Read More

Siberian Weasel, Sikkim

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20th of April, it was raining heavily in Zuluk, East Sikkim, and the homestay owner hurriedly came to me and said that a “Neuri-musa” (Siberian Weasel) was in his kitchen. First the weasel entered the kitchen in search of food and I took some photographs using my mobile phone and head lamp; later when the weasel stopped foraging inside the kitchen and came out beneath the roof shade, I took some close ups of this elusive beauty. Local people consider … Read More

South Indian Flying Lizard, Chikmagalur

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I photographed this flying lizard in a coffee estate near Chikmagalur, Karnataka, in February, 2013. While returning from field work, I noticed the animal busy feeding. I observed and followed it for sometime, then waited at a vantage point for it to take off.

Flying lizards of the genus Draco are members of the reptilian family Agamidae and are unique in their ability to glide from one tree to another. Draco is a species-rich genus with more than 40 species … Read More

Flying Fish, Bay of Bengal

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While on pelagic birding trips in the Bay of Bengal off Chennai, we would encounter flying fish. They would take off from under and around the boat, fly over the sea and re-enter the water! It is an amazing sight to watch a  school  of these fish in action.

Flying fish live in all of the oceans, particularly in tropical and warm subtropical waters; there are about sixty-four species of them in the world. Thanks to their streamlined torpedo shape, … Read More

Resurrection of a Montane Snake from Northeast India

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Amphiesma clerki was described as a species new to science by Frank Wall in 1925, based on a single snake collected by a Mr. Clerk from Sinlumkaba in Kachin State, Myanmar the previous year. 18 years later, Malcom Smith in his Fauna of British India, Volume III, identified that specimen as a different species, Amphiesma parallelum without any comment. This rendered Amphiesma clerki invalid, and was presumably due to the superficial similarity between both species as well as lack of … Read More

Black Kite Scavenging on Greater flamingo at Chilika Lake, Odisha.

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Chilika Lake in Odisha is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds in India. It was a dying lake in the 80s, but has been brought back to life thanks to scientific restoration. It is now a haven for an incredible range of biodiversity. The complex ecosystem of Chilika supports the livelihoods of more than two hundred thousand people in Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha.

When I was photographing at Nalaban bird sanctuary in Chilika Lake during the … Read More

Re-sighting of Collared Bar-headed Geese at Veer Dam, Maharashtra

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It was indeed exciting when a collared Bar-Headed Goose bearing a dark orange collar “RT” was sighted and photographed at Veer dam in Maharashtra on 01 January 2015. This was the only bird with a collar amongst 193 individuals present. Apart from Bar-headed Goose, one Ruddy Shelduck had a collar but could not be photographed. Mumbai birder Adesh Shivkar and team also recorded a collared Bar-headed Goose (C6) on 13 Jan 2008 from Veer Dam.

The information was mailed to … Read More

Peregrine Falcon on Harrier Kill, Little Rann of Kutch

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On a beautiful morning in the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK), Gujarat, I spotted this falcon with a kill from a distance with my binoculars. When we approached a bit closer it appeared to be a adult Peregrine with a kill. The bird was very skittish and moved away from us a couple of times. We retreated and waited till the bird consumed the kill. After sometime, the falcon decided let go of the remains and took off. We were … Read More

Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

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The Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (Indicator xanthonotus) is a sparrow-sized bird found in the Himalayas of India, Pakistan, Bhutan and Nepal and is a resident breeder. It is rare and is easily overlooked due to its inconspicuous behaviour and colouration. This particular individual is a female, and was found near a village at 2100m in the Kedarnath Wildlife division, Uttarakhand. She was perched on a leafless tree and hawking insects. Five individuals, three males and two females were seen at 1900m on … Read More

Pale-capped Pigeon, Bhubaneswar

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The Pale-capped Pigeon (Columba punicea) is a locally resident species in India that largely inhabits forest habitats, chiefly, primary or secondary evergreen forests, and bamboo and agricultural fields in close proximity to forests, its range extending from lowlands to 1600 msl. It had a wide distribution in the past but is now reported as uncommon and rare throughout much of its range (read detailed species account). It is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN and Birdlife International.

Recent sightings … Read More

White-Throated Kingfisher Hunting a Prinia, Basai, Haryana

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I was sitting on the ground looking at the reeds in front for warblers and prinias that were everywhere, when all of a sudden, a White-Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) swooped down just inches away from me and caught hold of a Plain Prinia from the Hyacinth growing there. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the kingfisher take away the loudly protesting prinia, and, to my surprise, it sat just about 8-10 feet away from me. Maybe it was … Read More

Leaf Deer, Nagaland

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Leaf Deer, Leaf Muntjac or Putao muntjac (Muntiacus putaoensis) is not very well known in India. In a biodiversity survey in Thanamir (base of Mt. Saramati, 3840 m), Eastern Nagaland (May 2011), post-graduate students of M.Sc wildlife biology and conservation, WCS-India & NCBS, Bangalore discovered the presence of skulls of this deer. Subsequent genetic testing on skin samples corroborated the finding. This finding is very significant as it will enhance the deer’s geographical range by 1.5 times. 

The … Read More

Eurasian Woodcock, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand

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The Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is a large migratory wader found throughout Eurasia. It breeds in the high latitudes of Europe and Asia and between 2000m and 3600m in the Himalayas. Although there are many winter records of these birds from all over peninsular India, especially the western ghats, there are few records of this species over wintering in its breeding range. While doing a bird survey in the Kedarnath Wildlife Division in January 2014, I flushed this bird while … Read More

First record of the Chinese Thrush from the Indian Subcontinent

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Extract from the article in Indian BIRDS 9 (5&6): 155–157

During a visit to Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, India, on 17 November 2013, a bird was seen and photographed while walking along a trail at c. 500 m in tropical evergreen forest between Haldibari and Hornbill camp. The photographs show that the bird was a thrush Turdus/Zoothera, with a greyish-brown crown, back and tail. The face is fairly pale with two dark vertical stripes, the first extending down from … Read More

Indian Golden Gecko, Eastern Ghats

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I had been visiting Kaigal, a village on the edge of Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, since I was 15 years old. However, I only recently learnt that the geckos running around on the walls of the guest house there were none other than the Indian Golden Gecko (Calodactylodes aureus). The etymology (origin of the word) of its genus name Calodactylus comes from Latin: a word for beautiful fingers. This is because of the … Read More