Oriental Turtle Dove ( Streptopelia orientalis)

Oriental Turtle Dove ( Streptopelia orientalis)

Photo from Kritipur, Kathmandu

Fact sheet

Oriental Turtle Dove

Systematic position

Kingdom:  Animalia

Phylum:  Chordata

Subphylum:  Vetebrata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Genus: Streptopelia

Species: S.orientalis

Binomial name: Streptopelia orientalis (Latham, 1790)

Nepali name: Tama Dhukur

Elevation: 365-4570 meter

Entire length: 33 cm

Wing’s length: 20-25 cm

Weight           : 200-500gm

Reproduction : Two egg in twig nest in a tree

FOOD:

Grains, seeds, insects etc.

CALL:

four-syllable her-her-oo-oo.

BREEDING:

 February 2011. Nest made in the twigs of the tree.

DISTRIBUTION:

Widely distributed throughout 365-4570 meter in Nepal.  In summer upto 1370 meter down and upto 2000 m up and widly distributed.

RANGE:

Nepal, India, Maldives, Southern Japan and Pakistan

Categories: 

IUCN Red List least concern species

Himalayan Vulture or Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)

Himalayan Vulture or Himalayan Griffon Vulture 

Gyps himalayensis

Photo from Pokhara, Nepal

Fact sheet 

Systematic position

Kingdom:  Animalia

Phylum:  Chordata

Subphylum:  Vetebrata

Class: Aves

Order: Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes)

Family: Accipitridae

Genus: Gyps

Species: G. himalayensis

Binomial name: Gyps himalayensis

Nepali name: Muddulo Giddha

Elevation: 76-61,00 meter

Entire length: 115-125 cm

Wing’s length: 260-310 cm

Weight           : 8-12 kg

Reproduction : only one egg in hill

Incubation period: 50 day

Time of chick flying: 4-5 months

Habitat:   900-4000 m height

FOOD:

Carrion, the bird never kills a prey for itself,depend mainly on soft tissue of thigh muscles and viscera of dead ponies, yaks,

cows and buffaloes. Very timid and take some time to approach dead animal.

Long, sparsely, feathered and flexible neck, allows deep penetration into carcasses.

CALL:

grunts, screeches, gooses like clamoring and hisses.

BREEDING:

December-March. Nest made up of sticks, twigs and leaves. Nest put high above rocky ledges of precipices and crags. Egg singleton and white unmarked.

DISTRIBUTION:

Widely distributed throughout 1,000-4,000 meter in Nepal. In  Dolpa, Mustang and Everest region it can be observed roosting and nesting on cliffs . Occurs in Kaligandaki Valley, Langtang Valley, Kathmandu valley, and Chitwan.

RANGE:

Nepal, India, Bhutan and Pakistan

Categories: 

IUCN Red List least concern species

 Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)

from Taudaha, Kritipur, Kathmandu

Red-vented Bulbul
P. c. cafer (Tirunelveli, India)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pycnonotidae
Genus:	Pycnonotus
Species:	P. cafer
Binomial name
Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms
Molpastes cafer Molpastes haemorrhous Pycnonotus pygaeus

• The Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is a member of the bulbul family of passerines.
•  It is resident breeder across the Indian Subcontinent, including Sri Lanka extending east to Burma and parts of Tibet. 
• The Red-vented Bulbul is easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. 
• The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. 
• The rump is white while the vent is red. The black tail is tipped in white. 
• The Himalayan races have a more prominent crest and are more streaked on the underside. 
• The Raceintermedius of the Western Himalayas has a black hood extending to the mid-breast. 
• Population bengalensis of Central and Eastern Himalayas and the Gangetic plain has a dark hood, lacks the scale like pattern on the underside and instead has dark streaks on the paler lower belly. Race stanfordi of the South Assam hills is similar to intermedius. 
• The desert race humayuni has a paler brown mantle. The nominate race cafer is found in Peninsular India.
•  Northeast Indian race wetmorei is between cafer, humayuni and bengalensis. about 20 cm in length, with a long tail. Sri Lankan race haemorrhous (=haemorrhousus has a dark mantle with narrow pale edges.
•  Race humayuni is known to hybridize with Pycnonotus leucogenys and these hybrids were once described as a subspeciesmagrathi marked by their pale rumps and yellow-orange or pink vents.
•  In eastern Myanmar there is some natural hybridization with Pycnonotus aurigaster
• Sexes are similar in plumage, but young birds are duller than adults.
•  The typical call has been transcribed asginger beer but a number of sharp single note calls likened as pick are also produced. 
• Red-vented bulbuls feed on fruits, petals of flowers,nectar, insects and occasionally geckos.They have also been seen feeding on the leaves of Medicago sativa
• Their alarm calls are usually responded to and heeded by many other species of bird
• This is a bird of dry scrub, open forest, plains and cultivated lands.
•  In its native range it is rarely found in mature forests. A study based on 54 localities in India concluded that vegetation is the single most important factor that determines the distribution of the species.
• Red-vented bulbuls build their nests in bushes at a height of around 2–3 m (7–10 ft; two or three eggs is a typical clutch. Nests are occasionally built inside houses or in a hole in a mud bank. In one instance, a nest was found on a floating mat of Water hyacinth leaves and another observer noted a pair nesting inside a regularly used bus. Nests in tree cavities have also been noted
• They breed from June to September. The eggs are pale-pinkish with spots of darker red more dense at the broad end.
• Their vocalizations are usually stereotyped and they call throughout the year. However a number of distinct call types have been identified including roosting, begging, greeting, flight and two kinds of alarm calls
• They are important dispersers of seed of plants such as Carissa spinarum

Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) from Sauraha, Chitwan Nepal

Spotted Dove
Individual with plumage pattern of S. c. tigrina(Austins Ferry, Tasmania)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Spilopelia
Species:	S. chinensis
Binomial name
Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1768)
Subspecies
chinensis Scopoli, 1768 ceylonensis Reichenbach, 1862 hainana Hartert, 1910 suratensis JF Gmelin, 1789 tigrina Temminck, 1811
Synonyms
Streptopelia chinensis Stigmatopelia chinensis

• The Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon which is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. 
• The species has been introduced into many parts of the world and feral populations have become established.
•  This species was formerly included in the genus Streptopelia with other turtle-doves, but studies suggest that they differ from typical members of that genus.
•  This dove is long tailed buff brown with a white-spotted black collar patch on the back and sides of the neck. 
• The tail tips are white and the wing coverts have light buff spots. 
• There is considerable plumage variations across populations within its wide range. 
• The species is found in light forests and gardens as well as in urban areas. 
• They fly off from the ground with an explosive flutter and will sometimes glide down to a perch. It is sometimes also called the Chinese Dove, Mountain Dove, Pearl-necked Dove or Lace-necked Dove.
• The ground colour of this long and slim dove is rosy buff below shading grey on the head and belly. 
• There is a half collar on the back and sides of the neck made of black feathers that bifurcate and have white spots at the two tips.
•  The back has brown feathers with rufous spots in the Indian and Sri Lankan subspecies.
•  The lesser median coverts are grey brown. The Indian and Sri Lankan populations have these coverts with rosy spots at the tip divided by a widening dark grey streak along the shaft. 
• The primary coverts are dark brown. The wing feathers are dark brow with grey edges. 
• The centre of the abdomen and vent are white. The outer tail feathers are tipped in white and become visible when the bird takes off.
•  Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and do not acquire the neck spots until they are mature. The length ranges from 28 to 32 centimetres (11.2 to 12.8 inches)
• The Spotted Dove in its native range in Asia is found across a range of habitats including woodland, scrub, farmland and habitation. In India it tends to be found in the moister regions, with the Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) being commoner in the drier areas. 
• These doves are mostly found on the ground where they forage for seeds and grain or on low vegetation.
• Spotted Doves move around in pairs or small groups as they forage on the ground for grass seeds, grains, fallen fruits and seeds of other plants. 
• They may however take insects occasionally and have been recorded feeding on winged termites. 
• The flight is quick with regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings. 
• A display flight involves taking off at a steep angle with a loud clapping of the wing and then slowly gliding down with the tail spread out.
• The vocalizations of the Spotted Dove include cooing softly with a Krookruk-krukroo... kroo kroo kroo with the number of terminal kroos varying in the Indian population and absent in tigrina and other populations to the east

SPOTTED FORKTAIL ( Enicurus maculatus ) found in Panchase Forest.

SPOTTED FORKTAIL ( Enicurus maculatus )

Spotted Forktail
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Enicurus
Species:	E. maculatus
Binomial name
Enicurus maculatus Vigors, 1831

• This photograph was taken from Panchase Forest.
• This bird is found between 1370m- 3100 m in monsoon, 290m - 2745m in summer mostly widly distributed resident bird.
• The Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus) is a species of bird in the  Muscicapidae family.
• It is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam.
•  Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests
• Mainly found near water sources, rocky streams in forests.
• It is nearly 25 cm long.
• It is large size bird with white forehead, white spotting on mantle, and black breast.

Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa flavirostris) from Panchase Forest, Nepal

Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Urocissa Species: U. flavirostris Binomial name Urocissa flavirostris (Blyth, 1846)
Length 26 inches, including tail of about 18 inches.   Sexes alike.  Head,neck  and breast black, with a white patch on the nape ; remainder of lower plumage white, faintly tinged with lilac ; whole upper plumage purplish-blue, brighter on the wings and tail: flight-feather tipped with white, the outermost edged with thesame ; tail long and graduated, the feathers blue, broadly tipped with white, all except the very long central pair having a band of black in front of the white It is divided into two races. Of these U. f. culcutta is the better known and is found from the Western boundary of the range to Western Nepal, being a common species about most of the hill stations of the Weatern Himalayas breeding in a zone from 5000 to 10,000 feet.  The typical form is found from Eastern Nepal eastwards and differs in that the under parts have a darker lilac tinge ; its zone is slightly higher than that of the Western form, as it seldom occurs 'as low as 6000 feet.  A resident species, but during the winter months it usually deserts the higher parts of its summer zone. From Simla eastwards the closely allied Red-billed Blue-Magpie (Urocissa melanocephala) is often found in the same areas as the yellow-billed species ; it is particularly common about Mussoorie, Tehri-Garhwal, -Kumaon, and in Nepal, and may be easily distinguished by its red beak and the greater extent of the white nape-patch.  They live in parties of seven or eight birds and are very partial to particular localities, so that once a party has taken up its abode in any particular nullah or patch of forest it will generally be found there.  They are very active, flying incessantly from bough to bough and not hesitating to launch high into the air when flying from ridge to ridge; a party of these bird crossing a nullah out of gun-shot above one's head is a curious sight, with their long tails waving in the air and the light shining through the feathers.  The flight is rather slow, laboured and undulating once the bird comes into the open.  The food consists of small mammals, the eggs and young of other birds, insects, and wild fruits and berries of various kinds.  This bird is very noisy; the ordinary call is harsh and grating, but it has a wide variety of notes, some of which are melodious enough. The nest is built in a fork of a tree, usually of moderate size but with dense foliage, and is difficult to find. It is a rather large and roughly constructed cup of sticks with a lining of fine grass, roots and fibres.  The clutch consists of three or four eggs.  The ground-colour varies from a pale, dingy yellowish-stone colour to a darkish rather reddish-stone colour, and there is very occasionally a faint greenish tinge.  The markings consist of small specks, blotches, streaks, and mottlings of various shades of brown, sienna 1 or purple, and they generally tend to collect in a cap or zone about the broad end of the egg.

Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus)

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Dicruridae
Genus:	Dicrurus
Species:	D. bracteatus
Binomial name
Dicrurus bracteatus (Gould, 1842)

• The Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus bracteatus) is a bird of the family Dicruridae.
• The Spangled Drongo is the only Drongo to be found in Australia. "Drongo" is Australian slang for "idiot", possibly referring to the bird's uninhibited and sometimes comical behaviour as it swoops and perches in search of insects, small birds and occasionally, small skinks.
• Whilst this bird is often silent, it sometimes makes astonishingly loud, complex and entertaining calls that may sound like a "sneeze".
•  The most remarkable characteristic of its appearance is its tail, which is described by Morcombe as "long, outcurved and forked" and on first examination looks like its feathers are crossed over - like crossing your fingers. 
•  Its basically black plumage is iridescent with blue and purple highlights. 
• When it - seasonally - visits urban areas it is easily tamed by throwing small pieces of raw meat into the air, when it will accurately swoop and catch them mid-air.
•  The Spangled Drongo is an amazing mimic taking most of her vocabulary from the sounds she hears and weaving them into her own virtuoso aria.
• Nests are cup shaped in open spaces, where it is difficult for predators to access without being seen, 75% up the canopy. 
• Each year, they produce 3-5 young.
• Broad tail with upward twisted corners, and long downcurved bill is the main feature of identification. 
• Adult has extensive spangling, and hair like crest.
• Found mainly in Moist broadleaved forest.

Great Barbet (Megalaima virens) from Panchase Protected Forest Area..

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Megalaimidae
Genus:	Megalaima
Species:	M. virens
Binomial name
Megalaima virens (Boddaert, 1783)

• The Great Barbet (Megalaima virens) is an Asian barbet.
• Barbets are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution. 
• They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.
• The Great Barbet is a resident breeder in the lower-to-middle altitudes of the Himalayas, ranging across northern India, Nepal and Bhutan, and some parts of Southeast Asia as far away asLaos.
•  It is a species of broadleaf evergreen woodlands at 600-2,565 m altitude. It nests in a tree hole.
• This is the largest barbet at 31–33 cm (12–13 in) in length and a weight of 192–295 g (6.8–10.4 oz).
•  It is a plump bird, with a short neck, large head and short tail.
• The adult has a blue head, large yellow bill, brown back and breast, green-streaked yellow belly and red vent.
• The rest of the plumage is green. Both sexes and immature birds are similar.
• The male's territorial call is a very loud kay-oh. The alarm is a harsh keeab, and another call is a repetitive piou-piou-piou-piou.