23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - LESSER ADJUTANT (Leptoptilos javanicus)

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus ) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary and is less likely to scavenge than the related greater adjutant. It is a widespread species found from India through Southeast Asia to Java.

A large stork with an upright stance, a bare head and neck without a pendant pouch, it has a length of 87–93 cm (34–37 in) (outstretched from bill-to-tail measurement), weighs from 4 to 5.71 kg (8.8 to 12.6 lb) and stands about 110–120 cm (43–47 in) tall. The only confusable species is the greater adjutant, but this species is generally smaller and has a straight upper bill edge (culmen), measuring 25.8–30.8 cm (10.2–12.1 in) in length, with a paler base and appears slightly trimmer and less hunch-backed. 

The skullcap is paler and the upper plumage is uniformly dark, appearing almost all black. The nearly naked head and neck have a few scattered hair-like feathers. The upper shank or tibia is grey rather than pink, the tarsus measures 22.5–26.8 cm (8.9–10.6 in). The belly and undertail are white. Juveniles are a duller version of the adult but have more feathers on the nape. During the breeding season, the face is reddish and the neck is orange. The larger median wing coverts are tipped with copper spots and the inner secondary coverts and tertials have narrow white edging. The wing chord measures 57.5–66 cm (22.6–26.0 in) in length. Like others in the genus, they retract their necks in flight. In flight, the folded neck can appear like the pouch of the greater adjutant. Males and females appear similar in plumage but males tend to be larger and heavier billed. 

24-4-24 KANHA, INDIA - JUNGLE BABBLER (Turdoides striata)

Jungle babblers (Argya striata) are gregarious birds, members of the laughingthrushes family. Jungle babblers often forage in small groups of 6 to 10 individuals, and this habit has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and Saath bhai (seven brothers) in Bengali, with cognates in other regional languages which also mean "seven brothers".

Jungle babblers are drably coloured in brownish grey with a yellow bill. The upper parts are usually slightly darker in shade and there is some mottling on the throat and breast. The race T. s. somervillei of Maharashtra has a very rufous tail and dark primary flight feathers.

Jungle babblers (Argya striata) are gregarious birds, members of the laughingthrushes family. Jungle babblers often forage in small groups of 6 to 10 individuals, and this habit has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and Saath bhai (seven brothers) in Bengali, with cognates in other regional languages which also mean "seven brothers".

Jungle babblers are drably coloured in brownish grey with a yellow bill. The upper parts are usually slightly darker in shade and there is some mottling on the throat and breast. The race T. s. somervillei of Maharashtra has a very rufous tail and dark primary flight feathers.

24-4-24 KANHA, INDIA - GREATER COUCAL (Centropus sinensis)

The Greater coucal (Centropus sinensis) is a large member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. They are weak fliers and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs, and nestlings of other birds. They have a familiar deep resonant call which is associated with omens in many parts of its range.

The head of the Greater coucal is black, upper mantle and underside are black glossed with purple. The back and wings are chestnut brown. There are no pale shaft streaks on the coverts. The eyes are ruby red. Juveniles are duller black with spots on the crown and there are whitish bars on the underside and tail. The males and the females are similar in plumage but females are slightly larger.

Greater coucals occur in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They don't migrate and can be found in mangroves, shrublands, grasslands near rivers, marshes, or creeks. They also frequently visit cultivated areas and rural gardens.

Greater coucals are most active in the warm hours of the morning and in the late afternoon. They sunbathe in the mornings singly or in pairs on the top of vegetation with their wings spread out. They communicate with each other using various calls. The common calls are a booming low 'coop-coop-coops' repeated and with variations and some duets between individuals. When duetting the female has a lower pitched call. Other calls include a rapid rattling 'lotok, lotok ...' and a harsh scolding 'skeeaaaw' and a hissing threat call.

24-4-24 KANHA, INDIA - COMMON CROW BUTTERFLY (Euploea lewiniip)

Euploea core, the common crow is a common butterfly found in South Asia to Australia. In India it is also sometimes referred to as the common Indian crow, and in Australia as the Australian crow. It belongs to the crows and tigers subfamily Danainae (tribe Danaini).

E. core is a glossy-black, medium-sized 85–95 mm (3.3–3.7 in) butterfly with rows of white spots on the margins of its wings. E. core is a slow, steady flier. Due to its unpalatability it is usually observed gliding through the air with a minimum of effort. As caterpillars, this species sequesters toxins from its food plant which are passed on from larva to pupa to the adult. While feeding, it is a very bold butterfly, taking a long time at each bunch of flowers. It can also be found mud-puddling with others of its species and often in mixed groups. The males of this species visit plants like Crotalaria and Heliotropium to replenish pheromone stocks which are used to attract a female during courtship.

The common crow is the most common representative of its genus, Euploea. Like the tigers (genus Danaus), the crows are inedible and thus mimicked by other Indian butterflies (see Batesian mimicry). In addition, the Indian species of the genus Euploea show another kind of mimicry, Müllerian mimicry. Accordingly, this species has been studied in greater detail than other members of its genus in India.

23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - PIONEER WHITE BUTTERFLY (Belenois aurota)

Belenois aurota, the pioneer or pioneer white or caper white, is a small to medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in South Asia and Africa. In Africa, it is also known as the brown-veined white, and is well known during summer and autumn when large numbers migrate north-east over the interior.

The species lives in Sri Lanka, the Himalayas from Kashmir to Sikkim at elevations below 6,000 feet (1,800 m), and through the plains to southern India. In the Nilgiris observed up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) (George Hampson). To the west it spreads through Persia and Arabia to East Africa. The species occurs over the greater part of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Food plants of the larvae include Capparis zeylanica. In Africa, the host plants are almost exclusively from the family Capparaceae and in particular the genera Boscia, Maerua and Capparis. Eggs are laid in batches of 20 or so, while the newly hatched larvae are gregarious.

23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE (Gyps indicus)

The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela ) is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considerable variations and some authorities prefer to treat several of its subspecies as completely separate species. In the past, several species including the Philippine serpent eagle (S. holospila ), Andaman serpent eagle (S. elgini ) and South Nicobar serpent eagle (S. klossi ) were treated as subspecies of the Crested serpent eagle.

All members within the species complex have a large looking head with long feathers on the back of the head giving them a maned and crested appearance. The face is bare and yellow joining up with the ceres while the powerful feet are unfeathered and heavily scaled. They fly over the forest canopy on broad wings and tail have wide white and black bars. They call often with a loud, piercing and familiar three or two-note call. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name and are placed along with the Circaetus snake-eagles in the subfamily Circaetinae.

This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped nuchal crest gives it a thick-necked appearance. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Young birds show a lot of white on the head. The tarsus is unfeathered and covered by hexagonal scales. The upper mandible does not have an overhanging festoon to the tip.

This species of serpent eagle manifests an unusual amount of size variation across its assorted subspecies. Total length of fully-grown crested serpent eagles can vary from 41 to 75 cm (16 to 30 in) and wingspan can vary from 89 to 169 cm (2 ft 11 in to 5 ft 7 in). The largest proportioned race appears to be the nominate, S. c. cheela, with a wing chord of 468 to 510 mm (18.4 to 20.1 in) in males and 482 to 532 mm (19.0 to 20.9 in) in females, tail lengths of 295 to 315 mm (11.6 to 12.4 in) and tarsus length of 100 to 115 mm (3.9 to 4.5 in). In comparison, S. c. minimus, probably the smallest race, has a wing chord of 257 to 291 mm (10.1 to 11.5 in) in males and 288 to 304 mm (11.3 to 12.0 in) in females, tail lengths of around 191 mm (7.5 in) and tarsal length of around 76 mm (3.0 in). Weights are more fitfully reported but are estimated to vary perhaps threefold between assorted races. In very small subspecies such as S. c. asturinus body masses were found to be 420 g (15 oz) in a male and 565 g (19.9 oz) in a female. In S. c. palawanesis, body mass was reported at 688 g (24.3 oz) in males and 853 g (30.1 oz) in females.

 Serpent eagles from Borneo, S. c. pallidus, may between 625 and 1,130 g (22.0 and 39.9 oz). Mainland forms are typically larger but a weight of 900 g (32 oz) was cited for the fairly small mainland race, S. c. burmanicus. In the race S. c. hoya, weights were much higher, averaging 1,207 g (42.6 oz); meanwhile, in the same race, 8 males averaged 1,539 g (54.3 oz) and 6 females averaged 1,824 g (64.3 oz). In some cases, serpent eagles may attain estimated weights of approximately 2,300 g (81 oz).

23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - ASIAN WOOLLY NECKED STORK (Ciconia episcopus)

The Asian woolly-necked stork or Asian woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) is a species of large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds singly, or in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide variety of habitats including marshes in forests, agricultural areas, and freshwater wetlands across Asia.

The woolly-necked stork is a medium-sized stork at 75–92 cm tall. The iris is deep crimson or wine-red. The stork is glistening black overall with a black "skull cap", a downy white neck which gives it its name. The lower belly and under-tail coverts are white, standing out from the rest of the dark coloured plumage. Feathers on the fore-neck are iridescent with a coppery-purple tinge. These feathers are elongated and can be erected during displays. The tail is deeply forked and is white, usually covered by the black long under tail coverts. It has long red legs and a heavy, blackish bill, though some specimens have largely dark-red bills with only the basal one-third being black. Sexes are alike. Juvenile birds are duller versions of the adult with a feathered forehead that is sometimes streaked black-and-white. The African birds are described as having the edges of the black cap diffused or with a jagged border compared to a sharp and clean border in the Asian birds. Sexes are identical, though males are thought to be larger. When the wings are opened either during displays or for flight, a narrow band of very bright unfeathered skin is visible along the underside of the forearm. This band has been variously described as being "neon, orange-red", "like a red-gold jewel", and "almost glowing" when seen at close range.

23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - INDIAN VULTURE (Gyps indicus)

The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to Asia. This species has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2002 because its population severely declined.

The Indian vulture is a medium-sized and bulky scavenger. Its body and covert feathers are pale, its flight feathers are darker. Its wings are broad and its tail feathers short. The head and neck are almost bald, and its bill is rather long. Females of this species are smaller than males.

Indian vultures are native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal. They are usually found in savannas and other open habitats around villages, cities, and near cultivated areas.

Indian vultures are social birds that often congregate in flocks. They are active during the day spending most of their time soaring over open areas looking for carcasses to gorge on. Indian vultures do not migrate but they may fly up to 100 km in a day when searching for food. They are generally silent, but when these vultures gather in groups around carcasses, they produce various grunts and hisses.

23-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - ASIAN GREEN BEE-EATER (Merops orientalis)

The Asian green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) is a brightly-colored bird in the bee-eater family. It performs some seasonal movements and is found widely distributed across Asia. Populations in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that were formerly assigned to this species (under the name green bee-eater) are now considered distinct species: the African green bee-eater and the Arabian green bee-eater. Asian green bee-eaters are mainly insect eaters and prefer to live quite far from water.

Like other bee-eaters, this species is a richly colored, slender bird. The males and the females are not visually distinguishable. The entire plumage is bright green and tinged with blue, especially on the chin and throat. The crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green and tipped with blackish. A fine black line runs in front of and behind the eye. The iris is crimson and the bill is black while the legs are dark grey. The feet are weak with the three toes joined at the base. Southeast Asian birds have rufous crown and face, and green underparts. The wings are green and the beak is black. The elongated tail feathers are absent in juveniles.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - INDIAN BISON (Bos gaurus)

The gaur (Bos gaurus; /ɡaʊər/), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals in 2016, with the majority of those existing in India.

It is the largest species among the wild cattle and the Bovidae. The domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or mithun.

Being one of the largest cattle species, the gaur has a massive head, deep body, and solid limbs. The color of their body varies from reddish or brown to black while the limbs are pale colored. Both males and females have upwardly curved horns, growing from the sides of their heads. Their horns have a yellow base and black tip. These animals have a hump on their shoulders, which is especially prominent in adult males. In addition, they have a distinct "dewlap" of skin, stretching from their throat to their forelegs.

Gaurs are found throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Nepal. These animals don’t migrate and live in evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests and also occur in deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range. Gaur prefer large, relatively undisturbed forest tracts, hilly terrain, availability of water, and an abundance of forage in the form of grasses, bamboo, shrubs, and trees.

Generally, gaur are most active in the morning and evening. However, they can be active by day or even become nocturnal, when living nearby human settlements. These sociable animals gather into herds, containing 8-11 or more individuals. A gaur herd includes females and one dominant male. The home range of each herd covers about 78 sq. kilometers (30 sq. miles) territory. Bulls often congregate into bachelor herds while older males occasionally prefer living solitarily. Against a threat, the bull usually lowers its head and hind side, attacking the rival from the broadside with its horns. When alarmed, these animals give out a call known as a "whistling snort".

Gaur are herbivorous animals. Being both grazers and browsers, these bovine feed mainly upon grass while leaves, forbs, coarse and dry grasses are a good supplement to its usual diet.

Gaur have a polygynous mating system, where one male mates with a number of females. During the mating season, males give out calls of clear resonant tones, in order to attract receptive females. Meanwhile, bigger males are more successful in capturing the attention of females. They breed all year round with a peak period, lasting from December to June. Female Gaurs usually have an interval of 12-15 months between births. The gestation period lasts about 270-280 days, yielding a single baby. A newborn gaur calf weighs 23 kgs (50 Ibs) on average. At the age of 9 months, the calf is weaned and becomes reproductively mature when it is 2-3 years old.

One of the most considerable threats is the loss of habitat throughout most of their range. Another serious concern is susceptibility to domestic cattle diseases like rinderpest, hoof, or mouth disease. In addition, this animal attracts hunters for its horns and is hunted for sport.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total gaur population varies from 15,000 to 35,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - JUNGLE OWLET (Glaucidium radiatum)

 

The jungle owlet, or barred jungle owlet, (Glaucidium radiatum ) is found in the Indian Subcontinent. The species is often found singly, in pairs or small groups and are usually detected by their calls at dawn and dusk. There are two subspecies with the form found in the Western Ghats sometimes considered a full species.

This small owlet has a rounded head and is finely barred all over. There is no clear facial disk and the wings are brownish and the tail is narrowly barred in white. There are two subspecies, the nominate form is found in the plains of India and Sri Lanka while malabaricum of the Western Ghats is shorter tailed and shows more brown on the head. It has been suggested that this may warrant full species status.

The plumage on the upper parts is dark black brown barred with white. The wing coverts have white and rufous patches. The primaries and secondaries are dark brown and barred with pale chestnut. The lower side is whitish or pale rufous barred with black. There is a whitish patch on the chin, upper breast and centre of the abdomen. The iris is yellow, the bill and tarsi are greenish with black claws.

In Sri Lanka, chestnut-backed owlet (Glaucidium castanonotum ) was once included as a subspecies but this is elevated to full species. It is found in the wet zone whereas G. radiatum is found in drier forests.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - NORTHERN PLAINS GREY LANGUR (Semnopithecus entellus)

The northern plains gray langur (Semnopithecus entellus ), also known as the sacred langur, Bengal sacred langur and Hanuman langur, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae.

The fur of adults is mostly light colored, with darker fur on the back and limbs, and the face, ears, hands and feet are all black. Infants are brown. Body size excluding tail ranges from 45.1 cm (17.8 in) to 78.4 cm (30.9 in) long, and the tail length is between 80.3 cm (31.6 in) and 111.8 cm (44.0 in). Adult males weigh between 16.9 kg (37 lb) and 19.5 kg (43 lb) while adult females weigh between 9.5 kg (21 lb) and 16.1 kg (35 lb).

The range of the northern plains gray langur covers a large portion of India south of the Himalayas south to the Tapti River and the Krishna River.It is thought to have been introduced to western Bangladesh by Hindu pilgrims on the bank of the Jalangi River.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - TAWNY BELLIED BABBLER (Dumetia hyperythra)

The tawny-bellied babbler (Dumetia hyperythra ) also known in older Indian works as the rufous-bellied babbler is a small babbler that forages in small groups in low scrub forests. Like other members of the large Old World babbler family they are passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage. There are three subspecies within the Indian Subcontinent. The nominate hyperythra found in northern and eastern India is uniformly brown underneath while albogularis of the western Indian peninsula is white throated. The population in Sri Lanka, phillipsi, is also white throated but is paler underneath and has a larger bill.

The tawny-bellied babbler is a small babbler at 13 cm including its long round-tipped tail. The outer tail feathers are about half the length of the central tail feather. It is dark brown above and orange-buff below, with a rufous grey crown. The feathers on the forehead are stiff and the tail has cross rays and is otherwise olive brown. The throat is white in adults of the populations of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan population, however, has a larger and heavier beak and paler underparts.

The population on Mt. Abu is white-throated with chestnut feathers on the crown (appearing capped, as opposed to the chestnut being only on the forehead) having pale shafts. It has been proposed as a subspecies abuensis but is more often included in albogularis. Another variant form first described from Khandala Ghats as navarroi is also usually included within the range of albogularis.

The tawny-bellied babbler is found from north-central India to Sri Lanka. The populations in India are all intergrading and no disjunct distributions exist. Its natural habitat is scrub and tall grassland. In Sri Lanka it is found in the hills up to about 1500 m above sea level.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - SRI LANKAN SAMBAR DEER (Rusa unicolor ssp. unicolor)

The Sri Lankan sambar or Indian sambar (Rusa unicolor unicolor), also known as ගෝනා (gōṇā) in Sinhala, is a subspecies of the sambar that lives in India and Sri Lanka. British explorers and planters referred to it, erroneously, as an elk, leading to place names such as Elk Plain.

This subspecies is the largest sambar subspecies and representative of the Rusa genus, with the largest antlers both in size and in body proportions. Large males weight up to 270–280 kg.

Sambar live in both lowland dry forests and mountain forests. Large herds of sambar roam the Horton Plains National Park, where it is the most common large mammal.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - INDIAN STONE CURLEW (MALE ) (Burhinus indicus)

This stocky and brown ground bird with large eyes is about 41 centimeters in length. It has dark streaks on a sandy brown ground colour and is plover-like. The large head has a dark stripe bordering a creamy moustachial stripe below the eye. There is also a narrow creamy supercilium. The legs are stout and the knees are thick, giving them the group of name of "thick-knee". They have large yellow eyes. The sexes are alike and the immature is paler than adult with more marked buff and streaks on the underparts. In flight, they have two prominent white and a white patch on the darker primaries and at rest a broad pale band is visible on the wing.

The Indian stone curlew is active mainly at dawn and dusk and it calls mainly at night. The call is a series of sharp whistling notes pick-pick-pick-pick ending sometimes like pick-wick, pick-wick. They are found in small groups and during the day, they are found standing still under the shade of bush.Found in dry deciduous forests and thorn forest, scrubby riverbeds, groves and even gardens. This species is restricted to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. It is found in thin dry deciduous forest, scrub, stony hillsides and fallow lands.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - INDIAN STONE CURLEW (FEMALE ) (Burhinus indicus)

The Indian stone-curlew or Indian thick-knee (Burhinus indicus) is a species of bird in the family Burhinidae. It was formerly included as a subspecies of the Eurasian stone-curlew. This species is found in the plains of South and South-eastern Asia. They have large eyes and are brown with streaks and pale marks making it hard to spot against the background of soils and rocks. Mostly active in the dark, they produce calls similar to the true curlews, giving them their names.

22-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - GOLDEN JACKAL (Canis aureus)

The Golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wolf-like canid. Despite its name, the Golden jackal is not closely related to the African Black-backed jackal or Side-striped jackal, which are part of the genus Lupulella, being instead closer to wolves and coyotes. The ancestor of the Golden jackal is believed to be the extinct Arno river dog that lived in southern Europe 1.9 million years ago. It is described as having been a small, jackal-like canine. Genetic studies indicate that the Golden jackal expanded from India around 20,000 years ago, towards the end of the last Last Glacial Maximum. The oldest Golden jackal fossil, found at the Ksar Akil rock shelter near Beirut, Lebanon, is 7,600 years old. The oldest golden jackal fossils in Europe were found in Greece and are 7,000 years old.

The Golden jackal has long, pointed ears and long hair. The coat of the animal is rather coarse and not very long. The tail is fluffy and long. Being the largest species of jackal, this animal, however, has lighter tread, shorter tail, more slender build and a narrower, more pointed muzzle, compared to other jackal species. The coloration of their fur depends on the season of year and region, varying from yellow to pale gold with a brown tip.

These jackals are widely distributed from North and East Africa to southeastern Europe and South Asia, including Burma. These animals are abundant in valleys and along rivers and their tributaries, canals, lakes, and seashores, but are rare in foothills and low mountains. They are found in dense thickets of prickly bushes, reed flood-lands, and forests. In India, they will occupy the surrounding foothills above arable areas and enter human settlements at night to feed on garbage.

21-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - BAND WINGED GRASSHOPPER (Oedaleus abruptus)

Oedaleus abruptus is a species of band-winged grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is found in Indomalaya and eastern Asia

21-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - TICKELL'S BLUE FLYCATCHER (Cyornis tickelliae)

Tickell's blue flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae ) is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family. This is an insectivorous species which breeds in tropical Asia, from the Indian Subcontinent eastwards to Bangladesh and western Myanmar. The Indochinese blue flycatcher was formerly considered conspecific. They are blue on the upperparts and the throat and breast are rufous. They are found in dense scrub to forest habitats.

The name commemorates the British ornithologist Samuel Tickell who collected in India and Burma.

Tickell's blue flycatcher is about 11–12 cm long. It sits upright and forages mainly in the overgrowth. The male's upper parts are bright blue, its throat and breast are red, and the rest of the underparts are white. The female is duller blue with a brighter blue brow, shoulder, rump, and tail. It hybridizes with the pale-chinned blue flycatcher (Cyornis poliogenys ) in the Eastern Ghats of India and these hybrids have sometimes been called the subspecies vernayi. The juvenile is streaked and has a spotted mantle, scaly brown upperparts, head and breast, with just the wings and tail being blue.

They have sometimes been known to feed even after dusk. Apart from flying insects they have been noted to occasionally glean crawling insects.

The species shows regional variations in plumage and size and several of these populations have been designated with subspecies names. The nominate form is found in India, Nepal and Myanmar. The Sri Lankan population is separated as jerdoni (or nesea /mesaea said to be darker)

In the past this species has been considered as a subspecies of the blue-throated blue flycatcher (Cyornis rubeculoides ) which resembles this but has a blue throat.

20-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - BROWN FISH OWL (Ketupa zeylonensis)

The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis ) is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 miles).

The brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis ) is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits forests and wooded wetlands. Of the four living species of fish owl, it is the most widely distributed, most common and best-studied. It occupies a range of over 7,000 km (4,300 mi).

The brown fish owl has prominent ear tufts and rufous brown upperparts that are heavily streaked with black or dark brown. Its underparts are buffy-fulvous to whitish, with wavy dark brown streaks and finer brown barring. Its throat is white and conspicuously puffed. Its facial disk is indistinct, the bill dark and the iris golden yellow. Its featherless feet are yellow. Two-year old brown fish owls are somewhat paler than adults. Female and male differ slightly in size.

In body size, it ranges from 48 to 61 cm (19 to 24 in) with a wingspan from 125 to 140 cm (49 to 55 in). Its weight varies considerably, ranging from 1.1 to 2.5 kg (2.4 to 5.5 lb). Some of the variability is attributed to the range of sizes across the subspecies. Also, females are invariably at least somewhat larger than males and condition of birds is variable. It is slightly larger than the buffy fish owl with a darker brown hue.

Compared to eagle owls of similar length, fish owls tend to be even shorter in tail length and even heavier in build, have relatively larger wings, have considerably longer legs, and have a rough texture to the bottom of their toes. At least the latter two features are clear adaptations to aid these owls in capturing fish. Diurnal raptors who feed largely on fish have similar, if not identical, rough texture under their toes, which helps these birds grasp slippery fish. Unlike diurnal raptors who capture fish such as the osprey (Pandion haliaetus ) as compared to most terrestrial raptors, the fish owls have large, powerful, and curved talons and a longitudinal sharp keel sitting under the middle claw with all having sharp cutting edges that are very much like those of eagle owls. Also, unlike fish-eating diurnal raptors will not submerge any part of their body while hunting, preferring only to put their feet into the water, although fish owls will hunt on foot, wading into the shallows. Unlike most owls, the feathers of fish owls are not soft to the touch and they lack the comb and hair-like fringes to the primaries, which allow other owls to fly silently in order to ambush their prey. Due to the lack of these feather-specializations, fish owl wing beats make sounds. 

The brown fish owl in particular is said to have a noisy wing beat, sometimes described as producing a singing sound, but another description claimed they could be "as silent as any other owl" in flight. The lack of a deep facial disc in fish owls is another indication of the unimportance of sound relative to vision in these owls, as facial disc depth (as well as inner ear size) are directly related to how important sound is to an owl's hunting behavior. Also different from most any other kind of owl, the bill is placed on the face between the eyes rather below it, which is said to impart this fish owl with a "remarkably morose and sinister expression". Similar adaptations, such as unwillingness to submerge beyond their legs and lack of sound-muffling feathers are also seen in the African fishing owls, which do not seem to be directly related. The brown fish owl has sometimes been regarded as conspecific with the Blakiston's fish owl (B. blakistoni ), but there is an approximately 2,000 km (1,200 mi) gap in their distributions, not to mention a large number of physical differences not the least of which is the Blakiston's considerably greater size.

The brown fish owl is an all-year resident throughout most tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and adjoining regions. West of its main range, it is patchily distributed to the Levant (possibly extinct) and southern Asia Minor (recently rediscovered). The typical habitat of brown fish owls is forest and woodland bordering streams, lakes or rice fields. It inhabits mainly the lowlands, from open woodland to dense forest as well as in plantations; in the Himalayas foothills it ranges into submontane forest up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above mean sea level or so but not higher. It frequently spends the day in stands of bamboo or other large shady trees. They be found around water reservoirs, along canals, on the outskirts of villages and along sea coasts. Western birds are found in semiarid landscape and may breed in oases in arid regions. Regardless of habitat, it rarely strays far from larger bodies of water such as rivers and lakes.Being a large predatory bird, the brown fish owl is only rarely found at a high population density, an exception being Sri Lanka, where this particular owl's adaptability to human habitat change has been beneficial in continued high numbers.

20-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - CHITAL (MALE) (Axis axis)

The Axis deer (Axis axis) is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777.

The Axis deer is a beautiful mammal with a spotted body and short tail. Both males and females have markings on their bodies; the markings are white, running in rows along the length of their bodies. The body of Axis deer is bright golden brown in color while the head is a bit lighter shade of the same color. Around their eyes, they have stripes of fur that are paler in color. Males have black spots on their faces and three tines on each of their magnificent antlers. These deer have a dark stripe, running along the length of their back and bordered by a row of spots. The outer parts of their legs are light brown in color while the underparts can be both white and creamy. The Axis deer has a white spot on its throat, which is more noticeable in males. In addition, the tail of the Axis deer has a white underpart.

Most of the Axis deer population is concentrated in the forests of India. The major area of their distribution is Sri Lanka and India, though they are introduced to USA and Australia as well. They live in dense forests, forested valleys and also prefer open grasslands, savannas, and plantations.

20-4-2024 BANDHAVGARH, INDIA - CHITAL (Axis axis)

The Axis deer (Axis axis) is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777.

The Axis deer is a beautiful mammal with a spotted body and short tail. Both males and females have markings on their bodies; the markings are white, running in rows along the length of their bodies. The body of Axis deer is bright golden brown in color while the head is a bit lighter shade of the same color. Around their eyes, they have stripes of fur that are paler in color. Males have black spots on their faces and three tines on each of their magnificent antlers. These deer have a dark stripe, running along the length of their back and bordered by a row of spots. The outer parts of their legs are light brown in color while the underparts can be both white and creamy. The Axis deer has a white spot on its throat, which is more noticeable in males. In addition, the tail of the Axis deer has a white underpart.

Most of the Axis deer population is concentrated in the forests of India. The major area of their distribution is Sri Lanka and India, though they are introduced to USA and Australia as well. They live in dense forests, forested valleys and also prefer open grasslands, savannas, and plantations.