8-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - COMMON IORA (Aegithina tiphia)

The common iora (Aegithina tiphia) is a small passerine bird found across the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with populations showing plumage variations, some of which are designated as subspecies. A species found in scrub and forest, it is easily detected from its loud whistles and the bright colours. During the breeding season, males display by fluffing up their feathers and spiral in the air appearing like a green, black, yellow, and white ball.

Ioras have a pointed and notched beak with a culmen that is straight. The common iora is sexually dimorphic, males in the breeding season have a black cap and back adding to a black wing and tail at all seasons. Females have greenish wings and an olive tail. The undersides of both are yellow and the two white bars on the wings of the male are particularly prominent in their breeding plumage. The males in breeding plumage have a very variable distribution of the black on the upperparts and can be confused with Marshall's iora, however, the latter always has white tips to the tail. The nominate subspecies is found along the Himalayas and males of this population are very similar to females or have only a small amount of black on the crown. In northwestern India, septentrionalis is brighter yellow than others and in the northern plains of India humei males in breeding plumage have a black cap and olive on the upper mantle. In southwestern India and Sri Lanka multicolor has the breeding males with a jet black cap and mantle. The forms in the rest of southern India are intermediate between multicolor and humei with more grey-green on the rump (formerly considered as deignani but now used for the Burmese population).

Ioras forage in trees in small groups, gleaning among the branches for insects. They sometimes join mixed species feeding flocks. The call is a mixture of churrs, chattering and whistles, and the song is a trilled wheeeee-tee. They may sometimes imitate the calls of other birds such as drongos.

During the breeding season, mainly after the monsoons, the male performs an acrobatic courtship display, darting up into the air fluffing up all his feathers, especially those on the pale green rump, then spiralling down to the original perch. Once he lands, he spreads his tail and droops his wings. Two to four greenish white eggs are laid in a small and compact cup-shaped nest made out of grass and bound with cobwebs and placed in the fork of a tree. Both male and female incubate and eggs hatch after about 14 days. Nests predators include snakes, lizards, crow-pheasant and crows. Nests may also be brood-parasitized by the banded bay cuckoo.

Ioras moult twice in a year and the plumage variation makes them somewhat complicated for plumage based separation of the populations.

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - BROWN CAPPED WOODPECKER (Yungipicus nanus)

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - MALABAR BARBET (Psilopogon malabaricus)

The Malabar barbet (Psilopogon malabaricus) is an Asian barbet native to the Western Ghats in India. It was formerly treated as a race of the crimson-fronted barbet (Psilopogon rubricapillus). It overlaps in some places with the range of the coppersmith barbet (Psilopogon haemacephala) and has a similar but more rapid call.

This species can be told apart from the coppersmith barbet by the crimson face and throat. The call notes are more rapidly delivered than in the other species.

This species is found in the Western Ghats from around Goa south to southern Kerala in moist evergreen forest mainly below 1200 m elevation. They are also found in coffee estates. They often visit fruiting Ficus species, joining flocks of green pigeon and mynas.

These birds are usually seen in pairs during the breeding season but are gregarious in the non-breeding season. In flight, their straight and rapid flight can resemble that of lorikeets. The breeding season is mainly February–March prior to the rains. The nest hole is excavated on the underside of thin branches. It takes about 18 days to excavate the nest. These nest holes are often destroyed by larger barbets that may attempt to enlarge the hole. 

A nest is made each year. Multiple holes may be made and any extra hole may be used for roosting. Two eggs are laid in a clutch. They are incubated for 14 to 15 days. Eggs may be preyed upon by palm squirrels (Funambulus sp.) and they are usually chased away by the adult birds. Unhatched eggs are removed by the parents. For the first week the chicks are fed insects after which they are fed fruits. The chicks fledge in about 35 days.

The species feeds mainly on fruits but sometimes takes grubs, termites (flycatching at emerging swarms of alates), ants and small caterpillars. In Kerala, the fruiting trees were limited mainly to Ficus species, especially Ficus retusa, Ficus gibbosa and Ficus tsiela. When feeding on small fruits, they tend to perch and peck rather than to swallow the fruit whole. In the non-breeding season, they join mixed-species foraging flocks.

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - WHITE CHEEKED BARBET (Psilopogon viridis)

The white-cheeked barbet or small green barbet (Psilopogon viridis) is a species of Asian barbet found in southern India. It is very similar to the more widespread brown-headed barbet (or large green barbet, Psilopogon zeylanicus), but this species has a distinctive supercilium and a broad white cheek stripe below the eye and is found in the forest areas of the Western Ghats, parts of the Eastern Ghats and adjoining hills. The brown-headed barbet has an orange eye-ring but the calls are very similar and the two species occur together in some of the drier forests to the east of the Western Ghats. Like all other Asian barbets, they are mainly frugivorous (although they may sometimes eat insects), and use their bills to excavate nest cavities in trees.

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - YELLOW BROWED BULBUL (Iole indica)

The yellow-browed bulbul (Acritillas indica), or golden-browed bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in the forests of southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-browed bulbul is mainly yellow on the underside and olive above with a distinct yellow brow. They are easily located by their loud calls but tend to skulk within foliage below the forest canopy. While its taxonomic classification has changed over time, it is currently the sole species within the monotypic genus Acritillas which is closely related to Hemixos.

The yellow-browed bulbul has been considered as the wet-zone counterpart of the dry-zone white-browed bulbul. It is found mainly below the forest canopy of the hill forests and plantations in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. They also occur in parts of the Eastern Ghats including the Kolli hills, Nallamalas and parts of Tirupathi and Mamandur regions in Andhra Pradesh.

Behaviour and ecology

Yellow-browed bulbuls are found in pairs or small groups and call loudly. They feed mainly on berries and insects. The breeding season is during the dry spell before the monsoons, mainly January to May. The nest is a cup built in a low fork covered with moss and cobwebs on the outside, giving the appearance of a large white-eye nest, and lined with fine root fibres. The typical clutch size in India is three eggs and in Sri Lanka two. A study of 153 nests in Silent Valley National Park of India found 92% of nests had two eggs. Peak breeding in the Silent Valley National Park of Kerala was found in January and February. About a week is taken for building the nest and the eggs are incubated for about 13 days. The eggs are pale pink or white with reddish brown speckling. The eggs hatch synchronously and the nestlings fledge after about 13 days. Nestlings are fed with caterpillars, soft insects and berries.

8-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - HEART SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Hemicircus canente)

The heart-spotted woodpecker (Hemicircus canente) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family. It has a contrasting black and white plumage, a distinctively stubby body and a large wedge-shaped head making it easy to identify while its frequent calling make it easy to detect as it forage for invertebrates under the bark of the slender outer branches of trees. They move about in pairs or small groups and are often found in mixed-species foraging flocks. They have a wide distribution across Asia with populations in the forests of southwestern and central India which are slightly separated from their ranges in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia.

A small, uniquely shaped, black and buff woodpecker with a large crest making the head look large for the short body and tail. Both males and females are predominantly black with heart-shaped black spots on white shoulders with broad white scapular patches and barring of flight feathers. The female has the forehead and crown buffy white while on males it is black with small white dots. The throat is whitish and the underparts are dark olive grey. A tuft of feathers on the back are specialized and are lipid rich which causes the feathers to stick together in preserved specimens. These special feathers or "fat quills" sometimes make the rump feathers appear buff and may be a form of "cosmetic colouration" and the secretion is said to have a pleasant smell but the functional significance is unknown.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. They are found in the Himalayan forests of India, and extend into Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Within India, they are also found in the Western Ghats and the forests of central India. A subspecies cordatus based on the description by Thomas C. Jerdon from a specimen from the Western Ghats is not considered distinct and the populations differ slightly in plumage colour and vary clinally in size (the northern birds being larger than those closer to the equator).

5-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - MALABAR FLAMEBACK WOODPECKER (FEMALE) (Chrysocolaptes socialis)

Key Facts About the Malabar Flameback:

Appearance: Both sexes are crested. Males have a bright red crest, while females have a black crest spotted with white. Their backs are golden-olive, the rump is crimson-red, and the underparts are white with a scalloped, brownish pattern.

Distinctive Features: It has a much larger bill compared to other flamebacks. It is often distinguished by its mottled black-and-white nape.

Habitat & Behavior: Restricted to the Western Ghats (Karnataka, Kerala), it inhabits evergreen and moist deciduous forests. It acts as a solitary bird or a loose participant in mixed-species foraging flocks.

Diet: They use their large, strong bills to probe and excavate dead wood, feeding primarily on wood-boring insect larvae.

Voice: Known for a loud, high-pitched trill.

Taxonomy: Previously considered a subspecies of the Greater Flameback (C. guttacristatus), it was separated based on distinct plumage and vocalizations. 

Differences from Similar Species:

Greater Flameback: The Malabar Flameback has a darker back, more red on the rump, and does not overlap in range with the Greater Flameback.

Common Flameback: The Malabar is larger and has a much thicker bill, compared to the smaller-billed Common Flameback.

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - CHOCOLATE PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia hedonia ssp. ida)

7-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - SRI LANKA FROGMOUTH (Batrachostomus moniliger)

The Sri Lanka frogmouth, Sri Lankan frogmouth or Ceylon frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) is a small frogmouth found in the Western Ghats of south India and Sri Lanka. Related to the nightjars, it is nocturnal and is found in forest habitats. The plumage coloration resembles that of dried leaves and the bird roosts quietly on branches, making it difficult to see. Each has a favourite roost that it uses regularly unless disturbed. It has a distinctive call that is usually heard at dawn and dusk. The sexes differ slightly in plumage.

This species is found in the Western Ghats of southwest India and Sri Lanka. Its habitat is tropical forest, usually with dense undergrowth. It can sometimes be found in more disturbed habitats, including plantations. Its presence may be overlooked due to its nocturnal behaviour and camouflage.

This bird reaches 23 centimetres (9.1 in) in length. Like all frogmouths, this species has a wide and hooked bill with slit-like nostrils and the large head with eyes facing forward to provide a wide field of binocular vision. Compared to others of its genus it has small wings, which are distinguished by the wing coverts ending in black spots tipped with white. The male is gray-brown with fine barring and a spotted crown. Some males are browner and look more similar to females. The female is more rufous or chestnut brown. Indian female birds have very fine black speckles on the crown but Sri Lankan females may lack or may have reduced markings. The bird also has short, stiff bristles in front of and surrounding the eyes. The Western Ghats population, ssp. roonwali (named after Mithan Lal Roonwal), looks very slightly different. The male has a brownish-grey wing mirror and yellowish spots on the undersides, compared to grey or white in the nominate Sri Lankan form. The female has a bright reddish-brown wing mirror and the wings are unspotted below.

This frogmouth is rarely seen during the day except at roost sites or when flushed. It regularly uses the same roost spot for months. When alarmed at its perch, it slowly moves its head, pointing its bill upward, and it can easily be mistaken for a jagged, broken branch. It relies on this crypsis and will often sit still a long time before making an escape. It may open its mouth wide in a threat display. Like its congeners, it feeds on insects, catching them in flight or gleaning them from the ground or tree branches. It is sometimes mobbed at its day roost by small songbirds. It is vocal at dusk, the call of the female being a loud, screechy "shkeerauuw" which drops in volume and ends is a series of hiccups. Another call is a series of rapid "skwar-skwar-skwar" which is produced by both male and female.

The breeding season in southern India is January to April, and in Sri Lanka February to March. The nest is a small pad made of moss lined with down and covered on the outside with lichens and bark. The bird incubates a single white egg, covering the nest and holding the tail flush with the tree, taking on the outline of a lichen-covered snag. The male often broods during the day, while both parents share the duty during the night. After the chick fledges, the male destroys the nest. The parents often use the same branch for multiple nestings. The juvenile may stay with the parents for a couple of months, huddling between them at the roost.

8-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - BRONZED DRONGO (Dicrurus aeneus)

The bronzed drongo (Dicrurus aeneus) is a small Indomalayan bird belonging to the drongo group. They are resident in the forests of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They capture insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by making aerial sallies from their perches. They are very similar to the other drongos of the region but are somewhat smaller and compact with differences in the fork depth and the patterns of gloss on their feathers.

This drongo is somewhat smaller than the black drongo and has more metallic gloss with a spangled appearance on the head, neck and breast. The lores are velvety and the ear coverts are duller. The tail is slender and well forked with the outer tail feathers flaring outward slightly. Immatures have their axillaries tipped in white. The young bird is duller and brownish with less spangling.

The nominate race is found in India and extending until the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. Specimens from southern India are however very similar in morphometrics to those from malayensis of Burma and the size variation may be clinal. The subspecies from China kwangsiensis is treated as synonymous with aeneus. Subspecies malayensis is found from Selangor south into, Sumatra and Borneo. Taiwan is home to braunianus in the mountains of the interior.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - RED WHISKERED BULBUL (Pycnonotus jocosus)

The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird native to Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It has a loud three or four note call, feeds on fruits and small insects and perches conspicuously on trees. It is common in hill forests and urban gardens.

The red-whiskered bulbul is about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length. It has brown upper-parts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black moustachial line. The tail is long and brown with white terminal feather tips, but the vent area is red. Juveniles lack the red patch behind the eye, and the vent area is rufous-orange.[citation needed]

An albino red-whiskered bulbul has also been recorded.

22-3-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GEOMETER MOTH (Genus Dyscia)

Dyscia is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae (subfamily Ennominae), first described by Jacob Hübner in 1825. These moths are generally medium-sized, with a wingspan typically ranging from 28 to 42 mm. 

Here are key facts regarding the genus Dyscia:

Appearance and Characteristics

Coloration: Individuals range from pale grey or sandy beige to brownish-grey, often with numerous black spots or scales.

Wing Shape: A key identifier is the slightly concave outer margin of the forewings.

Physical Features: They lack a proboscis (tongue).

Distinct Species: While most are grey/beige, Dyscia nobiliaria is noted for its reddish coloration. 

Environment: They inhabit open moorland, heathland, peat bogs, limestone ground, macchia shrubland, and olive groves.

Activity: They are nocturnal, with both sexes often attracted to light.

Flight Period: Depending on the species and region, they can be found flying from January to December, with peak activity often in spring and summer (e.g., May to July for D. conspersaria). 

Diet and Life Cycle

Larval Foodplants: The larvae are oligophagous (feeding on a limited range of plants), primarily feeding on Fabaceae (Genista), Asteraceae (Artemisia, Achillea), Lamiaceae (Salvia), and Ericaceae (Calluna, Erica).

Overwintering: Species may overwinter as larvae, pupae, or adults. 

Taxonomy and Species

Species Count: There are approximately 19 recognized species within the genus.

21-3-2020 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - GREAT TIT (Parus major)

The great tit (Parus major) is a small passerine bird, easily recognized by its black head and neck, striking white cheeks, olive upperparts, and vibrant yellow underparts. This bird is the most widespread species in the genus Parus, found across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of North Africa.

Males are characterized by their bright plumage, with a black bib that extends down the belly, bordered by a lemon-yellow breast. Females and juveniles are similar but have duller coloration. The black line down the belly is also narrower and sometimes broken in these birds.

Great tits favor a variety of woodland habitats, including deciduous and mixed forests, forest edges, and even urban parks and gardens. They are also found in riverine woodlands and, in some regions, boreal taiga.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - RANGOON CREEPER (Combretum indicum)

Rangoon Creeper (Combretum indicum) is a vigorous, woody vine native to tropical Southeast Asia. It is famous for its heavily fragrant, star-like flowers that dramatically shift from white, to pink, and finally red as they age, making it a highly sought-after ornamental climber.

Key facts about the Rangoon Creeper include:

Color-Changing Blooms: Flowers open white at dusk (attracting hawkmoths), turn pink on day two, and deepen to red by day three (attracting bees and birds).

Growth Habit: It can scale up to 70 feet (20 meters) in tropical climates. In youth, it grows as an upright shrub, but quickly develops into a rambling, woody vine, climbing using the stiff, hook-like bases of fallen leaves.

Fragrance: The blooms release a strong, sweet, honey-like and fruity scent that becomes particularly potent at night.

Fruit & Seeds: The plant produces 1-to-1.5 inch dark brown, five-winged seed pods. The mature seeds have an almond or coconut-like flavor, though overconsumption can cause nausea or hiccups.

Medicinal Uses: In traditional medicine (especially in Asia), different parts of the plant are used to expel parasitic worms, relieve headaches, and treat rheumatism or diarrhea.

Cultivation Tips: It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 and requires a full-to-partial sun environment. Because of its extremely fast growth rate, regular pruning is necessary to keep it from overtaking garden structures.

9-3-2020 THATTEKAD, INDIA - DOLLARBIRD (Eurystomus orientalis)

The Oriental dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) is a bird of the roller family, so named because of the distinctive pale blue or white, coin-shaped spots on its wings. It can be found from Australia to Korea, Japan and India.

The oriental dollarbird is found from Australia to Japan and India. It breeds in northern and eastern Australia between the months of September and April and winters in New Guinea and nearby islands. The birds prefer open wooded areas with hollow-bearing trees to build nests in.

The oriental dollarbird is most commonly seen singly with a distinctive upright silhouette on a bare branch high in a tree, from which it hawks for insects, returning to the same perch after a few seconds.

The oriental dollarbird has a length of up to 30 cm. It is dark brown but this is heavily washed with a bluish-green sheen on the back and wing coverts. Its belly and undertail coverts are light coloured, and it has glossy bright blue colouring on its throat and undertail. Its flight feathers are a darker blue. Its bill is short and wide and in mature animals is coloured orange-red with a black tip. It has very light blue patches on the outer parts of its wings which are highly visible in flight and for which it is named. The females are slightly duller than the males but overall the two are very similar. Immature birds are much duller than the adults and do not have the blue colouring on their throats. They also have brown bills and feet instead of the red of the adults.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - PIED PADDY SKIMMER DRAGONFLY (Neurothemis tullia)

Neurothemis tullia, the pied paddy skimmer, is a species of dragonfly found in south and south-east Asia. It appears in Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

It is a black dragonfly with a pale yellow mid-dorsal carina of thorax. Wings are hyaline for apical half and opaque steely blue-black for basal half which is bordered by a milky white patch towards the tip. Females differ remarkably from the males both in body-colouring and markings and in marking of the wings. Its body is greenish yellow with a bright yellow mid-dorsal carina of thorax. Base of wings are amber yellow followed by a blackish brown patch. Apices of all wings are broadly opaque blackish brown and the remaining halves are pale yellow.

It breeds in marshes, well vegetated ponds, lakes and rice fields. It perches very close to ground and its flight is very weak.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - LIME SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY (Papilio demoleus)

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, 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 are found in the Indian subcontinent. They do not migrate and live year-round in forests in most parts of the Indian subcontinent and are often seen in gardens within large cities as well as in forested areas.

Jungle babblers are diurnal and very social birds. They live in flocks of 7 to 10 individuals or more. They are noisy, and the presence of a flock may be heard at some distance by the harsh mewing calls, continual chattering, squeaking, and chirping produced by its members. They sometimes form the core of a mixed-species foraging flock. When foraging, some birds take up a high vantage point and act as sentinels. They may also gather and mob potential predators such as snakes. The groups maintain territories and will defend them against neighbors, which are nevertheless sometimes tolerated. Birds within a group often indulge in allopreening, play chases, and mock fights. When threatened by predators, Jungle babblers have been said to sometimes feign death.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - MALABAR GREY HORNBILL (Ocyceros griseus)

The Malabar gray hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They are found mainly in dense forest and around rubber, arecanut or coffee plantations. They move around in pairs or small groups, feeding on figs and other forest fruits. Their loud cackling and laughing call makes them familiar to people living in the region.

The Malabar grey hornbill is a large bird, but at 45 to 58 cm (18 to 23 in) in length it is still the smallest of the Asian hornbills. It has a 23 cm (9.1 in) tail and pale or yellowish to orange bill. Males have a reddish bill with a yellow tip, while the females have a plain yellow bill with black at the base of the lower mandible and a black stripe along the culmen. They show a broad whitish superciliary band above the eye, running down to the neck. They fly with a strong flap and glide flight and hop around heavily on the outer branches of large fruiting trees. They have brown-grey wings, a white carpal patch and black primary flight feathers tipped with white. The Indian grey hornbill, which is found mainly on the adjoining plains, is easily told apart by its prominent casque, and in flight by the white trailing edge of the entire wing. The Malabar grey hornbill has a grey back and a cinnamon vent. The long tail is blackish with a white tip, and the underparts are grey with white streaks. The long curved bill has no casque. Immature birds have browner upperparts and a yellow bill. Young birds have a dull white or yellow iris.

Their loud calls are distinctive and include "hysterical cackling", "laughing" and "screeching" calls.

The species is endemic to the Western Ghats mountain range of India from about Nashik in the north to the southernmost hills. The species has an elevational distribution range from about 50 m near the coast (e.g., Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra) to around 1,500 m in the mountains. In the southern Western Ghats, Malabar Grey Hornbills were reported in evergreen forests between 500 m and 900 m (sporadically to 1,100 m) elevation in Kalakad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, but frequently up to 1,200 m in the Anamalai Hills further north. In both these sites, the estimated Malabar Grey Hornbill density decreased with elevation, with the population density in rainforest fragments in the Anamalai Hills being additionally positively related to food tree species richness. The species is found mainly in dense forest habitats; the thinner dry forest habitat of the plains is typically occupied by the Indian grey hornbill. The Sri Lanka grey hornbill was included with this species in the past, but is now considered distinct.

This hornbill is found in small groups mainly in habitats with good tree cover. Being large frugivores, they are important as seed dispersal agents for many species of fruit bearing forest trees. They also feed on small vertebrates and in captivity they will readily take meat.

The breeding season is January to May. Being secondary cavity nesters (incapable of excavating their own nests), they find trees with large cavities. A study in the Anaimalai Hills showed that the species preferred nest sites that had large trees. The nest holes were usually found in large trees with hollows caused by heart-rot, where a branch had broken off. Trees of the species Lagerstroemia microcarpa, Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia crenulata were found to hold nearly 70% of all the nests in the Mudumalai area. The species is monogamous, and the same nest sites are used by the pair year after year. The female incarcerates herself within the cavity by sealing its entrance with a cement made from her droppings. The female then lays three or sometimes four white eggs and begins a complete moult of her flight feathers. The entrance to the nest retains a narrow aperture through which the female voids excreta and receives food from the male. The male brings all the food needed for the female and the young. Berries, insects, small rodents and reptiles are included in the diet. Males tap the tree to beckon the female on arriving with food. Berries are regurgitated one at a time and shifted to the tip of the bill before being passed to the female.

9-3-2020 THATTEKAD BIRD SANCTUARY, INDIA - GREAT HORNBILL (Buceros bicornis)

The great hornbill is native to the forests of India, Bhutan, Nepal, mainland Southeast Asia and Sumatra. Its distribution is fragmented in the Western Ghats and in the foothills of the Himalayas. Deforestation has reduced its range in many parts of India such as in the Kolli hills where it was recorded in the 1860s.

It prefers dense old growth unlogged forests in hilly regions. It appears to be dependent on large stretches of rain forests.

In Thailand, the home range of males was found to be about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) during the breeding season and about 14.7 km (9.1 mi) during the non-breeding season. Molecular approaches to the study of its population diversity have been attempted.

Great hornbills are usually seen in small parties, with larger groups sometimes aggregating at fruit trees. A congregation of 150 to 200 birds has been recorded in southeastern Bhutan. In the wild, the great hornbill's diet consists mainly of fruit. Figs are particularly important as a food source. Vitex altissima has been noted as another important food source. Great hornbills also forage on lipid-rich fruits of the families Lauraceae and Myristicaceae such as Persea, Alseodaphne and Myristica. They obtain water entirely from their diet of fruits. They are important dispersers of many forest tree species. They will also eat small mammals, birds, small reptiles and insects. Lion-tailed macaques have been seen to forage alongside these hornbills.

They forage along branches, moving along by hopping, looking for insects, nestling birds and small lizards, tearing up bark and examining them. Prey are caught, tossed in the air and swallowed. A rare squirrel, the Travancore flying squirrel (Petinomys fuscocapillus) has been eaten, and Indian scops owl (Otus bakkamoena), jungle owlet (Glaucidium radiatum) and Sri Lanka green pigeon (Treron pompadora) have been taken as prey in the Western Ghats.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - SPINEPLATE MILLIPEDE (Family Harpagophoridae)

The Spineplate Millipedes (Family Harpagophoridae) are a diverse group of large, round-backed millipedes native to Africa, Southeast Asia, and the East Indies. Known for reaching impressive lengths of up to 25 cm, they play a crucial environmental role as detritivores by breaking down and recycling decaying organic matter.

Key Physical & Ecological Traits

Size & Appearance: Some species, like the Siamese pointy-tailed millipede, grow to significant lengths and often feature vibrant aposematic coloration (warning colors) to deter predators.

Defense Mechanisms: When threatened, they are known to coil into a tight spiral and can secrete foul-smelling or toxic, irritating chemical fluids from glands along their bodies.

Habitat: They primarily inhabit moist, leaf-littered environments, with many species heavily adapted to tropical forest floors or even climbing high into the canopy.

Diet: As scavengers, they primarily feed on decaying vegetation, dead wood, and fungi, returning vital nutrients to the soil.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN (Copsychus saularis)

This species is 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long, including the long tail, which is usually held cocked upright when hopping on the ground. When they are singing a song the tail is normal like other birds. It is similar in shape to the smaller European robin, but is longer-tailed. The male has black upperparts, head and throat apart from a white shoulder patch. The underparts and the sides of the long tail are white. Females are greyish black above and greyish white under. Young birds have scaly brown upperparts and head.

The nominate race is found on the Indian subcontinent and the females of this race are the palest. The females of the Andaman Islands race andamanensis are darker, heavier-billed and shorter-tailed. The Sri Lankan race ceylonensis (formerly included with the peninsular Indian populations south of the Kaveri River) and southern nominate individuals have the females nearly identical to the males in shade. The eastern populations, the ones in Bangladesh and Bhutan, have more black on the tail and were formerly named erimelas. The populations in Myanmar (Burma) and further south are named as the race musicus. A number of other races have been named across the range, including prosthopellus (Hong Kong), nesiotes, zacnecus, nesiarchus, masculus, pagiensis, javensis, problematicus, amoenus, adamsi, pluto, deuteronymus and mindanensis. However, many of these are not well-marked and the status of some of them is disputed. Some, like mindanensis, have now been usually recognized as full species (the Philippine magpie-robin). There is more geographic variation in the plumage of females than in that of the males.

It is mostly seen close to the ground, hopping along branches or foraging in leaf-litter on the ground with a cocked tail. Males sing loudly from the top of trees or other high perches during the breeding season.

9-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - COMMON FOUR RING BUTTERFLY (Ypthima huebneri)

Ypthima huebneri,the common fourring, is a species of Satyrinae butterfly found in Asia.

Throughout South India, Indian Himalayan Region, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indochina.

Larva. About one inch (25 mm) in length, with two divergent processes from the anal segment pointing backwards. "Colour entirely green with a dorsal line somewhat darker green, which becomes white at the fourth segment, and extends right through the crown of the head; there is also a paler green lateral line below the spiracles." Host plants include Axonopus compressus.

Pupa. "Green or brown, with the head rounded, the edges of the wing-cases raised and angled anteriorly; the thorax humped and marked like the abdominal segments, with some dark brown waved lines and spots" (de Niceville quoted in Bingham).

8-3-2020 PERIYAR RIVER LODGE, INDIA - WAVE MOTH (genus scopula)

Genus Scopula – Field Guide to the Insects of TasmaniaScopula is a large, diverse genus of Geometridae moths, often called "wave moths," with around 800 species distributed worldwide in varied habitats. Known for their small to medium size, these moths usually have cryptic, pale coloration with wavy, thin, or dotted wing patterns. They are often difficult to identify without examining their genitalia. 

Key Facts About Genus Scopula

Classification: Described by Franz von Paula Schrank in 1802, they belong to the Sterrhinae subfamily.

Appearance & Size: Wingspans typically range between 18–29 mm. Wings often feature a, transverse line, a central band, and an outer line, although some species have reduced markings.

Habitat & Behavior: They inhabit forests, scrublands, and heathlands, often found in both open and forested areas. They are active during the day or night depending on the species and are easily disturbed from vegetation.

Diet: Larvae (caterpillars) are often oligophagous, feeding on low-growing plants such as thyme, oregano, heath, and various herbs.

Life Cycle: The larvae are typically long and slender, often referred to as loopers.

10-3-2020 KERALA, INDIA - CHALKY PERCHER DRAGONFLY (Diplacodes trivialis)