28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - GREEN JAY (Cyanocorax yncas)

The Inca jay or querrequerre (Cyanocorax yncas) is a bird species of the New World jays, which is native to the Andes of South America.

The Inca jay is 29.5–30.5 cm (11.6–12.0 in) in length. The crown can appear mostly white, with blue limited to the frontal crest and nape. A black bib forms a broad band up to the sides of the head as well as a stripe through the eye line and one above it. The breast and underparts typically are bright yellow. The upper parts are rich green. The color of the iris is bright yellow.

As with most of the typical jays, this species has a very extensive voice repertoire. The bird's most common call makes a rassh-rassh-rassh sound, but many other unusual notes also occur. One of the most distinctive calls sounds like an alarm bell.

The range extends southwards in the Andes from the Colombia and Venezuela through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Inca jays usually build a nest in a tree or in a thorny bush or thicket, and the female lays three to five eggs. Only the female incubates, but both parents take care of the young. In Venezuela, they have been observed being victims of nest parasitism by giant cowbirds.

Their basic diet consists of arthropods, vertebrates, seeds, and fruit.

25-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - LITTLE CORMORANT (Microcarbo niger)

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - COMMON HILL MYNA (Gracula religiosa)

The common hill myna (Gracula religiosa), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as the hill myna or myna bird, is the myna most commonly sighted in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is a member of the starling family (Sturnidae), resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Sri Lanka hill myna, a former subspecies of G. religiosa, is now generally accepted as a separate species G. ptilogenys. The Enggano hill myna (G. enganensis) and Nias hill myna (G. robusta) are also widely accepted as specifically distinct, and many authors favor treating the southern hill myna (G. indica) from the Nilgiris and elsewhere in the Western Ghats of India as a separate species.

The common hill myna is a popular talking bird. Its specific name religiosa may allude to the practice of teaching mynas to repeat prayers.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BROWN LORY (Chalcopsitta duivenbodei)

The brown lory (Chalcopsitta duivenbodei), also called Duyvenbode's lory, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae native to northern New Guinea.

The brown lory is one of three species in the genus Chalcopsitta. Within the genus, it is basal to the two other species.

The generic name comes from the Greek khalkos, meaning bronze, and the Modern Latin psitta, meaning parrot. The specific epithet commemorates the Dutch merchant Maarten Dirk van Renesse van Duivenbode.

The species is monotypic. Populations from northeastern New Guinea are sometimes treated as a distinct subspecies, C. d. syringanuchalis, on the basis of differences in plumage. Birds from the Sepik River area have also been proposed as a separate subspecies C. d. intermedia, but are almost universally subsumed into the nominate or (where two subspecies are recognised) into syringanuchalis.

The brown lory has a black beak, yellow-streaked face, white tail and mostly dark brown plumage.

Breeding occurs in April. In captivity, clutches were of two eggs, with an incubation period of 24 days and a nestling period of nearly 11 weeks.

The brown lory is found in northern New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, with elevations up to 150 m (492 ft). It is considered generally uncommon in its range, though it is locally common in certain areas (such as the Puwani River area south of Vanimo).

28-11-2016 CHANGI, SINGAPORE - ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL (Anthracoceros albirostris)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/5551-Anthracoceros-albirostris

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - GREAT BLUE TERACO (Corythaeola cristata)

 The great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata) is a bird species of the family Musophagidae. At 70–76 cm (28–30 in) in length, it is the largest species of turaco. It has predominantly grey-blue plumage with an upright blue-black crest around 10 cm (3.9 in) high. The male and female have similar plumage. It is widespread throughout the African tropical rainforest.

The species ranges from Guinea in the west, east across the sub-Saharan nations to the Imatong Mountains in South Sudan; it also occurs in Uganda, Tanzania and western Kenya, south to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. It inhabits rainforests and gallery forests. It has also adapted to areas cleared by humans and can thrive in these areas.

The great blue turaco is gregarious, with birds forming small troops of some six or seven individuals.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BLACK BITTERN (Ixobrychus flavicollis)

The black bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) is a bittern of Old World origin, breeding in tropical Asia from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to China, Indonesia, and Australia. It is mainly resident, but some northern birds migrate short distances.

It is a fairly large species at 58 cm (23 in) in length, being by some margin the largest bittern in the genus Ixobrychus. Compared to related species, it has a longish neck and long yellow bill. The adult is uniformly black above, with yellow neck sides. It is whitish below, heavily streaked with brown. The juvenile is like the adult, but dark brown rather than black. They can be difficult to see, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but tend to fly fairly frequently when the all black upperparts makes them unmistakable.

Their breeding habitat is reed beds. They nest on platforms of reeds in shrubs, or sometimes in trees. Three to five eggs are laid.

24-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - LIME BUTTERFLY (Papilio demoleus ssp. malayanus)

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - TAVETA GOLDEN WEAVER (Ploceus castaneiceps)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/13811-Ploceus-castaneiceps

 

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BANK MYNA (Acridotheres ginginianus)

The bank myna (Acridotheres ginginianus) is a myna found in the northern parts of South Asia. It is smaller but similar in colouration to the common myna, only differing in having brick-red naked skin behind the eyes instead of yellow. It is greyer on the underside and in this and in the presence of a slight tuft of feathers bears some resemblance to the jungle myna. They are found in flocks on the plains of northern and central India, often within towns and cities. Their range appears to be extending southwards into India. The name is derived from their habit of nesting almost exclusively in the earthen banks of rivers, where they excavate burrows and breed in large colonies.

24-5-2023 SUKAU RIVER LODGE, BORNEO - RUDDY KINGFISHER (Halcyon coromanda)

The ruddy kingfisher (Halcyon coromanda) is a medium-sized tree kingfisher, widely distributed in east and southeast Asia.

Reaching approximately 25 cm, the ruddy kingfisher has a very large, bright red bill and equally red legs. The body is rust red, generally deepening to purple at the tail. There is little sexual dimorphism though some sources report male birds being somewhat brighter in plumage. Due to its preference for heavily forested areas, the kingfisher's high, descending call is more often heard than the bird itself is seen, and these birds generally travel singly or in pairs.

The ruddy kingfisher ranges from South Korea and Japan in the north, south through the Philippines to the Sunda Islands, and west to China and India. It is migratory, with birds in the northern part of the range migrating as far south as Borneo during winter. Locally common in southern parts of its range, the ruddy kingfisher is rare in Japan, where it is highly sought after by birders. Ruddy kingfishers inhabit forested areas from the temperate to tropical zones, often in thick jungles and rainforests.

Like other kingfishers, ruddy kingfishers generally feed on fish, crustaceans, and large insects. However, in areas with less running water, they are known to eat frogs and other amphibians.

28-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - BLOSSOM HEADED PARAKEET (Psittacula roseata)

The blossom-headed parakeet (Psittacula roseata) is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae.

Himalayapsitta roseata is a lime-green parrot, 30 cm (12 in) long with a tail up to 18 cm (7.1 in). The male's head is pink becoming pale blue on the back of the crown, nape and cheeks. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe. There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped yellow. The upper mandible is yellow, and the lower mandible is dark. The female has a pale grey head and lacks the black neck collar and chin stripe patch. The lower mandible is pale. Immature birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch. The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar plum-headed parakeet (H. cyanocephala).

This species is a resident breeder in Eastern Bangladesh, Bhutan, Northeast India and Nepal, eastwards into South-east Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) and also China. Blossom-headed parakeet inhabits lowland and foothill open forests and forest edges. 

Blossom-headed parakeet nests in holes in trees, laying 4-5 white eggs. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet. It is a gregarious and noisy species with range of raucous calls.

24-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - INDIAN POND HERON (Ardeola grayii)

24-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - EASTERN GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba ssp. modesta)

24-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - CITRINE WAGTAIL (Motacilla citreola)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrine_wagtail

25-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - CHESTNUT CROWNED WARBLER (Seicercus castaniceps)

The chestnut-crowned warbler (Phylloscopus castaniceps) is a species of leaf warbler (family Phylloscopidae). It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. Nine subspecies are recognised across its range, and it forms a superspecies with the Sunda warbler and the yellow-breasted warbler.

It is arboreal and primarily insectivorous. Though not considered migratory, it may make small seasonal movements to higher or lower elevations.

The chestnut-crowned warbler was previously placed in the genus Seicercus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that neither Phylloscopus nor Seicercus were monophyletic. In the subsequent reorganization the two genera were merged into Phylloscopus which has priority under the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

25-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - RED BILLED STARLING (Spodiopsar sericeus)

The red-billed starling (Spodiopsar sericeus) is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in south and southeastern China.

The red-billed starling was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the starlings in the genus Sturnus and coined the binomial name Sturnus sericeus. The specific epithet sericeus is Medieval Latin meaning "silken". Gmelin based his account on the "silk starling" from China that had been described and illustrated in 1776 by the English naturalist Peter Brown from a specimen owned by the collector Marmaduke Tunstall.

The red-billed starling was formerly placed in the genus Sturnus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2008 found that the genus was polyphyletic. In the reoganization to create monotypic genera, the red-billed starling and the white-cheeked starling were moved to the resurrected genus Spodiopsar that had been introduced in 1889 by Richard Bowdler Sharpe. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. 

25-11-2016 JURONG, SINGAPORE - RED COLLARED DOVE (Streptopelia tranquebarica)

The red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), also known as the red turtle dove, is a small pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the tropics of Asia. The male has a blue-grey head and a red-brown body. The female is much plainer, with pale brown plumage similar to that of the larger Eurasian collared dove.

The red collared dove is a relatively small species, with a length of 20.5–23 cm (8.1–9.1 in) and a weight of around 104 g (3.7 oz). The male has a bluish head and light red-brown body with a black ring round its neck, while the female is similar but pinkish all over.

 

23-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - WHITE THROATED KINGFISHER (Halcyon smyrnensis)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/204519-Halcyon-smyrnensis

23-11-2016 INLE LAKE, MYANMAR - CITRINE WAGTAIL (Motacilla citreola)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/13687-Motacilla-citreola