Black -Crested Bulbul

Name: Black- Crested Bulbul (Black headed yellow Bulbul)
Size: 18 Cms
Appearance: A olive green wing and body coloured bird, with prominent black crest on head along with black head. Eyes are light yellow coloured hence appears prominent on black head. 
Habitat: Found only in certain parts of M.P, Odisha, Srilanka, Nort east and Uttarakhand. A shy bird mostly lives in forest and found in dense undergrowth. Feeds on fruits and insects. 

Red Whiskered Bulbul

Name: Red Whiskered Bulbul
Size: 22 Cms
Appearance: A thick Bulbul with prominent black crest on head along with red streaks behind eyes. White throat and underparts, light grey wings. 
Habitat: Found in urban as well as rural areas. Very liberal on diet. Feeds on nectar, insects and even human food left overs. Often seen in groups or pairs. 
Sounds: Call sounds like bird is asking " Peter who?'

Red Vented Bulbul

Name : Red Vented Bulbul
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance: A Dark black headed Bulbul with streaked grey wings, and a red vent. Underparts light grey. Race found in eastern India is much darker in shade as compared to found in other parts of India. 
Habitat: Perhaps one of the most common birds found in India. Usually found in pairs. Inquisitive by nature and defends nests with full zeal and aggression. 
Sound: Pee pee... Jit chew...

Spotted Owlet

Name: Spotted Owlet
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance:  A Small grayish brown owl with yellow irises.Small white dots on brown forehead and white stripes like marking on grayish brown underparts.  White eyebrows give accentuated look to the perfectly rounded eyes. 
Habitat: Among the most common owls found across India. Lives on trees in dense woods. Family party stays together. Nests in holes. Feeds on small birds and mammals along with reptiles. 
Call: Repeated and cracking calls of Chrew.... 

Jungle Owlet

Name: Jungle Owlet (Barred owlet)
Size: 25 Cms
Appearance: A small owlet with yellow iris. Thick dark brown bars on face which reduces as we down the body. The streaks on the body become less thinner as we look down and is totally absent in vent. 
Habitat: Found on fringes of forests sitting on trees in day time. Hunts in night. Mostly found in teak and sal forests. Feeds on insects, reptiles, rodents and some times Juvenile birds as well. 
Sound: An increasing call of high and low pitched sounds of Ooo..OO...

Brown FIsh Owl

Name: Brown Fish Owl
Size: 56 cms
Appearance: A huge owl, with flat face and thorn like ear tufts coming above the face. Brown coloured. Wings dark brown with black and white spots and streaks, belly light brown with black streaks on it. Dark yellow iris. 
Habitat: A rare sighting in day time. Mostly found in forest near small rivulets or streams of water. Feeds on fish and small rats and rabbits coming near water bodies. 
Call : An echoing call of whom... whom...

Booted Warbler

Name : Booted Warbler (Booted tree warbler)
Size:  12  Cms
Appearance: A small brown winged warbler with white throat and white belly. Square ended tail.
Habitat: Found in southern penisular India including Maharashtra. Sighting is a rarity as mostly lives in low scrubs, thorn trees and crops. Often found in parties of 3 to 4. 

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

Name: Tickell's Blue Flycatcher
Size: 14 Cms
Appearance: A small,  blue winged bird with Orange throat. White coloured belly. Females have a a bit dull blue coat and dull orange throat colour. 
Habitat: Found in dense bushes (often near water bodies). Feeds on insects and sits low on perches. Also found in urban areas but only in less disturbed green patches. Often seen in pairs. 
Sound: A continuous metallic shrill chrrr....followed by Tak tak...

Asian Koel

Asian Koel (Female)

Asian Koel (Male)

Name:  Asian Koel

Size: 40 Cms 

Appearance: A Medium sized bird, with ruby red eyes, and large white billed specifically designed for plucking berries out of trees. Males have black glossy coat and long tail. Females have dark grey and brown spots on white coat. 

Habitat:  Found across India in abundance. Amongst the very few parasitic parents and lay there eggs mostly in crows nest. 

Sound: Adult males have trade mark voice of Kuu...Kuu... (mating call), female calls are more noisy and more clamorous of  shrieks of Ku ku ku...

Stork Billed Kingfisher

Name: Stork Billed Kingfisher.
Appearance: A large billed kingfisher. Perhaps the largest bill among all kingfishers. Light blue wings and Yellow underparts. Head is grey in colour.
Habitat: Found across peninsular India and Gangetic plains. Mostly found in well wooded areas near water bodies. A very shy bird and difficult to spot as mostly hides in dense bushes. 

Small Blue Kingfisher

Name: Small Blue Kingfisher (Common Kingfisher)
Appearance : A light blue colour on wings, with orange brown underparts. Darkish blue bill. 
Tail shorter then  White breasted kingfisher.
Habitat: Found across India. Often sitting perches hanging above water streams. Nests near water bodies only in form of burrows on sandy banks. 

White Breasted Kingfisher

Name: White breasted Kingfisher (White Throated Kingfisher)
Size : 28 Cms
Appearance: Long red bill, with blue wings, brown head and white throat. Male and female alike. 
Habitat: Almost ubiquitous through out India. Found near water bodies. Only kingfisher which is not solely dependent on fishes. Very liberal on diet front, eats Insects, dragon flies, reptiles and amphibians. 

Oriental White Eye

Name : Oriental White Eye
Size: 10 Cms
Appearance : A Small yet plump bird with bright yellow coloured body. Characterized by Big white rings around eyes. A White Rufous belly. 
Habitat: Mostly found in gardens, forests and well wooded areas. Often found in groups. Very active on tree foliage ans is difficult to get a still shot. 

Scaly Breasted Munia

Name: Scaly Breasted Munia
Size: 10 Cms
Appearance: A tiny bird with scales of blackish brown on chest. Brown Head, Brown wings. Beak meant to crush grains. 
Habitat: Found across central, eastern and southern India.  Often find near grain fields. Feeds primarily on grains and some times on insects. 

Grey Myna (Chestnut Tailed Starling)

Name: Grey Myna (Chestnut Tailed Starling)
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance : A Chestnut coloured starling, with charecteristic Pale yellow bill and white round eyes. Wings are a bit darker then rest of the body. 
Habitat: Found across in Southern and eastern India. Mostly found on fringes of villages and forests, eats on insects near flowers and on tree canopy. 

Pale-Billed Flowerpecker

Name: Plain Flowerpecker
Size: 8 Cms
Appearance : A tiny bird, with pink bill. Dark grey colour above on wings and Pale grey buff below. A slightly curved bill. 
Habitat : Mostly found in fringes of forests. Often near bushes. Found on the canopy of the bushes feeding on insects near berries and flowers. 
Sound: A surprisingly loud call of Chik chik chik...mostly made during short flights from one perch to other. 

Pied Bushchat

Name: Pied Bushchat
Size: 13 Cms
Appearance: A small bird, with blackish brown brown body and white stripes on wings and white vent. Females have similar size but grey body colour. Body colouration of male is pretty similar to oriental Magpie Robin. 
Habitat: Found across India, A very common bird. Often found near villages sitting on barren perches and wires. 
Sound: A sound of Cheep...cheep... tree....

Indian Robin

Name: Indian Robin
Size: 16 Cms
Appearance : A Rufous bellied chat like bird. Dark body in southern India, as we go above central India the males have brownish appearance. 
Habitat: A very common bird found in both urban and rural landscapes. Feeds on insects. Almost a surety near wooded water bodies. 

Oriental Magpie Robin

Name: Oriental Magpie Robin
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance: A black and white bird, with Black throat and white stripes on black wings. Black underparts. Mostly characterized by an up tail while sitting on perch of trees. Commonly found in all the gardens. It is  national  bird of Bangladesh. Females have Grey and less glossy appearance instead of black. 
Habitat: Found across India. A very common bird in Garden and densely bushed areas. Found even in urban areas. 

Blue Throat

Name : Blue Throat
Size: 15 Cms
Appearance : A Small bird with orange, black, blue and red bands on throat, starting from bottom. Off white eyebrows. Brown body (like Indian Chat). Thin legs. 
Habitat: Almost found spread across India. Becomes scarce as we move down south India. 
Sound: Chak.... Chak....

Baya Weaver

 Baya Weaver (Male)

Baya Weaver (Female)

Name: Baya Weaver

Size: 15 Cms

Appearance: Males brightly coloured. Bright yellow colour on head along with a dark black neck below.  Grey Streaked feathers. Female has pale yellow shades near beak. Pale grey in underparts, wings similar to males. Females are less shy then Males. 

Habitat: Found almost across India. Male makes weaved nest with strings of grass. Polygamist by nature. Nests are build mostly with water body below and on Palm and Babul trees. Nesting season is summers and breeding is done in Monsoons. 

Chestnut Headed Green Bee Eater

Name : Chestnut Headed Green Bee Eater
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance: Almost same as that of Green Bee Eater, with striking chestnut colour on head and collar. Pin tail is absent. 
Habitat: Found through out western ghats, eastern Ghats, and in plains of north east. 

Green Bee Eater

Name: Green Bee Eater
Size: 20 Cms
Appearance: A Small birds with bright green underparts and Dark green wings characterized by a thin central tail pin. Black stripes on eye lashes helps to act as sun glasses. 
Habitat: Found across India downwards Gangetic planes. can be seen sitting in groups on tress, wires and doing sorties in air to catch insects. Mostly lives in burrows on the banks of water bodies. Eats insects by catching them in air.
Sound:  A noisy tree... tree... voices often made during flight. 

Purple Sunbird

Purple Sunbird (Male)

Purple Sunbird (Female)

Name: Purple Sunbird

Size: 10 Cm

Appearance: A small, dark metallic purple bird (male). Females with similar size but brownish grey wings and off white in underparts. 

Habitat: Found almost all over India apart from Himalayas. Found even in urban parks and densely wooded areas. Keeps moving in fast manner from one perch to other.   Beak  is  ideally made for sucking nectar juices of flowers. 

Call: Quick and repetitive call of Chweet... Chweet..

Indian Chat

Name: Indian Chat
Size: 17 Cm
Appearance: A Small bird, with brownish body. Mostly feeds on grains disposed of around houses.
Habitat: Mostly found in central India. Inhabits in old homes and rocky edges. 

Common Iora

 Common Iora (Male)

Common Iora (Female)

Name: Common Iora

Size: 14 cm

Appearance: A small Yellowish green bird. Common in gardens and wooded places. Prominent white stripes of both male and female. Males have darker wings with black colour. 

Habitat: Mostly found in pairs, moving on the tree canopy in search of flower nectar, insects and caterpillars. 

Call: stretched calls of weeee..chu... Much like common tailor birds.  

Common Kestrel

Name : Common Kestrel
Size: 35 cms
Appearance: A Small, long winged, long tailed raptor. Grey Headed. Grey forked tail with black bands around it. Spots on light brown wings.
Habitat: Found on mountain edges and cliffs. Found across India.    
Call : A high pitched kee...kee...kee

Eurasian Sparrow Hawk

Name: Eurasian Sparrow Hawk

Size: 40 cm

Appearance: A Small raptor with plain throat and Shikra like banded chest with brown stripes. Wings of grey colour. Colour of eye ball yellow (major differentiation between Shikra and ESH, shikra has red eye balls.)

Habitat: Found in well wooded country sides. Seldom seen in urban areas. Mostly mistaken as Shikra. Nests in medium sized trees like Neem and Mango. A rare sighting. Shyer the  Shikra.  

Call : A repeated call of Kew.. kew.. kew...

Crested Serpent Eagle

Name: Crested Serpent Eagle
Size: 75 Cms
Appearance: Large raptor with comparatively short legs. Underparts Rufous  and light brownish. Black Eagle like tail. Black trailing edges on the wings with a off white lining. Yellow eyes. 
Habitat: OFten found near water bodies in well wooded forests resting on higher canopy of trees. Mostly eats reptiles on ground along with rodents. 
Call :  A call like kite with nasal sound of Kee... kee...

Long Billed Vulture (Indian Vulture)

Name : Long billed Vulture (also known as Indian Vulture)
Size: 90 cms
Appearance: A Large, pale brown raptor. Feathers are in striking contrast in flight and underparts. Flight wings are darker. 
Habitat: Highly endangered species. Earlier use to be find around slaughter houses and garbage dumping grounds. Now, mostly found in dense forest. Mostly a scavenger. Found almost in entire India, apart from southern peninsular India and Srilanka. 
Call: A shivering hiss during eating.

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Name: Changeable Hawk Eagle
Size: 70 CM. 
Appearance: Large crested raptor (crest is absent or very less prominent in Himalayan residensts). Usually dark brown wings and upper body. underpart are heavily streaked with white base and brown streaks in in-continuous manner.
Habitat: Found in all the heavily wooded areas of India apart from Rajasthan and Gujrat. Difficult to spot as sits in heavily covered tress and is very shy. 
Call: A kite like nasal sound of Keeah...

Black Shouldered Kite

Name: Black Shouldered Kite
Size: 35 Cm
Appearance: A small raptor with Black wings and white feathery body and bright yellow claws.  Can be characterized by sharp forked tail. 
Habitat:  Often seen in open cultivation and urban locations mostly on wires and dead branches of trees. Nests relatively small trees but in upper parts of trees. 
Call: A nasal sound of Keeyaaa....

Shikra

Description: 


Name: Shikra
Size: 35 CM.
Appearance: A Small raptor with pale blue wings and chestnut coloured chest with dark stripes in Zig Zag manner. 
Eating Habits: A very aggressive bird of prey, often in pursuit of rodents, small birds, and reptiles like chameleons and Skink lizards.
Habitat : Almost found in all over India apart from higher ups in Himalayas. 
Call: Unlikely sound of Kitou....Kitou... 
   

Bramhiny Kite

Bramhiny Kite

Name : Bramhiny Kite.

Size: Approximately 50 Cm. 

Appearance: Chestnut or light brown wing coloured bird, with White head and breast. 

Eating Habits: Mostly a scavenger, relies on waste of fisheries near sea, ponds and rivers. Also hunts small preys like frogs, mouse etc. 

Habitat: Almost found in entire central India and downwards. Also found with flock of black kites in urban habitat. Usually a solitary bird. Makes nest in Palm trees or higher parts of trees. 

Call: A cracking sound of Keee-Ahh....