Birds...

Red-whiskered bulbul

This snap clicked from Wayanad, Kalpetta near to home on 19th May 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul, is a passerine bird found in 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 feeds on fruits and small insects. Red-whiskered bulbuls perch conspicuously on trees and have a loud three or four note call. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within its range.

Verditer flycatcher

This snap clicked from Wayanad, Kalpetta near to my home on 22nd April 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

The verditer flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) is an Old World flycatcher widespread in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, especially in the Lower Himalaya ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. This species is named after its distinctive shade of copper-sulphate blue and has a dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base. The adult males are intense blue on all areas of the body, except for the black eye-patch and grey vent. Adult females and sub-adults are lighter blue.The verditer flycatcher is also interesting among the flycatchers in that they forage above the canopy level and perching on electric wires or exposed tree top branches. This species was earlier placed in the genus Muscicapa and it has been suggested that it is closer to the Niltava flycatchers.

Flying Egret

Clicked from Avalahalli (Near to KR Puram, Bangalore) on 23rd June 2017 in Nikon D3300, AF-P NIKKOR 70-300 mm 1:4, 5-6.3G ED.

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season.

Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette" that means both "silver heron" and "brush", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season.
Several of the egrets have been reclassified from one genus to another in recent years: the great egret, for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius, Egretta or Ardea.

In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless plume hunting, since hat makers in Europe and the United States demanded large numbers of egret plumes, leading to breeding birds being killed in many places around the world.

Several Egretta species, including the eastern reef egret, the reddish egret, and the western reef egret have two distinct colours, one of which is entirely white. The little blue heron has all-white juvenile plumage.

Courtesy: Wikipedia for write-ups and description for each photo