Painted Stork

Factual Description:-

Common Name:- Painted Stork

Scientific Name:- Mycteria leucocephala

# Painted Stork is a large wading bird which belongs in the storks family. 

# Painted Storks are only found nearer to wetlands, water bodies. 

# Their name is because of their colorful (pink) feathers. 

# Painted Stork has a long, yellow-orange bill, an orange face, and pink legs. It has a ling neck that it holds outstretching in flight. 

# Adults have mostly white plumage, with bright pink near the tail and a black band across the chest. 

# Males and females look alike, though males tend to have a larger body and bill. 

# Breeding season occurs from August to October in the north of its range and November to March in the south. 

# Painted Stork eats fish, reptiles, frogs and crustaceans. It walks slowly in shallow water with its bill partly open in the water, groping for prey. 

 # They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. 

# Painted Storks are not migratory birds but only make short distance movements in some parts of its range in response to food and breeding. 

# IUCN status of Painted Stork is "Near Threatened".

Read More

Cattle Egret

Factual description of Cattle Egret:-

  Common name:- Cattle Egret

  Scientific name:- Bubulcus ibis

#  Cattle Egret are cosmopolitan bird species, belongs to heron family. 

#  Cattle Egret is a stocky heron with a 88-96 cm wingspan, the bird is 46-56 cm long and weighs 270-512 g. 

#  Cattle Egret has a relatively short thick neck, sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The non-breeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill and greyish-yellow legs. 

#  During breeding season, adults develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast and crown, and the bill, legs and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing. 

#  The sexes are similar, but the male is marginally larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes than the females. 

# Cattle Egret are opportunistic feeders, they follow the large animals or farm machines around to catch insects.

#  Cattle Egret are known to come in from far places to catch insects fleeing from a fire. 

#  Cattle Egret are known to greatly reduce the number of flies that bothers cattle by pecking off their skin, that is the reason, cattle egret are found in a close relationship with the large cattles. 

#   IUCN status of the Cattle Egret is ''Least Concern". 

Read More

Common Tailorbird

Factual Description:-

Common name:- Common Tailorbird

Scientific name:- Orthotomus sutorius

# The tailorbird owes its name to the female's extraordinary sewing skills. 

# The female uses her bill as a needle, she stitches one or more leaves into a pouch to form the basis of the nest.

# Brown and olive-green plumage conceals the common tailorbird as it hunts tirelessly in undergrowth for food. 

# They range in size from 10 to 14 cms and weigh 6 to 10 gms. 

# The sexes are identical, except that the male has long central tail feathers in the breeding season. 

# Feeds on insects and other small invertebrates that are abound in the tropical habitat. 

# To creep in the undergrowth, it uses its bill and eat beetles, bugs, caterpillars, spiders, leaves, stems and branches. 

# The bird hops actively among bushes, hedges and trees in its search for tiny insects, its tail cocked high above its back and wagging from side to side. 

# The feed of bird is three forward-pointing toes and a single hindtoe give the bird a firm grip as it perches. 

# IUCN status of common tailorbird is ''Least Concern''.

Read More

Black Kite

    Factual description:-

Common name:- Black kite

Scientific name:- Milvus migrans

# Hovers all over Delhi, India. 

# With a distribution that spreads over four continents, the black kite is probably the world's most abundant bird of prey. 

# Found everywhere, has a immense range it is no surprise that the black kite occupies a wide variety of natural and artificial habitats from wetlands, river edges, woodland, to villages, towns and even big cities. 

# Black kite is likely to be the world's common raptor. 

# Black kite are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. 

# Spends a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. 

# Carnivorous bird but seen foraging on human food scraps and garbage. 

# The black kite is an extremely gregarious species.
# IUCN status of black kite is ''Least Concern''.

Read More

Spotted Owl

Factual Description:-

Common name:- Spotted owl

Scientific name:- Strix occidentalis

# The Spotted Owl is a species of true owl. 

# Spotted owl has a length of 43 cm, a wingspan of 114 cm and a weight of around 600 gm. 

# Medium-sized, nocturnal, spotted owl is primarily brown and is covered in white spots. 

# Spotted owl is not always spotted, owlets are born entirely white and only get their spots once they have matured. 

# Spotted owls are nocturnal, sit and wait predators. They often hunt from a perch and swoop or pounce on prey. They also grab arboreal prey from tree boles and limbs. They do occasionally hunt during the day and will hawk prey such as insects or bats. 

# Diet also includes wood rats, mice, reptiles, amphibians and insects. 

# Call sounds like ''hoo-hooooo-hooo'', ''hoot-hoot-hoot', ''co-weeep'.
# IUCN status of spotted owl is '' Near Threatened''.

Read More

Jacobin Cuckoo

Facts abut Jacobin Cuckoo:-

Common name:- Jacobin cuckoo

Scientific name:- Clemator jacobinus

# Jacobin Cuckoo is also known by other names, Pied Cuckoo, or Pied Crested Cuckoo. 

# Jacobin Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Asia. 

# It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the Monsoon rains due to the timings of its arrival. 

# This is medium sized bird, having slim back and white cuckoo with a crest is distinctive. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight. 

# Jacobin Cuckoo is averaging about 33 cm in length. Adults have a prominent crest and a long, graduated tail. 

# Jacobin Cuckoo feed on various insects and caterpillars. 

# Makes a persistent and loud 'pipew pipew pipew' calls. 

# IUCN status of jacobin cuckoo is ''Least Concern''.

Read More

Crested Lark

Facts about Crested Lark:-

Common name:- Crested Lark

Scientific name:- Galerida cristata

# Crested Lark is a species of lark, distinguished from the other 81 species of lark by the crest of feathers that rise up in territorial or courtship displays and when singing. 

# Height is about 17 cm and a wingspan of 29 to 38 cm, weighing between 37 and 55g. 

# It is a small, brown bird and has a short tail with light brown outer feathers. 

# This is a common of bird of dry, open country and is often seen by roadsides or in cereal fields, although it is also found occupying small, sandy patches by railways, docks and airfields. 

# Diet is mainly vegetarian, primarily feeds on grains and seeds, such as oats, wheat and barley but will also eat insects, particularly beetles, with food either being scavenged from the ground or dug up.

# Residential bird. 

Read More