I have visited Thattekad Bird Sanctuary and Pampadum Shola National Park, in October, 2017
Here are some bird species, that I came across and overwhelmed by their beauty.
Ceylon Frogmouth
My dream Bird - And Lifer .. Ceylon Frogmouth is the rarest species of birds. The Ceylon Frogmouth are group.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. TheCeylon Frogmouths are mainly found in the western ghats of southwest India. And srilanka. It is a habitat of dense tropical forest. It lays egg on the fork of the tree the female cares the egg in the night and the male cares in the day. The Ceylon Frogmouth is 23 cm long. It has a huge frog like gape, It has a large flattened hooked bill and large head. The female is mainly white in colour with less spots and male is grey in colour and heavily spotted. The Ceylon Frogmouth rests on the high branches in day time and camouflaged by its cryptic plumage and appears like broken branch. At night it hunts insects by its huge gape. The bird can be discovered easily at night by its song,which is loud, cackly and resembles frog cry like series of Klock-klock-klock-klock-klock Calls. Their flight appears weak but capable of flying quietly under the forest canopy. Dr.Salim Ali found this particular variety bird at Thattekad Bird Santuary and sanctuary is named Salim Ali Bird Santuary after his invention in 1930. This particular bird is rediscovered in 1990 by Dr.Sugathan the ornithologist and disciple of Dr.Salim Ali from the same sanctuary. The scientific name of the species is Batrachostomus Moniliger.In April 2007, a new species ofCeylon Frogmouth was described from the Solomon Islands and placed in a newly established genus, Rigidipenna.
The blue-winged parakeet
The blue-winged parakeet, also known as the Malabar parakeet (Psittacula columboides) is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Malabar Parakeet 36-38 cm.
Male - The male's overall color is a bluish-gray with a sometimes reddish-pink tint. One of the things that make this bird so striking is the double ring around the neck of the male. The lower ring is a brilliant light blue, while the top ring is more of a greenish dark gray color. They have green feathers in front of their eyes, which extend towards their beaks. The plumage on their heads is bluer in color than the rest of their bodies, though it gets progressively lighter at the top of the head. Above the nares and on the cheeks the blue color is more distinct. They have a striking bright red beak with a bone-colored tip.
Female - The male's overall color is a bluish-gray with a sometimes reddish-pink tint. One of the things that make this bird so striking is the double ring around the neck of the male. The lower ring is a brilliant light blue, while the top ring is more of a greenish dark gray color. They have green feathers in front of their eyes, which extend towards their beaks. The plumage on their heads is bluer in color than the rest of their bodies, though it gets progressively lighter at the top of the head. Above the nares and on the cheeks the blue color is more distinct. They have a striking bright red beak with a bone-colored tip.
The Malabar grey hornbill (M)
The Malabar grey hornbill Male (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. Malabar grey hornbill is a large bird, but mid-sized for a hornbill, at 45 to 58 cm (18 to 23 in) in length. 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, They have brown-grey wings, a white carpal patch and black primary flight feathers tipped with white.
The Malabar grey hornbill (F)
The Malabar grey hornbill Female (Ocyceros griseus) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. Malabar grey hornbill is a large bird, but mid-sized for a hornbill, at 45 to 58 cm (18 to 23 in) in length. It has a 23 cm (9.1 in) tail and pale or yellowish to orange bill. the females have a plain yellow bill with black at the base of the lower mandible and a black stripe along the culmen. They have brown-grey wings, a white carpal patch and black primary flight feathers tipped with white.
Kerala Laughing Thrush
Kerala Laughing Thrush ((Palani laughingthrush -Montecincla fairbanki)
Formerly - Grey breasted Laughingthrush
White-breasted Laughing-thrush
The yellow-browed bulbul
The yellow-browed bulbul (Acritillas indica (Jerdon, 1839), 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.This bulbul is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long, lacks a crest and has the upperparts olive green with a prominent yellow brow and goggle with the underparts being all yellow. The sexes do not differ in plumage. The bill is black and the iris is reddish brown.
The crested serpent eagle
The yellow-browed bulbul (Acritillas indica (Jerdon, 1839), 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.This bulbul is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long, lacks a crest and has the upperparts olive green with a prominent yellow brow and goggle with the underparts being all yellow. The sexes do not differ in plumage. The bill is black and the iris is reddish brown.
The red-rumped swallow
The red-rumped swallow (Cecropis daurica) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory.This species is found in open hilly country and mountains, river gorges, valleys, sea cliffs, as well as in cultivated areas and human habitations, including towns.The underparts are deep chestnut and the nuchal collar is not well marked. The populations in mainland India, erythropygia has the rump patch uniform dark chestnut without an dark shaft-streaks. The tail fork is shallow and the white patch on the inner web of the outer-tail feathers is indistinct.
The Barred Jungle Owlet
The Barred Jungle Owlet is a very small owl with a rounded head and no ear-tufts. It is also known as the Jungle Owlet.The facial disc is indistinct, while the chin, short eyebrows and moustachial streak are pure white. Eyes are bright lemon-yellow and the cere bluish. The bill is greenish-yellow to yellowish-grey. There is a white patch on the breast. Upperparts are dark greyish-brown, and densely marked with narrow, pale ochre or rufous bars. There are bars on the back, rump and uppertail-coverts that are often almost pure white.
The underparts are white, more or less tinged rufous to the lower breast and pure white on the vent and belly. Breast and belly sides, and flanks are barred grey-brown.
Some birds are greyer than others.
Tarsi are feathered and the toes finely bristled, and coloured dirty greenish-yellow with yellowish soles. Claws are dark horn-brown. Length about 20cm. Wing length 120-136mm. Tail length 62-84mm. Weight 88-114g.Himalayan foothills, submontane moist deciduous forest and secondary jungle with bamboos. Also in dry to moist deciduous forests. Occurs up to about 2000m elevation (1100m in Sri Lanka).
Grey Headed canary Flycatcher
Grey Headed canary Flycatcher -((Culicicapa ceylonensis))
The grey-headed canary-flycatcher sometimes known as the grey-headed flycatcher is a species of small flycatcher-like bird found in tropical Asia. It has a square crest, a grey hood and yellow underparts.The grey-headed canary-flycatcher is about 12–13 cm long with a squarishy-headed flycatcher grey head, a canary yellow belly and yellowish-green uppe rparts. Across their range, populations differ in the shades of the colors and vary slightly in dimensions and several of these have been designated as subspecies. The nominate subspecies breeds in peninsular India in the hills of the Western Ghats, Nilgiris, central India and the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka.
Grey Jungle Fowl
Grey Jungle Fowl
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