"Even if you enter the dirty water, stay neat like a white swan!" - Mehmet Murat ildan

Came a cross this beautiful swan while visiting the Thorpeness on the Suffolk coast

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush

The greater necklaced laughingthrush (Pterorhinus pectoralis) is a species of passerine bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. It is introduced to the United States. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Pterorhinus.

Ultramarine Flycatcher

The ultramarine flycatcher or the white-browed blue flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris) is a small arboreal Old World flycatcher in the ficedula family that breeds in the foothills of the Himalayas and winters in southern India.

Somewhat smaller than a sparrow (ca. 10 cm) and with a stocky build. The male is deep blue above, sides of head and neck are deep blue, and a prominent white patch runs from centre of throat, through breast to belly. The amount of white on the brow and tail show clinal variation from West to East along the Himalayan foothills, which is sometimes taken to distinguish three races:

The western race from the western Himalayas has a distinctive white supercilium and white bases to the outer tail feathers.

The eastern race (aestigma) from the eastern Himalayas lacks distinct white patches.

The population from the south Assam hills (sometimes designated a third race cleta) completely lack any supercilium.

Usually singly, though sometimes in mixed hunting parties in the winter. Keeps largely to the low trees and bushes, feeding among the foliage canopy, not venturing much into the open. Constantly jerks up its tail, often accompanied by fluffing of head feathers and trrr note, especially in proximity of nest. Diet is mainly insects.

Summer: Common breeding visitor to the western Himalayas, from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Uttarakhand (western race), and intergrading within Nepal with the eastern race aestigma which continues in the eastern Himalayas through Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh. Breeding between 2000–2700 m, occasionally as low as 1800 and as high as 3200 m. Also in the lower hills of Meghalaya and Nagaland, Khasi and Cachar hills, sometimes considered a third race; winter movements of this population is not known. Habitat: Open, mixed forests of oak, rhododendron, pine, fir, etc., occasionally orchards.

Winter: Central India from Delhi south to northern Maharashtra, Goa, northern Maharashtra, and eastward to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Wintering populations in the eastern states, possibly from Nepal/Sikkim, are mixed: a good part of this population also have white supercilium and basal tail patches (see description below). Also sometimes found as a vagrant in the northern part of Bangladesh.

Season: middle of April to early July

Nest: soft structure of fine moss with some strips of bark and fine grass, lined with hair and rootlets, place in holes or clefts in trees, at heights up to seven meters, or in a depression on a steep bank. Readily takes to nest boxes in hill station gardens.

Eggs: 3 to 5, usually 4, olive greenish to dull stone-buff, densely freckled all over with reddish brown, or in another type, mostly around the large end, forming a cap. Average size 16x12.2 mm.

Puff-throated Babbler

The puff-throated babbler or spotted babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps) is a species of passerine bird found in Asia. They are found in scrub and moist forest mainly in hilly regions. They forage in small groups on the forest floor, turning around leaf litter to find their prey and usually staying low in the undergrowth where they can be hard to spot. They however have loud and distinct calls, including a morning song, contact and alarm calls. It is the type species of the genus Pellorneum which may however currently include multiple lineages.

Puff-throated babblers are brown above, and white below with heavily brown streaks towards the breast and belly. They have a chestnut crown, long buff supercilium and dusky cheeks. The throat is white, and is sometimes puffed out giving it the English name. Puff-throated babblers have strong legs, and spend a lot of time on the forest floor. They can often be seen creeping through undergrowth in search of their insect food, looking at first glance like a song thrush. Some subspecies have streaks on the mantle while others, especially in Peninsular India, are unstreaked.

The widespread distribution with population variations has led to nearly thirty subspecies being described. The nominate population is found in peninsular India (excluding the Western Ghats). The population in the northern Eastern Ghats is paler and has been called as pallidum while a well marked dark form occurs in the southern Western Ghats which has been named granti (includes olivaceum). The western Himalayas population is punctatum (includes jonesi) and in the east is mandellii which has streaking on the back and nape apart from having call differences. In the east of India, south of the Brahmaputra River occurs chamelum while ripley is found in a small region in eastern Assam (Margherita). Further east in Manipur is vocale and pectorale in Arunachal Pradesh and northern Burma with stageri further south, followed by hilarum, victoriae and minus. Further east are found shanense, subochraceum, insularum, indistinctum, chtonium, elbeli, acrum, oreum, dusiti, vividum, ubonense, euroum, deignani, dilloni and smithi. Several others have been described and many populations are difficult to assign to subspecies.This is the type species for the genus Pellorneum and its generic placement is assured although other species currently included in the genus may be reassigned.

This bird is a common resident breeder in the Himalayas and the forests of Asia. Like most babblers, it is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight. Its habitat is scrub and bamboo thickets and forages by turning over leaves to find insects.

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush

The lesser necklaced laughingthrush (Garrulax monileger) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Leiothrichidae: The laughingthrushes are a family of Old World passerine birds. They are diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire family used to be included in the Timaliidae.

They are small to medium-sized birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.

This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Forest. Large Scimitar Babbler & Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Ban Nong Nam, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand - November 22, 2019: blog.nationalgeographic.org/2019/11/22/top-25-wild-bird-p...

Long-tailed Shrike

The long-tailed shrike or rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach) is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes. They are found widely distributed across Asia and there are variations in plumage across the range. The species ranges across much of Asia, both on the mainland and the eastern archipelagos. The eastern or Himalayan subspecies, L. s. tricolor, is sometimes called the black-headed shrike. Although there are considerable differences in plumage among the subspecies, they all have a long and narrow black tail, have a black mask and forehead, rufous rump and flanks and a small white patch on the shoulder. It is considered to form a superspecies with the grey-backed shrike (Lanius tephronotus) which breeds on the Tibetan Plateau.

The long-tailed shrike is a typical shrike, favouring dry open habitats and found perched prominently atop a bush or on a wire. The dark mask through the eye is broad and covers the forehead in most subspecies and the whole head is black in subspecies tricolor and nasutus. The tail is narrow and graduated with pale rufous on the outer feathers. Subspecies erythronotus has the grey of the mantle and upper back suffused with rufous while the southern Indian caniceps has pure grey. A small amount of white is present at the base of the primaries. The bay-backed shrike is smaller and more contrastingly patterned and has a more prominent white patch on the wing. The sexes are alike in plumage.

The species is found across Asia from Kazakhstan to New Guinea. It is found mainly in scrub and open habitats. Many of the temperate zone populations are migratory, moving south in winter while those in the tropics tend to be sedentary although they may make short distance movements. Subspecies caniceps of southern India is found in winter in the dry coastal zone of southern India. Subspecies tricolor migrates south to Bengal in India. They are found in scrub, grassland and open land under cultivation. A survey in southern India found them to be among the commonest wintering shrikes and found at a linear density along roadsides at about 0.58 per kilometer, often choosing wires to perch.

This species is a rare vagrant to western Europe on the strength of two accepted records in Great Britain on South Uist in November 2000 and the Netherlands near Den Helder in October 2011. A bird matching the features of caniceps was seen on the island of Maldives. It has also occurred as a vagrant to Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Hungary, Japan and Sweden.

Red-faced Liocichla

The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. The scarlet-faced liocichla was formerly considered a subspecies.

L. phoenicea is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Golden-throated Barbet

The golden-throated barbet (Psilopogon franklinii) is an Asian barbet native to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests between 900 and 2,700 m (3,000 and 8,900 ft) altitude. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution and stable population.

The golden-throated barbet is vivid green above with paler yellowish-green plumage below, deep blue wings and verditer underneath the tail. Its bill is dusky black, and it is black around the eyes. Its forehead is crimson and its throat orange. Its legs are greenish.

The golden-throated barbet is resident in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and mainland China. Its presence in Bangladesh is uncertain. It inhabits tropical and subtropical moist forests at elevations of 900 to 2,700 m (3,000 to 8,900 ft). The male's territorial call is a very loud pukwowk.

Sialkot, Pakistan.

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Plumbeous Water Redstart (Female)

The plumbeous water redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus) is a passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and China. Males are slate blue in colour, while females are grey. The bird's common name refers to its colour which resembles lead. They tend to live near fast-moving streams and rivers.

The plumbeous water redstart is typically 14 centimetres (5.5 in) long in total, with an average weight of 22 grams (0.78 oz) for males and 18.8 grams (0.66 oz) for females. The male birds are slate blue in colour with a tail that is rusty red. On the other hand, female birds are pale grey and feature a white rump.

The bird is found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their preferred habitats are streams, nullahs and rivers with boulders that are shaded, as well as vegetation near riverbanks. Streams with higher populations of insects such as mayflies appear to be preferred.

They are typically found at relatively high elevations, with the ones living in the Himalayas seen between 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) and 4,100 metres (13,500 ft). However, they tend to descend to lower altitudes during the winter.

The plumbeous water redstart has been placed on the Least Concern category of the IUCN Red List, as the population has remained stable throughout the last ten years. The size of its distribution range is over 5,100,000 square kilometres (2,000,000 sq mi).

The plumbeous water redstart is very protective of its habitat and will be extremely confrontational to any trespasser on its territory. In order to catch flies in rivers, it flies vertically until it is at least 20 feet (6.1 m) above the water, before gliding down in a spiral back to the same place.

Red-faced Liocichla

The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. The scarlet-faced liocichla was formerly considered a subspecies.

L. phoenicea is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Pygmy Wren-Babbler

The pygmy wren-babbler or pygmy cupwing (Pnoepyga pusilla) is a species of bird in the Pnoepyga wren-babblers family, Pnoepygidae. It is found in southern and eastern Asia from the Himalayas to the Lesser Sunda Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Red Jungle Fowl

The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) is a tropical member of the family Phasianidae. It is the primary progenitor of the domestic chicken (though genetic evidence strongly suggests some past hybridisation with the grey junglefowl as well). The red junglefowl was first domesticated at least five thousand years ago in Asia. Since then it has spread around the world, and the domestic form is kept globally as a very productive food source of both meat and eggs.

The range of the wild form stretches from India, eastwards across Indochina and southern China and into Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia. Junglefowl are established on several of the Hawaiian Islands, including Kauai, but these are feral descendants of domestic chickens. They can also be found on Christmas Island, Vanuatu, and the Mariana Islands.

The male's tail is composed of long, arching feathers that initially look black but shimmer with blue, purple and green in good light. The female's plumage is typical of this family of birds in being cryptic and adapted for camouflage. She alone looks after the eggs and chicks. She also has no fleshy wattles, and a very small comb on the head.

During their mating season, the male birds announce their presence with the well known "cock-a-doodle-doo" call or crowing. Male red junglefowl have a shorter crowing sound than domestic roosters; the call cuts off abruptly at the end. This serves both to attract potential mates and to make other male birds in the area aware of the risk of fighting a breeding competitor. A spur on the lower leg just behind and above the foot serves in such fighting. Their call structure is complex and they have distinctive alarm calls for aerial and ground predators to which others react appropriately.

Males make a food-related display called "tidbitting", performed upon finding food in the presence of a female. The display is composed of coaxing, cluck-like calls and eye-catching bobbing and twitching motions of the head and neck. During the performance, the male repeatedly picks up and drops the food item with his beak. The display usually ends when the hen takes the food item either from the ground or directly from the male's beak. Breeding then occurs. Males that produce anti-predator alarm calls appear to be preferred by females.

They are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds and fruits, including those that are cultivated such as those of the oil palm.

Red junglefowl regularly bathe in dust to keep just the right balance in their plumage. The dust absorbs extra oil and subsequently falls off.

Flight in these birds is almost purely confined to reaching their roosting areas at sunset in trees or any other high and relatively safe places free from ground predators, and for escape from immediate danger through the day.

Purebred red junglefowl are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction because of hybridisation at the edge of forests where domesticated free ranging chickens are common.

White-capped Redstart

The white-capped redstart or white-capped water redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus) is a passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.

Both genders are black with red underparts and white crown atop their heads. Males have larger white pattern on top of the head and brown red spots under the wings. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, as well as some adjoining areas. The species ranges across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.

This species was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Chaimarrornis but was moved to Phoenicurus based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Kalij Pheasant

The kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have an at least partially glossy bluish-black plumage, while females are overall brownish. Both sexes have a bare red face and greyish legs (the latter separating it from the red-legged silver pheasant). It is generally common and widespread, though three of its eastern subspecies (L. l. oatesi, L. l. lineata, and L. l. crawfurdi) are considered threatened and L. l. moffitti is virtually unknown in the wild.

The name is also spelled kaleege in old texts, such as Game Birds of India and Asia by Frank Finn, though no longer in his Indian Sporting Birds. The species was introduced to Hawaii in 1962 as a gamebird.

The kalij pheasant is closely related to the silver pheasant, and the two are known to hybridize.

Large Scimitar Babbler

The large scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus hypoleucos) is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Spot-breasted Parrotbill

The spot-breasted parrotbill (Paradoxornis guttaticollis) is a species of bird in the Sylviidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Silver-eared Mesia

The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a species of bird from South East Asia.

The species was once placed in the large Old World babbler family Timaliidae, but that family has recently been split with this species being placed with the laughingthrushes in the new family Leiothrichidae.

The species is sometimes placed in its own genus Mesia, or in the genus Leiothrix with the red-billed leiothrix. There are seven described subspecies, with considerable variation in plumage between them. Further research is needed to establish if this represents a single species or not.

The diet of the silver-eared mesia is dominated by insects and their larvae, as well as fruit and to a lesser extent seeds. A study of the diet of feral birds in Hong Kong found that 87% of the faecal samples studied had the remains on insects in them, and 97% had the remains of fruit. The species will often associate in large groups of up to thirty individuals while foraging, and even forms groups during the breeding season. They will also join large flocks of other species in the forest, known as waves, which include other species of babblers. They generally feed closer to the ground, but may go as high as 5 metres up into the canopy.

The silver-eared mesia is a seasonal breeder, with the season lasting from November to August, although the season starts later, in April, in the northern part of its range. Both the male and female are involved in building the nest, a deep cup of bamboo and other dead leaves lined with rootlets and fern fibres. The nest takes about four days to construct and is placed near ground level or up to 2m up in a bush. Underlying its relationship with the red-billed leiothrix the nest is said to be indistinguishable from the one of that species.

The eggs of silver-eared mesia are white with light but rich madder-brown spots. Between two and five eggs are laid in a typical clutch, with four being the typical number in India but two or three more common in Malaysia. Both parents incubate the eggs, with (at least in captivity) the female incubating the eggs during the night. The eggs are incubated for 13 to 14 days after the laying of the first egg. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 12 days, and parental care lasts for a further 22 days after fledging.

Golden-throated Barbet

The golden-throated barbet (Psilopogon franklinii) is an Asian barbet native to Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests between 900 and 2,700 m (3,000 and 8,900 ft) altitude. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution and stable population.

The golden-throated barbet is vivid green above with paler yellowish-green plumage below, deep blue wings and verditer underneath the tail. Its bill is dusky black, and it is black around the eyes. Its forehead is crimson and its throat orange. Its legs are greenish.

The golden-throated barbet is resident in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam and mainland China. Its presence in Bangladesh is uncertain. It inhabits tropical and subtropical moist forests at elevations of 900 to 2,700 m (3,000 to 8,900 ft). The male's territorial call is a very loud pukwowk.

Blue-winged Minla

The blue-winged minla (Actinodura cyanouroptera), also known as the blue-winged siva, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It has in the past been placed in the genus Minla and also in the monotypic Siva.

It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Published on the National Geographic blog... blog.nationalgeographic.org/2019/02/01/top-25-wild-bird-p...

Spot-breasted Parrotbill

The spot-breasted parrotbill (Paradoxornis guttaticollis) is a species of bird in the Sylviidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Silver-eared Mesia

The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a species of bird from South East Asia.

The species was once placed in the large Old World babbler family Timaliidae, but that family has recently been split with this species being placed with the laughingthrushes in the new family Leiothrichidae.

The species is sometimes placed in its own genus Mesia, or in the genus Leiothrix with the red-billed leiothrix. There are seven described subspecies, with considerable variation in plumage between them. Further research is needed to establish if this represents a single species or not.

The diet of the silver-eared mesia is dominated by insects and their larvae, as well as fruit and to a lesser extent seeds. A study of the diet of feral birds in Hong Kong found that 87% of the faecal samples studied had the remains on insects in them, and 97% had the remains of fruit. The species will often associate in large groups of up to thirty individuals while foraging, and even forms groups during the breeding season. They will also join large flocks of other species in the forest, known as waves, which include other species of babblers. They generally feed closer to the ground, but may go as high as 5 metres up into the canopy.

The silver-eared mesia is a seasonal breeder, with the season lasting from November to August, although the season starts later, in April, in the northern part of its range. Both the male and female are involved in building the nest, a deep cup of bamboo and other dead leaves lined with rootlets and fern fibres. The nest takes about four days to construct and is placed near ground level or up to 2m up in a bush. Underlying its relationship with the red-billed leiothrix the nest is said to be indistinguishable from the one of that species.

The eggs of silver-eared mesia are white with light but rich madder-brown spots. Between two and five eggs are laid in a typical clutch, with four being the typical number in India but two or three more common in Malaysia. Both parents incubate the eggs, with (at least in captivity) the female incubating the eggs during the night. The eggs are incubated for 13 to 14 days after the laying of the first egg. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 12 days, and parental care lasts for a further 22 days after fledging.

Red-faced Liocichla

The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. The scarlet-faced liocichla was formerly considered a subspecies.

L. phoenicea is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush

The chestnut-capped laughingthrush (Garrulax mitratus), also known as the spectacled laughingthrush, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Sumatra (Indonesia) and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush was previously considered a subspecies.

Blue-banded Kingfisher

The blue-banded kingfisher (Alcedo euryzona), is a species of kingfisher in the subfamily Alcedininae. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and rivers.

The first formal description of the blue-banded kingfisher was by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1830. In his initial publication the binomial name was incorrectly printed as Alcedo cryzona but this was later corrected to Alcedo euryzona. The specific epithet euryzona is from the classical Greek eurus meaning "broad" and zōnē meaning "band" or "belt".

Two subspecies are recognised:

A. e. peninsulae Laubmann, 1941 – south Myanmar, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, southwestern Thailand and Borneo

A. e. euryzona Temminck, 1830 – Java

In a world list of non-passerine species published in 2014, del Hoyo and colleagues promoted A. e. peninsulae to species status with the vernacular name "Malay blue-banded kingfisher".

Status: Critically Endangered

Stripe-breasted Woodpecker

The stripe-breasted woodpecker (Dendrocopos atratus) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family, Picidae. It is found in Southeast Asia within subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Adult length is between 21 and 22 cm (8.3 and 8.7 in). The upper parts are black heavily barred with white, with the mantle being unbarred. The upper tail is black with some white markings on the outer feathers. The crown and nape are red in the male and black in the female. The face is whitish with a black moustache which unites with a stripe on the edge of the breast. The throat, breast and belly are greyish-yellow or greyish-buff, boldly streaked with black. The under tail coverts are red. The iris is chestnut and the beak is grey, long and sharply pointed. The legs and feet are bluish-grey. The juvenile has greyer underparts, the under-tail coverts are pink or orange, and the crown is a duller red in young males.

The stripe-breasted woodpecker is native to southeastern Asia. Its range extends from northeastern India to Vietnam and the province of Yunnan in southwestern China. It is a fairly uncommon species, but the population appears to be stable, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The stripe-breasted woodpecker is mainly found in montane evergreen forest, particularly pine and oak forest, but also the edges of deciduous forests, as well as more open areas with scattered trees. Its altitudinal range is from about 800 to 2,800 m (2,600 to 9,200 ft) but it mostly occurs above 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

The stripe-breasted woodpecker feeds in the mid to upper parts of the canopy on insects, particularly ants and beetle larvae, often foraging in pairs or small family groups. Breeding takes place from February onwards in many parts of the range, but from March to May in India and from April to May in Myanmar.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Large Scimitar Babbler

The large scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus hypoleucos) is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Red-faced Liocichla

The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. The scarlet-faced liocichla was formerly considered a subspecies.

L. phoenicea is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Slaty-backed Forktail

The slaty-backed forktail (Enicurus schistaceus) is a species of forktail in the family Muscicapidae. A slim, medium-sized forktail, it is distinguished from similar species by its slate grey forehead, crown, and mantle. It has a long and deeply forked tail banded in black and white, a white rump, and a white bar across its primary feathers; the rest of the plumage is predominantly white. The sexes look alike. The bird frequents the edges of fast-flowing streams and rivers, where it hunts small invertebrates by hopping among rocks or flying out over the water. It breeds between February and July, laying 3–4 pinkish, bluish, or white eggs; both sexes incubate the eggs.

The slaty-backed forktail is found near streams and rivers in tropical and subtropical regions, occasionally straying further from flowing water to the edges of roads and trails. Generally a solitary bird, it may occasionally be found in pairs, or in family groups in the breeding season. One of its calls has been described as similar to that of the Blyth's kingfisher, for which it has been mistaken. The forktail is found in the central and eastern Himalayas, the Indian Sub-continent, southern China and continental Southeast Asia. Its wide distribution and apparently stable population have led to it being classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

One of the slaty-backed forktail's calls has been described as a "high, thin, sharp, metallic screech, ''teenk'", similar to that made by a small kingfisher; in particular, it has been mistaken for the call of the Blyth's kingfisher Alcedo hercules. Another call is described as a mellow "cheet". It also produces a repeated, harsh screeching call when alarmed.

The slaty-backed forktail is found near fast-flowing water bodies in tropical and sub-tropical montane broadleaf forests, as well as near cultivated areas. These include rocky streams and rivers, including broad rivers and valleys in plains areas. A 2000 paper studying birds in northwest India and Nepal found that the incidence of slaty-backed forktails decreased with altitude. The study also found that the slaty-backed forktail had a preference for streams that were bordered by dense and complex vegetation, and had firm and stable banks of earth. They also preferred streams with finer grained sand on the bottom, and with "pool–riffle sequences." More rarely the bird is seen in secluded areas of the forest, and on the sides of roads or trails near the water. In winter months it has been observed to move from the mountains into foothills and plains areas.

The species is found in the central and eastern Himalayas, from the Indian state of Uttarakhand in the west to Myanmar in the East, including Nepal, and Bhutan. It is a vagrant in Bangladesh. It is also found in southern China, in southeast Tibet, and in the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Fujian and Zhejiang, and possibly in Hainan. Its range in South-East Asia includes Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Silver-eared Laughingthrush

The silver-eared laughingthrush (Trochalopteron melanostigma) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in southern Yunnan, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, G. erythrocephalus.

Black-headed Sibia

The black-headed sibia (Heterophasia desgodinsi) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. In former times it was often included with the dark-backed sibia in H. melanoleuca. Together with most other sibias, it is sometimes separated in the genus Malacias.

It is found in China, Laos and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Black-headed Sibia

The black-headed sibia (Heterophasia desgodinsi) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. In former times it was often included with the dark-backed sibia in H. melanoleuca. Together with most other sibias, it is sometimes separated in the genus Malacias.

It is found in China, Laos and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Siberian Rubythroat

The Siberian rubythroat (Calliope calliope) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of the family Muscicapidae. The Siberian rubythroat and similar small European species are often called chats.

It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forests with undergrowth in Siberia. It nests near the ground. It winters in Thailand, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. It is an extremely rare vagrant to Western Europe, having occurred on a very few occasions as far west as Britain. It is also an extremely rare vagrant to the Aleutian Islands, most notably on Attu Island.

This species is slightly larger than the European robin. It is plain brown above except for the distinctive black tail with red side patches. It has a strong white supercilium. The male has a red throat edged with a narrow black and then a broad white border. It has a strong white supercilium. Females lack the brightly coloured throat and borders. The male has a song similar to a harder version of the garden warbler.

The Siberian rubythroat was previously placed in the genus Luscinia. A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including the Siberian rubythroat as the type species were moved to the reinstated genus Calliope. Calliope, from classical Greek meaning beautiful-voiced, was one of the muses in Greek mythology and presided over eloquence and heroic poetry.

Silver-eared Laughingthrush

The silver-eared laughingthrush (Trochalopteron melanostigma) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in southern Yunnan, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, G. erythrocephalus.

White-browed Laughingthrush

The white-browed laughingthrush (Pterorhinus sannio) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Garrulax but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Pterorhinus.

Streak-eared Bulbul

The streak-eared bulbul (Pycnonotus conradi) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found from Thailand and northern and central Malay Peninsula to southern Indochina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

The streak-eared bulbul was originally described in the genus Criniger. Until 2016, the streak-eared bulbul was considered to be conspecific with the Ayeyarwady bulbul while still using the name 'streak-eared bulbul' (as Pycnonotus blanfordi).

Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush

The chestnut-capped laughingthrush (Garrulax mitratus), also known as the spectacled laughingthrush, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Sumatra (Indonesia) and the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The chestnut-hooded laughingthrush was previously considered a subspecies.

Silver-eared Mesia

The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a species of bird from South East Asia.

The species was once placed in the large Old World babbler family Timaliidae, but that family has recently been split with this species being placed with the laughingthrushes in the new family Leiothrichidae.

The species is sometimes placed in its own genus Mesia, or in the genus Leiothrix with the red-billed leiothrix. There are seven described subspecies, with considerable variation in plumage between them. Further research is needed to establish if this represents a single species or not.

The diet of the silver-eared mesia is dominated by insects and their larvae, as well as fruit and to a lesser extent seeds. A study of the diet of feral birds in Hong Kong found that 87% of the faecal samples studied had the remains on insects in them, and 97% had the remains of fruit. The species will often associate in large groups of up to thirty individuals while foraging, and even forms groups during the breeding season. They will also join large flocks of other species in the forest, known as waves, which include other species of babblers. They generally feed closer to the ground, but may go as high as 5 metres up into the canopy.

The silver-eared mesia is a seasonal breeder, with the season lasting from November to August, although the season starts later, in April, in the northern part of its range. Both the male and female are involved in building the nest, a deep cup of bamboo and other dead leaves lined with rootlets and fern fibres. The nest takes about four days to construct and is placed near ground level or up to 2m up in a bush. Underlying its relationship with the red-billed leiothrix the nest is said to be indistinguishable from the one of that species.

The eggs of silver-eared mesia are white with light but rich madder-brown spots. Between two and five eggs are laid in a typical clutch, with four being the typical number in India but two or three more common in Malaysia. Both parents incubate the eggs, with (at least in captivity) the female incubating the eggs during the night. The eggs are incubated for 13 to 14 days after the laying of the first egg. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 12 days, and parental care lasts for a further 22 days after fledging.

Fire-tufted Barbet

The fire-tufted barbet (Psilopogon pyrolophus) is a species of bird in the Asian barbet family Megalaimidae. It is native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, where it inhabits tropical moist lowland and montane forests. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. Its scientific name was proposed by Salomon Müller in 1836, who described a barbet from Sumatra.

The moderately large bird (28 cm), the adult birds are overall green in appearance and have a brownish-maroon nape, grey lores, white band on the forehead, throat green, followed by a bright yellow band before a black band, appearing like a necklace separates the belly. The bill is fawn colored with a black vertical band. Tufts of feathers at the base of beak. Upper tufts fiery orange in males.

The fire-tufted barbet inhabits broad-leaved evergreen montane forests between 1,070 and 2,010 m (3,510 and 6,590 ft) on the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. The bird is a resident bird and feeds on figs, other fruits, arthropods and insects. Its call is very similar to that of cicadas.

The primary threat to this species appears to be illegal capture and trade as a pet.

Long-tailed Sibia

The long-tailed sibia (Heterophasia picaoides) is a species of Leiothrichidae from Southeast Asia. The species was once placed in the large family Timaliidae, but that family is sometimes split with this species being placed with the laughing thrushes in the family Leiothrichidae. The species is sometimes treated as the only species in the genus Heterophasia, with the other species being placed in the genus Malacias.

The long-tailed sibia is found from the Himalayas through South East Asia and Sumatra. It is found in evergreen forest, oak and pine forests, secondary growth, scrub with large trees and forest edge habitats.

Spectacled Barwing

The spectacled barwing (Actinodura ramsayi) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found in China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Silver-eared Mesia

The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a species of bird from South East Asia.

The species was once placed in the large Old World babbler family Timaliidae, but that family has recently been split with this species being placed with the laughingthrushes in the new family Leiothrichidae.

The species is sometimes placed in its own genus Mesia, or in the genus Leiothrix with the red-billed leiothrix. There are seven described subspecies, with considerable variation in plumage between them. Further research is needed to establish if this represents a single species or not.

The diet of the silver-eared mesia is dominated by insects and their larvae, as well as fruit and to a lesser extent seeds. A study of the diet of feral birds in Hong Kong found that 87% of the faecal samples studied had the remains on insects in them, and 97% had the remains of fruit. The species will often associate in large groups of up to thirty individuals while foraging, and even forms groups during the breeding season. They will also join large flocks of other species in the forest, known as waves, which include other species of babblers. They generally feed closer to the ground, but may go as high as 5 metres up into the canopy.

The silver-eared mesia is a seasonal breeder, with the season lasting from November to August, although the season starts later, in April, in the northern part of its range. Both the male and female are involved in building the nest, a deep cup of bamboo and other dead leaves lined with rootlets and fern fibres. The nest takes about four days to construct and is placed near ground level or up to 2m up in a bush. Underlying its relationship with the red-billed leiothrix the nest is said to be indistinguishable from the one of that species.

The eggs of silver-eared mesia are white with light but rich madder-brown spots. Between two and five eggs are laid in a typical clutch, with four being the typical number in India but two or three more common in Malaysia. Both parents incubate the eggs, with (at least in captivity) the female incubating the eggs during the night. The eggs are incubated for 13 to 14 days after the laying of the first egg. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 12 days, and parental care lasts for a further 22 days after fledging.

Red-faced Liocichla

The red-faced liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. The scarlet-faced liocichla was formerly considered a subspecies.

L. phoenicea is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Northeast India, Nepal and western Yunnan. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.