The Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) is a colourful species of medium sized eagle with a very short tail (ecaudatus is Latin for tailless) which makes it unmistakable in flight. “Bateleur” is French for “tight-rope walker”. This name describes the bird’s characteristic habit of tipping the ends of its wings when flying, as if catching its balance…..
Purple-rumped Sunbirds have violet patches on the throat and rump which are visible only in good lighting. There is also a maroon breast band.
While coming back from a recent birding trip I got a chance to photograph this beautiful Indian Cobra thanks to some “Sarp Mitra” or Snake Friends. Sarp Mitra are volunteers who know the techniques to catch snakes and can be called to rescue or remove snakes which have wandered in to houses. These Snakes are handled with utmost care and released in appropriate habitats unharmed.
We spotted this specimen while searching for paths to reach the elephant herds across the marsh. Even though the photo shows the specimen clearly the camouflage on these snakes is awesome.
Southern African Rock Python is Africa’s largest snake species and one of the world’s largest, the typical African rock python adult measures 4.8 m (16 ft). Rumors of specimens over 6 m (20 ft) are considered reliable, although larger specimens have never been confirmed.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_sebae
Yesterday morning while replenishing the bird feeder in my balcony I witnessed a very unusual behavior by a Bhraminy Starling pair. They pounced on a female House Sparrow and ruthlessly proceeded to kill it by pecking at its neck and abdomen. Once it was dead they flew away with it!!!
It took them about 2 mins to kill the sparrow. The following is the sequence as it happened….
This post is an answer to a rather long and interesting discussion at https://www.facebook.com/groups/birdkatta/227788693980289/
Dalmatian Pelican is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 160–180 cm (63-70 inches) in length, 11–15 kg (24-33 lbs) in weight and just over 3 m (10 ft) in wingspan.
A photo I have posted before but the ID of the bird being chased was not known to me
This cuckoo, like other Malkohas, is non-parasitic breeder – that is it builds it’s own nest and raises it’s own young…
The scientific name of this bird commemorates the French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.