Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

A medium-sized finch. Male is easily identified by blue-grey head, chestnut back, pinkish breast and 2 white wing-bars. Female is more nondescript but can be told by white wing-bars, white outer tail feathers and brownish to olive brown upperparts. Undulating flight with wings closed every few beats. Feeds mainly on ground where it moves rather […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

It is a middle-sized warbler, uniform dark olive greenish-grey in colour, with a round head and pot-bellied appearance.Yellow in plumage is limited to bend of wing, slight infusion on breast and sometimes under-tail coverts. Supercilium is short, off-white,tinged yellow or buff. A broken eye-ring often seen with dark ear coverts. Legs are black and bill […]

Kingdom : Birds, Cuckoo

A large cuckoo with slight crest, very long tail and rather fast, shallow wing-beats. Unmistakable with grey upperparts, white-spotted coverts and white underparts. Juvenile is dark brown above with blackish head, white-spotted coverts and showing distinctive chestnut primaries (above and below) in flight.

Kingdom : Birds, Coursers and Whimbrels

Large, brown-mottled, buffish grey wader with long, decurved bill. Plumage warmer, more ochre (less greyish), in fresh plumage (including juvenile). Male smaller than female, with shorter bill, which in young male overlaps with Whimbrel’s, but is more evenly decurved. Flight with rather slow, gull-like wing-beats (obviously slower than Whimbrel), showing barred tail and white wedge […]

Kingdom : Birds, Eagle

In adult, plumage is blackish-brown with contrasting yellow-white hindneck, pale uppertail with broad black band, white ‘shoulder-braces’ (hard to see), pale ventral region, darkish primaries above, parallel-edged wings held flattish and, often, closed narrow tail when soaring. Juvenile has dark-streaked breast forming pectoral band which contrasts with unstreaked yellow-buff rear-body, and distinct pale wedge on […]

Kingdom : Birds, Harrier

Larger, heavier and more broad-winged than other harriers; wavering low glides on raised wings when hunting; otherwise wings with bend at carpals. Male tri-coloured on upperwing (silver-grey, brown and black); uppertail silver-grey; under surface white but wing-tip black and rear-body red-brown, latter separating it from high-flying male Hen Harrier. Female dark brown, tail rusty-brown, crown, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Resembles Desert Lark in general appearance but smaller, with more upright stance, rounder head and with orange-yellow bill shorter and finer, also told from Desert by clear-cut black band to tip of reddish brown tail, best seen when tail spread in flight (in Desert, dark brown tail gradually merges into paler brown base) and by […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Rather stocky, pot-bellied, short-tailed lark; long spiky crest always visible; bill fairly long, slightly curved. Upperparts buffish grey or rusty, rather uniform, diffusely streaked darker on hindneck/upper mantle; breast more heavily streaked. Flight with flapping wing-beats on broad wings showing rusty buff underwings and blackish brown short tail with cinnamon sides. Juvenile heavily pale-spotted above. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Dumpy, short-tailed lark with broad, rounded wings and floppy, slow, undulating flight. Colour variable, grey-brown with much variation; generally, they are unstreaked above except for vague mottling on mantle in some; underparts buffish or greyish white, unmarked in some, but diffusely streaked breast in others; rufous tinge to rump, flight-feathers and underwings in many. Longish, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Small pale lark with well streaked upperparts, buffish white generally unstreaked underparts with variable black patch at sides of throat (adult); relatively stout pale bill, long tertials almost covering wing-tip (unless worn) and boldly patterned median coverts; also prominent buffish white supercilium, pale lores, dark eye-streak and small pale area on cheeks are further features. […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Resembles Greater Short-toed Lark though slightly smaller, with shorter, more stubby bill, more distinctly streaked breast, no black patches at sides of throat, shorter tertials with wing-tip clearly exposed beyond (beware of Short-toed with worn tertials) and typical flight-call different. Upperparts generally sandy grey, pale buff or rufous-brown, crown usually not tinged rufous; supercilium generally […]

Kingdom : Birds, Nightjar

The palest of the nightjars. Pale sandy grey base-colour, broad rows of inconspicuous buff tips to wing-coverts and white patch on side of neck (often very hard to see); in flight, very pale underwing, and above, dark flight-feathers which contrast with pale upperwing-coverts. Both sexes lack white patch in wing, but male shows pale creamy […]

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Unmistakable when perched and seen well, with long ear-tufts (though sometimes invisible when relaxed); facial disc noticeably warm buff with striking white divide and orange eyes. Flight has jerky, fairly stiff wing-beats with glides on level (sometimes slightly raised) wings. The wings are long and slightly curved with a dark carpal-patch above with orange base […]

Kingdom : Birds, Owl

Resembles Long-eared, but occurs in open ground (Long-eared mostly seen among trees). Flies with slow, elegant and high wing-beats on long, slender wings raised during glides in shallow ‘V’ (shorter wings with shallower, faster wing-beats in Long-eared); often sits on ground and very short ear-tufts not always visible. Further differs from Long-eared in paler greyish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Similar to Tree Pipit in general appearance but has finer, less stocky build and slightly longer tail. See Tree for further differences. Flies with short, irregular undulations. Flicks tail nervously on ground.

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Medium-large pipit with relatively long tail, legs and bill and fairly upright stance which, together with adult’s poorly streaked sandy upperparts, nearly unstreaked breast, plain sandy wings with conspicuous dark-centred median coverts and bold whitish supercilium separate it from other pipits. Undulating flight slightly reminiscent of Yellow Wagtail. Runs quickly on the ground, stops suddenly […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Resembles Meadow but slightly larger and stockier and with slightly shorter tail; best told from Meadow by voice. Compared with Meadow, generally warmer grey-brown above (less grey-green), warmer yellow-buff on breast but belly whiter; breast often bolder striped but flanks usually finely streaked (often boldly in Meadow); dark malar and creamy submoustachial streak generally boldest […]

Kingdom : Birds, Pipit

Resembles slightly larger, more robust, lighter streaked version of Meadow but legs blackish brown (exceptions occur); compared with Meadow crown and mantle greyer, more indistinctly streaked and underparts whiter; in breeding season breast variably tinged rosy-pink and practically unstreaked; creamy white supercilium generally more pronounced. In winter, browner above though still greyer than Meadow; whiter […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar to Marsh Warbler but plumage is warmer brown with a rusty tinge to the rump. Has similar long wing-projection but with less obviously pale edges and has darker legs.

Kingdom : Birds, Finches and Sparrows

Unstreaked grey-brown with a broad white streak where secondaries meet the tertials. It has a long primary projection, short dark tail with a white tip( seen in flight), strong pale bill, translucent looking brownish orange legs, sandy white underparts, 2 whitish wing-bars and a prominent dark eye in a pale face. In flight the long […]

Kingdom : Birds, Grouse

Elegant and dark especially in flight with diagnostic all-dark underwing continuous with dark chestnut belly, merging into paler breast and buffish yellow head in male. Female shows black-spotted breast above the black bar; male has golden wings with some dark barring, female narrowly vermiculated blackish upperparts, and yellowish buff head; both sexes show elongated tail […]

Kingdom : Birds, Shrike

Plump-bodied, long tailed and large headed shrike. Adult has a short square-ended tail, wide black forehead band which reaching fore-crown , grey rump, whitish upper tail coverts, white tail sides, and large white mirror at base of primaries base appearing as conspicuous band in flight. Female is duller than male. Juvenile has rufous tail and […]

Kingdom : Birds, Lark

Medium-sized with earth-grey upperparts streaked dark, and warm brown edges to tertials and coverts in fresh plumage; underparts buffish white heavily streaked/spotted on breast; can show a small crest (much smaller than in Crested and not spiky); rather indistinct head marks. Juvenile has upperparts spotted dark with scaly ochre markings. In flight, shows distinct whitish […]

Kingdom : Birds, Snipe

Medium-sized, dark brown wader with distinctly yellow-striped head and upperparts, dark-striped breast, barred flanks and very long bill, with which it probes in mud with vibrating movements. Often squats in low, swampy vegetation, and usually not seen until flushed at 10–15 m distance (at only about 1 m in Jack Snipe); rises explosively, immediately uttering […]

Kingdom : Birds, Snipe

Smallest snipe in region. Very hard to see on ground being superbly camouflaged and extremely difficult to flush; often rises silently at about 1 m distance, in low, slightly jerking flight, which is less powerful than Common Snipe’s and reminiscent of a small crake; settles almost immediately; short bill, blackish brown upperparts with two broad […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar to Great Reed Warbler, but slightly smaller and slimmer with longer bill. A long more rounded tail, short wings with only 4 – 5 primary tips showing beyond tertials. Colder grey-brown plumage than Great Reed with less pronounced supercilium. Legs steely grey or or slate brown. Pale brown in Great Reed. Song is important […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A very large warbler, which may be confused with Clamorous Reed Warbler. It looks like European Reed Warbler but is much bigger with a more prominent supercilium and heavier bill. Compared to Clamorous Reed Warbler, it has a longer primary projection ( 7 – 8 tips showing) A proportionally shorter tail and a shorter,slightly stouter […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

The smallest of the Acrocephalus warblers. Pale brown above, with slight olive tinge with a warmer coloured rump, Creamy buff below with buffier flanks. Shortish white supercilium and pale eye ring. A rounded tail ( like all Acrocephalus warblers) long undertail coverts and sloping forehead. Best told by pale fringed dark tertials, long primary projection, […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar to Marsh and European Reed but slightly smaller. Short bill, more prominent supercilium, shorter wings, longer constantly flicking tail are the main differences to the other warblers. Warm wash to flanks and undertail. Bill brown with flesh coloured lower mandible. Bill can appear dark tipped.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

The smallest warbler lacking any obvious markings. Similar to Chiffchaff, with upperparts pale brownish-grey, tinged olive. Indistinct pale to cream supercilium, narrow white eye-ring, dusky lores and and eye-stripe, and buff flecked ear-coverts. Underparts off-white, washed creamy on flanks. Legs and bill dark brown. Very active, constantly flicking wings, or seen in whirring and jerky […]

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A large warbler. Warm brown in clour, with diffuse lines or spots on breast, long undertail coverts, sometimes pale tipped, Often seen on ground, with bobbing or raised tail, walking with jerky movements. A secretive bird.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

A medium sized warbler. Buffish and streaked, with a buffish white supercilium. It has a pale crown, pale ear-coverts, with buffy streaked upper parts with a warm coloured rump.

Kingdom : Birds, Warbler

Similar to Booted Warbler, but subtly different, having longer bill with pale lower mandible. Tail longer, with grey pinkish legs, and pale underparts. Frequents damp scrub habitat and grazed mangroves and trees.

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Easily told in flight from other similar-sized wheatears by almost wholly black tail (no large white patches at sides); otherwise male recalls black-throated form of Black-eared but black throat narrowly joined with narrower black wing area (shoulders not black as in male Black-eared); rump tinged buff. Sandy brown or grey-buff female often lacks black throat; […]

Kingdom : Birds, Wheatear

Heavier and stockier than Pied and Black-eared; male told from former by narrow buff-white stripe down mantle and back to join white rump; told from latter by larger black ‘bib’ broadly connected with black wings (beware of Black-eared with head sunk between shoulders); told from both also by terminal tail-band of even width (no black […]