Date Archive

The Bay-backed Shrike, Lanius vittatus, is a member of the bird family Laniidae, the shrikes.It is a widespread resident breeder in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and has recently been recorded from Sri Lanka. It nests in bushes in scrubby areas and cultivation, laying 3-5 eggs.It is smallish shrike at 17cm, maroon-brown above with a pale…

The Blue-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus viridirostris , is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the Hoatzin.It is restricted to Sri Lanka and southern India. The Blue-faced Malkoha is a bird of open forests and scrub jungle. It nests in a thorn bush, the typical…

Any bird that’s basically all-green has to be either a parrot or one of the Bee-eaters such as Blue-cheeked, but these two groups have completely different bill shapes and the ‘green’ bee-eaters have distinctive orange underwings. A bigger problem for most European birdwatchers is knowing which species of parrot it is but the combination of…