Vagrant or irregular visitor

Ashy Drongo

A dull black bird, much more duller than Black with a long, forked tail and greyer underparts. No spot at base of bill and and vivid red irises. Tail fork usually deeper and more splayed. Juvenile greyer. Partly crepuscular. Hunts mainly aerial insects from bare branches in tree-tops. Usually solitary, in pairs or small parties. Noisy and bold, attacking passing raptors and corvids in particular. As with all drongos, other small birds often nest near them for protection. Nests high in tree.

Water Pipit

Greyish dark-legged pipit. Prominent supercilia and pale lores. In breeding plumage grey head, browner back and plain pinkish-white underparts. In non-breeding plumage is lightly streaked below, greyer above. Less heavily streaked than Rosy and Red-breasted. Similar Buff-breasted is less streaked. Feeds in loose groups.

Himalayan Bulbul

Sexes alike. Brown head, a front-pointed crest and a short, white superciliary stripe. Black around eyes and on chin and throat. Pairs or small parties; active
birds on the move, attracting attention by their pleasant calls; the Himalayan bird is common in the hills, where it is quite confiding.

Fire-capped Tit

A tiny, green and yellow tit, the male with a red crown and throat in breeding plumage. Green above with two thin, white wing bars. Deep yellow below in male, paler in female and almost white in juvenile. Beady black eyes and very short pointed bill.

Grey Bushchat

Male: dark grey above, streaked black; black mask; white supercilium, wing-patch and outer tail; white throat and belly; dull grey breast. Female: rufous-brown, streaked; rusty rump and outer tail; white throat; yellow-brown below. Solitary or pairs; like other chats, keeps to open country and edge of forest; perches on bush tops and poles, flirts tail often; regularly seen in an area; flies to ground on spotting insect.

Little Pied Flycatcher

Male is almost stark white above and black below; has long, broad white supercilium, white panels on wings and black tail. Female mostly grey-brown above and pale greyish below; female of eastern race australorientis has more rufous on rump and tail. Juvenile is spotted brown and buff. Can be seen singly, or in pairs; gregarious; often in mixed foraging flocks; arboreal; active hunter at canopy level.

Black-necked Stork

A very big, erect stork with red legs and a strong upturned black bill. Overall white with a glossy greenishblack head, neck and tail and white wings slashed with a dramatic black bar. Sexes alike, but males have dark irises while the females are yellow. Flies with long neck and legs outstretched.

Spot-billed Pelican

Sexes alike. Whitish plumage sullied with grey-brown; pink on lower back, rump and flanks; whitetipped brown crest on back of head; black primaries and
dark brown secondaries distinctive in flight; flesh coloured gular pouch has a bluish-purple wash; at close range the blue spots on upper mandible and on gular pouch confirm identity of species. Purely aquatic; seen singly as well as in large gatherings, driving the fish into shallow waters before scooping up the prey in the gular pouches.

Great White Pelican

Sexes alike but female slightly smaller. Rosetinged white plumage; pink feet and yellowish tuft on breast; black primaries and underside of secondaries; forehead feathers continue in pointed wedge above bill. Purely aquatic, huge numbers gathering to feed together; rarely settles on land; strong flier, flocks often flying to great heights.

Crested Hawk Eagle

Sexes alike, but female larger. Large, slender, crested forest eagle. Brown above; white underbody longitudinally streaked all over with brown; prominent occipital crest; the streaked whitish body, broad wings and long, rounded tail distinctive in flight. Solitary; occasionally a pair circles high over forests, especially when breeding; surveys for prey from high, leafy branches near forest clearings.

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