Sexes alike. Dull golden-buff above, finely speckled black and white; white below, often with fine , dark spots; heart-shaped, white facial disc striking. Solitary or in pairs; nocturnal, but sometimes hunts during day; normally rests during day, mostly in a tree-cavity, dense creepers or some dark loft; perches upright; flies silently, mostly under 4m from ground; pounces on prey.
Sexes alike. Female slightly larger. Distinctive white eye; dark brown crown; black speck on white sides of head; back speckled with white, black and brown. Pale buff on wing shoulders seen in flight diagnostic.
The male is similar to the Jungle but has white underparts heavily barred with black, a rufous stripe above pale eyebrows, vermiculated beige and black underparts and pale undertail coverts. The female has a plain rufous face, whitish chin and pale supercilium. Habits: Similar to Jungle.
Smaller than the Japanese and Common Quail, the male has a very noticeable stripe on the crown and supercilium with a black and white pattern on the head and neck, a black ‘anchor’ mark on the throat and a prominent black patch on the breast. A black border highlights the white neck. The flanks are streaked with black. The female is very similar to the female Common, except that it has no barring on the primaries. Found in small coveys. Builds shallow, grass-lined nests in standing crops.
Small, relatively long-tailed owl, with darkly barred body; similar to Jungle, but larger, with buff, not rufous, primaries; body not so finely barred; longer, broader tail; lower flanks streaked not barred; heavily barred crown contrasts with spotted of Collared; also, no hind neck ‘face’; solitary, or in pairs; diurnal; often perches in open to search for prey; wags tail from side to side when disturbed or alarmed; undulating flight.
Small, distinctive cuckoo, with grey head and upper body, and unbarred grey breast and belly; white vent and white-barred undertail coverts; hepatic female and immature similar to Plaintive, but brighter rufous; lack supercilium and barred tail of Banded Bay; lighter barring on crown and nape; cross-barred back,
narrow-barred white underparts; mostly solitary; as with Plaintive, mainly arboreal, keeping to treetops and restlessly changing perches while singing; may descend to ground in pursuit of insects.
Sexes alike. Olivebrown plumage; long, graduated tail, with broad white tips to blackish outer feathers diagnostic in flight; cherryred beak, with yellow tip. Solitary or in pairs; sometimes 4 or 5 birds in the neighbourhood; move mostly on ground, in dense growth; may clamber out on some bush tops or low trees; flight weak and short
Breeding male: crimson and brown, spotted white on wings and flanks; white-tipped tail. Female: brown above, spotted on wings; crimson rump; dull white throat; buffy-grey breast, yellow brown below. Non-breeding male: like female, but greyer throat; upper breast distinctive. Small flocks, often with other weavers; partial to tall grass and scrub, preferably around well-watered areas; active and vibrant birds and rather confiding; huge numbers captured for bird markets.
Sexes alike. Olive-grey above, greener on rump; white-tipped tail; dull whitishgrey below, streaked brown, more on breast; orange-red eyes and thick, blue-grey beak seen at close range. Solitary or in pairs in canopy foliage; arboreal, restless; flicks tail often as it hunts under leaves or along branches; frequents parasitic clumps of Loranthus and Viscum.
Small, compact, pale sandy grey Calandrella lark, with fine, mostly pale bill and legs; weakly streaked above, though crown may have more distinct streaking; whitish below, with faint streaks on breast; well-defined pale supercilium; white crescent below eye stripe; pale ear covert patch; looks chunkier than other Shorttoed larks; sometimes raises a short, rounded crest; short primary projection; found in small flocks; runs along the ground in short sprints; male displays aerially over territory
