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.
Male: light grey upperparts, dark wedges on primaries, pale grey head and underbody; lacks black secondary bars. Female: distinctive underwing pattern; pale primaries, irregularly barred and lacking dark trailing edges. Immature male may display rusty breast band and juvenile facial markings.
Sexes alike. Black plumage with white on thighs and breast; naked red head, neck and feet; in overhead flight, the white breast, thigh patches and grey-white band along wings are distinctive; widely spread primaries. Young birds are darkish-brown with white abdomen and under tail. Mostly solitary but 2 to 4 may be seen at a carcass along with other vultures; usually does not mix with the rest.
A small but very long-tailed tern with black underparts, a slender build and long, deep orange bill that distinguishes it from River. Black cap, rather dark grey upperparts, white face, neck and upperparts. Underparts, black from lower breast to vent (unlike Whiskered which has a whitish vent at all times). Sexes alike.
Sports a large and slightly upcurved black and yellow bill. Large yellow eye diagnostic. When resting, the mostiking features are the while forehead and "spetacles". In flight shows grey panel on wings and white patches on primaries.
Sexes alike. White plumage; naked black head; long, curved black bill; blood-red patches seen on underwing and flanks in flight. Breeding: long plumes over neck; some slaty-grey in wings. Young: head and neck feathered; only face and patch around eye naked. Gregarious; feeds with storks, spoonbills, egrets and other ibises; moves actively in water, the long, curved bill held partly open and head partly submerged as the bird probes the nutrient-rich mud.
Sexes alike. Long, snake-like neck, pointed bill and stiff, fan-shaped tail confirm identity. Adult: black above, streaked and mottled with silvery-grey on back and wings; chocolate-brown head and neck; white stripe down sides of upper neck; white chin and upper throat; entirely black below. Young: brown with rufous and silvery streaks on mantle. A bird of deep, fresh water; small numbers scattered along with Little Cormorants; highly specialized feeder, the entire structure of the bird is modified for following and capturing fish underwater; swims low in water with only head and neck uncovered; chases prey below water with wings half open, spearing a fish with sudden rapier-like thrusts made possible by bend in neck at 8th and 9th vertebrae, which acts as a spring as it straightens. Tosses fish into air and swallows it head-first. Basks on tree stumps and rocks, cormorant style.
Sexes alike. Very light grey above; jet-black cap and nape, when breeding; white below; narrow, pointed wings; deeply-forked tail; bright yellow, pointed beak and red legs diagnostic. In winter, black on crown and nape reduced to flecks. Solitary or small flocks, flying about erratically; keeps to riversides, calm waters, large tanks; scans over water, plunging if possible prey is sighted; rests on river banks, noisy and aggressive, especially at nesting colonies (March to mid-June).
Sexes alike. Black forehead, crown, crest drooping over back; sandy greybrown above; black and white wings; black chin and throat, bordered white; grey-brown breast-band; white below with black patch on belly; black spur at bend of wing. Usually pairs in close vicinity; may collect into small parties during winter, sometimes with other waders; makes short dashes or feeds at water’s edge; often remains in hunched posture, when not easy to spot; slow flight; often swims and dives.
Sexes alike. Female slightly larger than male. Grey-brown above; whitish below; very long, straight beak; in flight, broad, white wing-bars, white
rump and black tail-tip distinctive. In summer, dull rufous-red on head, neck and breast, with close-barred lower breast and flanks. The Bar-tailed Godwit
L. lapponica has a slightly upcurved beak; in flight, lack of white wing-bars and barred black and white tail help identification. Gregarious, often with other large waders; quite active, probing with long beak; wades in water, the long legs often barely visible; fast and graceful, low flight.
