Sexes alike; female larger. Blue-grey above; chestnut sides of head, crown, nape, cheekstripe diagnostic; wings pointed, outer flight feathers blackish, closely barred with white on inner webs; black-barred grey tail with narrow black bars has a broad, black terminal band edged with white; white below; lightly streaked breast, barred below. Pairs, usually hunt in concert; straight and strong flight.
A bulky raptor that is usually rather pale below; variable but most have closely barred, white underparts and underwings and a barred, squareended tail. No carpal patches and head to upper breast are often brown as upperparts. Large owl-like head, very evident yellow irises and grey legs. Some individuals even paler. Sexes alike.
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 large raptor in varying shades of beige and brown with a yellow bill, white thighs and ruff and bare, dark brown head and neck with scattered white fluff. The dark flight feathers and tail form a striking contrast to the pale underparts. Other features are broad wings, small head, long neck and short tail. Sexes alike. Immature even paler with pale head and neck and grey bill. This is a peninsular vulture recently separated from the northern Slender-billed, G. tenuirostris, which has a plain dark head and neck and a dark and slender bill.
Sexes alike. Blackish-brown plumage; almost naked head has whitish ruff around base; white rump (lower back) distinctive, when perched and often in
flight; in overhead flight, white underwing-coverts contrast with dark underbody and flight feathers. Young birds are brown and show no white on underwing
in flight. Increasingly becoming uncommon, now rarely seen at carcasses, slaughter houses, refuse dumps. When resting, the head and neck are dug into the shoulders; soars high on thermals; several converge onto a carcass; basks in sun.
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.
A tiny tern with white forehead and black-tipped yellow bill. Pale grey back and wings with dark outer primary. Forehead patch extends as point above eye. Yellow legs. In non-breeding plumage, bill black and black crown reduced. Sexes alike. Similar but marine Saunder’s Tern S. saundersi has square-ended forehead patch, more black in primaries and browner legs.
Sexes alike, but female slightly smaller. Slender, pointed-winged and tern-like Pied plumage, blackish-brown above, contrasting with white underbody; white forehead, neck-collar and wing bar; diagnostic yellowish-orange beak, with much longer lower mandible; red legs. Solitary or loose flocks fly over water; characteristic hunting style is to skim over calm waters, beak wide open, the longer projecting lower mandible partly submerged at an angle, to snap up fish on striking; many rest together on sandbars.
Sexes alike. Bright rufous crown; white and black stripes above and through eyes to nape; sandybrown above; chestnut throat and breast and black belly; long, whitish legs; in flight, dark underwings. Small parties in open country; strictly a ground bird, runs in short spurts and feeds on ground, like plovers, suddenly dipping body when disturbed, flies strongly for a short distance and lands; can fly very high.
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.
