BRAHMINY KITE

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(888)               BRAHMINY KITE                 Haliastur indus

SINGAPORE               (25)

Found in secondary forest, scrub, mangroves, old plantations; often seen in flight over urban areas. 44-52 cm. Distribution: Indian sub-continent, S China, and much of coastal Southeast Asia, east to New Guinea, Bismarck Islands and Australia.

BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER

(see    837)         BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER           Merops philippinus

SINGAPORE             (24)

Found in secondary forest, forest edge, scrub, old plantations, parkland and even urban gardens. 30 cm. Indian sub-continent, S China, mainland Southeast Asia and Greater Sundas east to Philippines and New Guinea. Migratory.

COMMON HILL MYNA

Photographed before first light in Singapore November 2016

(see   320)               COMMON HILL  MYNA             Gracula religiosa

SINGAPORE               (22)

Found in primary and secondary forests, forest edge and occasionally scrub. 29 cm. Distribution: SW and E India, SW China, mainland Southeast Asia, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Greater and Lesser Sundas, Palawan.

ORANGE-BELLIED FLOWERPECKER

Subspecies trigonostigma photographed in Singapore November 2016

887                  ORANGE-BELLIED FLOWERPECKER              Dictum trigonostigma

SINGAPORE               (22)

Found in primary and secondary forests, adjacent scrubs and parkland. 9 cm. Distribution: NE India, S Bungladesh, Myanmar, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Greater Sundas, Philippines.

CRIMSON SUNBIRD

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

886                  CRIMSON SUNBIRD              Aethopyga siparaja

SINGAPORE               (21)

Found in primary and secondary forests, scrubs, old plantations, parkland. 12 cm. Distribution: Himalayan foothills, E India, S China, much of mainland Southeast Asia, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Greater Sundas and Sulawesi.

WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see   332)            WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER            Halcyon smyrnensis

SINGAPORE           (20)

Also known the White-breasted Kingfisher and Smyrna Kingfisher. Ranges in Eurasia from Bulgaria, Turkey, West Asia east through the Indian subcontinent to Philippines. Can be found well away from water, feeding on small lizards, amphibians, crabs, and small rodents. 28 cm.

ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL

Subspecies convexus, photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see      857)              ORIENTAL PIED HORNBILL            Anthracoceros albirostris 

SINGAPORE         (19)        

Also known as Asian Pied Hornbill. 70 cms. Found in secondary forests, old plantations and occasionally mangroves and parkland. 70 cm. Distribution: Himalayan foothills, E to India to South and Greater Sundas.

YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(812)                  YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL         Pycnonotidae goiavier

SINGAPORE         (18)

Found in secondary forests, forest edges, scrub, old plantations, mangroves, parkland, urban areas. 20 cm. Distribution: Parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Thai-Maly Peninsula, Greater Sundas, Philippines.

STRIATED HERON

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see   106)              STRIATED HERON                Butorides striatus 

SINGAPORE         (17)      

Also known as Little Heron. 45 cm. Adaptable and successful heron found in mangroves, coastal ponds, canals, rivers, reservoir fringes and even ponds in urban parkland. Distribution: widespread across much of the Americas, Eurasia, Africa and Australia.

ZEBRA DOVE

(see   32)            ZEBRA DOVE          Geopelia striata

SINGAPORE      (16)

Known in Australia as Peaceful Dove. 20 cms. Found in secondary scrub, mangrove edges, grassland, parkland and urban areas. Distribution: Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Philippines, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda.

YELLOW BITTERN

(see      866)              YELLOW BITTERN                    Ixobrychus sinensis  

SINGAPORE         (15)        

Found in mangroves, freshwater marshes and wet grassland, including small stands of reeds in parkland. 37 cm. Breeds in N Indian sub-continent and much of E Asia to as far north as Russian Far East and Southeast Asia, east to Philippines.

HOUSE CROW

(see    339)         HOUSE CROW           Corvus splendens

SINGAPORE        (14)

Also known as Indian Crow, Greynecked Crow, Ceylon Crow or Colombo Crow. Range India, Nepal and Bangladesh, but although Asian in origin it has now spread to many parts of the world. Introduced into Singapore but now one of only 6 species it is legal to kill.

FERAL PIGEON

(see   114)          FERAL PIGEON            Columba livia

SINGAPORE     (13)

Also known as Domestic or Homing pigeon or Rock Dove. 33-36 cm. Widespread across Europe, n Africa and w Asia, probably introduced to Australia with European settlement. Widespread in villages, towns, cities and farm homesteads. Found in urban areas, grain installations, roadsides, woodlands, paddocks.

COMMON SANDPIPER

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see  508)              COMMON SANDPIPER                Actitis hypoleucos

SINGAPORE        (12)      

Highly adaptable migrant to sandy shores, coastal mudflats, freshwater marshes, wet grassland and concrete canals. 20 cm. Breeds across much of Eurasia, from W Europe to E Siberia and Japan, as far south as Middle East; winters Africa, Middle East and Indian sub-continent, east to S China, South-east Asia, Australia and SW Pacific.

SPOTTED DOVE

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see   50)              SPOTTED DOVE                Spilopelia chinensis

SINGAPORE        (11)      

Very common resident of secondary scrub, mangrove edges, old plantations, grasslands, parkland and urban areas. 30 cm. Distribution: Indian sub-continent, S and E China across mainland Southeast Asia, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Greater Sundas and Palawan; widely introduced worldwide.

COMMON KINGFISHER

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(885)              COMMON KINGFISHER                  Albedo atthis 

SINGAPORE        (10)        

Occurs in all kind of water bodies on migration, including open streams, canals, reservoir edges, ponds with reedy fringes and mangrove creeks, seldom in forest streams. 17 cm. Widespread across much of Eurasia with many races; occurs east to Soloman Islands; winter visitor to Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia.

GREY HERON

Photographed in Singapore November 2016

(see  370)              GREY HERON                   Ardea cinerea 

SINGAPORE        (9)        

Common resident and probable migrant, occurring in sandy beaches, reefs, mangroves, coastal mudflats, freshwater marshes, wet grassland and canals. 100 cm. Widespread across Eurasia and Africa, east to East and Southeast Asia.