Birds | Travel and Life in Thailand

Chestnut Tailed Starling

Jan 152009

Chestnut Tailed Starlings: Temenuchus malabaricus: And I thought starlings were just ugly, noisy black nuisances. I was wrong; pretty little things some of them:) This is a member of the starling family of perching birds.

It is resident or partially migratory and found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia.

They have grey upperparts and blackish wing feathers, but the colour of the remaining plumage depends on the subspecies. All subspecies have white irises and a yellow bill with pale blue base.

Youngsters have whitish underparts and just chestnut tips to the tail feathers.

The nest is typically found in open woodland and cultivation. The Chestnut-tailed Starling builds a nest in hole and lays 3-5 eggs. Like most starlings, the Chestnut-tailed Starling is omnivorous, eating fruit, nectar and insects.

They fly in tight flocks and often rapidly change directions with great synchronicity.

Canal Road – Northern Farm Project

Pied Bush Chat No Responses »

Jan 152009

Pied Bush Chat: Saxicola caprata: No other info found on this little fellow yet.

This male bird in breeding colours, was sat in a tree near to Nothern Farm Project, along the canal road towards Mae Rim.

Many Pied Bushcats, Male & Female are seen along this road, individually perched on an elevated branch, stick, pole or twig.

Canal Road – Northern Farm Project

Coppersmith Barbet No Responses »

Jan 152009

coppersmith-barbit Coppersmith Barbet: Megalaima haemacephala: This delightful little creature is a bird with crimson forehead and neck.The name barbet refers to the barbs fringing its heavy bill. The Coppersmith is brightly coloured, with a yellow face bordered with black and with black eye stripes. Its bill is stout and dark. The upper parts are grass green and underneath yellowish-green,streaked with darker green.

Youngsters are duller and without the red patches. The sexes are alike.

A little larger than a sparrow, it is a relatively small barbet at 17 cm. It is plump , with a short neck and large head. The short, tail is distinctively triangular in flight. Usually living solitary, pairs, or small groups, larger flocks occasionally gather on abundantly fruiting Ficus trees. Their flight is straight, with rapid beats.

The call is a loud rather metallic tonk, tonk, tonk ,sounding like a copper sheet being beaten, hence its its name. The beak remains shut during each call – a patch of bare skin on both sides of the throat inflates and collapses with each tonk , with a lot of body and tail shaking. Not so vocal in the cold, can be heard regular in the hotter times.

The Coppersmith prefers to feed on Banyan, Peepul, and other wild figs, various berries, and the occasional insect.

Nest: a tree hole in a dead or decaying softwood branch, about 40cm deep ending in a slightly widened chamber. Lays 2-4 eggs which are white longish oval shape, laid on bare wood. Both sexes look after the young.

This bird was seen on the canal road in Mae Rim & 2 others were heard nearby.

Canal Road – Northern Farm Project

Ashy Drongo No Responses »

Jan 152009

Ashey Drongo: Dicrurus leucophaeus

The Ashy Drongo breeds in the hills of tropical southern Asia . Many are migratory.

For example, the birds that breed in the Himalayas leave the mountains to winter in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

This species feeds on insects and is usually found in hill forests. They will lay 3 or 4 eggs in a cup nest in a tree. These, like their black cousins,are aggressive and fearless birds. The adult Ashy Drongo is around 29 cm in length, mainly dark grey, and the tail is long with a deep for. There are various subspecies differentiated by the shade of the grey plumage. Some also have white markings on the head. Young birds are dull brownish grey.

The Ashy Drongo has short legs and sits very upright like a shrike.

This one was spotted near Mae Rim. I hope to getter a better shot in the future.

Canal Road – Northern Farm Project

Rufus Treepie No Responses »

Jan 152009

Sadly I have yet to trace any information on these beautiful birds that appear to be quite common around the countryside of Chiang Mai.

I remember seeing many near the house I used to rent in the village of Pong Noi, at the foot of Doi Suthep.

At the time I thought they were Blue Jays, from the blue striping on the wings, sadly not visible in this photo.

This one was spotted close to Mae Rim.

Canal Road – Northern Project

Black Drongo No Responses »

Jan 152009

black-drongo1 Black Drongo :Dicrurus macrocercus: This bird is a resident breeder in most of southern Asia. Glossy black with a wide fork tail, adults have a small white spot at the base of the gape. The iris is dark brown (as opposed to crimson in the similar looking Ashy Drongo). Youngsters are brownish and may have some white striping or speckling towards the belly and vent and can be mistaken for the White-bellied Drongo. The race cathoecus is found in Thailand.

They are aggressive birds, around 28 cm in length, and will attack much larger birds if they feel a threat to their nest or young.

This aggressive behaviour gave them the former name of King Crow. They fly with strong beats of the wing and are also very agile when it comes to capturing insect prey.

The Black Drongo has short legs and sits very upright on perches or electricity wires. They can sometimes be seen perching on grazing animals.

This one was spotted close to Mae Rim