Natural Neighbours - 11
Walking along Chitravati in the morning, mid-December. Good photos of hawk, purple sunbird, cranes, herons, kingfisher.
Hovers by flapping its wings and staying in the same place.
Looks like a crow tried to imitate or emulate the
Crows got together to chase the Abhimanyu away!
Photos courtesy our colleague A. U. Jai Ganesh.
It is not an Osprey. It is black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus).
ReplyDeleteReference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-winged_kite
Small and distinctive falcon-like kite. Light underneath, blue-gray above with conspicuous black shoulders formed by black wing coverts. Found in open savannah, semi-desert, and agricultural lands with scattered woods; frequently seen on exposed perches. Varied flight style, hovering like a kestrel or gliding like a harrier with deep wingbeats and raised wings.
Source: https://ebird.org/species/bkskit1?siteLanguage=en_IN
This bird is unmistakable. It has a white head with a black "mask", and white underparts except for black tips to its narrow falcon-like wings. Upper parts are blue-grey except for black shoulder patches. The tail is short and square, quite unlike the more familiar Milvus kites. The slow hunting flight is like a harrier, but it will hover like a Kestrel.
Source: https://www.beautyofbirds.com/blackwingedkites.html