birds
INDO-MALAYAN Tropical & Subtropical Dry (Deciduous) Forest

The beautiful and increasingly rare birds of the dry seasonal monsoonal deciduous forest of India and south-east Asia...

Family Anatidae: Ducks, Geese, Swans

Family Phasianidae

Francolinus pintadeanus, 'Chinese/Burmese Francolin', (Tmatboey Lodge, Cambodia). Distribution is south-east Asian mainland into southern China.

(Udawalawa National Park Sri Lanka)
Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Pavo cristatus, 'Indian Peafowl'. Endemic to India and Sri Lanka, but introduced to many other places around the world.

Male peacock in display (image by Damon Ramsey)(Udawalawa National Park Sri Lanka)

Male peacock in display.

Family Columbidae: Doves & Pigeons

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Treron bicinctus, 'Orange-breasted Green Dove' Foud in tropical Asia, from India, through to Java.

Family Cuculidae: Cuckoos

? Cacomantis sonneratii,  'Banded Bay Cuckoo', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Family Caprimulgidae: Nightjars, Nighthawks

Caprimulgus affinis, 'Savanna Nightjar', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Family Burhinidae: Thick-knees

Indian Thick-knee (image by Damon Ramsey)Indian Thick-knee (Udawalawa National Park)

Burhinus indicus, 'Indian Stone-Curlew/Thick-knee'.

Family Charadriidae: Plovers, Dotterels

Vanellus indicus, 'Red-wattled Lapwing', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Family Glareolidae: Coursers, Pratincoles

Oriental Pratincole, (image by Damon Ramsey)Oriental Pratincole, (Florican Grasslands, Cambodia)

Glareola maldivarum, 'Oriental Pratincole', (Florican Grasslands, Cambodia).

Family Threskiornithidae: Ibises, Spoonbills

Thaumatibis gigantea, 'Giant Ibis', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). Only found regularly in northern Cambodia.

Pseudibis davisoni, 'White-shouldered Ibis' (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). Rare. Restricted to small ranges within Borneo and mainland south-east Asia. 

Family Accipitridae: Hawks, Kites, Eagles

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Haliastur indus, 'Brahminy Kite'.

(Tmatboey Lodge, Cambodia).

? Nisaetus cirrhatus, 'Changeable Hawk-eagle'.

Don't you hate it when the strands of pizza cheese are so sticky? (Yala National Park, Sri Lanka)

Nisaetus cirrhatus ceylanensis, '(Sri Lankan Crested) Changeable Hawk-eagle'.

Spilornis cheela, 'Crested Serpent Eagle' (Lunugamvehera National Park, Sri Lanka). Usually found on edge of forest, often near water, across tropical Asia.

Haliaeetus ichthyaetus, 'Grey-headed Fish Eagle' , (Lunugamvehera National Park, Sri Lanka). Found in open habitats neat water across tropical Asia.

Family Strigidae: Typical Owls

Athene brama, 'Spotted Owlet' (Florican Grasslands, Cambodia).

Glaucidium cuculoides, 'Barred Owlet' (Tmatboey Lodge, Cambodia). Distributed from Nepal across south-east Asian mainland and north into southern China.

Family : 'Hornbills'

(image by Damon Ramsey)Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Ocyceros gingalensis, 'Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill'. Found in forests and woodlands, only in Sri Lanka.

Family Meropidae: Bee-eaters

Merops philippinus, 'Blue-tailed Bee-eater', (Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand).

Little Green Bee-eater (image by Damon Ramsey)Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Merops orientalis 'Little Green Bee-eater'. Very widespread, from northern Africa, through middle east, India, and into the south-east Asian mainland. The subspecies above is ceylonicus in Sri Lanka and has a very rufous head.

Family Coraciidae: Rollers

Coracias benghalensis, 'Indian Roller', (Bunadala, Sri Lanka). Found from the middle east, across India, to tropical south-east Asia.

Family Megalaimidae: Asian Barbets

Psilopogon lineatus, 'Lineated Barbet', Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Family Picidae: Woodpeckers

The open woodlands of tropical Asia have a high diversity of woodpeckers. They range in shape, colour, size and ecological niche.

Dendrocopos hyperythrus, 'Rufous-bellied Woodpecker', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). Found in closed and open forest across tropical Asia.

Leiopicus mahrattensis, 'Yellow-crowned Woodpecker', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). Mostly found in India, but also patchily distibuted in some parts of mainland south-east Asia.

Micropternus brachyurus, 'Rufous Woodpecker', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Picus erythropygius, 'Black-headed Woodpecker', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). Almost looks like an old-world Oriole. Restricted to south-east Asian mainland.

Mulleripicus pulverulentus, 'Great Slaty Woodpecker' (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia). The largest woodpecker in the world. Found in undisturbed open and closed habitats. Distribution from north-east India, across mainland south-east Asia and south to Java.

Family Falconidae

Polihierax insignis, 'White-rumped Pygmy Falcon', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Family Psittaculidae: Old World Parrots

Psittacula krameric, 'Rose-ringed/Ring-necked Parakeet', (Bundala, Sri Lanka).

Psittacula alexandri,'Red-breasted Parakeet', (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

Psittacula roseata, 'Blossom-headed Parakeet' (female), (Kulen Prontemp, Cambodia).

For the page on the songbirds of the dry forest & woodland of tropical Asia

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Thinking of travelling again after everything settles down? The first expedition I am booked to work on after the virus is Micronesia, New Guinea & Indonesia in 2021 with Silversea. Meanwhile I am giving a lecture on the Sunshine Coast (Australia) on the "Sounds of suburban south-east Queensland".