Red-headed Bunting

Scientific Name - Emberiza bruniceps

Status - Winter Migrant

Weather - Cold and Sunny.

Habitat - Open Fields, Scrubs and Trees

Place - Patan Road, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a Winter Migrant bird to Jabalpur and can be found in open fields and scrub regions of the city. They can be seen in flock that varies from 10-15 and sometimes more than 25-30. The Adult Male has a Red coloration on head and it extends up to throat.

Near any farm fields, one can see them foraging along with House Sparrows and other Bunting species.

Siberian Stonechat

Scientific Name - Saxicola maurus

Status - Winter Migrant

Weather - Cold and Sunny.

Habitat - Paddy Fields

Place - Mohari, Jabalpur Dist. (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a Winter Migrant bird to Jabalpur and can be found in paddy fields, open fields and scrub regions of the city. Usually they are solitary or with female. In open fields, one can see them preying on insects.

Painted Francolin

Scientific Name - Fracolinus pictus

Status - Local Migrant

Weather - Cloudy and Drizzling (Rainy)

Habitat - Open Grasslans, Scrubs and Trees

Place - Dumna Airport Road, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a Local Migrant bird to Jabalpur and can be found in open grasslands and scrub region of the city. During monsoon, one can hear them calling usually at Dawn and Dusk. It's a bit shy like its cousin Grey Francolin but as the name suggests, Painted Francolin is a beautiful bird.

Black Kite (Pariya Kite)

Scientific Name - Milvus migrans

Status - Resident

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Trees and Mainly near Human Habitat

Place - Katanga, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a resident bird to Jabalpur and can be found throughout the city. They mainly resides near humans for easy food. They feed on rats, carcass, small birds and sometimes human food. When population of Vultures declined in the city areas, Black Kites succeeded them. 

Indian Silverbill (White-throated Munia)

Scientific Name - Eurodice malabarica

Status - Resident

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Scrubs and Grassland.

Place - Gokulpur Tank, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a resident bird to Jabalpur and can be found in most of the open grasslands, scrubs and also in cultivated fields, wherever they can forage easily. They can be seen in a flock of atleast 10-12 birds. Due to their small size, one may face difficult to spot them when foraging on ground (grassland).

Paddyfield Pipit

Scientific Name - Anthus Rufulus

Status - Resident

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Scrubs and Grassland.

Place - Gokulpur Tank, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is the only resident Pipit of Jabalpur. So, it can easily be identified throughout the year except during winters, when its cousins from other region and countries will arrive.

Plum-headed Parakeet (Tuiya Tota)

Scientific Name - Psittacula cyanocephala

Status - Resident

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Trees

Place - Dumna Nature Reserve, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

Also known as "Tuiya Tota" in Hindi (named after its distinctive call) is a long-tailed Parrot resident to our Jabalpur region.

They can be seen in forest areas and open woodlands of Jabalpur. These birds live in flocks and are very social. Males have a reddish purple head and females have a grey head. They fly fast with twists and turns followed by their calls.

Verditer Flycatcher

Scientific Name - Eumyias thalassinus

Status - Winter Migrant

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Trees

Place - Dumna Nature Reserve, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

It is a beautiful migratory bird that can be seen at many places in Jabalpur. It is named after its beautiful and quite distinctive shade of copper-sulphate blue.

It is the Himalayan population that migrates to lower altitudes and towards India during winter season.

Shikra a.k.a Little Banded Goshawk

Scientific Name - Accipiter badius
Status - Resident

Weather - Partially Cloudy

Habitat - Trees

Place - Thakurtal, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

Shikra is the 2nd most common bird of prey in Jabalpur, after Black Kite. It hunts mainly small birds, garden lizards and small rats. During its young age, the variation of plumages are astonishing. This is one of the plumages of young age, also not a common one.

In Old Days, Indian hunters used Shikra for hunting small animals and birds.

Sarus Crane - World's Tallest Flying Bird

Scientific Name - Grus antigone
Status - Local Migrant, Uncommon

Weather - Sunny

Habitat - Flooded Paddies (Wetlands)

Place - Bhedaghat Road, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh, India).

This photograph was taken during the time of courtship. Male was indulged in spectacular display of "dancing" movements that involves a series of jumping, bowing and circling around Female.