Escape into the wild

  Burly, powerful, sharp-winged raptor that feeds mainly on birds captured in flight. Found across the globe; considerable plumage variation across subspecies. Chases prey down at high speeds with continuous powerful wingbeats. Becoming increasingly common, especially in cities, where they can nest on tall buildings and feed on pigeons. Also frequents mudflats and open areas with shorebirds. Prey Item - Cattle Egret

  Massive tricolored vulture with whitish head and neck, pale brown body, and contrasting dark flight feathers. Juveniles similar but with a pale brown rather than white neck ruff. Nests in colonies on cliff ledges; often seen in loose flocks soaring over valleys and mountainsides but always in search of updrafts and thermals. Still the commonest vulture over much of its breeding range. Some populations are resident while others are highly migratory. ( Source: ebird.org)

Huge, majestic, dark-brown vulture and a rare inhabitant of arid mountains and forests. In flight looks all dark, but with some contrast between the leading edge and trailing edge from below. Soars on flat wings, often slightly drooping with prominent wing fingers and a saw-toothed trailing edge. Juveniles lack the adult’s pale head patches. Imposing and dominant over other vultures at carcasses. (Source : ebird.org) With an adult Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus in between.

Adults are large and quite uniform dark brown eagles with very broad wings and short tails. Single white "comma" mark at the wrist of the underwing. Similar to the Lesser Spotted Eagle, which is smaller, paler, and more contrasting. Juveniles are more boldly patterned with numerous prominent dirty white spots on the back and upper wings. More tied to forests than Lesser Spotted Eagle, but still near rivers and bogs. Frequents humanmade habitats more often in winter, such as lakes, rubbish dumps, and reservoirs. ( Source: ebird.org)

  Medium-sized songbird with predominantly dark plumage, a very short crest, and crimson bill and legs. Long tail and bill impart an elongated appearance. Head color varies considerably across distribution, ranging from white to dark gray to black. Often travels in large flocks, which move noisily between fruiting trees. Most commonly found in broadleaf evergreen and mixed deciduous forests but also regularly visits gardens and lowland forests. Extremely noisy, with a huge repertoire, emitting various squeaks, meows, chatters, whistles, and more. ( Source : ebord.org)

  This dull, shy skulker can be difficult to see; instead, listen for its remarkable song, an ascending series of 3-4 long thin monotone whistles (“doooooo-rayyyyy-meeeee”) followed by a slow series of repeated 2- or 3-note musical phrases. If seen well, note the species’ white brow stripe, buff-washed pale underparts, and warm brown upperparts. Favors patches of bamboo in otherwise dense forest, but can be found in other types of dense vegetation. Breeds at 2000-3600 meters of elevation; may descend in the winter. ( Source : ebird.org)

  Large, pale-eyed songbird of lower and middle elevations of montane forests. Male blood red with inky black head and wings and dark bill; female similar but less richly colored. Juvenile brown above, pale with dark stippling below, paler bill, and tawny undertail coverts. Birds in Taiwan and central Vietnam are much brighter red overall. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with mixed-species flocks. Pairs often engage in an ethereal duet: male gives a series of melodic notes, to which the female responds with a long, airy whistle. Also gives harsh, rasping calls. ( Source : ebird.org) Male,  Mandal Village, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand, India   Male,  Mandal Village, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand, India  

  An active little bird with a bright yellow belly and a pale-tipped fan-like tail.  Most common in foothill and submontane broadleaf forests, where it forages energetically and acrobatically in the middle and lower levels, often with fulvettas, warblers, and other small passerines in mixed-species foraging flocks.  Very similar in shape to fantails but much smaller, and actually more closely related to tits. Song is a series of high “tsit” notes interspersed with twitters and trills. Call is often repeated at length, akin to a song, but much simpler, a series of high “tsip” notes.

Chocolate-brown thrush with finely scaled white underparts. Very similar to Himalayan and Sichuan Thrushes, with which it was once considered a single species.  Alpine is shorter-billed than the other two species, with a darker brown forehead than Sichuan Thrush; averages longer-legged and longer-winged than Himalayan Thrush. Long-tailed Thrush can also be similar, but lacks Alpine’s intense throat and chest speckling, and has thin but prominent pale wingbars.  Alpine Thrush breeds in open rocky alpine areas with scattered shrubbery between 3000 and 4500 meters of elevation, though it descends lower into the foothills during winter.  Song is simple but not altogether unmusical, consisting of fluid warbling notes and squeaky grating ones.