Bird identifications

[Sharon]

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Here is the first unknown birds. My guide didn't know the common name only the nepali name. These were in the Kali Gandaki.

[Sharon]

255
Second unknown bird from the Annapurna sanctuary

[Suginami]

The second bird is easy thats an Indian Roller. Or Lilac Breasted Roller. Very beautiful.

The larger birds are vultures. Probably Lammergiers or bearded vultures judging by their size and colour. When they fly if they have diamond shaped tails then they are vultures. Pokara airport and the vicinity can attract up to 6 different types of vulture.

Good pictures

[Saurav]

Hard to tell from the distance but the 1st photo could be 'demoiselle cranes'

[Sharon]

The roller is very pretty. the colour was more vivid in real life. Thanks for the id's.

[Weka]

This is a baby elephant.
An elephant is a dainty bird, it flits from bough to bough
It builds it's nest in a rhubarb tree, and whistles like a cow
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Thought you should know!

[Suginami]

The long necks and the colouring do look like cranes, that is true. And, at this distance. Also the white around the head.

[Spaceman347]

Weka: We're starting to worry about you mate. Your little elephant is about as random as Escher's pet "Bob". Cute little guy though (The elephant, not Escher. Actually that's a bit harsh, I've never met Escher, maybe he is cute, I wouldn't know)

Suginami: Here's a copy of some other birds for you, the first one is from Nepal, the second one is from Australia and I just shamelessly posted it cause I really quite like the photo.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2186/2051763093_1ea20fd473.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2163/2052548360_ec20d2f961.jpg

[Weka]

Weka: We're starting to worry about you mate. Your little elephant is about as random as Escher's pet "Bob".
Oh, I don't know. A raven and a baby Nepalese elephant are about 93% genetically identical. This is good enough for me. A few trivial recent evolutionary adaptations aside, a raven is an elephant. Now, as you and a slime mould are only 50% genetically identical, you can choose either way!

Actually Suginami, this elephant can be found at the breeding center in Bardia N.P: if you do decide to go there this year, you can visit him. It's an abandoned orphan being hand-reared by the chaps: a real handful. So, Spaceman, nothing is really random :)

[Per]

The larger birds are vultures.

Glad to see there are still vultures :) Over ninety percent of Indian vultures died some years back. It was quite a mystery. Later it was discovered that they died from a common pain killer fed to cattle. Indians rather give them pain killers than slaughter them. http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2005/03/diclofenac.html