Subhasis Banerjee

  GYRFALCON The Gyrfalcon, the largest of the Falcon species, is a bird of prey. The abbreviation Gyr is also used. It breeds on Arctic coasts, Tundra and the islands of northern North America and the Euro-Siberian region. The Gyrfalcon is a very polymorphic species and therefore, its plumage varies greatly. The archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black", though they can be coloured on a spectrum from all-white to very dark. The brown Gyrfalcon is distinguished from the peregrine by the cream streaking on the nape and crown and by the absence of a well-defined malar stripe and cap. The black morph Gyrfalcon has a strongly black-spotted underside, rather than finely barred as in the peregrine. White Gyrfalcons are the only predominantly white falcons. Silver gyrfalcons resemble a light grey lanner falcon of larger size. The species shows no sex-based colour differences. The juveniles are darker and browner than adults....

  GREY HERON The Grey Heron is a long-legged predatory wading bird of the Heron family, Ardeidae, native of temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. The Grey Heron is a large bird measuring vertically up to 39 inches tall and sizing horizontally up 40 inches with a wingspan of about 77 inches wingspan. The body weight can range from 1.5 kg to 3 kg. The plumage is largely ash-grey above and greyish-white below with some black on the flanks. Adults generally have their head and neck coloured white with a broad black supercilium that terminates in the slender, dangling crest and bluish-black streaks on the front of the neck. The scapular feathers are elongated and the feathers at the base of the neck are also somewhat elongated. Immature birds of this species lack the dark stripe on the head and are generally dull in appearance than adults with a grey head and neck and a small, dark grey crest. The pinkish-yellow beak is long, straight and powerful and is brighter in co...

KOOKABURRA Kookaburras are terrestrial Tree Kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28 cm and 42 cm (11 in to 17 in) in length and weigh around 300 grams. The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra , onomatopoeic of its call. The loud distinctive call of the Laughing Kookaburra is widely used as a ‘stock sound effect’ in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies. Even though they belong to the larger group known as "Kingfishers", Kookaburras are not closely associated with water. The name Dacelo is an anagram of Alcedo , the Latin word for a Kingfisher. Four species of Kookaburra can be found in Australia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands . The Rufous-bellied Kookaburra ( Dacelo gaudichaud ) – native to the lowlands of New Guinea, the Spangled Kookaburra ( Dacelo tyro ) – native to the Aru Islands and southern New Guinea, the Blue-winged Kookaburra ( Dacelo...

HORNBILL The Hornbills ( Buceros bicornis ) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved beak which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The great hornbill is long-lived and is predominantly frugivorous but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black  casque  on top of its massive bill. The casque appears U-shaped when viewed from the front and the top is concave, with two ridges along the sides that form points in the front. The back of the casque is reddish in females, while the underside of the front and back of the casque is black in males. The wing beats are heavy and the sound produced by birds in flight can be heard from a distance. This sound has be...