If you have been doing bird watching with birders around the globe, you will probably accustomed of been woken up from your dreams in order to be at the birding site before sunrise. The more crazy ones would insist that you be up as early as 4.00am if you wish to see certain nocturnal birds. During those godly misty hours you might just be able to see a few silhouettes of flying birds which may at times look like a flying bat from a distance, vice versa. But no worries ! Through experience you should be able to roughly guess what those silhouettes represent.
Here are several silhouettes of birds which i have managed to capture in my birding trips around Peninsular Malaysia. All images depicted here were taken in late 2015 to June this year (2016). Some of them were common birds and some are ........of course uncommon :-) See whether you can guess them all or if not some of it (note: some do show diagnostic structural shapes and features). If you are still unsure, their answers are at the bottom of this post. Have fun !
Image # 1
Image # 2
Image # 3
Image # 4
Image # 5
Image # 6
Image # 7
Image # 8
Image # 9
Image # 10
Image # 11
Image # 12
Image # 13
Image # 14
Image # 15
Answers:
Image 1 = Collocalia fuciphaga (Edible-Nest Swiflet)
Image 2 = Collocalia germani (Germain's Swiflet)
Image 3 = Apus affinis (House Swift)
Image 4 = Columba livia (Rock Pigeon)
Image 5 = Streptopelia chinensis (Spotted Dove)
Image 6 = Merops philippinus (Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater)
Image 7 = Corvus splendens (House Crow)
Image 8 = Haliastur indus (Brahminy Kite)
Image 9 = Irena puella (Asian Fairy Bluebird) - male
Image 10 = Dicrurus paradiseus (Greater Racket-Tailed Drongo)
Image 11 = Mulleripicus pulverulentus (Great Slaty Woodpecker)
Image 12 = Pernis ptilorhyncus (Oriental Honey-Buzzard)
Image 13 = Rhaphidura leucopygialis (Silver-Rumped Needletail/Spinetail)
Image 14 = Gracula religiosa (Hill Myna)
Image 15 = Psittinus cyanurus (Blue-Rumped Parrots)
