SivamDesign's photostream  

A male Rose-ringed Parakeet clicked in the wild. I said in the wild since these gregarious tropical parakeets are popular in the pet industry, and their numbers are decreasing in some areas due to trapping for the pet trade. This bird is a male as it has a black stripe to the cheek and pink band to the nape, which the females lack. These birds measure approximately 42 cms. or 16.5 inches in length including their long tails. In the wild these birds usually feed on buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds.

The most commonly found Oriole near my home. It is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia. This bird is a juvenile as the hood is not solidly black, especially on the throat as clearly seen in this photo. Also in the adults the beak turns red. Even with their bright yellow colour they may be difficult to see in the dappled yellow and green leaves of the canopy. A beautiful bird especially when seen in flight.

A young Red-eared Slider turtle, one of many that were being smuggled from Singapore for the exotic pet trade. Many died due to bacterial infection, but luckily the majority survived. Wonder what kind of people can keep such animals as pets when they have so little chance for survival.

These are semiaquatic turtles belonging to the family Emydidae. They are a subspecies of the pond slider. They are the most popular pet turtles in the United States and also popular in the rest of the world. Native only to the southern United States, but become established in other places because of pet releases and have become an invasive species in many introduced areas. Red-eared sliders get their name from the distinctive red patch of skin around their ears. The "slider" part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly.

The Bronzed Drongo is a small bird belonging to the drongo group. They are resident in the forests of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They capture insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by making aerial sallies from their perches. They are very similar to the other drongos of the region but are somewhat smaller and compact with differences in the fork depth and the patterns of gloss on their feathers. They are found singly or in a group of two to three and can be very noisy. I was alerted to the presence of this bird by its cries. The photo was clicked from the bedroom window.

The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Europe and Asia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. They are usually seen on open marshy ground or meadows where they walk solitarily or in pairs along the ground, capturing insects that are disturbed. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees.