Mali Firefinch

Small falcon with distinctive male plumage: gray head, rusty back, gray tail with broad black tip. Female is brownish above, with barring on the back, wings, and tail. Note rather pointed wingtips (unlike rounded wings of Accipiter hawks), and distinct dark spotting on the breast. Inhabits open and lightly wooded country, farmlands, grasslands, and heathlands; often seen over grassy areas beside roads and at airports. Perches on wires and posts, and typically hunts by hovering, at times fairly high overhead. Very similar to Lesser Kestrel.

An ornate small terrestrial bird of Tibetan highlands, usually dry hillsides and valleys with sparse shrub cover. Often seen hurrying along with a bobbing gait when surprised on a roadside or in pastures. Browish overall, with black-and-white face pattern and bright orange neck. Can be quite tame, especially in protected areas around monasteries, where often fed.

Medium-sized, plump green bulbul with a yellow belly and distinctive head pattern with yellow tufts behind each eye, white tufts above each eye, and white horns sticking up from the base of the bill. Found in small parties in the canopy of hill forests and adjacent woods and gardens. Conspicuous head pattern of Yellow-eared Bulbul differentiates it from Black-headed Bulbul, which has an unmarked, dark head. Frequently given call is a harsh trill. Song involves a series of high “whit”, whip-like notes.