Chestnut-eared Laughingthrush

Very small, striped buffy heron of wetlands and lake edges with dense reeds and rushes. Boldly striped back pattern is distinctive. In flight shows contrasting broad rusty trailing edge to wings. Usually seen as single birds hidden in reeds or making short flights low over reeds or across patches of open water. Clambers easily and stealthily; hunts from perches over water, where sits patiently before stabbing at fish. Mostly silent.

A slim, medium-sized drongo with bright red eyes and gray plumage that is almost black in the western parts of its range and quite pale in the eastern parts of its range; eastern birds also often have an oval-shaped pale facial patch. It has a long slim tail with a deep fork. Common in wooded habitats where it sallies for insects and aggressively chases other birds that may compete for food or nectar. Most birds migrate south every winter. Similar to Black Drongo, but slimmer and usually in different habitats. Calls include harsh and sweet notes, and can mimic some bird species poorly.

A distinctive chestnut, white, and black waterbird with a sky-blue bill and enormous feet. The immature lacks the blue bill and shield and is brown-headed. Resident and nomadic, this species trots on the surface of water lilies and other aquatic vegetation, using its long legs and ludicrously elongated toes to prevent it from sinking. It flies weakly, low over the water, with legs and toes dangling behind awkwardly, and calls with a honking repeated “kyaaan” and wheezy hurried “skreeeeeet’--most often in flight. Highly unusual mating system in which one dominant female maintains a harem of multiple males. After egg-laying, each male will raise a brood alone.