Andaman Treepie

Slim, long-winged, mid-sized raptor with oddly cuckoo-like markings. Has fairly weak, floppy flight and rarely soars. Generally uncommon species of thick savannah, woodland, and forest edge. Call is a long, mournful whistle. Although its shape is distinctive with practice, cuckoo-hawks can be confused with many other raptor species. Note the widely spaced rufous barring on the belly, and the small crest. Cuckoo-hawks are much slower and weaker fliers than any of the goshawks or sparrowhawks.

Small, compact white heron with relatively short yellow bill. More often seen in dry habitats than other egrets, but also frequent in rice paddies and shallow wetlands. In the breeding season, look for bright orange head and breast, as well as a brighter bill. Leg color varies from reddish or yellow during the breeding season to black during the nonbreeding season. Juveniles have dark bill. Always note relatively short, thick neck and short legs compared with other egrets. Often gathers in flocks, frequently following large animals and field machinery.

A medium-sized wheatear that is variable in plumage, but always has a diagnostic white rump and outer tail feathers in both sexes. The male has both gray and black morphs with white shoulder patches and black wings; gray morphs often have a gray crown. The female is sooty brown. Pairs and small groups perch on promontories in open shrubby hilly areas, stony patches on level ground, and around stone buildings, dropping onto the ground to forage. The similar White-headed Black-Chat resembles male dark-morph Mountain Wheatear, but has a black tail and rump and occupies broadleaf woodland.