What’s “Pied”? Any creature that has 2 dominant colours, usually Black n White. This then, is the pied Starling. They love soft wet ground and use their strong beaks to look for food in the topsoil so you’ll find them muddy often. A very distinct and easy to spot bird. @indiaves

Gimme a shout if you’re enjoying my Myna/Starling series. This is the Jungle Myna and loves forests. They love riding on big mammals and feeding on their parasites. Rhinos and Buffalos specially, that mad eye and tuft of hair sets it apart @indiaves

The Brahminy Starling is what I consider the funkiest of all starlings. I love that hairstyle with a ponytail hanging below. It’s a temperamental bird and can fly from 40 feet or let you get to within 10 … depends on its mood. It’s got a lot of attitude @indiaves

The Hill Myna is one of the best mimics of the bird world. That’s what draws people to them and led to their misfortune and excessive captivity. In a forest, their varied calls and whistles make everything come alive. An energising presence @indiaves

The Common Myna. It’s everywhere, everyone’s seen it. No one gives it a second look … but did you know they pair for life? They’re hardy and great breeders and are a huge issue in Australia where they’re an invasive species. Plus, they look tough #indiaves

The Bank Myna is so called because of its tendency to nest almost only by river banks. Don’t mistake it for the common Myna which is yellow. This one is a North / Central Indian native but it’s slowly spreading deeper south. I find it rather pretty n orange. 🍊 @indiaves

The GREAT one. It’s bold
And boisterous and has that funky tuft of big hair at the base or its beak. There’s white markings on the edges of the wings and tail and it’s a striking bird when you see it. I love watching them be GREAT @indiaves

During a hectic period in life, a few moments spent putting up these bird pics for you bring me immense peace and joy. This is a pre dawn click of the Common Starling taken in Delhi, a beautiful bird that flies between Europe and India to winter with us, a stunner @indiaves

The Rosy Starling has a pretty pink, almost a blush sort of tender pink colour. It’s striking bird and visits India in vast numbers in the winter. They can be seen roosting on high wires huddled together. They’re farmers friends and eat pests in the millions @indiaves

A lot of people told me they loved the Lark series, so let’s start a new series, the Starling’s / Myna’s series. The Spot-Winged Starling can be found in huge flocks as the sun sets. It’s a small starling and hard to catch as it prefers to stay on higher parts of trees @indiaves

Greater Short Toed Lark. A bird so brilliantly camouflaged that even in a photo it’s almost invisible from a slight distance. They’re the core of flocks and can be found across open grasslands in tight formation. Believe it or not, they were eaten in numbers one. @indiaves

The Asian Short Toed Lark is a little cutie that is resident mostly a little North of India. In recent years sightings have increased across N India, some ascribing it to changing migration patterns and some to simply more spotters in the field. A good bird to click @indiaves

The Crested Lark has a bigger empire than almost any on earth so far, from Western Europe to eastern China with large parts of North Africa. The reason for its success, a low profile, easy going lifestyle and a beautiful song which it sings merrily @indiaves

Found around farm and scrub land even around Delhi and you’ll find plenty of them. The Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark is a busy little bird and its range extends to the fringes of really dry deserts where the black crowneds range begins. A neat lil gentleman @indiaves

The Malabar Lark is a little bird with a big attitude. Like all ground nesters it’s bold and tough and its little nest has 2 or 3 eggs in it. I love that spike on the head . It’s certainly not shy and without any sudden moves, you can get close to it to click it well IndiAves

The Indian Bush lark. A little songster that likes to sit on top of things .. often found perched like this on precariously balanced atop a bush singing its soft merry song. It’s very vocal and that little orange wing will help you identify it. @indiaves

They could be 10 feet from you and you wouldn’t see them in their scrubland habitat. The Sykes Lark is a brilliantly adapted bird and it loves freshly dug up ground where it appears to feed and uneven ground where it forages for insects. @indiaves

The Rufous Tailed Lark is an Indian bird. It matches the soil of India and is perfectly camouflaged in most of its habitat and goes about its business of finding food pretty undisturbed. Here in the setting sun, it looks more rufous than it actually is. A pretty one @indiaves

It’s the tough guy of the Lark world. The Bimaculated Lark is a winter visitor to India’s western regions. It prefers open scrub grassland and makes large mixed flocks with other Lark’s. It’s broad beak and larger size makes it easy to identify @indiaves

From the desert we head to the great Himalayan Desert. A bird that braves the icy temperatures and howling winds. It must be the devil, because it has those horns. The Horned Lark is a hardy resident of the Northern mountains. Active, fast and alert, its a survivor @indiaves