Pair of Emerald Doves

A River Tern sits on a rock within the Ramganga dam while a pair of Emerald Doves sit on the forest floor, having drunk water from a stream in Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India. Meanwhile, a Black-necked Stork flaps its wings to frighten and freeze small fish that it then proceeds to eat (with an audience of Gharial behind him!). Meanwhile, a pair of Grey-headed Mynas eat Ficus figs and a Grey Hornbill collects more Ficus figs/berries for herself. To round off this collection of Terai birds, an Ibis over-flies the dam...

The Indian River Tern or just River Tern (Sterna aurantia) is a bird in the tern family . It is a resident breeder along inland rivers from Iran east into the Indian Subcontinent and further to Myanmar to Thailand, where it is uncommon. Unlike most Sterna terns, it is almost exclusively found on freshwater, rarely venturing even to tidal creeks.

The Common Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and east through Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, to northern and eastern Australia. The dove is also known by the names of Green Dove and Green-winged pigeon. The Common Emerald Dove is the state bird of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu.

The Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across South and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetland habitats to forage for a wide range of animal prey. Adult birds of both sexes have a heavy bill and are patterned in white and glossy blacks, but the sexes differ in the colour of the iris.

The Common Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and east through Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, to northern and eastern Australia. The dove is also known by the names of Green Dove and Green-winged pigeon. The Common Emerald Dove is the state bird of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu.
At Attappadi Plateau, Kerala

It has a number of subspecies, with three existing in Australia, longirostris from the Kimberly, Western Australia to Cape York Peninsula, chrysochlora from Cape York Peninsula to southern New South Wales as well as Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island, and natalis from Christmas Island.

This is a common species in rainforest and similar dense wet woodlands, farms, gardens, mangroves and coastal heaths. It builds a scant stick nest in a tree up to five metres and lays two cream-coloured eggs. Breeding tends to occur in Australia spring or early summer in southeastern Australia and late in the dry season in northern Australia.

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