Yellow-billed Blue Magpie(Urocissa flavirostris)

This spectacular  bird belonging to the crow family is quite common in the hills.It is easily noticable due to its large size and bright colours. It can be seen roaming arround habitations in search of fruits,insects and small birds as well.In the picture it is holding a Kiwi fruit in the bill.

About 65 cm in size with bluish upper parts and long tail it can be heard making loud harsh and creaking calls and sharp whistlings.The bird is good at mimicry as well and has been noticed   immitating  calls probably to befool the targeted prey.

Normally it is seen at higher altitudes than the Red-billed Blue Magpie but many times they have been noticed together in some localities.The yellow bill and smaller white nape patch distinguishes it from the Red-billed Blue Magpie.

The style of the quick movements of the bird and its cleverness are the typical like crows as expected from a bird of this family.

Himalayan Bulbul(Pycnonotus leucogenys)

Though it can be found in vide range of altitudes between 300-2400 meters yet it is more common in the higher altitudes than in the lower areas. Due to its yellow vent which differentiates it from the red vented bulbul, it is also called  Yellow vented Bulbul. About 20cm in size the bird has got a brownish crest,black throat and white cheeks.

Another bird of the category which is generally found in the north-western parts of the country i.e. the ''White-eared Bulbul'' looks similar to the Himalayan Bulbul but, it lacks the long jaunty crest and the colour of its head is black unlike that of Himalayan Bulbul.Moreover the vent in White-eared Bulbul is orangy-yellow in colour whereas it is pure yellow in case of Himalayan Bulubul.

Crimson Sunbird(Aethopyga siparaja)

About 11 cm in size the Crimson sunbird like other sunbirds mainly depends upon the nectar of the flowers. Its long curved beak is typically shaped for that purpose.The male has a maroon back with  long greenish blue tail and olive underparts.The female with an olive-green back and yellowish-olive underparts lacks the long greenish tail.The bird can be seen upto an altitude of about 1800 meters in the open forests,gardens and orchards hovering over the flowers.Red coloured flowers are its favourite, probably due their camouflaging effect.

 Like other birds of its category the flight of Crimson Sunbird is very fast and it hardly stays at a point for few seconds, which makes it very difficult to photograph the bird. The Male Crimson sunbird has also been reported to be very aggressive towards the intruders in its territory. It has very often been seen attacking its reflections in the water and in the rear view mirrors of the vehicles.

The colour pattern shown above may not always be there in the bird. At times you will see partially developed colour patterns in crimson sun bird.
In juvenile males the crimson colour is not visible untill the crimson feathers are developed. An adult male also sheds its crimson feathers during non breeding season.