#spotted forktail

Spotted Forktail vs Groove-billed Ani

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Spotted Forktail

A sedentary species within their range, these birds prefer small, sheltered streams and rivulets, with run through dense forest, a habitat described as “a narrow tunnel”.

These birds patrol the waters near which they live, hunting for aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small molluscs. They forage by slowly working upstream in and around the stream-bed, sometimes entering water up to the breast level. They have also been seen turning over stones to find prey.

Groove-billed Ani

“Silvery lacing…funky beak…love-filled eyes…”

All Ani have the same, super cool breeding system. The social group is made up of 1-5 pairs which all defend a group territory. Multiple nests are built, but only one becomes the communal nest in which all the females will lay their eggs. Ironically, they also have the habit of kicking out any eggs in the nest before they’ve laid their first eggs. Because of this, there is a theory that this nesting strategy began as a form of self-parasitism (as Ani are cuckoos), so the removal of eggs that a female knows aren’t hers could be a holdover from a time before this breeding strategy existed. Regardless of all that, all members of the group incubate and raise the chicks within the nest.

Spotted Forktail vs White-tailed Trogon

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Spotted Forktail Propaganda

A sedentary species within their range, these birds prefer small, sheltered streams and rivulets, with run through dense forest, a habitat described as "a narrow tunnel".

These birds patrol the waters near which they live, hunting for aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as small molluscs. They forage by slowly working upstream in and around the streambed, sometimes entering water up to the breast level. They have also been seen turning over stones to find prey.

White-tailed Trogon Propaganda

"The blend of colours on them is so pretty"

Found in west of the Eastern Andes, this species is known as a "tamer" Trogon. Usually trogon are very shy and flush when humans are around. The habitat they prefer are the canopy and subcanopy areas of humid to wet lowland, evergreen, and foothill forests.

"Trogons are monogamous. Additionally, during the courting season, White-tailed Trogon males sometimes gather in singing groups and have a rattling song phrase of a “bouncing ball” type. These calling groups are part of the courting mechanism. Males sometimes claim a nest site before even finding a mate. They search for a mate by a song that begins with full, mellow notes which rise in pitch and acceleration. It ends with a few more widely spaced notes. After winning a partner, the male coaxes the female to the nesting site with notes that are full, low, and mellow. In alternatively working on the nest site, the partner not engaged in carving constantly utters these soft and mellow notes." -BoW

Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus), family Muscicapidae, order Passeriformes, Uttarakhand, India

Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus)

...a species of Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae) which occurs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Where it inhabits subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Spotted forktails are typically solitary birds, but are known to forage in pairs as well.  They are usually seen foraging on mossy boulders at the edge or midsection of fast moving streams, where they will feed on aquatic insects and molluscs. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Passeriformes-Muscicapidae-Enicurus-E. maculatus

Spotted Forktail by Abu'l Hasan. Folio from the Shah Jahan Album ca. 1610–15 Metropolitan Museum New-York.