Behind the lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and jungle lore

Species Directory

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

White-tailed Robin

The White-tailed Robin (Myiomela leucura) is a stately ground-dwelling Old World flycatcher of dense mid- to upper-elevation broadleaf and mixed forests, particularly in areas with bamboo. The male is a striking rich blue with brighter patches on crown and wings, while the female is brown overall with white throat and belly. Both sexes have large white patches on sides of tail that flash brightly in the gloom of the forest when fanned. When the white tail patch is not visible, ground-dwelling habits and horizontal posture distinguish male from the similar Large Niltava. Their song is beautiful, a short series of ringing silvery whistles, usually rising. Most common call is a high thin “tzin.”

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #conservationphotography, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #animalsofinstagram, @globalcapture, #DoiSanJu, #DoiLuang, #DoiPhaHomPokNationalPark, #DoiPhaHomPok, #Thailand, #whitetailedrobin, #robin, #oldworldflycatcher, #flycatcher

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Malabar Giant Squirrel

The Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a large herbivorous diurnal, arboreal rodent endemic to India’s forests. One of the three giant squirrel species found in the country, the Malabar/ Indian Giant Squirrel is characterised by its rufous-brown/purple colour and its ability to quickly jump from one tree to another. They can be seen either hanging down from the canopy, flat against the tree trunk, or scuttling about the branches, their tails bobbing as they do so.

#wildartworks, #canon, #CanonWildlife, #naturephotography, #TelanganaWildlife, #umamaheshwaram, #achampet, #indiangiantsquirrel, #malabargiantsquirrel, #squirrel, #rodent,

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Blyth’s Leaf Warbler

The Blyth’s Leaf Warbler is a fairly bright mid-sized leaf-warbler, yellowish-green above and white below with two wingbars, a broad yellow-suffused eyebrow, and a pale stripe across a gray crown. It breeds in broadleaf (often oak), coniferous, or mixed forests at middle to high elevations, and descends into lower foothill regions in the winter.

#wildartworks, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #canon, #CanonWildlife, #BirdWatching, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #TelanganaBirds, #umamaheshwaram, #achampet, #warbler, #blythsleafwarbler, #leafwarbler #oldworldwarbler

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Malayan Swamp Babbler/ White-chested Babbler

The Near Threatened Malayan Swamp Babbler (Pellorneum rostratum), previously named the White-chested Babbler, is a species of bird in the ground babbler family, Pellorneidae, that is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, the Riau Islands, the Lingga Islands and the island of Belitung. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Bornean swamp babbler (Pellorneum macropterum). Quite nondescript, these typically move in pairs. Similar in appearance to Ferruginous Babbler but is duller, grayer, and more specialized in its habitat preferences.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Babbler, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #Pellorneidae, #whitechestedbabbler, #malayanswampbabbler, #nearthreatened, #Malaysia, #Congkak, #HuluLangat, #Lanchang, #KrauWildlifeReserve, #conservationphotography

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Large Niltava

The #LargeNiltava is a species of bird in the Old World Flycatcher family #Muscicapidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand & Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical montane forests.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #largeniltava, #niltava, #DoiSanju, #DoiPhaHomPokNationalPark, #thailand

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Astrophotography, Eclipse Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Astrophotography, Eclipse Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Blood Moon Eclipse

On the night of September 7, 2025, observers across Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe were treated to a rare and captivating celestial event: a total lunar eclipse, commonly known as a "Blood Moon". For approximately 82 minutes, the Moon took on a striking crimson hue as it passed through Earth's darkest shadow, captivating billions with its deep, dramatic red glow. This was the second and last total lunar eclipse of 2025. The long duration and widespread visibility of this particular eclipse made it a truly global event.

#wildartworks, #totallunareclipse, #lunareclipse, #bloodmoon, #2025, #september7eclipse, #2025lunareclipse, #moonphases, #totality, #eclipsemoon, #eclipsemoonandsaturn, #eclipsenight, #hyticos

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Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Red-breasted Flycatcher

A distinctive, small and winter migrant flycatcher where the males have a rusty-orange throat that continues onto the breast. All plumages have a distinctive tail pattern with black terminal bar and white sides. The wings relatively plain & a white eyering is noticeable. When perched, the tail is often held cocked with the wingtips drooping. It breeds in mature deciduous mixed forest, wintering in forests, woodlands and parks.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #telangana, #india, #umamaheshwaramtemple, #achampet, #flycatcher, #redbreastedflycatcher, #telanganabirds, #oldworldflycatcher, #nallamallaforest, #ananthagiri, #ameenpurlake, #wintermigrant

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Firefly

Abscondita chinensis, a captivating species of firefly belonging to the family Lampyridae and subfamily Luciolinae, is a luminous wonder native to tropical Asia. Known for its remarkable bioluminescent displays, particularly during its mating season, it plays a vital role in its ecosystem as a predator and contributes to the charm of natural environments. It lives in various habitats, and its bioluminescence, especially during mating, adds a magical quality to its existence. However, threats from pollution and climate change highlight the need for conservation efforts to protect this insect. These were photographed in Telangana.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Wildlife, #naturephotography, #earthcapture, #conservationphotography, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #Kawal, #KawalTigerReserve, #hyticos, #nirmal, #wildtelangana, #telanganawildlife, #telanganaanthropods, #telanganabeetle, #beetle, #Insectsoftelangana, #Absconditachinensis, #Lampyridae, #Luciolinae, #firefly, #asynchronousfirefly, #synchronousfirefly,

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