Pied Falconet

We spent part of December 2024 in Assam, in northeastern India, in Kaziranga NP. One morning we were driving toward the Burhapahar Range, along the outskirt road, and our guide had the vehicle stopped and pointed to a very small bird standing on a bare tree branch on a hill above the road. He identified it as a pied falconet. How he could spot it and know what it was is beyond my comprehension. 

Pied falconet in Kaziranga NP.

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Illustration, flying, from Birds of the World.

I posted my observation on iNaturalist and got one positive identification from hrishu, the no. two identifier of pied falconets with 15. 

The pied falconet is also known as the white-legged falconet. As the name indicates, it is black and white. The white face has a black patch covering the eye and going to the ear coverts. The upperparts, including the crown, are black. The primaries are black with white wing bar. The tail is black above and black with white splotches on the underside. The sexes are both alike. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Wikipedia has a photo taken in Kaziranga with the falconet standing on a bare branch, very similar to my own photo, but with a much better view of the bird.