Indian Pond Heron

I've previously posted on the Indian pond heron which we saw in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka we saw it in both breeding plumage (which is beautiful) and non-breeding plumage. In a visit to Kaziranga NP in Assam, India, in December 2024, we only saw them in non-breeding plumage, but we did see them with out-stretched necks which we had not seen in Sri Lanka. 

This illustration of the Indian pond heron from Birds of the World shows how beautiful the breeding plumage is. The illustration below shows it in flight. 

This range map from Birds of the World shows that both Sri Lanka and northeastern India have the Indian pond heron year-round. 

It looks like a completely different birds with its neck out-stretched. This and the next two were seen in the Western Range of Kaziranga.

In the Burhapahar Range of Kaziranga.

In the Eastern Range of Kaziranga.

Red-Wattled Lapwing (subspecies indicus and atronuchalis)

There are four subspecies of red-wattled lapwing and I've previously posted on Vanellus indicus lankae, the Sri Lankan subspecies which is only found in Sri Lanka. In December 2024 we visited Kaziranga NP in Assam (northeastern India) and I believe we saw two other subspecies, the nominate subspecies Venellus indicus indicus which is larger and less dark than lankae, and Venellus indicus atronuchalis, which has a white cheek surrounded by black. 

V. i. indicus is found from central Pakistan to Nepal, northeast India and Bangladesh. 

Seen in the Eastern Range of Kaziranga.

Seen in the Western Range of Kaziranga.

An illustration of indicus from Birds of the World.

A range map of the red-wattled lapwing from Birds of the World. 

V. i. atronuchalis is found in northeastern India (Assam), and Myanmar to the north peninsula of Malaysia and south Vietnam. Kaziranga NP is in Assam in northeastern India which is where both indicus and atronuchalis are found. Both photos below, from Kaziranga NP have birds with hunched necks and so it is not clear that there is black separation around the cheek. However, on both there is an indentation of the white into the black which is not seen in my photos for indicus above, so I believe these are atronuchalis. 

An illustration of V. i. atronuchalis from Birds of the World.

Seen in the Central Ranger of Kaziranga.

Seen in the Western Range of Kaziranga.

Smooth-Coated Otter

I've seen a couple of wild river otters in the wild in the U.S., one in Georgia and one in northern California. In Georgia I was close to the otter, on a boardwalk, but it disappeared quickly. In northern California I was far away and could barely tell what it was. 

So when I was in the Eastern Range of Kaziranga NP in December 2024 and my guide pointed out a group of seven otters, we stopped our vehicle and watched them for quite awhile in fascination. They were sleeping or resting in a close grouping, then ultimately all stood up on their hind legs, looking toward the lake they were near, then they dashed off in a line toward the lake, wriggling and undulating, through and over each other, like a group of eels in shallow water. It was a real treat. 

Lounging together in a group.

Something seems to have caught their attention from the direction of the lake and they looked up and toward the lake, then ultimately all stood on their hind legs and looked in the direction of the lake. 

Then they headed toward the lake, first as a group and ultimately single-file. 

They got out into the direct sun and the lake can be seen in the background. The otters disappeared as they headed to the right. 

The smooth-coated otter is a fresh-water otter found primarily in Southeast Asia. 

Range of the smooth-coated otter from Wikipedia. 

It is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN because of habitat loss, pollution of wetlands and the illegal fur trade. 

It has a coat of dark-brown to reddish-brown fur on its back, with lighter grayish-brown on the underside. Compared to other otter species, it has a more rounded head, a diamond-shaped hairless nose, and a flattened tail in contrast to the more rounded tail of other otter species. It has large, webbed feet with strong sharp claws for handling slippery fish. 

They establish dens under tree roots, which is what we appeared to see, or among boulders. 

This is how we initially saw them, lounging together near the base of the large tree in the background. 

They are primarily active during the day. They communicate through whistles, chirps and wails.  

Indian Hog Deer

The Indian hog deer is also known as the Indochinese hog deer and is native to the Indian subcontinent and Indo-Gangetic Plain. It runs through forests with its head hung low, like a hog, to ease ducking under obstacles instead of leaping over them like most other deer, thus the name hog deer. It is now found in northern India, Nepal, southern Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China's Yunnan Province. There is also an isolated population in Cambodia. 

 

A mature hog deer is about 28 inches in height at the shoulder and weighs about 110 pounds. It has a long body and short legs and the back slopes upward from the shoulders to the rump, which is higher. It has a thick coat which is dark-brown in winter, except for the underparts of the body and legs, which are lighter. In late spring the coat turns to a reddish-brown. Many have a dark dorsal stripe from the head down the back of the neck and along the spine. In summer there is a row of light-colored spots along each side of the dorsal stripe, from the shoulders to the rump. The tail is short and brown, tipped with white. The underside of the tail is white and it can fan the white hairs out in a distinctive alarm display. It has rounded ears and the males have antlers that are typically three tined, with a brow tine and a solid main beam with inner and outer tines at the top. However, more tines are not uncommon.   

This male was seen in the Burhapahar Range of Kaziranga NP. Note the slope of the back upwards, from the shoulders to the rump. 

The Indian hog deer has been listed as Endangered by the IUCN since 2012 due to hunting (primarily for bushmeat) and habitat loss from settlement and agriculture which has fragmented the populations. The hog deer population dropped over 90% between 1991 and 2012. Kaziranga NP, where we saw them, is one of the last strongholds, with a population of about 15,000.  

This photo, and the rest of the photos, were taken in the Western Range of Kaziranga NP which is in Assam. 

Barasingha or Swamp Deer

The barasingha, also known as the barasinghe and swamp deer, is a deer species found in the Indian subcontinent. There are three subspecies. One subspecies, the western swamp deer, has a population of about 2,000 in India and 2,170 in Nepal. Another subspecies, the southern swamp deer, is now found only in Kanha NP with a population of about 750. The third subspecies, the eastern swamp deer, is found only in Assam, with a population of about 868 in Kaziranga NP and 121 in Manas NP. The swamp deer is threatened by poaching for antlers and meat which are sold in local markets and loss of range because wetlands are being converted to agriculture. 

Its antlers carry more than three tines, more than any other Indian deer. Mature stags usually have 10 to 14 tines and some have up to 20. The word barah-singga means "twelve-horned" in Hindi. It has woolly and yellowish brown hair above and paler hair below with white spots along the spine. The throat, belly, inside the thighs and beneath the tail is white. In summer, the coat becomes bright rufous-brown. The neck is maned. Females are paler than males and the young are spotted. 

We visited Kaziranga NP in December 2024 and saw quite a few of the eastern swamp deer. Below are some of my photos:

A stag eastern swamp deer in the Western Range of Kaziranga NP. 

  

The following photos were all of eastern swamp deer found in the Central Range of Kaziranga NP. 

Steller's Jay

In my mind's eye I am quite familiar with the Steller's jay. Particularly when we first moved to Southern California and drove into the mountains I recall seeing them on hikes and near campgrounds. However, when it comes to photos and identifications on iNaturalist, I've only seen three: one in 2000 somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains (a horrible photo from far away); one in December 2024 near Oak Glen in the San Bernardino Mountains (a horrible blurry photo); and one in June 2025 near the Chilao Visitor Center in the San Gabriel Mountains (by far the best photos). 

There are 16 to 17 subspecies which are separated into two groups: the northern group which has a long black crest and the southern group with a short blue crest. From there, the subspecies vary by the extent of black on the head, the color and extent of streaks on the forehead, presence and extent or absence of pale markings around the eye, the color of the throat and so on. I am a little perplexed that the subspecies found in Southern California is not specifically identified in the sources I'm looking at. Birds of the World has a coastal grouping which consists of: (a) C. s. stelleri, which gets as far south as northwestern California; (b) C. s. carlottae, which is found in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia; (c) C. s. frontalis found from central Oregon through the mountains of eastern California and west-central Nevada; and (d) C. s. carbonacea found from coastal central California south to Monterey County. Nowhere is Southern California identified. Birds of the World also identifies a southwest interior grouping which includes C. s. macrolopha found in the southern Rocky Mountains from Nevada east to western South Dakota and south to northern Sonora and Chihauhua. I just don't see how Southern California fits into that grouping. All About Birds refers to a coastal version found along the Pacific Coast which has blue streaks on the front of the crest and an interior version found in western evergreen forests which has white streaks on the front of the crest. That is probably the most helpful piece of information for me as my photo of the Steller's jay in the San Gabriel Mountains has a blue streak on the front of the crest. So apparently I am seeing a coastal version. 

This range map from Birds of the World clearly shows populations in the Southern California mountains away from the coast. 

C. s. carbonacea appears to be the most likely subspecies in Southern California. It is similar to C. s. stelleri, but paler overall and forehead streaks more extensive. Stelleri is identified as dark blue-black head, black crest, small light blue streaks on the forehead, lacking white eyearcs, pale throat streaked gray, neck and mantel dark blue-black, wing coverts blue with faint darker barring. An illustration of C. s. stelleri from Birds of the World follows:

Following are my photos:

This and the next few photos were taken in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles near the Chilao Visitors Center. It appears to be a pretty good fit with the illustration, but lacks the neck streaking and does not have as extensive forehead streaking. 

This and the next photo were taken near Oak Glen in the San Bernardino Mountains. 

 

Band-Tailed Pigeon

The band-tailed pigeon has at least eight subspecies and some authorities split the species into two species: the northern band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas  fasciata) and the southern band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas albilinea). It is the closest living relative of the extinct passenger pigeon and has been considered for use in efforts to bring the passenger pigeon back. The subspecies P. f. monilis, which I have seen, breeds in British Columbia south into southern California. It winters in central California southward. The subspecies P. f. fasciata breeds in the mountains from north central Colorado, central Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas south through Mexico into north-central Nicaragua. The northernmost populations are migratory and winter from southern Arizona and New Mexico southward, moving to lower elevations. It can be found up to 12,000 feet in elevation in oak, pine-oak and coniferous forests. 

Range map of the band-tailed pigeon from Birds of the World. 

It has gray plumage, a little darker above, and the head and underparts have a faint pink cast. The belly is almost white. The bill and feet are yellow and adults have green iridescence on the back of the neck next to a thin white collar on the nape. Fasciata, the inland subspecies in the U.S., is paler and less richly colored (less reddish or purple), especially on the breast. 

This illustration is of P. f. fasciata, the inland U.S. subspecies, from Birds of the World. P. f. monilis, the bird I've seen, is larger and a little more colorful. 

I've seen it very occasionally, that is about every five years or so, but never in great numbers. I've seen it in our backyard in Redlands a few times and in the mountains a few times. 

The first three photos are from our yard in Redlands, California.

These last three photos are from June 2025 near the Chilao Visitor Center in the San Gabriel Mountains at an elevation of about 5,280 feet.