Hunters Tuesday

This Long-tailed Shrike was perched high on the brambles searching for its next meal of grasshopper, cricket, beetle, small mammal, or lizard. These shrikes will typically strike prey on the ground, carry it in their beak, and impale it on a sharp thorn or stick to eat it.

This beautiful Black-rumped Flameback was on the hunt for ants, including the larvae and pupae of the aggressive arboreal red ant, and will break into their leaf nests. Also ingested are spiders, caterpillars, weevils, and beetles, plus fruits and nectar.

This White-breasted Waterhen emerged from the grasses on its long yellow feet searching for insects, worms, and mollusks. They will also eat shoots and roots of marsh plants and seeds from grass heads.

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 25 cm/9.8", Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense 29 cm/11.5”, White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus 33 cm/13”

Chitwan National Park, Chitwan, Nepal

March 15, 2025