Photography by Santosh Kumar Mahalik, Odisha, India

The greater yellownape is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in East Asia from northern and eastern India to south-eastern China, Indochina, Hainan, and Sumatra.

Exif: 1/200s, ƒ/5.6, ISO 640 | Location: Sattal, Uttarakhand

Photography by Srikrishna Das, Odisha, India

Spotted Deer

The chital, also known as spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a species of deer that is native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777.

Exif: 1/1250s, ƒ/5.6, ISO 125 | Location: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur

Photography by Suvradeep Mitra, Odisha, India

The common hawk-cuckoo, popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the Shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch.

Exif: 1/640s, ƒ/5.6, ISO 1400 | Location: Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Photography by Abhilash Kar, Odisha, India

Big Cat’s of Africa

The lion is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera. It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail.

Exif: 1/1600s, ƒ/8, ISO 500 | Location: Masai Mara, Kenya

Photography by Prakash Maharana, Odisha, India

Pond Heron

Pond herons are herons, typically 40–50 cm long with an 80–100 cm wingspan. Most breed in the tropical Old World, but the migratory squacco heron occurs in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa.

Exif: 1/1600s, ƒ/7.1, ISO 400 | Location: Mangalajodi Wetland, Odisha

Photography by Srikrishna Das, Odisha, India

Purple Heron

The purple heron is a wide-ranging species of wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. The scientific name comes from Latin ardea “heron”, and purpureus, “coloured purple”.

Exif: 1/1000, ƒ/5.6, ISO 800 | Location: Mangalajodi Wetland, Odisha

Photography by Sovan Das, Odisha, India

Whiskered Tern

The whiskered tern is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, “swallow-like”, from khelidon, “swallow”.

Exif: 1/500s, ƒ/6.3, ISO 100 | Location: Mangalajodi Wetland, Odisha

Photography by Suvradeep Mitra, Odisha, India

Steppe Eagle

The steppe eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle’s well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the “booted eagles”.

Exif: 1/640s, ƒ/5.6, ISO 250 | Location: Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

Photography by Santosh Kumar Mahalik, Odisha, India

White-footed Fox

The white-footed fox (Vulpes vulpes pusilla), also known as the desert fox, is a small, Asiatic subspecies of red fox which occurs throughout most of the northwestern Indian subcontinent, Pakistan’s desert districts from Rawalpindi to Rajasthan and Kutch in India.

Exif: 1/640s, ƒ/8, ISO 100 | Location: Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat