Dove (Red-eyed) and Kingfisher (Pied)

When visiting the shores of Lake Victoria one finds a variety of birds. They vary in size, color, shapes and diet. The birds in this photo are a Red-eyed Dove and a Pied Kingfisher they were spotted by the photographer near the shores of Lake Victoria in Musoma, Mara, Tanzania.

A Red-eyed Dove (L) and A Pied Kingfisher (R)

Heron vs Egrets

Herons and egrets are both long-legged, freshwater and coastal birds.

Egrets are considered different from herons because egrets are mainly white, and they may or may not have decorative plumes.  Also, egrets are smaller than the herons in size.

Herons have long legs, long-necks, freshwater, coastal, non-swimming birds. They usually retract their necks while flying. 

The bills of herons and egrets are harpoon-like and long. They can vary in size. Some have an extremely fine bill while some have thick bills. 

Herons and egrets are found in many colors. The color of the bare parts is generally yellow, brown, or black which may change during the breeding season. The plumage of the birds is mainly grey, white, black, blue, or brown, and sometimes they can be very striking and complex.

Herons and egrets are aquatic birds and prefer lowland areas, margins of rivers, lakes, ponds, and swamps. They are present in all the continents except for Antarctica.

Herons are carnivorous birds and prey on aquatic prey like fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, insects, and crustaceans. Some of the species also feed on bird eggs and other smaller birds.
Herons and egrets are mainly colonial and monogamous in their behavior.

A heron and egrets

Little Egrets

Little Egrets are medium sized birds with long necks, long black bills and black legs with bright yellow toes. Sexes look the same.The birds usually feed alone or n small groups in lakes and along coastal waters.
The one in this photo was spotted along the shores of Lake Victoria in Musoma, Mara, Tanzania.

An Egret

Red-eyed Dove

A red-eyed Dove

Red-eyed Doves have conspicuous very pale foreheads and pinkish necks and underparts.
The eyes are red surrounded by a red eye rings and there are not white in the tail.
Sexes look alike.
Generally are found in woodlands and forest edges.
The one in the photo was spotted near the shores of Lake Victoria in Musoma, Mara, Tanzania.

Pigeons

Pigeons are stout-bodied birds with short necks, and short slender bills that, in some species. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants. This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety. Pigeons and doves are likely the most common birds in the world.
These are fairly common birds in Tanzania. They are normally found among human habitats where they feed.The one in the photo was spotted in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

Pigeon

African Pied Wagtail

An African Pied Wagtail is beautiful small, black and white (pied) bird with a long tail, commonly found along river edges. These birds habitually pump their tails when walking.
The one in the top photo was spotted in Ngurdoto Area in Arusha just beside a swimming pool, while the one in the bottom photo was seen in shores of Lake Victoria in Musoma, Mara, Tanzania .

African Pied Wagtails

Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

An Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove is a beautiful bird, has a grey head and neck, a paler belly and a red bill with a black base. The upper parts are brown with metallic-green wing spots (emerald-like spots). The one in this photo was spotted near the shores of Lake Victoria, in Musoma Town in Mara region of Tanzania.

An Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove

Red-winged Starlings

Red-winged starling is a native to eastern Africa from Ethiopia to the Cape in South Africa (this one in the photo was spotted in Arusha, Tanzania).
The male of this 27–30-centimetre (11–12 in) long starling has mainly iridescent black plumage, with chestnut flight feathers, which are particularly noticeable in flight. The female has an ash-grey head and upper breast. The juvenile resembles the male, but is less glossy than the adults, and has brown rather than dark red eyes (Wikipedia).

A Red-winged Starling

Pied Kingfishers in Lake Victoria

Pied Kingfishers

Mouse birds

Mouse birds

Weavers

A weaver

Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds'), though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species.

Bee-eaters

The bee-eaters are mostly found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar.
As their name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by flights from an open perch. The stinger is removed by repeatedly hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface. During this process, pressure is applied to the insect, thereby extracting most of the venom.
Most bee-eaters are gregarious. They form colonies, nesting in burrows tunnelled into vertical sandy banks, often at the side of a river or in flat ground. As they mostly live in colonies, large numbers of nest holes may be seen together. The eggs are white, with typically five to the clutch. Most species are monogamous, and both parents care for the young, sometimes with assistance from related birds in the colony.
Bee-eaters may be killed by raptors; their nests are raided by rodents and snakes, and they can carry various parasites. Some species are adversely affected by human activity or habitat loss, but none meet the International Union for Conservation of Nature's vulnerability criteria, and all are therefore evaluated as "least concern". Their conspicuous appearance means that they have been mentioned by ancient writers and incorporated into mythology (Wikipedia)
The photo above was shot in Morogoro Region near Mount Uluguru in Tanzania.

A Bee-eater

Bulbul

The Common Bulbul has a bill which is fairly short and thin, with a slightly down curving upper mandible. The bill, legs, and feet are black and the eye is dark brown with a dark eye-ring, which is not readily visible. It is about 18 cm in length, with a long tail. It has a dark brown head and upper parts. Sexes are similar in plumage.
It is a common resident breeder in much of Africa. It is found in woodland, coastal bush, forest edges, riverine bush, montane scrub, and in mixed farming habitats. It is also found in exotic thickets, gardens, and parks.
The common bulbul is usually seen in pairs or small groups. It is a conspicuous bird, which tends to sit at the top of a bush. As with other bulbuls they are active and noisy birds. The flight is bouncing and woodpecker-like. The call is a loud doctor-quick doctor-quick be-quick be-quick.
This species nests throughout the year in the moist tropics, elsewhere it is a more seasonal breeder with a peak in breeding coinciding with the onset of the rainy season. The nest is fairly rigid, thick walled, and cup-shaped. It is situated inside the leafy foliage of a small tree or shrub.
Two or three eggs is a typical clutch. This species eats fruit, nectar, and insects (Wikipedia)

Common Bulbul

Grey Headed Kingfisher

The adult grey headed kingfisher has a pale grey head, black mantle and back, bright blue rump, wings and tail, and chestnut underparts. The beak is long, red and sharp. This bird grows to an average length of 21 cm (8.3 in). The song is a succession of notes, ascending, descending and then ascending again, becoming increasingly strident. The warning call is a series of sharp notes, "tchk, tchk, tchk, tchk".

A Grey-Headed Kingfisher spotted in one of gardens along Lake Victoria shores in Musoma, Mara, Tanzani

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Small but beatiful...Firefinches

The red-billed firefinch is 10 cm in length. The adult male has entirely scarlet plumage apart from brown wings. The bill is pink, and there is a yellow eye-ring. Females have uniformly brown upper parts and buff underparts. There is a small red patch in front of both eyes, and the bill is pink.
This widespread and abundant species is often found around human habitation, often with other species such as the red-cheeked cordon-bleu, and its soft queet-queet call is a familiar African sound.
The red-billed firefinch is a small gregarious bird which feeds mainly on grain and other seeds. It frequents open grassland and cultivation. The nest is a large domed grass structure with a side entrance, built low in a bush, wall or thatch into which three to six white eggs are laid. (Wikipedia)

Firefinches