- Babbler, Jungle [+]
Scientific name: turdoides striatus
Size: 25 cms.
General: Dull earth-brown plumage, rufous brown tail, ashy below. Roam about in parties of six to ten birds usually always making a racket. Also often
called the 'Seven sisters' for the same reason. Spends a lot of time on the ground or on low branches of plants looking for insects and fly off making squeaking
sounds to higher branches of trees when they feel threatened. Very protective of each other and can gang up if any of the flock is in trouble.
Range: All of India south of the Himalayan foothills.
Diet: Mostly insects, also flower nectar and figs.
- Babbler, Yellow-Billed [+]
Scientific name: turdoides affinis
Size: 24 cms.
General: Also called the White-headed Babbler. Similar in size and look to the Jungle Babbler except colour of the plumage. Have a creamy white crown and
dull-brown above. Darker wings and has cross-barring along tail-centre, yellowish-buff below breast. Roam about in parties of six to ten birds usually always
making a racket. Also often called the 'Seven sisters' for the same reason. Spends a lot of time on the ground or on low branches of plants looking for insects
and fly off making squeaking sounds to higher branches of trees when they feel threatened. Very protective of each other and can gang up if any of the flock is
in trouble.
Range: Whole of southern peninsular India.
Diet: Mostly insects, also flower nectar and figs.
- Babbler, Yellow-eyed [+]
Scientific name: chrysomma sinense
Size: 18 cms.
General: They are rufous-brown above; whitish lores, short supercilium; yellow iris with orange-yellow eye-rim distinctive at close range; cinnamon wings;
long graduated tail; white below, ringed pale fulvous on flanks and abdomen. They are found in pairs or small bands in tall grass and undergrowth. They are noisy
but skulking. They work their way along stems and leaves hunting insects only to clamber into view for a few seconds before vanishing again.
Range: Most of India except the more arid parts of Rajastan.
Diet: Mostly insects, larvae and also flower nectar.
- Barbet, Malabar [+]
Scientific name: megalaima malabarica
Size: 23 cms.
General: The Malabar Barbet (megalaima malabarica) is a small barbet found in the Western Ghats of India. It was formerly treated as a race of the
Crimson-fronted Barbet. This species can be told apart from the Coppersmith Barbet by the crimson face and throat. The call notes are more rapidly delivered
than in the other species. The breeding season is mainly February-March prior to the rains. The nest hole is excavated on the underside of thin branches.
The species feeds mainly on fruits but sometimes takes grubs, termites (flycatching at emerging swarms of alates), ants and small caterpillars. In Kerala,
the fruiting trees were limited mainly to Ficus species. When feeding on small fruits, they tend to perch and peck rather than to swallow the fruit whole.
In the non-breeding season, they join mixed-species foraging flocks.
Range: Found in the Western Ghats.
Diet: Mainly on fruits but sometimes takes grubs, termites, ants and small caterpillars.
- Barbet, White-cheeked [+]
Scientific name: megalaima viridis
Size: 23 cms.
General: The White-cheeked Barbet is pretty hard to detect due to its plumage that acts as perfect camouflage. A strictly arboreal, solitary bird but
sometimes also seen in pairs or small parties. A very strong flier. Diet consists mostly of fruits that it tears open with its powerful beak. Has a white
cheek stripe with grass-green plumage above and white breast streaked brown. Also known in India as the Small Green Barbet. They have a monotonous 'Kot-roo...
Kotroo...' call which often changes to a single 'wut' note in hot afternoons. While foraging they can get pretty aggressive and attempt to chase off other
frugivores. They play an important role in forests as seed dispersal agents. Their fruit eating makes them a nuisance in fruit orchards where often they
leave behind half-eaten fruits.
Range: Most of southern peninsular India.
Diet: Mostly consists of fruits but also known to eat insects, small reptiles and flower nectar.
- Bee-eater, Blue-Tailed [+]
Scientific name: merops philippinus
Size: 30 cms.
General: Known for their elongated central tail feathers. Greenish above with a faint blue wash on wings; bluish rump, tail diagnostic; yellow
upper throat patch with chestnut throat, upper breast; slightly curved black beak, broad black stripe through eyes. Often found in small flocks and
perched on power lines from where they launch short flights to branches of nearby trees. Have a peculiar flight pattern where there are a few quick
series of wing-beats and then a stately glide.
Range: Most of India excepting Rajastan. More details not known.
Diet: Mostly winged insects.
- Bee-eater, Green [+]
Scientific name: merops orientalis
Size: 18 cms.
General: The Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis, (sometimes Little Green Bee-eater) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family. Like other
bee-eaters, this species is a richly coloured, slender bird. The sexes are not visually distinguishable. The entire plumage is bright green and tinged
with blue especially on the chin and throat. The crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green
and tipped with blackish. A fine black line runs in front of and behind the eye. The iris is crimson and the bill is black while the legs are dark grey.
This is an abundant and fairly tame bird, familiar throughout its range. It is a bird which breeds in open country with bushes. Just as the name suggests,
bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before feeding, a
bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly hitting the insect on their perch.
Range: Most of India excepting Rajastan. More details not known.
Diet: Mostly bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.
- Blackbird, Indian [+]
Scientific name: turdus simillimus
Size: 26 cms.
General: The male is brownish slate-grey with a dark cap, and the female is mid-brown, paler below. Both sexes are territorial on the breeding
grounds, with distinctive threat displays, but are more gregarious during migration and in wintering areas. Pairs will stay in their territory throughout
the year where the climate is sufficiently temperate. Blackbirds spend much of their time looking for food on the ground where they can become infested
with ticks, which are external parasites that most commonly attach to the head of a Blackbird.
Range: Various races make this a widespread species but nigropileus is resident up to about 1820 metres (6000 ft) in the Western Ghats of western
India and the northern and central parts of the Western Ghats. Some populations migrate further south in winter.
Diet: Insects, small fruits, earthworms.
- Bulbul, Red-Vented [+]
Scientific name: pycnonotus cafer
Size: 20 cms.
General: The Red-vented Bulbul is easily identified by its short crest giving the head a squarish appearance. The body is dark brown with a scaly pattern
while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. The black tail is tipped in white. It is resident breeder across the Indian Subcontinent
and has been introduced in many other parts of the world and has established itself in the wild on several Pacific islands. This is a bird of dry scrub, open forest,
plains and cultivated lands.[5] In its native range it is rarely found in mature forests.
Range: All India to about 1800m in the Himalayas.
Diet: Insects, fruits, kitchen scraps and flower nectar.
- Bulbul, Red-Whiskered [+]
Scientific name: pycnonotus jocosus
Size: 20 cms.
General: The Red-Whiskered Bulbuls black prominent crest and red 'whiskers' behind its eyes are distinctive. White underbody with broken breast-collar
and crimson-scarlet vent. They are friendly by nature and often seen in pairs or sometimes even in large parties. Red-whiskered Bulbul's often are seen in low
bushes or on the ground looking for insects. Diet includes nectar and fruits also. Found in large stretches of South-West and North-East India. Brings joy
to their surroundings with their sweet whistling notes. Sadly also considered as a popular cage-bird due to its tame and confiding nature.
Range: From Garhwal east along the Himalayan foothills to about 1500m. Commonly found in south of the Satpura mountains in peninsular India.
Diet: Mostly consists of insects, fruits and flower nectar.
- Bulbul, White-browed [+]
Scientific name: pycnonotus luteolus
Size: 20 cms.
General: Largely olive coloured above with whitish underparts, it has a pale supercilium and a yellow vent. They are found in dense scrub habitats, where
they skulk within vegetation and can be difficult to see although their loud and distinct burst of calls is distinctive. The vent is yellowish and there is some
yellow on the chin and moustache. The throat is however largely whitish unlike in the similar looking and sounding Yellow-throated Bulbul which is found in rockier
habitats. This species is endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. The northern boundary is along Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and western West Bengal. They forage
within bushes for fruit, nectar and insects. The breeding season is spread out from March to September and may possibly breed twice a year.
Range: Most of south India from Gujarat - W. Bengal southwards.
Diet: Mostly consists of insects, fruits and flower nectar.
- Bushchat, Pied [+]
Scientific name: Saxicola caprata nilgiriensis
Size: 13 cms.
General: The Pied Bush Chat is slightly smaller than the Siberian Stonechat, although it has a similar dumpy structure and upright stance. The male is black
except for a white rump, wing patch and lower belly. The iris is dark brown, the bill and legs black. The female is drab brown and slightly streaked. Juveniles have
a scaly appearance on the underside but dark above like the females. This species is insectivorous, and like other chats hunts from a prominent low perch. It is a
familiar bird of countryside and open scrub or grassland where it is found perched at the top of short thorn trees or other shrubs, looking out for insect prey.
They pick up insects mainly from the ground.
Range: All India, from outer Himalaya to about 1500m.
Diet: Insects.
- Bushlark, Jerdon's [+]
Scientific name: mirafra affinis
Size: 14 cms.
General: Similar to the Indian Bushlark but has buffy lores, less white behind ear coverts, darker centre to wing coverts and central tail feathers.
Dark centres of primary coverts are prominent, and wing panels are duller and rufous. It has arrowhead like spots pointing upwards on the breast. The Jerdon's
Bushlark is a lark of the open countryside found in southern India. It has proven adaptable to a variety of open habitats up to a maximum elevation of 1500m.
Some of these are forest perimeters, rocky scrubland, scrubby hill meadows and clearings in open-type forests, shrub-edged unused croplands, and thickets of
bamboo.
Range: Found over most of south-east India.
Diet: Seeds and tiny insects.
- Cormorant, Great [+]
Scientific name: phalacrocorax carbo
Size: 80 cms.
General: In the breeding season these birds have black plumage with metallic blue-green sheen; white facial skin, throat; bright yellow gular pouch and
white thigh patches; silky white plumes on head and neck. In the nn-breeding season the white thigh patches are not seen and the gular pouch is less bright.
The Great Cormorant is also known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south
in New Zealand. This is a very common and widespread bird species. It feeds on the sea, in estuaries, and on freshwater lakes and rivers. The Great Cormorant
can dive to considerable depths, but often feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to the surface. A wide variety of fish are taken: cormorants are
often noticed eating eels, but this may reflect the considerable time taken to subdue an eel and position it for swallowing,
Range: Resident in most of India south of the Himalayas.
Diet: Mostly fish.
- Cormorant, Indian [+]
Scientific name: phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Size: 65 cms.
General: This is a common and widespread bird species, which breeds in freshwater wetlands. It is a smallish, slender, cormorant with a triangular
head profile. Indian Cormorant is mainly black in the breeding season, with white neck plumes and a whitish throat. The wing coverts are silvery and it
has a longish tail. This species can be separated from the similar looking Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger) by its slender bill, more peaked appearance
to its head, blue eyes and lack of the glossy black plumage of the smaller bird. It is also more gregarious and is often found in larger bodies of water and
rivers where communal hunting appears like a stampede. Sexes are similar, but non-breeding adults and juveniles are browner and lack the neck plumes.
The Indian Cormorant can dive to considerable depths, but usually feeds in shallow water. It frequently brings prey to the surface. A wide variety of fish
are taken.
Range: Most of India south of the Himalayas.
Diet: Mostly fish.
- Cormorant, Little [+]
Scientific name: phalacrocorax niger
Size: 50 cms.
General: The commonest and smallest Cormorant. Their short, thick necks and head are distinctive. Breeding adults have blackish-blue sheen; silky white
feathers on fore crown and sides of head; silvery-grey wash on upper back and wing coverts, speckled with black. Their non-breeding plumage consists of a white
chin and upper throat. They are gregarious by nature and swim with only head and neck exposed. They often dive not to be seen for many seconds, popping up far
from where they dived. Consummate swimmers as can be judged by their webbed feet. They are often seen perched on poles, trees or rocks with their wings spread
open to dry.
Range: Most of India south of the Himalayas.
Diet: Mostly fish, but also tadpoles and crustaceans.
- Coucal, Greater (Crow-Pheasant) [+]
Scientific name: centropus sinensis
Size: 50 cms.
General: A biggish bird, the Greater Coucal is mainly a loner but often seen in pairs. A poor flier commonly seen in low bushes. Common to see them with
snakes or large lizards in their beaks flying off looking for a good place to snack. Famous for their loud distinctive 'coop......... cooop' call. These birds
are often only heard. Females are slightly bigger than males. Has glossy bluish-black plumage; chestnut wings; blackish long graduated tail; crimson eyes.
Range: Most of India except for few areas of west Rajastan.
Diet: Mostly consists of insects, lizards, frogs, eggs and small of other bird species, small snakes.
- Crow, House [+]
Scientific name: corvus splendens
Size: 43 cms.
General: Black plumage; grey collar, upper back and breast; glossy black on forehead, crown and throat. Found mostly closer to human habitation
and considered as commensal on man. Street-smart, swift, sociable and sinister, these birds are omnivorous and performs important scavenging services
and are in part responsible for keeping our cities and towns clean.
Range: Most of India except some remote regions of west Rajastan.
Diet: Omnivorous.
- Crow, Jungle (Large-billed) [+]
Scientific name: corvus macrorhynchos
Size: 48 cms.
General: Large beak and glossy plumage distinctive, the jungle crow is commoner in rural areas unlike the House Crow that is considered an urban bird.
Also not considered as smart as the House Crow. Omnivorous birds found over most of India often seen in pairs or small groups. Its presence and loud cries
often indicates the presence of carnivore kills.
Range: Most of India except some regions of west Rajastan and Punjab.
Diet: Omnivorous.
- Cuckoo, Chestnut-Winged [+]
Scientific name: clamator coromandus
Size: 47 cms.
General: The Chestnut-winged Cuckoo is a breeding resident in the Himalayas and north-east India. It winters in Southern India and Sri Lanka.
Otherwise very little is known of this bird.
Diet: Insects and nectar.
- Cuckoo, Asian Drongo [+]
Scientific name: surniculus lugubris
Size: 25 cms.
General: This is a species of cuckoo that resembles a Black Drongo. It can be easily distinguished by its straight beak, white in base of outer
tail feathers and the white barred vent. Also has white marks on the thigh feathers. Very distinctive calls. Young birds are dull in colour and speckled
white. Found solitary and often mistaken for drongos, but cuckoo-like flight is a giveaway. Strictly arboreal in nature. It is a brood parasite on small
babblers. It is not known how or whether the drongo-like appearance benefits this species but it suspected that it aids in brood-parasitism.
Range: Lower Himalayas but spreads to many regions of S. India in winter.
Diet: Insects, wild fruits, worms and caterpillars.
- Cuckoo, Indian [+]
Scientific name: cuculus micropterus
Size: 32 cms.
General: This is a medium sized cuckoo with both sexes alike. It has grey upperparts while the underside has broad black barring. The tail is
barred with a broad subterminal dark band and a white tip. Young birds have white markings on the crown and white chin and throat contrasting with a
dark face. Juveniles are browner and have broad white tips to the head and wing feathers. The eye-ring is gray to yellow. The iris is light brown to
reddish. The female differs from the male in being slightly paler grey on the throat and in having more brown on the breast and tail. The barring on
the belly is narrower than in the male. Nestlings have an orange-red mouth and yellow flanges to the gape. They feed on hairy caterpillars and other
insects but sometimes take fruits. They usually feed on the upper canopy, gleaning insects, sometimes making aerial sallies for flying termites or
rarely even by hovering lower near the ground. The Indian Cuckoo is a brood parasite. It lays its single egg mostly in the nests of drongos and crows.
It removes and eats an egg from the host nest before laying its own.
Range: Most of India south of the Himalayas except the dry and arid parts of NW India. Moves considerably especially before and after the rains.
Diet: Insects, fruits, and hairy caterpillars.
- Darter [+]
Scientific name: anhinga melanogaster
Size: 90 cms.
General: These birds have a long snake-like neck, pointed bill and stiff fan-shaped tail. They are black above, streaked and mottled with silvery-grey
on back and wings; choco-brown head, neck; white stripe down sides of upper neck; white chin, upper throat; entirely black below. They are also called
snakebirds and are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae. The ones found in the Indian sub-continent are also called the Oriental Darter or
Indian Darter. It often swims with only the neck above water. It is a fish-eater. It chases prey under water with wings half open, spearing fish with
sudden rapier-like thrusts. It tosses the fish caught into the air to swallow them head-first. They are often found basking on tree stumps and rocks very
much like cormorants.
Range: All India south of the Himalayan foothills.
Diet: Fish.
- Dove, Common Emerald [+]
Scientific name: chalcophaps indica
Size: 28 cms.
General: The Common Emerald Dove is a stocky, medium-sized pigeon. The back and wings are bright emerald green. The flight feathers and tail are
blackish, and broad black and white bars show on the lower back in flight. The head and underparts are dark vinous pink. The male has a white patch on
the edge of the shoulders and a grey crown, which the female lacks. Females will tend to have a browner complexion with a grey mark on the shoulder.
Immature birds resemble females but have brown scallops on their body and wing plumage. This is a common species in rainforest and similar dense wet
woodlands, farms, gardens, mangroves and coastal heaths. It builds a scant stick nest in a tree up to five metres and lays two cream-coloured eggs.
Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.
Emerald doves usually occur singly, pairs or in small groups. They are quite terrestrial, often searching for fallen fruit on the ground and spending
little time in trees except when roosting. They eat seeds and fruits of a wide variety of plants and are generally tame and approachable. The call is
a low soft moaning cooing consisting of about six to seven coos starting quietly and rising. They also call a nasal hoo-hoo-hoon. Males perform a
bobbing dance during courtship mush like common pigeons.
Range: All India to about 2000m in the Himalayas.
Diet: Seeds, fallen fruits, also known to eat termites.
- Dove, Laughing [+]
Scientific name: spilopelia senegalensis
Size: 26 cms.
General: The Laughing Dove is a long-tailed, slim pigeon, typically 26 cm. in length. Its back, wings and tail are reddish-brown with blue-grey
in the wings. In flight, the underwings are rich chestnut. The head and underparts are pinkish, shading to whitish on the lower abdomen. There is black
spotting on the throat. The legs are red. The chuckling call is a low oo-took-took-oo-roo. It is a common and widespread species in scrub, dry farmland
and habitation over a good deal of its range, often becoming very tame. Laughing Doves eat grass, seeds, grains, other vegetation and small insects.
They are fairly terrestrial, foraging on the ground in grasslands and cultivation. They are not particularly gregarious, and are usually alone, or in
pairs.
Range: All India to about 1200m in the Himalayas; uncommon in the NE States.
Diet: Grains, grass and weed seeds.
- Dove, Spotted [+]
Scientific name: streptopelia chinensis
Size: 30 cms.
General: These birds are grey and pink-brown above, spotted white; white-spotted black hindneck collar (chessboard) diagnostic dark tail with
broad white tips to outer feathers seen in flight; vinous-brown breast, merging into white on belly. Young birds are barred above and lack the
chessboard. Seen in pairs or small parties on the ground flying off on intrusion; quite tame and confiding in certain places. Found often drinking
and in harvest times seen with other doves in large gatherings. Usual cry is the often heard crook... cru... croo or croo... croo... croo.
Range: All India to about 3500m in the Himalayas.
Diet: Grains and seeds.
- Drongo, Ashy [+]
Scientific name: dicrurus leucophaeus
Size: 30 cms.
General: Like the Black Drongo in appearance except the plumage is greyish-black. Breeds in the Himalayas and a winter visitor to the peninsula.
Vocal bird who flies in short sallies often dropping to the ground looking for prey. They have very deeply forked tails compared to other Drongos.
Range: Breeding in the Himalayas and a winter visitor to the peninsula.
Diet: Mostly insects and also sometimes flower nectar.
- Drongo, Black [+]
Scientific name: dicrurus macrocercus
Size: 32 cms.
General: Seen over most of India. Vocal bird who flies in short sallies often dropping to the ground looking for prey. They have very deeply forked tails
compared to other Drongos. Have a glossy black plumage.
Range: Most of India except some regions of west Rajastan and Punjab.
Diet: Mostly insects and also sometimes flower nectar.
- Drongo, Bronzed [+]
Scientific name: dicrurus aeneus
Size: 24 cms.
General: The Bronzed Drongo is often mistaken for the Black Drongo that is slimmer and longer. The Bronzed Drongo has glossier plumage and a shorter
tail that is shallowly forked. The Bronzed Drongos feathers on the head stand up giving a spiked look unlike the Black Drongo. Found often in groups flying
wildly from one tree to another or one branch to another. Found in southern India and like most Drongos is aggressive and fearless and known to attack much
larger birds if they are threatened.
Range: Most of peninsular India.
Diet: Mostly insects and also sometimes flower nectar.
- Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed [+]
Scientific name: dicrurus paradiseus
Size: 60 cms.
General: Has a glossy blue-black plumage and a prominent crest that curves backwards. Named after its wire-like tail extensions. Seen alone or in
pairs. Arboreal but not strictly so as it oftens decends to small bushes. A confirmed exhibitionist that noisily announces its presence often mimicing
cats meows or the calls of other birds. A very bold and aggressive bird that is known to take on much larger birds.
Range: Western and central India and north up to the Himalayan foothills and the whole eastern region.
Diet: Mostly insects, also small lizards and flower nectar.
- Eagle, Crested Serpent [+]
Scientific name: spilornis cheela
Size: 75 cms.
General: This large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped crest gives it a
thick-necked appearance. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing
tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the
flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Young birds show a lot of white on the head. Their powerful feet are unfeathered and heavily scaled.
They forage over the forest canopy with their wings and tail showing broad white and black bars and often call with a piercing and familiar three or
two-note call. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name. The nominate form has a black throat while the peninsular Indian form has a brownish
throat. There are clinal latitudinal variations, with size decreasing southward. The specific name cheela is derived from the Hindi name for kites.
Range: Resident; all India.
Diet: Snakes, lizards, birds and rodents.
- Egret, Cattle [+]
Scientific name: bubulcus ibis
Size: 50 cms.
General: These birds are often seen around cattle eating insects disturbed by the animals and hence the name. White in colour except in the
breeding season when it grows buffy orange plumes on its head, neck and back. Has yellow bills and black feet. It has a relatively short thick neck,
sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The Cattle Egret has undergone one of the most rapid and wide reaching natural expansions of any bird species
due to its relationship with humans and their domesticated animals. The positioning of the egret's eyes allows for binocular vision during feeding.
This species gives a quiet, throaty "rick-rack" call at the breeding colony, but is otherwise largely silent.
Range: Most of India.
Diet: Insects, frogs, lizards and also refuse.
- Egret, Great [+]
Scientific name: casmerodius albus
Size: 90 cms.
General: Lanky snow-white marsh bird; black and yellow (breeding) or yellow (non-breeding) beak and black legs. When breeding it has long, white
plumes on the back. Often seen solitary and rarely more than three or four birds scattered over a marsh towering over other egrets. It wades in shallow
water but often waits patiently for prey to come up close.
Range: Not common but widespread over the country.
Diet: Fish, frogs, aquatic insects, crustaceans.
- Egret, Little [+]
Scientific name: egretta garzetta
Size: 65 cms.
General: Slender and snow-white with black legs, yellow feet and black bill. In the breeding season it grows a nuchal crest of two long plumes and the
feathers on the back and breast lengthen into ornamental filamentous feathers. Seen usually in small flocks feeding on the edge of river-banks. Sometimes wades
into shallow water to stalk prey like the Herons do.
Range: Most of India.
Diet: Aquatic insects, frogs, lizards, small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans.
- Egret, Western Reef [+]
Scientific name: egretta gularis
Size: 65 cms.
General: Also called the Indian Reef Heron, this slender bird is found on the rocky western coast of India usually in the states of Maharastra and
Gujarat and very rarely found in Kerala. It has two plumage colour forms, dark-grey and all-white. In the dark phase it has slaty-black plumage; white
throat and upper foreneck. In the light phase it has an all white plumage very similar to the Little Egret. Distinguished by its more solitary nature and
habitat. Intermediate morphs also occur. Its bill is brown and yellow or bright yellow and has plumes in the breeding season much like the Little Egret.
Shy in nature and more active in twilight. Sometimes both phases are seen togther. Moves cautiously on rocky or sandy coast or mudflats and known to jab
at prey and settles hunched-up on rocks or other protrusions.
Range: Resident and local migrant; breeds off Gulf of Kutch, commoner on the west coast and rare on the eastern seaboard.
Diet: Fish, insects, small crabs and mudskippers.
- Fantail, White-throated [+]
Scientific name: rhipidura albicollis
Size: 19 cms.
General: Sexes are alike. It has a dark fan-shaped tail, edged in white, and white supercilium and throat. There is otherwise much variation
in plumage between races. It is found in forest, scrub and cultivation across tropical southern Asia. Birds use the same song year after year, with
progressively small changes, with the result that the song sounds very different after 4-5 years. The male's call is a valuable tool in detection
and identification of the bird, which can often be confused with the White-browed Fantail,
Range: Many parts over central and peninsular India and N. E. India.
Diet: Insects.
- Flameback, Common [+]
Scientific name: dinopium javanense
Size: 28 cms.
General: The males have a crimson crown and crest and are golden-olive above with a single white stripe on the side of face. Whitish-buff below and
profusely spotted black on foreneck and speckled over rest of the underbody. The females have a white-spotted black crown and crest. Seen in pairs or small
bands moving jerkily up tree stems looking for insects under the bark. Arboreal and loud in nature. Has a loud cry, grating screams and loud drumming sounds.
Range: Garhwal to NE; parts of the Eastern Ghats, W Ghats, Kerala to Tapti river.
Diet: Insects and nectar.
- Flameback, Black-rumped [+]
Scientific name: dinopium benghalense
Size: 30 cms.
General: Also called the Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker. Females can be distinguished by their spotted white on black crown and crimson crest.
The males have a crimson crest and crown. These birds were named after their bright golden-yellow backs. Very noisy birds often seen in pairs and also
frequently hunting in mixed parties. Frequently seen moving jerkily up tree stems looking under the bark for insects. Commonly found over most of India
and often close to habitation. Not too shy of humans.
Range: Garhwal to NE; parts of the Eastern Ghats, W Ghats, Kerala to Tapti river.
Diet: Insects, centipedes, caterpillars, termites and figs and berries.
- Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary [+]
Scientific name: culicicapa ceylonensis
Size: 13 cms.
General: This is a species of small flycatcher-like bird found in tropical Asia. It has a square crest, a grey hood and yellow underparts. They
are found in forested habitats where they often join other birds in mixed-species foraging flocks. Pairs are often seen as they forage for insects by
making flycatcher-like sallies and will often emit a squeaky call. The Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher is an insectivore. Several subspecies are recognized.
The nominate subspecies is found in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of southern India.
Range: Commonly breeds in the Himalayan region but found in winter over much of the sub-continent.
Diet: Insects.
- Flycatcher, Nilgiri [+]
Scientific name: eumyias albicaudatus
Size: 13 cms.
General: It is dark steely indigo blue with some violet-blue on the forehead and darker lores. It is much darker than the Verditer Flycatcher
and does not have as strong a contrast in the pale face and black lores. The female is duller with dark brown on the upperparts and dark grey below.
The two central tail feathers are blue and the lateral feathers are dark brown and edged with indigo. The base of the outer tail feathers are white
but this is not easily visible when the bird is sitting. The wing feathers are dark brown with a narrow outer fringe of blue. The juvenile is dark
brown with creamy spots and a scaly appearance on the throat and breast. The bill and legs are black and the iris is dark brown. It is found in a
very restricted range in the higher hills (mostly above 1200 m) of the Nilgiris, Palnis, Anamalai ranges, the Brahmagiris, Bababudan and Biligirrangan
hills. It is a Near Threatened species. Like most flycatchers, it makes sallies to capture insects and returns to its perch. It forages mainly in the
lower storey but can sometimes be found on top of the canopy.
Range: Restricted range in the higher hills (mostly above 1200 m) of the Nilgiris, Palnis, Anamalai ranges, the Brahmagiris, Bababudan and Biligirrangan hills.
Diet: Insects.
- Greenshank, Common [+]
Scientific name: tringa nebularia
Size: 36 cms.
General: The birds are grey-brown above; long, slightly upcurved, blackish beak; white forehead, underbody; in flight, white lower back, rump and
absence of white in wings diagnostic; long greenish legs. In summer the colour gets darker above with blackish centres to feathers. Found solitary or in
small groups of two to six birds, often with Redshanks or other waders. They feed at the edge of water but may enter the water up to belly level to feed.
Range: A winter visitor to most of India.
Diet: Aquatic insects, crustaceans and molluscs.
- Harrier, Eurasian Marsh [+]
Scientific name: circus aeruginosus
Size: 55 cms.
General: Solitary bird sometimes seen in pairs. Males have dark brown plumage with dull rufous head. Females are choco-brown; buff on head and
shoulders. Very like Pariah Kites but have rounded tails and not forked. Sails lazily over land looking for frogs or small birds and insects.
Range: Winter visitor common all over India.
Diet: Fish, frogs or small birds and insects.
- Heron, Black-crowned Night [+]
Scientific name: nycticorax nycticorax
Size: 60 cms.
General: Adults are small but heavy, approximately 64 cm.. They have a black crown and back with the remainder of the body white or grey, red eyes,
and short yellow legs. Young birds are brown, flecked with white and grey. These are short-necked and stout herons. Nocturnal; shy and reclusive; roosts in
trees during the day and leave in small parties at dusk. Feeds through the night until early morning. These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait
to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and small birds. During
the day they rest in trees or bushes.
Range: Resident most of India.
Diet: Aquatic insects, frogs, lizards, small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans.
- Heron, Grey [+]
Scientific name: ardea cinerea
Size: 100 cms.
General: A long-legged, long-necked wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. Ashy-grey above; white crown, neck, underparts; black stripe through
eye continues as long black crest; black dotted band down centre of foreneck; dark blue-black night feathers; golden-yellow iris. It has a powerful,
pinkish-yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults.Mostly solitary except when breeding; occasionally enters shallow waters; usually stands
still, head pulled in between shoulders, waiting for prey to come close. Characteristic flight, head pulled back and long legs trailing. Often makes
a loud quack in flight.
Range: All over India to 4000m in Ladakh.
Diet: Insects, frogs, small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans. Will also take small mammals, reptiles and occasionally walbler nestlings, plovers, young
and adult snipes, takes ducklings and tern chicks and other small birds.
- Heron, Indian Pond [+]
Scientific name: ardeola grayii
Size: 46 cms.
General: The most common of the herons found in India. During the breeding season their heads and neck turn brown, chins and upper throat white,
backs turn a rich maroon, breasts turn buff-brown and they grow a longish crest. Non-breeding colours are earthy-brown, streaked brown head and neck;
grey-brown back and shoulders; with dull green legs; bill is bluish at the base, yellowish at the centre and black at the tip. Remains motionless in mud
or up to ankles in water, or slowly stalks prey. Hunts alone but roosts in groups. Often seen in road-side ditches or tidal creeks and river-banks.
Range: All over India.
Diet: Insects, frogs, small fish, tadpoles, crustaceans.
- Heron, Purple [+]
Scientific name: ardea purpurea manilensis
Size: 100 cms.
General: This is a slender necked, lanky bird. Slaty purple above; black crown, long drooping crest; rufous neck with prominent black strip along
its length; white chin, throat; deep slaty and chestnut below breast; almost black on wings and tail; crest and breast plumes less developed in female.
The Purple Heron breeds in colonies in reed beds or trees close to large lakes or other extensive wetlands. It builds a bulky stick nest. It feeds in
shallow water, spearing fish, frogs, insects and small mammals. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. It tends to keep
within reedbeds more than the Grey Heron, and is often inconspicuous, despite its size. The long neck of Purple Heron looks particularly snake-like, with
more of an S-shape in flight. The call is a loud croaking "krek".
Range: Mostly resident all over India but numbers increase in some areas in winter due to migration.
Diet: Insects, fish, frogs and small mammals.
- Heron, Little [+]
Scientific name: butorides striata
Size: 45 cms.
General: Adults have a blue-grey back and wings with a glossy green wash, white underparts, a black cap and short yellow legs. Juveniles are browner
above and streaked below; longish crest. Also known as the Mangrove Heron or the Striated Heron. Solitary, shy and sluggish; mostly crepuscular. These
birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey. They sometimes use bait, dropping a feather or leaf carefully on the water surface and
picking fish that come to investigate.
Range: All India, south of the Himalayas.
Diet: Eats small fish, frogs, crabs and aquatic insects.
- Hoopoe, Common [+]
Scientific name: upupa epops
Size: 31 cms.
General: The Hoopoe is a colourful bird, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. The Hoopoe is classified in the Coraciiformes clade,
a group that also includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, and woodhoopoes. The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that
is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad
and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight,
which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats. In what was long thought
to be a defensive posture, Hoopoes sunbathe by spreading out their wings and tail low against the ground and tilting their head up; they often fold
their wings and preen halfway through. The Hoopoe also enjoys taking dust and sand baths. The diet of the Hoopoe is mostly composed of insects,
although small reptiles and frogs as well as some plant matter such as seeds and berries are sometimes taken as well. It is a solitary forager which
typically feeds on the ground. The diet of the Hoopoe includes many species considered to be pests by humans. For this reason the species is afforded
protection under the law in many countries.
Range: All India, from about 5500 km of the Himalayas.
Diet: Insects caught on the ground or pulled from underground.
- Ibis, Black-headed [+]
Scientific name: threskiornis melanocephalus
Size: 75 cms.
General: Adults are typically 75 cm long and white-plumaged, with some greyer areas on the wings. The bald head, the neck and legs are black. The
thick down curved bill is dusky yellow. Blood-red patches are seen on underwing and flanks in flight. In breeding plumage some slaty grey on scapulars
and in wings and ornamental plumes at base of the neck. Sexes are similar. It occurs in marshy wetlands inland and on the coast, where it feeds on
various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects. It walks about actively on marshy land probing with its bill into soft mud and
often feeds in shallow water with its head momentarily submerged.
Range: Resident, local migrant; all India south of 1500 km of Himalayas.
Diet: Frogs, insects, fish, molluscs, algal matter.
- Iora, Common [+]
Scientific name: aegithina tiphia
Size: 14 cms.
General: The male is greenish above (rich black above, with yellowish rump, in the summer breeding plumage); black wings, tail; two white wing bars
and bright yellow underbody. The females have yellow-green plumage; white wing-bars and greenish-brown wings. Seen usually in pairs keeping to leafy
branches looking for insects and caterpillars which form the main part of their diet. They have a loud call that is often a giveaway of their presence.
Seen in gardens, orchards and wooded areas even when close to habitation.
Range: All over India from about 1800m in the Himalayas. Not seen in the desert regions of Rajasthan and Kutch.
Diet: Insects, caterpillars, spiders and also nectar.
- Jacana, Pheasant-Tailed [+]
Scientific name: hydrophasianus chirurgus
Size: 30 cms.
General: Jacanas are a group of waders in the family Jacanidae that are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk
on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat. The Pheasant-tailed Jacana is capable of swimming, although it usually walks on the
vegetation. Females larger than the males. During the breeding season, the long tail adds another 14 cm. to their overall length. Breeding adults are
mainly black other than white wings, head, and fore neck. The hind neck is golden. There is a striking white eyestripe. The legs and very long toes are
grey. Non-breeding adults lack the long tail. The underparts are white except for a brown breast band and neck stripe. The side of the neck is golden.
The Pheasant-tailed Jacana's main sources of food are insects and other invertebrates picked from the floating vegetation or the water's surface. Their
call is a mewing me-onp and a nasal teeun.
Range: All India south of 1500 km of Himalayas.
Diet: Mostly seeds, tubers, roots, also insects, molluscs.
- Kingfisher, Common [+]
Scientific name: alcedo atthis
Size: 18 cms.
General: Also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher. This sparrow-sized bird has the typical short-tailed, large-headed kingfisher
profile; it has blue upperparts, orange underparts and a long bill. It feeds mainly on fish, caught by diving, and has special visual adaptions to
enable it to see prey under water. The glossy white eggs are laid in a nest at the end of a burrow in a riverbank. The flight of the Kingfisher is
fast, direct and usually low over water. The short rounded wings whirr rapidly, and a bird flying away shows an electric-blue "flash" down its back.
Range: All over India south of 2000 km of Himalayas.
Diet: Fish, occasionally tadpoles and aquatic insects.
- Kingfisher, Stork-Billed [+]
Scientific name: halcyon capensis
Size: 38 cms.
General: This is a very large kingfisher, up to 38 cm in length. The adult has a green back, blue wings and tail, and grey head. Its underparts and neck
are buff. The very large bill and legs are bright red. Stork-billed Kingfisher is a species of a variety of well-wooded habitats near lakes, rivers or
coasts. It perches quietly whilst seeking food, and is often inconspicuous despite its size. It is territorial and will chase away eagles and other large
predators. This kingfisher is commonly heard but not often seen. The call of this noisy bird is a low and far reaching peer-por-por repeated every
5 seconds or so as well cackling ke-ke-ke-ke-ke-ke.
Range: All over India except for the dryer parts of the NW.
Diet: Fish, frogs, crabs, rodents and young birds.
- Kingfisher, White-throated [+]
Scientific name: halcyon smyrnensis
Size: 28 cms.
General: A common bird found over most of India. Also called the White-breasted Kingfisher. Chestnut-brown head, neck and under-body below breast;
bright turquoise-blue above, often with greenish tinge; black flight-feathers and white wing-patch in flight; white chin, throat and breast distinctive;
coral-red beak and legs. Solitary or scattered pairs atop overhead powerlines, poles or tree-tops. Also frequently found far from the water looking for prey.
Range: All over India south of outer Himalaya.
Diet: Frogs, insects, lizards, small rodents; eating fish only occasionally belying its name.
- Kite, Black (Pariah) [+]
Scientific name: milvus migrans
Size: 60 cms.
General: Has dark-brown plumage with a forked tail. Faint streaks underbody. Commonly found and gregarious, not shy of man. Roosts communally.
Capable of snatching food off yours hands if not attentive.
Range: Resident all India.
Diet: Omnivorous, poultry, rats, insects and even nestlings of small birds.
- Kite, Brahminy [+]
Scientific name: haliastur indus
Size: 50 cms.
General: White head and neck, upper back and breast; rest of the plumage is a rich, rusty-chestnut; brownish abdomen and has darker tips to
flight feathers. Solitary or in small parties. Loves to scavenge around water. It is mainly a scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs,
especially in wetlands and marshland but occasionally hunts live prey such as hares and bats. The young look very different. They are distinguished
by their uniformly dark brown plumage with rounded tail; white parts streaked with buff. In flight, pale patch at base of primaries.
Range: Resident and local migrant; all India.
Diet: Stranded fish, frogs, insects, lizards, smaller birds, small snakes and rodents.
- Koel, Asian [+]
Scientific name: eudynamys scolopacea
Size: 42 cms.
General: The male with its black plumage and sinister crimson eyes is a common sight all over the country. Females are distinguished by their thickly
spotted dark-brown and barred white plumage. Solitary or seen in pairs, arboreal and has a fast flight. Familiar call of kuoo..... kuooo..... heard all
over the country. Gets noisy between March and June coinciding with the breeding of crows.
Range: All over India but uncommon in drier areas.
Diet: Fruits, insects, snails and eggs of smaller birds.
- Lapwing, Red-Wattled [+]
Scientific name: vanellus indicus
Size: 35 cms.
General: These birds have a jet black head, breast, necks; bronze-brown upper body; white-below, continuing to broad bands up the neck-sides towards
the eyes; fleshy crimson facial wattles diagnostic. Solitary or pairs while breeding; often large flocks in winter; moves on open ground, feeding during the
mornings and evenings. A very vigilant and shy species that cry out loud on seeing any new activity in the surroundings. Often feeds late into the evenings.
Range: Resident all India from 2000m in W Himalayas.
Diet: Insects, seeds and tubers.
- Lark, Malabar Crested [+]
Scientific name: galerida malabarica
Size: 15 cms.
General: It is a sedentary breeding bird in western India. Smallish, slightly smaller than the Skylark. It has a long spiky erectile crest.
It is greyer than the Skylark, and lacks the white wing and tail edges of that species, which is a winter visitor to India. It is very similar to the
Crested Lark, which breeds in northern India. It is smaller and dark-streaked reddish brown in plumage, whereas the Crested Lark is grey. The belly
is white. The sexes are similar.
Range: Found over most the Malabar region.
Diet: Insects, seeds and grains.
- Leafbird, Blue-winged [+]
Scientific name: chloropsis cochinchinensis
Size: 18 cms.
General: This bird is very hard to detect in foliage due to its plumage. Food mostly consists of insects and flower-nectar. Noisy and so usually
heard but not often seen. Makes various whistling and often harsh notes and is known to be very vocal. Seen alone or in pairs in leafy canopy; also often
in mixed-hunting parties. Males have green plumage with blue in wings; yellow-green forehead; black from nostrils, base of eyes to lower throat;
bright purple-blue moustachial stripes; dull yellow-green band around black throat. Females have pale blue-green mask and greenish-blue moustachial
stripe.
Range: Most of India except arid NW areas of Punjab, Rajastan, N ands W Gujarat.
Diet: Insects, nectar and fruits.
- Mallard [+]
Scientific name: anas platyrhynchos
Size: 60 cms.
General: The Mallard is about 60 cm. long. The breeding male is unmistakable, with a bright bottle-green head, black rear end and a yellowish orange
(can also contain some red) bill tipped with black (as opposed to the black/orange bill in females). It has a white collar which demarcates the head from the
purple-tinged brown breast, grey brown wings, and a pale grey belly. The dark tail has white borders. The female Mallard is a mottled light brown, like most
female dabbling ducks, and has buff cheeks, eyebrow, throat and neck with a darker crown and eye-stripe. However, both the female and male Mallards have
distinct purple speculum edged with white, prominent in flight or at rest (though temporarily shed during the annual summer moult). The Mallard is the ancestor
of most domestic ducks, and can interbreed with other species of genus Anas. Among close relatives of the Mallard this hybridisation can cause genetic dilution,
which is contributing the decline of rarer species of ducks. The Mallard is omnivorous and very flexible in its food choice. Its diet may vary based on several
factors, including the stage of the breeding cycle, short term variations in available food, nutrient availability, and inter- and intraspecific competition.
Range: Visitor in N and C India; rare in Deccan and further south.
Diet: Gastropods, invertebrates, crustaceans, worms, many varieties of seeds and plant matter, and roots and tubers.
- Munia, Scaly-Breasted [+]
Scientific name: lonchura punctulata
Size: 11 cms.
General: This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
and the Philippines. Chocolate brown above; olivish-yellow, pointed tail; white bars on rump; chestnut sides of face, chin,
throat; white below, thickly speckled with very dark-brown on breast, flanks and part of belly (speckles may be absent during winter and
much of the summer). Immature birds have pale brown upperparts, lack the darker head and have uniform buff underparts. Gregarious bird
which feeds mainly on seeds. Sociable and moves in flocks often with other munias or weaver birds. It frequents open woodland and
cultivation. Feeds on the ground and low bush but rests in trees. The nest is a large domed grass structure in a tree or under the
eaves of a house into which 4-10 white eggs are laid.
Range: Most of India, but absent in much of Punjab, NW regions and W Rajastan.
Diet: Grass seeds, small berries; also feeds on insects.
- Munia, White-rumped [+]
Scientific name: lonchura striata
Size: 11 cms.
General: This small bird is also called the White-rumped Mannikin and sometimes Striated Finch in aviculture. It is a small
passerine bird from the family of waxbill "finches". They have a stubby grey bill and a long black pointed tail. The adults are brown
above and on the breast, and lighter below; the rump is white. Sexes alike. It frequents open woodland, grassland and scrub, and is well
able to adapt to agricultural land use. It is a gregarious bird which feeds mainly on seeds, moving through the undergrowth in groups and
sometimes accompanying other birds. Sometimes large, mixed gatherings can cause damage to standing crops.
Range: Peninsular India.
Diet: Grass seeds crops; also feeds on insects.
- Myna, Common [+]
Scientific name: acridotheres tristis
Size: 23 cms.
General: A pretty confident bird, haughty and struts around as if it owns the place. Omnivorous; eats fruits, insects, nectar and scraps.
Capable, if given a chance, of entering the house and eating off the dining table. Has a rich vinous-brown plumage; black head, neck, upper
breast; yellow beak, legs and naked wattle around eyes. Has a large white spot on the feathers that can be seen in flight. An omnivorous open
woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments. They are popular as cage birds for
their singing and "speaking" abilities. They are believed to mate for life.
Range: All of India.
Diet: Omnivorous; eats fruits, insects, nectar and scraps.
- Myna, Jungle [+]
Scientific name: acridotheres fuscus
Size: 23 cms.
General: These 23 cm long birds have grey plumage, darker on the head and wings. There are large white wing patches obvious in flight,
and a white tail tip. The head has a forehead tuft. The bill and strong legs are bright yellow, and there is no bare skin around eye. The sexes
are similar, but juveniles are browner. They are usually found close to water or rice fields. The southern Indian race has a blue iris. Like
most starlings, the Jungle Myna is fairly omnivorous, eating fruit, grain and insects. In many parts of Asia, they are kept as pets. As a
result, escaped birds have formed feral populations in many countries.
Range: All of India.
Diet: Omnivorous; eats fruits, insects, nectar and scraps.
- Oriole, Black-hooded [+]
Scientific name: oriolus xanthornus
Size: 25 cms.
General: Bright golden-yellow plumage and black head. Black and yellow wings and tail and deep pink-red beaks. Arboreal and very energetic bird.
Flits between trees and branches looking for grubs. Often seen in groups and occasionally with other bird species like the Drongo and Bulbul. A beautiful
bird, especially when seen in flight.
Range: Most of India.
Diet: Eats fruits, insects, nectar.
- Oriole, Black-naped [+]
Scientific name: oriolus chinensis
Size: 25 cms.
General: Males and females are very similar although the wing lining of the female is more greenish. The bill is pink and is stouter than in the
Golden Oriole. It is overall golden with a strong pinkish bill and a broad black mask and nape. The adult male has the central tail feathers tipped yellow
and the lateral ones are more broadly yellow. The female has the mantle colour more greenish or olive. The juvenile has a streaked underside. The Black-naped
Oriole is found in forests, gardens and plantations. It feeds on berries and insects in the canopy. Black-naped Orioles have been recorded to feed on a range
of berries including Trema orientalis, Ficus and others apart from insects. They can sometimes be nest predators on smaller birds.[
Range: Widespread across India during winter, mainly in the northeastern parts and in the peninsular region.
Diet: Eats fruits, insects, nectar.
- Oriole, Eurasian Golden [+]
Scientific name: oriolus oriolus
Size: 25 cms.
General: Males have a bright golden-yellow plumage; black stripe through the eyes; black wings and centre of tail. Females have yellow-green tops;
brownish-green wings; dirty-white below, streaked brown. Young ones look very like the females. Solitary birds or seen in pairs; arboreal, visits fruiting
trees and hunts for insects in the foliage. Usually heard but in spite of the bright plumage not often seen.
Range: Summer visitor to the Himalayan foothills. Spreads in winter to the plains and also breeds in peninsular India.
Diet: Eats fruits, insects, nectar.
- Owlet, Barred Jungle [+]
Scientific name: glaucidium radiatum
Size: 20 cms.
General: The bark-coloured plumage and low profile makes them hard to detect. As their name suggests, they are not usually found near human
habitation. They are partial to teak and mixed forests. They are generally crepuscular but sometimes active by day. This owl lacks ear-tufts. Darkish
brown above, barred rufous and white; white moustachial stripe, centre of breas and abdomen; remainder of underbody barred dark rufous-brown and white.
Range: Found over most of India except Rajastan, Punjab and the extreme NE states.
Diet: Food consists of lizards, frogs, rodents, insects and small birds.
- Paradise-Flycatcher, Asian [+]
Scientific name: terpsiphone paradisi
Size: Male about 50 cms. including tail-streamers; female about 20 cms.
General: Males have tail-streamers and blue-black head, crest and throat; black in wings; silvery white body. In rufous phase the white parts are replaced
by rufous-chestnut. Females have no tail-streamers; have a shorter crest; rufous above; ashy-grey throat, nuchal collar; whitish below. Solitary or in pairs,
makes short sallies, flits through trees. Strictly arboreal though sometimes decending to taller bushes.
Range: Himalayan foothills to about 1800m; N India, south to Bharatpur, absent in broad belt across Gangetic plain; widely found in peninsular India.
Diet: Food consists of insects, spiders.
- Parakeet, Rose-ringed [+]
Scientific name: psittacula krameri manillensis
Size: 42 cms.
General: The Rose-ringed parakeet are grass-green in colour with short, hooked, red beaks. They are sexually dimorphic. The males have distinctive rosy-pink
and black collar. The hen and immature birds of both sexes either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings. They are gregarious by
nature and are a familair sight over most of India. Wild flocks fly several miles to forage in farmlands and orchards causing extensive damage. They also raid grain
depots and markets. Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech. First it listens to its surroundings, and then it copies the voice of the human
speaker. Some people hand-raise Rose-ringed parakeet chicks for this purpose. This non-migrating species is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted
to living in 'disturbed habitats', and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable
squawking call. The Rose-ringed Parakeet has established feral populations in India, a number of European cities, South Africa and Japan. There are also apparently
stable populations in the USA.
Range: Light forests, orchards, towns and villages.
Diet: Food consists of buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds.
- Parrot, Vernal Hanging (Indian Lorikeet) [+]
Scientific name: loriculus vernalis
Size: 15 cms.
General: Bright grass-green plumage; short square tail and bright crimson rump distinctive; small
blue throat patch for males. Solitary or in pairs, but sometimes found in large flocks in fruiting trees. Chiefly arboreal; energetic and gymnastic,
hanging upside down to feed. Also sleeps hanging upside down like bats. Occasionally seen with other birds in mixed parties.
Range: Himalaya east of Nepal; peninsular mountains, chiefly the E and W Ghats.
Diet: Food consists of fruit pulp, seeds and nectar.
- Peafowl, Indian [+]
Scientific name: pavo cristatus
Size: Male about 195 to 225 cm. including fully grown train; female about 95 cms.
General: The Indian Peafowl is a large and brightly coloured pheasant native to South Asia, but introduced and semi-feral in many other parts of the
world. The male, peacock, is a large bird with a length from bill to tail of 100 to 115 cm and to the end of a fully grown train as much as 195 to 225 cm
and weigh 4 to 6 kg. The females, or peahens, are smaller at around 95 cm in length and weigh 2.75-4 kg. Their size, colour and shape of crest make them unmistakable.
The male is metallic blue on the crown, the feathers of the head being short and curled. The fan-shaped crest on the head is made of feathers with bare black shafts
and tipped with blush-green webbing. A white stripe above the eye and a crescent shaped white patch below the eye are formed by bare white skin. The sides of the
head have iridescent greenish blue feathers. The back has scaly bronze-green feathers with black and copper markings. The scapular and the wings are buff and barred
in black, the primaries are chestnut and the secondaries are black. The tail is dark brown and the "train" is made up by elongated upper tail coverts (more than 200
feathers, the actual tail has only 20 feathers) and nearly all of these feathers end with an elaborate eye-spot. A few of the outer feathers lack the spot and end
in a crescent shaped black tip. The underside is dark glossy green shading into blackish under the tail. The thighs are buff coloured. The male has a spur on the
leg above the hind toe.
The adult peahen has a rufous-brown head with a crest as in the male but the tips chestnut edged with green. The upper body is brownish with paler mottling. The
primaries, secondaries and tail are dark brown. The lower neck is metallic green and the breast feathers are dark brown glossed with green. The rest of the
underparts are whitish. Downy young are pale buff with a dark brown mark on the nape connecting with the eyes. Young males looks like the females but the
wings are chestnut coloured.
Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant display feathers which, despite actually growing from their back, are thought of as a tail. The "train" is
in reality made up of the enormously elongated upper tail coverts. The tail itself is brown and short as in the peahen.The ornate train is believed to be
the result of female sexual selection as males raised the feathers into a fan and quiver it as part of courtship display. Peafowl are omnivorous and eat
seeds, insects, fruits, small mammals and reptiles. They feed on small snakes but keep their distance from larger ones.
Range: Resident breeder across the Indian subcontinent.
Diet: Omnivorous and eat seeds, insects, fruits, small mammals and reptiles.
- Pelican, Spot-billed [+]
Scientific name: Pelecanus philippensis roseus
Size: 150 cms.
General: The Spot-billed Pelican is a relatively small pelican but still a large bird. It is 125-152 cm. long. It is mainly white, with a grey crest,
hindneck and a brownish tail. The feathers on the hind neck are curly and form a greyish nape crest. The pouch is pink to purplish and has large pale spots,
and is also spotted on the sides of the upper mandible. The tip of the bill (or nail) is yellow to orange. In breeding plumage, the skin at the base of the
beak is dark and the orbital patch is pink. In flight they look not unlike the Dalmatian Pelican but the tertials and inner secondaries are darker and a pale
band runs along the greater coverts. The tail is rounder. The species is found to breed only in peninsular India, Sri Lanka and in Cambodia. A few birds from
India are known to winter in the Gangetic plains. This species is a colonial breeder, often breeding in the company of other waterbirds. The nests are on low
trees near wetlands and sometimes near human habitations. They are very silent although at their nests they can make hisses, grunts or snap their bills.
Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface.
Range: Breeds in well-watered parts of S, SE and E India but population spreads in non-breeding season.
Diet: Food consists mostly of fish.
- Pigeon, Feral [+]
Scientific name: columba livia domestica
Size: 15 cms.
General: Feral pigeons, also called city doves, city pigeons or street pigeons, are derived from domestic pigeons that have returned to the wild.
Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings a perfect substitute for sea cliffs, and have become adapted to life and are abundant in towns and cities
all over the world.
Range: Most of India and commonly in cities and towns.
Diet: Food consists of grass seeds and berries and also discarded food.
- Pigeon, Yellow-footed Green [+]
Scientific name: treron phoenicoptera
Size: 33 cms.
General: Ashy olive-green above; olivish-yellow collar, band in dark slaty tail; lilac-red shoulder patch which is mostly absent in the females;
yellow legs and underbody. Females are slightly duller. They are mostly arboreal, remaining well hidden in the foliage. The species feeds on fruits of
a large variety of fruit trees including a number of species of Ficus. They forage in flocks. In the early morning they are often seen sunning on the
tops of emergent trees in dense forest areas.
Range: From the south of Rajastan to north Orrisa downwards.
Diet: Fruits and berries.
- Pintail, Northern [+]
Scientific name: anas acuta
Size: Male about 50 to 76 cm.; female about 51 to 64 cm.
General: The Northern Pintail is a fairly large duck with a wingspan of 23.6-28.2 centimetres. The male in breeding plumage has a chocolate-brown head
and white breast with a white stripe extending up the side of the neck. Its upperparts and sides are grey, but elongated grey feathers with black central
stripes are draped across the back from the shoulder area. The vent area is yellow, contrasting with the black underside of the tail, which has the central
feathers elongated to as much as 10 centimetres (4 in). The bill is bluish and the legs are blue-grey. The adult female is mainly scalloped and mottled in
light brown with a more uniformly grey-brown head, and its pointed tail is shorter than the male’s; it is still easily identified by its shape, long neck,
and long grey bill. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake Pintail looks similar to the female, but retains the male upperwing pattern and long grey
shoulder feathers. Juvenile birds resemble the female. The Northern Pintail has been called the "nomads of the skies". due to their wide-ranging migrations.
It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator. The Northern Pintail is a bird of open wetlands which nests on the ground,
often some distance from water. It feeds by dabbling for plant food and adds small invertebrates to its diet during the nesting season. It is highly gregarious
when not breeding, forming large mixed flocks with other species of duck.
Range: Winter visitor; all India.
Diet: Shoots, seeds of aquatic plants, rice (wild and cultivated); also water insects and molluscs.
- Plover, Greater Sand [+]
Scientific name: charadrius leschenaultii
Size: 26 cms.
General: The bird is a small wader in the plover family of birds. This chunky plover is long-legged and thick-billed. Breeding males have grey backs and
white underparts. The breast, forehead and nape are chestnut, and there is a black eye mask. The female is duller, and winter and juvenile birds lack the chestnut,
apart from a hint of rufous on the head. Legs are greenish and the bill black. Obtains food by a run-and-pause technique, rather than the steady probing of some
other wader groups. Its flight call is a soft trill.
Range: Seen over most of India.
Diet: Insects, crustaceans and annelid worms.
- Plover, Pacific Golden [+]
Scientific name: pluvialis fulva
Size: 25 cms.
General: The adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a
dark rump. The legs are black. In winter, the black is lost and the plover then has a yellowish face and breast, and white underparts. It is migratory and winters
in south Asia and Australasia. This bird forages for food on tundra, fields, beaches and tidal flats, usually by sight. It eats insects and crustaceans and some
berries.
Range: Seen over most of peninsular India in the winter months.
Diet: Insects, crustaceans and berries.
- Prinia, Plain [+]
Scientific name: prinia inornata
Size: 13 cms.
General: These warblers have short rounded wings, a longish tail, strong legs and a short black bill. In breeding plumage, adults are
grey-brown above, with a short white supercilium and rufous fringes on the closed wings. Underparts are whitish-buff. The sexes are identical. In winter,
the upperparts are a warmer brown, and the underparts more buff. The tail is longer than in summer. There are a number of races differing in plumage shade.
Like most warblers, the Plain Prinia is insectivorous. The song is a repetitive tlee-tlee-tlee and also a krrik...krrik sound. This passerine
bird is typically found in wet lowland grassland, open woodland, scrub and sometimes gardens. Often seen in pairs or even small groups moving about in low
growth. They have a jerky, low flight and are difficult to spot in the bush. The Plain Prinia builds its nest in a shrub or tall grass and lays 3-6 eggs.
Range: Seen over most of India.
Diet: Insects and flower necter.
- Indian Robin [+]
Scientific name: saxicoloides fulicata
Size: 16 cms.
General: There are several races in India. Males differ in having a dark-brown upperbody, and have a white wing-patch and are blue-black below. They have
a chestnut vent and undertail. Females lack the white in the wings and are duller grey-brown below. They are seen solitary or in pairs in open country, and
often in and around habitation. They are suspicious by nature and generally keep their distance from humans. They hunt on the ground, hopping or running in
short spurts. They hold their heads high and often cock their tails, right up to back, flashing the chestnut vent and undertail.
Range: Most of India except in the extreme NE.
Diet: Food consists of insects.
- Robin, Oriental Magpie [+]
Scientific name: copsychus saularis
Size: 20 cms.
General: Males are glossy blue-black and white; white wing patch and white in outer-tail distinctive; glossy blue-black throat, breast; white below. Females
are rich slatey grey where males are blue-black. Commonly found in India and seen alone or in pairs or with other birds in mixed parties. Hops on the ground and
often seen with its tail cocked. Active in the mornings or at dusk and is a remarkable songster.
Range: Most of India except some arid regions of W Rajastan.
Diet: Food consists of insects, berries and nectar.
- Roller, Indian [+]
Scientific name: coracias benghalensis
Size: 31 cms.
General: Pale greenish-brown above; rufous-brown breast; deep blue tail has light blue sub-terminal band; in flight, bright Oxford-blue wings and tail,
with Cambridge-blue bands distinctive. Solitary or in pairs found perched on overhead wires, bare branches, small bushtops or earthen mounds. Glides and drops
on prey or pounces suddenly and batters prey against perch before swallowing. It is known for the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season.
Males and females are however not readily distinguishable.
Range: All India, south of the Himalayas.
Diet: Insects, small lizards, frogs, rodents, snakes.
- Sandpiper, Common [+]
Scientific name: actitis hypoleucos
Size: 20 cms.
General: Olive-brown above, more ash-brown and streaked-brown on head, neck sides; brown rump white below, lightly streaked-brown on breast; in flight,
narrow, white wing-bar and brown rump. In summer is darker above and speckled. Often seen solitary or two or three birds scattered amidst other waders. Active
and makes short dashes, hobbing, wagging short tail. Usually seen flying low over water, rapid wing-beats alternating with short glides.
Range: A winter visitor seen all over India.
Diet: Crustaceans, molluscs and insects.
- Sandpiper, Wood [+]
Scientific name: tringa glareola
Size: 20 cms.
General: The Wood Sandpiper is a small wader. It resembles a longer-legged and more delicate Green or Solitary Sandpiper with a short fine bill,
brown back and longer yellowish legs. It differs from the first of those species in a smaller and less contrasting white rump patch, while the Solitary
Sandpiper has no white rump patch at all. Its closest relative though is the Common Redshank. This is a smallish shank with yellowish legs, a breeding
plumage that is generally subdued light brown above with some darker mottling and with a pattern of somewhat diffuse small brownish spots on the breast
and neck. This bird is usually found on fresh water during migration and wintering. They forage by probing in shallow water or on wet mud, and mainly
eat insects and similar small prey.
Range: A winter visitor seen all over India.
Diet: Crustaceans, molluscs and insects.
- Shikra [+]
Scientific name: accipiter badius
Size: 32 cms.
General: A small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. The adult Shikra has pale grey upperparts and
is white, finely barred reddish below. Sexes are similar except that the female is larger than the male and males have red eyes whereas females yellow. The
juvenile is brown above and white, spotted with brown below. It has a barred tail. The Shikra is a bird of open woodland including savannah and cultivation.
Its hunting technique is similar to that of other small hawks, relying on surprise as it flies from a hidden perch or flicks over a bush to catch its prey
unaware.
Range: Resident all India to 1600 km in the Himalayas.
Diet: Rodents, small birds, lizards, large insects; also robs poultry.
- Shrike, Long-Tailed [+]
Scientific name: lanius schach
Size: 25 cms.
General: It has some resemblances to the grey shrikes, sharing the pearl grey head and mantle and black mask extending from the forehead, through the eye,
to the ear coverts. An eastern race found in Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh, has a black head extending from the eye mask to the whole crown and nape. It is small
for a grey shrike, but has a very long tail with rufous edges. The underparts are white, but with rufous flanks. The bill and legs are nearly black. This bird
has a characteristic upright "shrike" attitude perched on a bush, from which it sallies after lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents. Prey may be
impaled upon a sharp point, such as a thorn. This habit has also given it the name Butcher-bird. Thus secured they can be ripped with the strong hooked bill,
but its feet are not suited for tearing. Its flight is undulating, but its dash is straight and determined. Seen mostly solitary, it boldly defends feeding
territory.
Range: Undergo seasonal movement all over India.
Diet: Lizards, large insects, small birds and rodents.
- Sparrow, House [+]
Scientific name: passer domesticus
Size: 15 cms.
General: Males have a grey crown, rump; chestnut sides of neck, nape; black streaks on chestnut-rufous back, black chin, centre of throat, breast; white ear
coverts. Females have dull grey-brown above, streaked darker; dull whitish-brown below. These small birds are seen in small parties or large gatherings, mostly
commensal on man. Usually found feeding and nesting around habitation. Also feed in cultivation hundreds nesting together. Noisy birds making a medley of chirping
notes, richer notes of breeding males.
Range: All India to about 4000m in the Himalayas.
Diet: Seeds, insects.
- Starling, Brahminy [+]
Scientific name: sturnia pagodarum
Size: 20 cms.
General: This myna is pale buff creamy with a black cap and a loose crest. The bill is yellow with a bluish base. The iris is pale and there is a bluish
patch of skin around the eye. The outer tail feathers have white and the black primaries of the wings do not have any white patches. The adult male has a more
prominent crest than the female and also has longer neck hackles. Juveniles are duller and the cap is browner. Like most starlings, the Brahminy Starling is
omnivorous, eating fruit and insects. They have been known to feed on the fruits of Thevetia peruviana which are toxic to many vertebrates. These birds form
small flocks that mix with other birds on grass covered ground. The sometimes forage beside grazing cattle. They also visit flowers for nectar. They roost
communally in large numbers in leafy trees, often in the company of parakeets and other mynas.
Range: All India.
Diet: Nectar, fruits and insects.
- Starling, Chestnut-tailed [+]
Scientific name: sturnus erythropygius
Size: 21 cms.
General: Silvery-grey above with faint brownish wash; dull rufous till breast, brighter above; black and grey in wings. Sociable and noisy
birds seen in groups. Mostly stick to the upper branches of taller trees incessantly quarrelling with each other while making metallic whistling
calls. Roam about in groups foraging along with birds from other species like Orioles and Babblers. Mostly seen in the upper branches of trees.
Range: SW India, Karnataka and Kerala and spreading north to Mumbai in winter.
Diet: Nectar, fruits and insects.
- Starling, Rosy [+]
Scientific name: sturnus roseus
Size: 21 cms.
General: The Rosy Starling, or Rose-coloured Starling, is a passerine bird in the starling family. The adult of this species is highly
distinctive, with its pink body, pale orange legs and bill, and glossy black head, wings and tail. Males in the breeding season have elongated
head feathers which form a wispy crest that is fluffed and more prominent when the bird gets excited; the crest is shorter in winter and the black
areas have paler feather edges, which get worn away as well as the black becoming more glossy in the breeding season. Winter plumage in males is
rather dull. Females have a short crest and are duller overall, especially without the sharp separation between pink and black. The juvenile can
be distinguished from Common Starling, Sturnus vulgarus by its obviously paler plumage and short yellow bill. It is a strong migrant, and winters
in India and tropical Asia. In India in winter, it often appears to outnumber the local starlings and mynas. This is a colonial breeder, and like
other starlings, is highly gregarious, forming large winter flocks. It also shares the other species' omnivorous diet, although with a preference
for insects. The song is a typical starling mixture of squeaks and rattles, given with much wing trembling.
Range: Whole of India down from the lower ranges of the Himalayas. Absent from about May to July.
Diet: Nectar, fruits and insects.
- Stork, Painted [+]
Scientific name: mycteria leucocephala
Size: 95 cms.
General: This large stork has a heavy yellow bill with a down-curved tip that gives it a resemblance to an ibis. The head of the adult is
bare and orange or reddish in colour. The long tertials are tipped in bright pink and at rest they extend over the back and rump. There is a
distinctive black breast band with white scaly markings. The band continues into the underwing coverts and the white tips of the black coverts
give it the appearance of white stripes running across the underwing lining. The rest of the body is whitish in adults and the primaries and
secondaries are black with a greenish gloss. The legs are yellowish to red but often appear white due their habit of urohidrosis or defecating
on their legs especially when at nest. The short tail is black with a green gloss. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia
south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage
in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their
prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially
in trees, often along with other waterbirds. They only sounds they produce are a weak moan or sounds produced by bill clattering. They are not
migratory.
Range: Resident and local migrant found through the country's well-watered regions.
Diet: Fish, frogs, crustaceans.
- Stork, Woolly-necked [+]
Scientific name: ciconia episcopus
Size: 105 cms.
General: A large black and white wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Has glossy black crown, back, breast and huge wings. The black
parts have a distinct purplish-green sheen; white neck, lower abdomen and undertail coverts. Bill is black while occasionally tinged crimson. It
is a resident breeder in wetlands with trees. Also called the White-necked Stork. It walks slowly and steadily on the ground seeking its prey.
Range: Resident all India, upto about 1400m in the Himalayas.
Diet: Lizards, frogs, crabs and large insects.
- Sunbird, Loten's [+]
Scientific name: nectarinia lotenia
Size: 13 cms.
General: Males have a metallic purplish-black colour above; dull-black wings, tail; iridescent green and purple throat and purple breast; crimson-maroon
breast band and yellow feather-tufts on breast-sides diagnostic. Females have olive above; white tips to dark tail; pale yellow below; long curved beak
diagnostic. Solitary or in pairs. They are important pollinating agents of many flowering trees.
Range: Peninsular India, C Madhya Pradesh, S Bihar and Bengal.
Diet: Nectar, spiders, insects.
- Sunbird, Purple [+]
Scientific name: nectarinia asiatica
Size: 10 cms.
General: Males have a metallic purple-blue colour above and on throat, breast; dark purplish-black belly; narrow chestnut maroon band between
breast and belly; yellow and scarlet pectoral tufts, normally hidden under wings. The females have olive-brown above; pale yellow below. The
non-breeding males are like the females but have a broad purplish-black stripe down the centre of throat to the belly. Seen solitary or in pairs
, they are important pollinating agents.
Range: Most of India south from the Himalayan foothills.
Diet: Nectar, spiders, insects.
- Sunbird, Purple-rumped [+]
Scientific name: nectarinia zeylonica
Size: 10 cms.
General: Males have deep chestnut-crimson backs; metallic green crown, shoulder-patch; metallic-purple rump (after which it is named) and
throat; maroon collar below throat; yellow below Females are less colourful and have ashy-brown tops, with rufous in wings; whitish throat; yellow
below. They usually roam in pairs and are very active. They have a sharp, pleasant twittering call.
Range: Peninsular India, C Madhya Pradesh, S Bihar and Bengal.
Diet: Nectar, spiders, insects.
- Swallow, Barn [+]
Scientific name: hirundo rustica
Size: 17 cms.
General: It has steel blue upperparts and a rufous forehead, chin and throat, which are separated from the off-white underparts by a broad
dark blue breast band. The outer tail feathers are elongated, giving the distinctive deeply forked "swallow tail". There is a line of white spots
across the outer end of the upper tail. The female is similar in appearance to the male, but the tail streamers are shorter, the blue of the upperparts
and breast band is less glossy, and the underparts more pale. The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. The Barn Swallow
is a bird of open country which normally uses man-made structures to breed and consequently has spread with human expansion.
Range: All India.
Diet: Insects caught on the wing.
- Swallow, Red-rumped [+]
Scientific name: hirundo daurica
Size: 19 cms.
General: The Red-rumped Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. Red-rumped Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and
appearance to the other aerial insectivores. They are fast fliers and they swoop on insects while airborne. They have broad but pointed wings.
Plumage is glossy steel-blue above; chestnut supercilium, sides of head, neck-collar and rump; dull rufous-white below, streaked brown. Deeply
forked tail diagnostic.
Range: All India.
Diet: Insects caught on the wing.
- Swallow, Wire-Tailed [+]
Scientific name: hirundo smithii
Size: 14 cms.
General: Has a glistening steel-blue plumage above; chestnut cap; unmarked, pure white underbody
distinctive; two long wire-like projections from outer tail-feathers diagnostic. Solitary or small parties and seen almost always around
water. Seen usually perched on overhead wires. Has an acrobatic flight, swooping and banking; often flies very low, drinking from the
surface; roosts in river-beds and other vegetation, often with warblers and wagtails.
Range: A common breeding (summer) visitor to north India, widespread over the country, except arid regions.
Diet: Insects caught on the wing.
- Swamphen, Purple [+]
Scientific name: porphyrio porphyrio
Size: 40 cms.
General: The Purple Swamphen, also known as the African Purple Swamphen, Purple Moorhen, Purple Gallinule and Purple Coot, is a large
bird in the family Rallidae (rails). Purplish-blue plumage; long red legs with oversized toes distinctive; thickish red beak; bald red forehead
(casque); white under stumpy tail, seen when tail flicked up; bald red patch on forehead which is smaller in females. Seen in small parties
amidst reds and other vegetation on marsh and jheels. Walks on floating growth and rarely seen swimming. Rather tame is some areas.
Range: Mostly resident; south, thoroughout the country.
Diet: Vegetable matter, seeds, tubers insects, molluscs, small frogs also often eaten.
- Tailorbird, Common [+]
Scientific name: orthotomus sutorius
Size: 13 cms.
General: They have olive-green plumage above; rust-red forecrown; buffy-white underbody; long pointed tail often held cocked. Central tail
feathers stand about 5 cms. longer and pointed in breeding males. Hard to detect but for their loud tuweet tuweet cry. Often seen in gardens
and not too shy of humans. Very active like most small birds and hop from one branch to another quickly.
Range: All India.
Diet: Nectar and insects.
- Tern, Greater Crested [+]
Scientific name: thalasseus bergii
Size: 49 cms.
General: Also called the Crested Tern or Swift Tern. A seabird in the tern family which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands. It
has grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow bill, and a shaggy black crest which recedes in winter. Its young have a distinctive appearance, with
strongly patterned grey, brown and white plumage. This is an adaptable species which has learned to follow fishing boats for jettisoned bycatch, and
to utilise unusual nest sites such as the roofs of buildings and artificial islands in salt pans and sewage works.
Range: Most of coastal India.
Diet: Mostly fish, with cephalopods, crustaceans and insects.
- Tern, Lesser Crested [+]
Scientific name: thalasseus bengalensis
Size: 40 cms.
General: A seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This is a medium-large tern. The summer adult has a black cap, black legs and a long sharp
orange bill. The upperwings, rump and central tail feathers are grey and the underparts white. The primary flight feathers darken during the summer.
In winter, the forehead becomes white. The call is a loud grating noise. This species breeds in dense colonies on coasts and islands. Like all
Thalasseus terns, Lesser Crested Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, usually from saline environments. It usually dives directly. The offering
of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.
Range: Most of coastal India.
Diet: Mostly fish, with cephalopods, crustaceans and insects.
- Tern, Sandwich [+]
Scientific name: thalasseus sandvicensis
Size: 40 cms.
General: The Sandwich Tern is a medium-large tern with grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow-tipped black bill and a shaggy black crest
which becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young birds bear grey and brown scalloped plumage on their backs and wings. It is a vocal
bird. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one to three eggs. Like all Thalasseus terns, the Sandwich Tern feeds by plunge diving for fish, usually
in marine environments, and the offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. The terns, family Sternidae, are small
to medium-sized seabirds, gull-like in appearance, but usually with a more delicate, lighter build and shorter, weaker legs. They have long, pointed
wings, which gives them a fast buoyant flight, and often a deeply forked tail.
Range: Most of coastal India.
Diet: Mostly fish, with cephalopods, crustaceans and insects.
- Thrush, Malabar Whistling [+]
Scientific name: myophonus horsfieldii
Size: 25 cms.
General: It has a blue-black plumage with the blue more prominent on the wings and forehead where there is a arrow-like blue marking. It is
a solitary bird that has a peculiar gait. Often seen in culverts and garbage dumps looking for grubs. This bird is a renowned vocalist having a
beautiful, almost human, whistling call. No wonder it is often also called the "whistling schoolboy". It also has a rather harsh,
high-pitched call. In winter folks are often woken up early in the mornings before day-break by this birds sweet whistling which is a pleasure
to listen to.
Range: Hills of W India and parts of Satpuras.
Diet: Insects, crustaceans, snails, frogs, berries.
- Thrush, Orange-Headed [+]
Scientific name: zoothera citrina
Size: 21 cms.
General: This bird is of the thrush family and is common in well-wooded areas of India. Most populations are resident. The species shows a
preference for shady damp areas, and like many Zoothera thrushes, can be quite secretive. The adult male of the nominate subspecies of this small
thrush has an entirely orange head and underparts, uniformly grey upperparts and wings, and white median and undertail coverts. It has a slate-coloured
bill and the legs and feet have brown fronts and pink or yellowish rears. The Orange-headed Thrush is omnivorous, eating a wide range of insects,
earthworms and fruit. It nests in trees but does not form flocks.
Range: Most of coastal India.
Diet: Mostly fish, with cephalopods, crustaceans and insects.
- Tit, Cinereous [+]
Scientific name: parus cinereus
Size: 13 cms.
General: This tit is part of a confusing group of species but is distinct in having a grey-back, black hood, white cheek patch and a white
wing-bar. The underparts are white with the black central stripe running along the length. The female has a narrower ventral line and is slightly
duller. The upper tail coverts are ashy while the tail is black with the central four pairs of feathers ashy on the outer webs and all but the
central pair are tipped white. The fifth pair is white with a black rachis and a band of black on the inner web. The outermost pair of tail feathers
are all white with a black shaft. The undertail coverts are black towards the centre but white on the sides. These birds are usually seen in pairs
or small groups that sometimes join mixed-species foraging flocks. They forage mainly by gleaning, capturing insects that are disturbed and will
also feed on buds and fruits. They sometimes use their feet to hold insects which are then torn with their beak.
Range: Most of peninsular India and isolated over other parts.
Diet: Insects, caterpillars, small fruit.
- Treepie, Indian Rufous [+]
Scientific name: dendrocitta vagabunda
Size: 50 cms.
General: Rufous above; sooty grey-brown head, neck; black, white and grey on wings; black-tipped grey tail long and graduated. Seen solitary
or pairs and often in company of other birds. Often found feeding in low bushes and also on high branches. They are bold and noisy birds of the crow
family.
Range: Almost all India.
Diet: Insects, lizards, small birds, eggs, fruit, nectar and kitchen scraps.
- Turnstone, Ruddy [+]
Scientific name: arenaria interpres
Size: 23 cms.
General: This is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family
Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. Has a dark, wedge-shaped bill, long and slightly upturned. The
legs are fairly short and are bright orange. At all seasons, the plumage is dominated by a harlequin-like pattern of black and white. Breeding
birds have reddish-brown upper parts with black markings. The head is mainly white with black streaks on the crown and a black pattern on the
face. The breast is mainly black apart from a white patch on the sides. The rest of the underparts are white. Non-breeding adults are duller
than breeding birds and have dark grey-brown upperparts with black mottling and a dark head with little white. Juvenile birds have a pale brown
head and pale fringes to the upperpart feathers creating a scaly impression. It often flips over stones and other objects to get at prey items
hiding underneath; this behaviour is the origin of the name "turnstone". It usually forages in flocks.
Range: Almost all India.
Diet: Eats mainly invertebrates, but also also takes crustaceans, molluscs and worms. Insects are particularly important in the breeding season.
- Wagtail, Grey [+]
Scientific name: motacilla cinerea
Size: 17 cms.
General: This slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting
with whitish underparts makes it distinctive. The breeding male has a black throat that is edged by whitish moustachial stripes. The species is
widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Europe and Asia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. They are usually
seen on open marshy ground or meadows where they walk solitarily or in pairs along the ground, capturing insects that are disturbed. Like other
wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight. They forage
singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees. They have a clear sharp
call note and the song consists of trills
Range: Breeds in the Himalayas and winters from foothills south throughout India.
Diet: Insects.
- Wagtail, White [+]
Scientific name: motacilla alba
Size: 18 cms.
General: The White Wagtail a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.
Ashy back, rump; white forehead, ear-coverts, large wing-patch and outer-tail feathers; black hind-crown, nape, continuos with throat and
upper-breast; white below. The various races differ marginally and are hard to tell apart. This species breeds in much of Europe and Asia
and parts of north Africa. This is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding,
where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in
stone walls and similar natural and man-made structures. here are a number of other subspecies, some of which may have arisen because of partial
geographical isolation. Some races show sexual dimorphism during the breeding season. As many as six subspecies may be present in the wintering
ground in India or Southeast Asia and here they can be difficult to distinguish.
Range: Winter visitor over most of India.
Diet: Insects.
- Wagtail, White-browed (Large Pied) [+]
Scientific name: motacilla maderaspatensis
Size: 21 cms.
General: Black above with prominent white supercilium, large wing-band and outer tail feathers; black throat, breast; white below. Female
is usually browner where males are black and so not easily distinguishable. Often found on the edge of water sources looking for insects wagging
tail frequently. Habitat also includes wet cultivation. Not too shy of humans.
Range: Almost all India south of the Himalayan foothills; the only resident wagtail in the Indian plains.
Diet: Insects.
- Warbler, Bright-green [+]
Scientific name: phylloscopus nitidus
Size: 11 cms.
General: This sub-species of the Greenish Warbler was recently separated and given full species status. They can be identified by the bill
that is stouter than the Greenish Warbler, a pale lower mandible, brighter green upperparts, yellowish supercilium and yellow streaked breast and
underparts. The lower wing bar is prominent and a faint upper wing bar can also sometimes be seen.
Range: Scattered over the Indian subcontinent.
Diet: Insects.
- Warbler, Greenish [+]
Scientific name: phylloscopus trochiloides
Size: 11 cms.
General: This is a typical leaf warbler in appearance, grayish-green above and off-white below. The single wing bar found in the southern
and western populations distinguishes them from most similar species. This bird is naturally found in the North West Indian foothills and plains.
It breeds in the Himalayas, but in the cold weather comes down south to montane habitats to avoid the harsh winters of the north. Like all leaf
warblers, it was formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now belongs to the new leaf-warbler family Phylloscopidae.
Range: Most of the Indian subcontinent except the arid regions of Rajasthan and N. Gujarat.
Diet: Insects.
- Waterhen, White-breasted [+]
Scientific name: amaurornis phoenicurus
Size: 32 cms.
General: The White-breasted Waterhen is a waterbird of the rail and crake family Rallidae. They have mainly dark
grey upperparts and flanks, and a white face, neck and breast. The lower belly and undertail are cinnamon coloured. The body is flattened laterally
to allow easier passage through the reeds or undergrowth. They have long toes, a short tail and a yellow bill and legs. Sexes are similar, but
immature birds are much duller versions of the adults. They are shy and are often seen stepping slowly with their tail cocked upright in open marshes
or even drains near busy roads looking for their favourite food consiting of insects, worms, aquatic invertebrates and seeds. They forage on the
ground but clamber in low bushes and roost in low trees. They can be noisy especially at dawn and dusk, with loud croaky calls the commonest being
a harsh krrr... khkk.... Usually silent during the dry season.
Range: Almost all India south of the Himalayan foothills.
Diet: Insects, worms, molluscs, small fish, aquatic invertebrates and seeds.
- Whimbrel [+]
Scientific name: numenius phaeopus
Size: 37-45 cms.
General: The Whimbrel is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is the one of the most widespread of the curlews. This is a migratory
species. It is also a coastal bird during migration. It is fairly gregarious outside the breeding season. It is mainly greyish brown, a blackish
crown with a white stripe through centre and white stripes on sides of head. Has a long curved bill (longest in the adult female) with a kink rather
than a smooth curve. It is generally solitary and wary by nature. The usual call is a rippling whistle, prolonged into a trill for the song. Very
similar in appearance to the Eurasian Curlew, the Whimbrel is smaller and has a shorter, decurved bill. This species feeds by probing soft mud for
small invertebrates and by picking small crabs and similar prey off the surface. Prior to migration, berries become an important part of their diet.
Range: Winter visitor; sea coast west to east.
Diet: Crustaceans, insects and mudskippers.
- White-eye, Oriental [+]
Scientific name: zosterops palpebrosus
Size: 10 cms.
General: It is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. This bird is small with yellowish olive upper parts, a white eye ring,
yellow throat and vent. The belly is whitish grey but may have yellow in some subspecies. The sexes look similar. They forage in small groups,
feeding on nectar and small insects. They are easily identified by the distinctive white eye-ring and overall yellowish upperparts. Several
populations of this widespread species are named subspecies and some have distinctive variations in the extent and shades of yellows in their
plumage. These white-eyes are sociable, forming flocks which only separate on the approach of the breeding season. They are highly arboreal and
only rarely descend to the ground.
Range: All of India; absent in arid parts of W. Rajasthan.
Diet: Insects, flower nectar, berries.
- Woodswallow, Ashy [+]
Scientific name: artamus fuscus
Size: 19 cms.
General: Slaty-grey plumage, greyer on head; paler on rump, underbody; short square tail, tipped white; white under tail coverts; somewhat
heavy-looking bird, rather swallow-like in appearance, but wings much shorter and broader. Small numbers seen in open country. Seen perching on
leaf-stalks, over-head wires or flies characteristically, a few wingbeats and a glide. Hunts flying insects. Feed mostly in the mornings or evenings.
Range: Roughly east and south from WC Gujarat to roughly Shimla.
Diet: Winged insects.
|
