FAUNA OF INDIA : BIRDS

Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler

(Jungle crow)

Size and Form : 46-59 cm.; common crow.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult all black, lacking paler collar of house crow. Domed head and large bill with arched culmen.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of north and northwest.

Habitat : Around human habitation in well wooded country and at forest edges.

Food : Grain, invertebrates, carrion.

Breeding : November-September.

Tephrodornis pondicerianus Gmelin

(Common woodshrike)

Size and Form : 18 cm.; bulbul

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult with white supercilium above dark mask, grey-brown upper parts and whitish under parts, small white band across rump and dark brown tail with white sides.  

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India except parts of the northwest, northeast and Himalayas.

Habitat : Dry country, open broadleaved forest, secondary growth, avenues along side canals and roads, gardens and forest plantations.

Food :  Insects.

Breeding : January-August.

Coracina novaehollandiae Gmelin

(Large cuckooshrike)

Size and Form : 30 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : Adult with pale grey upper parts, wings and tail, greyish-white under parts with variable amounts of faint grey barring. Male has black lores and dark grey ear-coverts, and throat and breast are uniformly grey, with rest of under parts barred. Female has paler lores, under parts are almost entrirely barred; with pale barring on rump and uppertail-coverts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India.

Habitat : Woodland, secondary forest, scrub, gardens, groves.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-October.

Coracina melanoptera Rupell

(Black-headed cuckoo shrike)

Size and Form : 18 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has dark slate-grey head, neck and upper breast, contrasting with pale-grey mantle and rest of under parts; wings are darker grey than mantle and have broad pale fringes to coverts and tertials. Female has fine whitish supercilium, uniform brown-grey crown, nape and mantle, and buffish-white under parts, barred with dark brown on throat, breast and belly.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly Himalayan foothills from Himachal Pradesh east to W. Bengal and south throughout much of the peninsula and Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Light broadleaved forest, secondary growth.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-September.

Pericrocotus flammeus Forster

(Scarlet minivet)

Size and Form : 20-22 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male is of stockier build, with larger head, orange-red under parts and circular red patch at tips of tertials and inner secondaries. Female has greyish upper parts, yellow under parts and yellow wing patch.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly Himalayas from Jammu & Kashmir east to Arunachal Pradesh; locally in hills of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Open tropical, subtropical and lower temperate forest, usually of broadleaves, also conifers.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : February-September.

Pericrocotus cinnamomeus Linnaeus

(Small minivet)

Size and Form : 16 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male with dark grey to black face and throat, grey crown, nape and mantle, and orange breast, wing patch and rump. Female has grey upper parts, orange wing patch and orange rump and/or uppertail-coverts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout the subcontinent except parts of the northwest, northeast and Himalayas.

Habitat : Light forest, groves, plantations, scrub with scattered small trees, orchards, gardens.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : February-October.

Pericrocotus erythropygius Jerdon

(White bellied minivet)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has black head and mantle (with blue gloss), white under parts with pale orange or pink breast patch, white patch on black wings, orange and white rump, and white sides to tail. Female has grey-brown ear-coverts, crown and upper parts, white throat and upper parts, white wing patch, pale orange and white rump and white sides to black tail.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Gujarat, C. Rajasthan east to Bihar and south to C. Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Habitat : Deciduous forest, dry scrub with grassy ground.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : June-October.

Aegithina tiphia Linnaeus

(Indian iora)

Size and Form : 14 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male breeding has black tail; crown, nape and mantle vary from entirely black to yellowish-green. Male non-breeding is similar to female, but has black tail in some races. Female has greenish to yellowish upper parts, as non-breeding male, but always has green tail.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India except the northwest; Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Broadleaved forest, open country, groves.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-September.

Chloropsis aurifrons Temminck

(Goldfronted chloropsis)

Size and Form : 19 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. A green leafbird with golden-orange forehead, black throat patch and lack of blue on wings and tail.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Himalayas from N. Uttar Pradesh east to Arunachal Pradesh and south to Bangladesh, through E. India, also S. and SW. India and Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Broadleaved evergreen and deciduous forest and secondary growth.

Food : Insects and berries.

Breeding : January-August.

Chloropsis cochinchinensis Gmelin

(Gold-mantled chloropsis)

Size and Form : 20 cm.; leafbird.

Field Identification : Male nominate has small violet-blue moustachial stripe, black lores and throat, diffuse yellow forehead and border to throat, golden cast to crown and nape, and bright blue shoulder patch. Female nominate is almost entirely green, with golden cast to crown and nape; throat is pale bluish-green, with brighter turquoise moustachial.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : From S. Gujarat north to C. Uttar Pradesh, east to W. Bengal and south through the peninsula and Sri Lanka; hills of NE India and Bangladesh.

Habitat : Forest edges, groves, open forest, gardens, isolated large trees near villages or in cultivation.

Food : Insects and berries.

Breeding : November-May in the south, May-September in the north.

Pycnonotus leucogenys Gray

(White-eared bulbul)

Size and Form : 20 cm.; red-vented bulbul.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. A white-cheeked bulbul, with brown upper parts, whitish under parts (with variable brownish-grey flanks), yellow vent, black crown and nape and short or non-existent crest.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Pakistan and NW India, east to E. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and NE Maharashtra.

Habitat : Thorn scrub, dry open cultivation with thickets, gardens and orchards.

Food : Berries, seeds, buds, nectar and insects.

Breeding : March-September.

Pycnonotus cafer Linnaeus

(Red-vented bulbul)

Size and Form : 20 cm.; white-eared bulbul.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult has crested black head, white rump and uppertail-coverts, white-tipped black tail and red vent.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India.

Habitat : Deciduous forest, secondary growth, gardens, roadside avenues and light scrub.

Food : Fruits, berries and insects.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Pellorneum ruficeps Swainson

(Spotted babbler)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; babbler.

Field Identification : A rather long-tailed barbler, with rufous or chestnut crown, prominent buff supercilium, white throat (often puffed out) and heavily streaked whitish under parts. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Himalayan foothills from W. Himachal Pradesh east to Arunachal Pradesh, hills of NE and peninsular India.

Habitat : Dense thickets, bamboo and undergrowth in broadleaved forest, secondary growth, sholas and ravines.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : November-July.

Pomatorhinus horsfieldii Sykes

(Indian scimitar babbler)

Size and Form : 22 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult has white supercilium contrasting with grey to blackish ear-coverts, downcurved yellow bill and grey to blackish breast sides and flanks.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Hills of peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Forest, secondary growth, bamboo thickets, gardens.

Food : Insects, seeds and berries.

Breeding : October-May.

Chrysomma sinense Gmelin

(Yellow-eyed babbler)

Size and Form : 18 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : A long-tailed babbler with rounded head and stout, dark bill, yellow iris and thick orange orbital ring, white lores and fine white supercilium, striking white throat and breast, merging into buffish under parts, and yellow legs and feet. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of the northeast, northwest and Himalayas.

Habitat : Tall grass and bushes, reeds, thickets and sugarcane fields.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : Almost all year.

Turdoides caudatus Dumont

(Common babbler)

Size and Form : 23 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : A brownish-buff babbler with dark streaked upper parts and cross-barred tail, unstreaked whitish throat and unstreaked centre to breast, colder whitish or greyish-buff colouration to under parts, yellowish legs and feet. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India except the northeast, Himalayas and east.

Habitat : Thorn scrub, low bushes and grass clumps, gardens and cultivation.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-October.

Turdoides earlei Blyth

(Striated babbler)

Size and Form : 21 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. A brown babbler with dark-streaked upper parts and cross-barred tail, deeper buff breast and belly, blue-grey legs and feet, and golden-yellow iris.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Plains of the Indus, Ganges and Bramhaputra river systems.

Habitat : Reed beds, tall grass along rivers, canals and marshes.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-October.

Turdoides malcolmi Sykes

(Large grey babbler)

Size and Form : 28 cm.; pigeon.

Field Identification : A large, pale grey babbler with darker grey mottling on upper parts and prominent white sides to tail, greyish-pink throat and breast and more prominent grey mottling on mantle. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Central, northwest, west and south India.

Habitat : Scrub, cultivation and gardens.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-September.

Turdoides striatus Dumont

(Jungle babbler)

Size and Form : 25 cm.; pigeon.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. A stocky, ash-grey to grey-brown babbler with stout yellowish bill. Throat and breast appear lightly mottled with grey, or streaked with grey or brown, and upper parts are slightly streaked.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of northwest, northeast and N. Himalayas.

Habitat : Deciduous forest, cultivation, gardens, plantations.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-October.

Alcippe poioicephala brucei Jerdon

(Quaked babbler)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : A large babbler with greyish crown and nape, grey-brown to olive-brown mantle, brown to rufous-brown wings and tail, and greyish-white to buff-coloured under parts, with paler throat and centre of breast. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Hills of NE and peninsular India, Bangladesh.

Habitat : Forest, scrub, secondary growth.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-November.  

Muscicapa ruficauda Swainson

(Rufous-tailed flycatcher)

Size and Form : 14 cm.; flycatcher.

Field Identification : Adult has rufous uppertail-coverts and tail, with flatter forehead and crown feathers are often slightly raised, giving crested appearance to nape, also has indistinct supercilium and entirely orange lower mandible.

Status : Winter visitor.

Distribution : Breeds in Himalayas, winters mainly in SW India.

Habitat : Forest.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : May-July.

Muscicapa nigrorufa Jerdon

(Black and orange flycatcher)

Size and Form : 11 cm.; swiftlet.

Field Identification : A small, compact, orange and black flycatcher. Male is almost entirely rufous-orange, with black hood (crown, nape and ear-coverts) and black wings. Female is similar but has dark olive-brown hood, orange-buff lores and brownish-black wings.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Endemic to Western Ghats, patchily distributed in Kerala, Karnataka and W. Tamil Nadu.

Habitat : Dense undergrowth, plantations.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-July.

Muscicapa tickelliae Blyth

(Orange-breasted blue flycatcher)

Size and Form : 14 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has blue upper parts, orange throat and breast, and white belly and flanks. Female has blue-grey cast to upper parts, orange breast, and white belly, flanks and undertail-coverts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly from Gujarat and N. Uttar Pradesh east to W. Bengal and south through the peninsula and Sri Lanka also NE India, Bangladesh.

Habitat : Open dry forest, bushes along streams and rivers, groves, wooden gardens, scrub and bamboo.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : May-August.

Muscicapa thalassina Swainson

(Verditer flycatcher)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male is entirely greenish-blue, with brighter forehead and throat, and black lores. Female is similar but duller and greyer, and has dusky lores.

Status : Partial migrant.

Distribution : Throughout India.

Habitat : Open forest, forest clearing, groves, gardens and mangroves.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : April-August.

Rhipidura aureola Lesson

(Whitebrowed fantail flycatcher)

Size and Form : 18 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult with broad white supercilium, blackish throat, white breast and belly, and white spotting on wing-coverts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India.

Habitat : Forest and wooded areas.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-August.

Rhipidura albicollis Vieillot

(Whitethroated fantail flycatcher)

Size and Form : 19 cm.; flycatcher.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. A variable fantail with white supercilium and dark ear-coverts, olive-brown to slate-grey upper parts, and dark brown to blackish tail, which is tipped with greyish-white.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Himalayas, Arunachal Pradesh, NE India, S. Rajasthan east to Orissa and S. India.

Habitat : Forest, groves, secondary growth, ravines, gardens.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-August.

Tersiphone paradisi Linnaeus

(Paradise flycatcher)

Size and Form : 20 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has black head and  crest, with white or rufous upper parts and long tail-streamers. Female has reduced crest and lacks streamers.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of North and northwest.

Habitat : Forest and well-wooded areas.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-August.

Cisticola juncidis Rafinesque

(Streaked fantail warbler)

Size and Form : 10 cm.; swiftlet.

Field Identification : A small warbler with boldly streaked buffish upper parts, whitish under parts, indistinct white supercilium and very pale legs. Adult breeding has diffusely streaked grey-brown crown, and often rather distinct buff or rufous rump. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Himalayan foothills and south throughout much of the subcontinent, except parts of the northeast, northwest, southeast and Himalayas.

Habitat : Fields and dry and marshy grassland.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Prinia buchanani Blyth

(Rufousfronted wren-warbler)

Size and Form : 12 cm.; swiftlet.

Field Identification : Adult has grey-brown mantle, rufous-brown forehead and crown, whitish under parts, greyish or white lores and diffuse supercilium. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly from C. Pakistan east to Bihar and south to C. Maharashtra and N. Andhra Pradesh.

Habitat : Semi-desert, thorn scrub, scattered bushes.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : June-September.

Prinia subflava Gmelin

(Plain wren-warbler)

Size and Form : 13 cm.; swiftlet.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult breeding has black bill, pale grey-brown upper parts and whitish under parts, with much white on outermost retrices. Adult non-breeding, with longer tail, warm brown upper parts, rufous fringes to feathers of wings and tail, buff tips and dark subterminal marks to retrices and warm buff wash to upper parts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout the subcontinent, except parts of the northwest, northeast and Himalayas.

Habitat : Paddy fields, marshes, canals, rivers, grassland, mixed bamboo and scrub jungle, mangrove and salt marshes.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Prinia socialis Sykes

(Ashy wren-warbler)

Size and Form : 13 cm.; swiftlet.

Field Identification : Adult with white supercilium, slate-grey crown and ear-coverts, deep red eye, slate-grey or rufous-brown mantle, rufous-brown wings and tail, orange-buff wash on under parts and prominent black subterminal marks to tail feathers. Sexes alike.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India except parts of the northwest, northeast and east, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Forest, tall grass, scrub, reed beds, gardens.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Prinia sylvatica Jerdon

(Jungle wren-warbler)

Size and Form : 13 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Adult breeding has dark grey-brown upper parts and buffish-white under parts, shorter tail and black bill. Adult non-breeding is similar in appearance but upper parts, especially crown and nape are more rufescent brown, and lower mandible is pale orange-brown.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Throughout India except parts of northwest, north and northeast; Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

Habitat : Scrub, tall grass, open country.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Orthotomus sutorius Pennant

(Tailor bird)

Size and Form : 13 cm.; tailor bird.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult with long, slightly downcurved pale bill, rufous forehead and fore crown, greenish upper parts and dull whitish or buffish under parts.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of the northwest.

Habitat : Gardens, edges of cultivation, deciduous scrub, forest edges, orchards and irrigated plantations.

Food : Mainly insects, also nectar.

Breeding : Throughout the year.

Copsychus saularis Linnaeus

(Magpie robin)

Size and Form : 23 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : Blackish or slate-grey and white, with long, frequently cocked tail having  white at sides. Male has glossy blue-black upper parts, head and breast, white rest of under parts, and white patch on wing. Female similar, but head, breast and mantle are bluish slate-grey.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India, except parts of northwest, northeast and Himalayas.

Habitat : Mainly gardens and groves, open dry broadleaved forest and secondary growth.

Food : Insects and worms.

Breeding : February-September.

Copsychus malabaricus Scopoli

(Shama)

Size and Form : 22 cm.; myna.

Field Identification : It has white rump and uppertail-coverts, extremely long, graduated tail which has white at sides and is frequently cocked. Male has glossy blue-black head, breast, mantle and wings and rest of under parts are rufous-orange. Female similar, but has shorter, squarer tail and black of plumage replaced by brownish-grey and under parts duller and pale-orange.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : South, southwest, northeast, east and southeast parts of India.

Habitat : Undergrowth in broadleaved forest, favours bamboo.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : January-September.

Phoenicurus ochruros Gmelin

(Black redstart)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has black or dark grey upper parts, black breast and rufous rest of under parts. Female has dusky brown under parts, with orange-buff wash to lower flanks and vent.

Status : Altitudinal migrant.

Distribution : Breeds in W. Pakistan and Himalayas from N. Pakistan east to Sikkim; winters in Himalayas and south through much of India.

Habitat : Meadows, stony ground with scrub, dwarf juniper forest, cultivation, gardens, plantations.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : May-August.

Cercomela fusca Blyth

(Brown rock-chat)

Size and Form : 17 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Sexes alike. Adult is uniformly rufous-brown, with darker wings and blackish tail. Juvenile is similar to adult but is darker brown, without rufous colouration.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly N. Pakistan and from Jammu & Kashmir east to C. Bihar and south to N. Maharashtra and C. Madhya Pradesh.

Habitat : Rocky hills, cliffs, ravines, old buildings, ruins, quarries, houses in towns and cities.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : February-August.

Saxicola torquata Linnaeus

(Stonechat)

Size and Form : 17 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male has black head, white patch on neck, orange breast, and whitish rump (features obscured in fresh plumage); lacks white in tail. Female has streaked upper parts and orange on breast and rump.

Status : Resident and winter visitor.

Distribution : Throughout India, except most of the south.

Habitat : Summer in open country with bushes, winters in scrub, reedbeds and cultivation.

 Food : Insects.

Breeding : March-July.

Saxicola caprata Linnaeus

(Pied bushchat)

Size and Form : 13 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Adult male is entirely black, except for white rump, belly/vent and patch on wing. Adult female has dark brown upper parts and paler rufous-brown under parts, with paler throat and centre of belly and vent; lacks prominent supercilium.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Most of India.

Habitat : Cultivation, scattered bushes, reeds and tall grass around canals and tanks.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : February-August.

Saxicola jerdoni Blyth

(Jerdon’s bushchat)

Size and Form : 15 cm.; sparrow.

Field Identification : Male with glossy blue-black upper parts, including rump and tail, white under parts with white throat clearly demarcated from black ear-coverts. Female with rufous-brown upper parts, rufous rump and uppertail-coverts and pale brownish-buff under parts with white throat.

Status : Resident.

Distribution : Mainly NE India and Bangladesh.

Habitat : Elephant grass, grass and reedbeds along rivers.

Food : Insects.

Breeding : February-May.

RETURN TO TOP