Quails - I
Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica) Resident, Not Uncommon
Lacks black markings of male
Prominent black markings on face Unbarred primaries (seen in flight) Black markings (variable) below
Adult male Adult female
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) Winter migrant, Rare
Barred primaries (seen in flight)
Lacks black markings of male Rain
Adult male Adult female
Remarks Rain Quails breed during monsoons and are less likely to be seen in this season. Common Quail is a rare winter visitor. Identification of females requires careful examination.
Photos by Siddharth Damle, Sunil Singhal, Jugal Tiwari and Ritvik Singh Quails - II
Jungle Bush-Quail (Perdicula asiatica) Resident, Common Rufous and white supercilium Rufous & white Brown ear-coverts supercilium and Strongly marked brown ear-coverts above
Rock Bush-Quail (Perdicula argoondah) Resident, Not Uncommon
Plain head without Lacks brown ear-coverts markings Little or no streaks and spots above
Remarks Jungle is typically more common than Rock in Central India.
Photos by Nikhil Devasar, Aseem Kumar Kothiala, Siddharth Damle and Savithri Singh Crested (Oriental) Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) Resident, Common Adult plumages: male (left), female (right) 'Pigeon-headed', weak bill Weak bill Long neck
Long, slender Variable streaks and and weak markings below build
Adults in flight: dark morph male (left), female (right) Confusable with Less broad, rectangular Crested Hawk-Eagle
wings
Rectangular wings, Confusable with Crested Serpent not broad Eagle
Long neck
Juvenile plumages
Confusable with juvenile Bonelli's Eagle
No black facial markings
Note flight
profile
Confusable with juv. Rufous-bellied Eagle
Photos by Vijay Sethi, Rachit Shah, Mapalagama Premasiri, Avisek Banerjee, Rejaul Karim and Arijit Banerjee Vultures - I
White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) - juvenile Resident, Common
White feathered or bare head (as per age) Streaked underparts; very dark plumage
Dark body separates from all but Himalayan Prominent white Griffon patagial band
Head not prominently Streaked white underparts Confusable with juv. Himalayan Griffon
Indian (Long-billed) Vulture (Gyps indicus) - juvenile Resident, Common
Prominent pale streaks on breast
Paler brown (vs. Much lighter whitish) central bar below
Lighter plumage
Confusable with Eurasian Griffon
Adult rather unmistakable Remarks White-rumped nests on trees while Long-billed typically nests on cliffs.
Both species are smaller and less heavily built than the griffons.
Vultures show immense individual and Dark, bare head and neck age variation - much of it is beyond the scope of this guide.
Photos by Suman Paul, Tulsi Subedi, Kuldeep Kharade, Prasad Ganpule and Sunil Singhal. Vultures - II
Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) - juvenile Winter migrant, Rare Confusable with Long-billed Vulture
White central and patagial band
Minimal streaking (cf. Long-billed) Woolly head and neck
Lighter body with pale Large size, glides Rufous plumage streaks with wings raised upwards Confusable with Long-billed Vulture
Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayanensis) - juvenile Winter migrant, Rare
Longer finers (hard to notice) Prominent streaks give ruffled appearance
Woolly head and neck
Large and bulky
Generally more heavily streaked than White-rumped
Confusable with White-rumped Vulture
Remarks Adults of both these species are told apart from each other by extensively rufous upperparts in Eurasian. They are much larger than Long-billed and White-rumped Vultures; however the size difference is difficult to gauge without direct comparison.
Photos by Niraj Mistry, Kaajal Dasgupta and Manjula Mathur Miscellaneous raptors
Rufous-bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) - juvenile Resident, Not Uncommon
Medium size; Dark around rather short and eyes. Sooty- rounded wings when black above soaring
White below without much marking Confusable with juv. Crested Serpent Eagle and Oriental Honey Buzzard Crested Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) Resident, Common Juvenile
Short crest Large size; effortless glides with heavy wing beats Variable spots and streaks
Thick and strong Powerful legs bill
Jerdon's Baza (Aviceda jerdoni) Resident, Rare
Long crest Weaker bill Smallish; (like Honey Buzzard) Rather stout neck rounder wings in flight and tail when soaring
Faint or prominent streaks
Photos by See Tow Yew Wai, PV & Sarita Subramaniam, Atul Dhamankar, Niranjan Sant, Shantanu Prasad and Amir Sohail Choudhury Spotted Eagles Indian Spotted Eagle (Clanga hastata) Resident, Rare Longer gape Adult Wings less broader Pale brown, than Greater Spotted wings darker
Coverts darker than flight feathers
Non-baggy trousers (cf. Steppe
Smarter profile, not bulky and Tawny) Adult Immature
Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) Winter migrant, Rare Adult Broader wings Juvenile: Unmistakable plumage
Uniformly dark plumage Coverts relatively darker than flight feathers
Spots on dark wings
Less baggy trousers
Adult 7 fingers but dependent on moult and age Remarks: Greater Spotted also occurs in a rare tawny form called the 'fulvescens' morph. Both species are much smaller and less bulkier than Steppe and Tawny Eagle. Spotted Eagles have round nostrils (against oval of Aquila eagles). Photos by Niranjan Sant, Subhadeep Ghosh, Rohan Kamath, Shantilal Varu and Prasad Ganpule. Aquila Eagles Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) Resident, Rare Adult (pale morph) Oval nostrils (cf. Spotted eagles) Paler than Steppe Shorter gape More protruding neck up to middle of than Steppe eyes
Paler greater- coverts
Baggy trousers (cf. Spotted eagles) Adult/Sub-adult Adult/Sub-adult Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) Winter migrant, Rare Sub-adult
White greater Longer gape extends coverts to the end of the eye (fade with age)
Darker than Tawny
Characteristic white greater- coverts Barred flight feathers (not always prominent)
Adult Juvenile Remarks The ID features provided here are simplistic. Tawny and Steppe have numerous age-associated plumages. Tawny also occurs in a dark morph in which its colour matches that of an adult Steppe. In comparison to Spotted Eagles note large size, bulkiness and much heavier wing beats (in flight). Photos by Arijit Banerjee, Kaajal Dasgupta, Sunil Singhal, Sudhir Garg and Prasad Ganpule Harriers - females and juveniles Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) Winter migrant, Not Uncommon
Irregularly barred primaries
Pronounced white collar (not always) Pronounced rufous collar
Strongly barred breast
Lighter and unstreaked underparts Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus) Winter migrant, Rare
More prominent white Dark trailing eye-patches than in Pallid edge more prominent than in Pallid Lacks white collar
Rich rufous, faintly streaked Less strongly- below streaked breast
Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) Winter migrant, Rare Confusable with Eastern Marsh Harrier Confusable with juv./female Most unstreaked wings Eurasian Marsh Harrier cf. Pallid and Montagu's
Paler face, no eye-patches or conspicuous collar Pale head without eye patch and collar
Finely-streaked breast
Neatly-streaked below, less strongly than Pallid and Montagu's
Remarks Harriers are often seen in eye-level flight while scanning grasslands, in which case also note extent of
white on uppertail-coverts. Photos by Vaibhav Deshmukh, Sumit Sengupta, Viral-Pankaj, GS Bhardwaj, Srijan Roy Choudhury and Choy Wai Mun Accipiters - I
Shikra (Accipiter badius) Resident, Common
Indistinct mesial Indistinct or no stripe mesial stripe
Strongly streaked but with thin streaks Adult female
Thin streaks; Mesial stripe palest among present all Accipiters
Adult male
Drop-like blotches, no bars on thighs
Juvenile
Breast appears Drop-like blotches, faintly blotched Thighs not no bars on thighs barred
Mesial stripe present
Adult female Juvenile
Photos by Siddharth Damle, Geet Maheria Patel, Vijay Sethi, Rajesh Kalra and Chuenchon Hansasuta Accipiters - II
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) Winter migrant, Not Uncommon
White supercilum Deeper blue White supercilium than Shikra
Rufous cheeks, no mesial stripe
Strongly barred but with thin streaks
Adult male Adult female
White supercilium Flight feathers more prominently streaked than other Accipiters
Heavily barred with thin streaks Incospicuous streaks towards abdomen
Juvenile Adult in flight
Photos by Sudhir Garg, Manjula Mathur, Viral-Pankaj and PV & Sarita Subramaniam Accipiters - III Besra (Accpipiter virgatus) Resident, Rare
Mesial stripe
Variable rufous patch on breast
Thicker bars up to the thighs
Dark and pale bands of equal width
Adult male Adult female (?)
Barred thighs Rufous on breast Same as above
Barred thighs
Juvenile Adult Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus) Resident, Rare Crest mostly Large and robust inconspicuous Well-developed mesial stripe
Prominent mesial stripe
Strongly-barred thighs
Strongly barred thighs; thicker streaks Flares white undertail-coverts during display
Photos by Mandar Bhagat, Amarjyoti Saikia, Tulsi Subedi, Michael Dooher and Chuenchom Hansasuta Cuckoos Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) Summer migrant, Common
Clear blue-grey above
Fine barring
Tail generally lacks markings
Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) Resident, Common
Contrast between Relatively greyish head and thicker brown back bands
Tail often with dark terminal band
Common Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) Resident, Common
Rufous breast patch
Hawk-like bands on tail
Remarks: All cuckoos are best told apart by their calls.
Photos by Jainy Kuriakose, Raghavji Balar, Pranjal Saikia, Michelle & Peter Wong, Viral-Pankaj Nightjars
Indian Nightjar Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) (Caprimulgus macrurus) Resident, Common Resident, Rare
Marked crown Warm colouration, strongly Distinctive rufous-buff marked upperparts nuchal collar
Buff scapulars bordered black
Larger tail
Small size Larger than other nightjars
Savanna Nightjar Indian Jungle Nightjar (Caprimulgus affinis) (Caprimulgus indicus) Resident, Common Resident, Common
Mottled grey-brown; lacks strong markings Grey above, strongly marked with black
Rather small and stocky with shorter tail
Remarks Habitat overlaps between Indian and Savanna. Indian Jungle and Large-tailed inhabit forested areas. Large-tailed prefers wetter and denser forests than Indian Jungle. All nightjars are best identified by their calls at night (refer to recordings).
Photos by Tejinder Singh Rawal, Vijay Sethi, Nikhil Devasar and Rohit Chakravarty Swifts
Little Swift Asian Palm Swift Alpine Swift (Apus affinis) (Cypsiurus balasiensis) (Apus melba) Resident, Common Resident, Common Resident, Not Uncommon
White rump Very thin, 'stick-figure' Large like build size
White throat Uniform grey Overall dark in colour body White belly diagnostic
White-rumped Needletail (Zoonavena sylvatica) Resident, Common
Dark colour (like Little Swift) White rump prominent Throat not white (as in Little Swift)
White belly
Squarish tail
Small size, looks smaller than Little Swift
Blyth's Swift (Fork-tailed Swift) (Apus leuconyx) Status unknown, Rare
Narrow white rump
Whitish throat Larger than Little Swift
Dark body with Incospicuously scaly underparts forked tail
Remarks Asian Palm is associated with palm trees. White-rumped is common in broadleaved forests. Alpine and Fork-tailed occur in hilly country.
Photos by Siddharth Damle, Uttam Mahatha, Vijay Lakshmi Rao, Subharanjan Sen, Fran Trabalon and Sujan Chatterjee Larks Singing Bushlark (Mirafra cantillans) Resident, Rare
Thick sparrow-like bill
Clean breast
Rufous wing panel Prominent white outer tail
Indian Bushlark (Mirafra erythroptera) Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) Resident, Common Resident, Rare Thick sparrow-like bill Prominent crest Long and fine bill Prominent rufous wing panel Grey above
Fine streaks Drop-like spots on breast on breast
Sykes's (Tawny) Lark (Galerida deva) Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula) Resident, Common Resident, Common
Long and prominent Short crest crest (often folded) Fine bill Thick bill Usually well-streaked above
Prominently streaked breast Faint streaks/spots on breast
Overall tawny Rufous wing panel colouration
For detailed information about larks refer to http://www.birdcount.in/tag/larks/
Photos by Ritvik Singh, Raghavji Balar, Shantilal Varu, Mulagala Srinivas and Pranav Desai Swallows - I
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Winter migrant, Common
Adult
Dull-blue above (glossy blue in adult) Throat fades to orange wash
Rufous Blue-black throat breast band
Blue-black breast band Forked tail with streamers Immature
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) Resident, Common
Rufous fades to brown Rufous neck
Rump fades to orange wash/white
Striated below Variable amount of streaking
Forked tail
Adult Immature
Remarks Juvenile/immature Red-rumped Swallows can be confused with juveniles of Barn, Wire-tailed and even Common House Martin when the rump colour and striations are faded.
Photos by Mark Chua, GS Bhardwaj and Siddharth Damle Swallows - II
Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) Resident, Common
Rufous cap Tail partly forked lacks streamers Glistening blue above Rufous cap fades to brown
Snow-white below Dull-white below
Common (Northern) House-Martin (Delichon urbicum) Passage migrant, Rare
White rump diagnostic
Underparts similar Squarish tail to Wire-tailed
Streak-throated Swallow (Petrochelidon fluvicola) Resident, Not Uncommon
Dull rufous cap
Blue-brown above
Strongly streaked Streaks diffused throat with underparts
Immature
Remarks Wire-tailed and Streak-throated are partial to water bodies. Common House-Martin may mix with flocks of other swallows during passage.
Photos by Avinash Bhagat, Rajesh Kalra, Lo Chun Fai, Michelle & Peter Wong, Jitendra Bhatia and Jaysukh Suman Swallows - III
Dusky Crag-Martin (Ptyonoprogne concolor) Resident, Common
Uniform brown above
Uniform below with little contrast
Eurasian Crag-Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris) Passage migrant, Rare
Lesser-coverts distinctly darker than flight feathers
Distinctly pale below
Grey-throated Martin (Riparia chinensis) Resident, Rare
Lighter brown (vs. Crag-martins and Streak-throated) White belly
Unstreaked throat, diffused grey
No contrast among wing feathers
Remarks Grey-throated juveniles are confusable with juvenile Streak-throated Swallows. Crag-martins inhabit crags and dry hills. Photos by Hasitha Perera, Sudhir Garg, Clement Francis, Avinash Bhagat, Kaajal Dasgupta and Rajesh Kalra WARBLERS - I
Tickell's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis) Passage migrant, Rare Supercilium and underparts Bright yellow of the same colour underparts Olive upperparts
Sulphur-bellied Warbler (Phylloscopus griseolus) Winter migrant, Common Bright yellow eyebrow
Grey above
Dirty yellow below
Behaves like a nuthatch
Remarks Tickell's Leaf is largely arboreal. Sulphur-bellied mostly feeds on the ground in rocky areas or like a nuthatch on vertical tree trunks
Photos by: Santanu Chatterjee, Garima Bhatia, Viral-Pankaj and Pranjal Saikia WARBLERS - II
Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) Winter migrant, Common Remarks Affects all habitats Uniform grey-brown above and no wing-bar
Black bill and legs
Hume's Warbler (Phylloscopus humei) Winter migrant, Common
Two wing bars Olive wears to grey on 2nd broad and prominent crown and mantle Olive-green above Dark bill and legs
Overall compact appearance
Remarks Found in wooded areas. In comparison to Greenish Warbler, wing-bar is generally more prominent in Hume's. Call: Very vocal. Call is a soft, disyllabic 'chu-wip' (rather Tailorbird-like). Use recordings to distinguish from Greenish.
Photos by Sunil Singhal, Manjula Mathur and Pranjal Saikia WARBLERS - III Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) Winter migrant, Common
Dull-green above with fine wing-bar (not broad) Dull-green wears to grey/brown with faint wing-bar
Bill dark or with pale lower mandible
Green Warbler (Phylloscopus nitidus) Winter migrant, Not Uncommon
Bright-green above with faint wing-bar Yellow wash to face and supercilium
Broken wing-bar due to moult
Western Crowned Warbler (Phylloscopus occipitalis) Passage migrant, Rare
Prominent Indistinct wing-bar crown-stripe due to moult Longer bill Bright orange lower mandible (not seen in Greenish, Green and Hume's)
Two fine wing-bars, 1 usually prominent
Remarks: Green and Greenish are best told apart by calls (refer to recordings). Western Crowned characteristically flicks its wings alternately. All three occur in wooded areas. Photos by Pranjal Saikia, Mohan Kemparaju, Sumit Sengupta, Ramit Singal and Avinash Bhagat Reed Warblers
Blyth's Reed Warbler Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) (Acrocephalus agricola) Winter migrant, Not Uncommon Winter migrant, Not Uncommon
Prominent supercilium Rufous with dark centres with dark eye-stripe Supercilium fades in fresh plumage beyond eye
Short bill Fine, long bill
Rounded tail (all reed warblers) Confusable with Sykes's Warbler
Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) Resident, Common
Large and robust
Remarks All reed warblers produce harsh 'chucks' (of differing intensities)while moving about. Clamorous Reed produces a series of raucous chucks and cackles. Paddyfield and Clamorous Reed are associated with reeds and tall grass meadows. Blyth's Reed occurs in a variety of habitats.
Photos by Arijit Banerjee, Kaajal Dasgupta, Suman Paul and Rajni Trivedi Iduna and Sylvia Warblers
Booted Warbler Sykes's Warbler (Iduna caligata) (Iduna rama) Winter migrant, Common Winter migrant, Common
Supercilium prominent Supercilium indistinct beyond eye beyond eye
Longer bill Light brown/grey above
Short bill
Squarish tail Squarish tail
Generally slimmer build
Lesser Whitethroat Hume's Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) (Sylvia althaea) Winter migrant, Common Winter migrant, Rare
Contrasting ear-coverts, crown and mantle Usually concolours crown and mantle Usually darker back than mantle
Remarks Iduna and Sylvia warblers occur in dry and shrubby areas. Booted often feeds on the ground. Sykes's is generally more arboreal. Unambiguous identification between Lesser and Hume's is often difficult.
Photos by Nitin S., Vijay Sethi, Jugal Tiwari and Tarachand Wanwari Prinias Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata) Resident, Common
Prominent supercilium Supercilium distinct beyond eye
Long, jerky tail Pale back and flicked constantly white underparts
Breeding plumage Non-breeding plumage
Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica) Resident, Not Uncommon
Indistinct or Diffuse supercilium no supercilium
Shorter tail Heavier bill Heavier bill Shorter tail
Breeding plumage Non-breeding plumage
Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) Resident, Common Supercilium diffuse beyond eye
Grey breast band Short tail
Short, less jerky tail Spots on undertail- coverts Breeding plumage Non-breeding plumage Remarks Habitats overlap. Calls are a reliable way to tell them apart.
Photos by Viral-Pankaj, Rejaul Karim, Mapalagama Premasiri, Kulashekhara CS, Manash Talukdar and Avinash Bhagat Flycatchers - I
Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) Winter migrant, Common
All-black bill
Rufous up to throat
Darker uppertail
Adult male Immature male/female
Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva) Winter migrant, Common
Pale base to lower mandible Rufous extends up to breast
Immature male/female Adult male
Remarks Habitats overlap. Best told apart by calls (refer to recordings). Kashmir Flycatcher is also a rare passage migrant. However, ambiguous identification between Kashmir and Red-breasted (imm./female) is often not possible in the field. Please note behaviour and call of any odd Red-breasted.
Photos by Amarjyoti Saikia, Siddharth Damle, Kuldeep Kharade and Nilay Desai Flycatchers - II
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica) Resident, Common
White eye ring and Light brown pale lores above Pale base to lower mandible
Tail not Dull-grey below cocked
Small size, upright stance
Blue-throated Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis rubeculoides) Passage migrant, Rare
Blue throat Brownish above Brownish throat, rufous breast
Male Female
Tickell's Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae) Resident, Common
Dull-blue above
Rufous throat
Remarks Tickell's Blue and Blue-throated inhabit the understorey, while Asian Brown is found at higher strata. Photos by Sumit Sengupta, Rohit Chakravarty, Savithri Singh, Dr. R.B.Balar and Subhadeep Ghosh Pipits - I
Paddyfield Pipit Blyth's Pipit Richard's Pipit (Anthus rufulus) (Anthus godlewskii) (Anthus richardi) Resident, Common Winter migrant, Not Uncommon Winter migrant, Rare
Streaked mantle Lores appear pale Short bill Squarish Pale lores Pale lores median-coverts (if seen well)
Longer tail Streaked breast Streaked breast
Longer legs Relatively short Short tail legs Larger with mostly upright stance
Tawny Pipit Long-billed Pipit (Anthus campestris) (Anthus similis) Winter migrant, Common Winter migrant, Not Uncommon Remarks Dark lores Tawny and Long-billed are typically Dark lores species of dry grasslands. Grey above; little or Fine bill Flight calls are often the best way to no streaking Grey above; identify pipits. Little or no Lare, robust bill little/no streaking Colour of lores vary with angle of streaking lighting hence require careful observation.
Short tail; often wags
Short legs Large size and generally horizontal All plates compiled by Rohit Chakravarty stance Photos by Shrutidev Mishra, Ramit Singal, Ayawat J., Pranjal Saikia, Kavi Nanda