Olume 33 • No 3 • 2011
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Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula Albicilla in Gujarat: Status and Distribution, with Notes on Its Identification Prasad Ganpule
152 Indian BirDS Vol. 9 Nos. 5&6 (Publ. 2 December 2014) Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla in Gujarat: Status and distribution, with notes on its identification Prasad Ganpule Ganpule, P., 2014. Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla in Gujarat: Status and distribution, with notes on its identification. Indian BIRDS 9 (5&6): 152–154. Prasad Ganpule, C/o Parshuram Pottery Works, Opp.Nazarbaug Station, Morbi 363642, Gujarat, India. Email: [email protected] Manuscript received on 11 May 2014. Introduction The record from Thol, near Ahmedabad (Maheria 2014), The Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla is a winter migrant to identified as an Asian Brown FlycatcherM. dauurica is actually India. Its winter distribution is mainly to north-eastern, eastern, a F. albicilla. and central India, and the Eastern Ghats, reaching up to western Maharashtra, and Goa (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005; Grimmett Identification et al. 2011). No sightings from Gujarat are given in these texts, Since it is now established that F. parva, F. albicilla, and the but it has been reported from Morbi, Gujarat (Ganpule 2013), Kashmir Flycatcher F. subrubra occur in Gujarat (Grimmett et with the sighting of an adult male in April 2011. al. 2011; Ganpule 2012), identification and separation of the three in first winter plumage is quite challenging. Cederroth et Observations al. (1999) deal with the identification ofparva and albicilla. For I always suspected that the Taiga Flycatcher was more common the identification of first winterF. subrubra, see Ganpule (2012). in Gujarat than previously expected, and it could have been Some additional notes on identification of first-winterF. albicilla overlooked since it was considered a subspecies of the Red- are presented below: breasted Flycatcher F. -
Characterization of the Recombination Landscape in Red-Breasted and Taiga Flycatchers
UPTEC X 19043 Examensarbete 30 hp November 2019 Characterization of the Recombination Landscape in Red-breasted and Taiga Flycatchers Bella Vilhelmsson Sinclair Abstract Characterization of the Recombination Landscape in Red-Breasted and Taiga Flycatchers Bella Vilhelmsson Sinclair Teknisk- naturvetenskaplig fakultet UTH-enheten Between closely related species there are genomic regions with a higher level of Besöksadress: differentiation compared to the rest of the genome. For a time it was believed that Ångströmlaboratoriet these regions harbored loci important for speciation but it has now been shown that Lägerhyddsvägen 1 these patterns can arise from other mechanisms, like recombination. Hus 4, Plan 0 Postadress: The aim of this project was to estimate the recombination landscape for red-breasted Box 536 flycatcher (Ficedula parva) and taiga flycatcher (F. albicilla) using patterns of linkage 751 21 Uppsala disequilibrium. For the analysis, 15 red-breasted and 65 taiga individuals were used. Scaffolds on autosomes were phased using fastPHASE and the population Telefon: 018 – 471 30 03 recombination rate was estimated using LDhelmet. To investigate the accuracy of the phasing, two re-phasings were done for one scaffold. The correlation between the re- Telefax: phases were weak on the fine-scale, and strong between means in 200 kb windows. 018 – 471 30 00 Hemsida: 2,176 recombination hotspots were detected in red-breasted flycatcher and 2,187 in http://www.teknat.uu.se/student taiga flycatcher. Of those 175 hotspots were shared, more than what was expected by chance if the species were completely independent (31 hotspots). Both species showed a small increase in the rate at hotspots unique to the other species. -
The Female/First Winter Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula Subrubra: an Identification Conundrum Prasad Ganpule
GANPULE: Kashmir Flycatcher 153 The female/first winter Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula subrubra: an identification conundrum Prasad Ganpule Ganpule, P., 2012. The female/first winter Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula subrubra: an identification conundrum. Indian BIRDS 7 (6): 153–158. Prasad Ganpule, C/o Parshuram Pottery Works, Opp. Nazarbaug Station, Morbi 363642, Gujarat, India. Email: [email protected] Manuscript first received on 24 May 2011. Introduction Observations The Kashmir Flycatcher Ficedula subrubra is endemic to the The bird in question had orange spotting/mottling on the breast, Indian Subcontinent. It is a Red Data species categorised as which was almost absent on its white throat, extending up to Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2011). It breeds in the Kashmir the flanks. It had a white belly. It had darker/blackish wings, area and Pir Panjal Range (Bates & Lowther 1952; Henry 1955; grey on the sides of the neck, and dark brownish upperparts. Roberts 1992), and is known to winter in the Western Ghats and The tail and rump were completely black. It had a greyish-black Sri Lanka (Zarri & Rahmani 2004b). bill with a pale base to the lower mandible. The bill looked At c. 0900 hrs on 2 January 2009, in a patchwork habitat slightly longer and stronger than the bill of a typical parva. I comprising cultivation, scattered trees, and scrub near Morbi, took numerous photographs, referred books, and prima facie Rajkot district, Gujarat (22º49’N, 70º50’E) I heard a loud and identified the bird as a female Kashmir Flycatcher based on clear bird call: “sweet-sweet,” similar to the call of an Indian Robin the call and other identification features. -
India: Tigers, Taj, & Birds Galore
INDIA: TIGERS, TAJ, & BIRDS GALORE JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 17, 2018 Tiger crossing the road with VENT group in background by M. Valkenburg LEADER: MACHIEL VALKENBURG LIST COMPILED BY: MACHIEL VALKENBURG VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM INDIA: TIGERS, TAJ, & BIRDS GALORE January 30–February 17, 2018 By Machiel Valkenburg This tour, one of my favorites, starts in probably the busiest city in Asia, Delhi! In the afternoon we flew south towards the city of Raipur. In the morning we visited the Humayan’s Tomb and the Quitab Minar in Delhi; both of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites were outstanding, and we all enjoyed them immensely. Also, we picked up our first birds, a pair of Alexandrine Parakeets, a gorgeous White-throated Kingfisher, and lots of taxonomically interesting Black Kites, plus a few Yellow-footed Green Pigeons, with a Brown- headed Barbet showing wonderfully as well. Rufous Treepie by Machiel Valkenburg From Raipur we drove about four hours to our fantastic lodge, “the Baagh,” located close to the entrance of Kanha National Park. The park is just plain awesome when it comes to the density of available tigers and birds. It has a typical central Indian landscape of open plains and old Sal forests dotted with freshwater lakes. In the early mornings when the dew would hang over the plains and hinder our vision, we heard the typical sounds of Kanha, with an Indian Peafowl displaying closely, and in the far distance the song of Common Hawk-Cuckoo and Southern Coucal. -
Thailand Highlights March 9–28, 2019
THAILAND HIGHLIGHTS MARCH 9–28, 2019 Gray Peacock-Pheasant LEADER: DION HOBCROFT LIST COMPILED BY: DION HOBCROFT VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM By Dion Hobcroft The stunning male Blue Pitta that came in to one of the wildlife viewing hides at Kaeng Krachan. We returned to the “Land of Smiles” for our annual and as expected very successful tour in what is undoubtedly the most diverse and comfortable country for birding in Southeast Asia. Thailand is fabulous. Up early as is typical, we went to the recently sold off Muang Boran fish ponds—now sadly being drained and filled in. The one surviving pond was still amazing, as we enjoyed great looks at Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler, Baillon’s Crake, a winter-plumaged Watercock, Black-headed Kingfisher, and a handful of Asian Golden Weavers, although only one male fully colored up. Nearby Bang Poo was packed to the gills with shorebirds, gulls, and fish-eating waterbirds. Amongst the highlights here were Painted Storks, breeding plumaged Greater and Lesser sand-plovers, hundreds of Brown-headed Gulls, primordial Mudskippers, and even more ancient: a mating pair of Siamese Horseshoe Crabs! Beverly spotted the elusive Tiger Shrike coming in to bathe at a sprinkler. A midday stroll around the ruins of the ancient capital of Ayutthya also offered some good birds with Small Minivets, a Eurasian Hoopoe feeding three chicks, and a glowing Coppersmith Barbet creating some “oohs and aahs” from first time Oriental birders, and rightly so. One last stop at a Buddhist temple in limestone hills in Saraburi revealed the Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Thailand Highlights, 2019 highly localized Limestone Wren-Babbler; they were quite timid this year, although finally settled for good looks. -
Red List of Bangladesh 2015
Red List of Bangladesh Volume 1: Summary Chief National Technical Expert Mohammad Ali Reza Khan Technical Coordinator Mohammad Shahad Mahabub Chowdhury IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature Bangladesh Country Office 2015 i The designation of geographical entitles in this book and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature concerning the legal status of any country, territory, administration, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The biodiversity database and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, Bangladesh Forest Department and The World Bank. This publication has been made possible because of the funding received from The World Bank through Bangladesh Forest Department to implement the subproject entitled ‘Updating Species Red List of Bangladesh’ under the ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP)’ Project. Published by: IUCN Bangladesh Country Office Copyright: © 2015 Bangladesh Forest Department and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holders, provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holders. Citation: Of this volume IUCN Bangladesh. 2015. Red List of Bangladesh Volume 1: Summary. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. xvi+122. ISBN: 978-984-34-0733-7 Publication Assistant: Sheikh Asaduzzaman Design and Printed by: Progressive Printers Pvt. -
O Juvenile Plumage of Javan Crested Honey Buzzard, with Comments On
Sexing of juvenile Montagu’s Harrier tributed and less evenly spaced, creating a pale blackish-brown. In nestlings, the iris is perhaps ‘boomerang’ (like in juvenile Pallid Harrier similarly coloured as the pupil or a shade paler; C macrourus ) more often than in juvenile male. after fledging, the iris becomes gradually paler The dark secondaries are darker on the underside but, throughout the first year, it is still brown (cf and, on average, also darker on the upperside, Clarke 1996, Forsman 1999). with more obvious dark bars. On the upperwing, the primaries are generally darker, with a less grey Acknowledgements wash and less obvious pale primary base; con- I thank Daniele Aliffi, Maurizio Azzolini, Valerio sequently, in flight, there is a less obvious contrast Cappello, Carmela Cardelli, Roberto Gildi, between the dark secondaries and the pale prima- Marcello Grussu, Carmelo Iapichino and Marco ry base. As already described, the axillaries and Preziosi for their help; and the bird hospitals I the greater underwing-coverts have distinct dark visited for permitting me to photograph the in- marks. Only rarely, these marks are less distinct, jured Montagu’s Harriers in their care. with a pattern similar to that of juvenile male. The white rump-patch is normally more extensive, References broader than in juvenile male. The tail is in most Clarke, R 1996. Montagu’s Harrier. Chelmsford. cases darker than in juvenile male, with darker Forsman, D 1995. Field identification of female and rectrices having darker and more obvious bars, juvenile Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers. Dutch Birding 17: 41-54. especially on the outer rectrices. -
Eastern China
The magnificent Reeves's Pheasant was one of the many specialties seen on this tour (Brendan Ryan). EASTERN CHINA 3 – 27 MAY 2017 LEADER: HANNU JÄNNES Birdquest’s Eastern China tour, an epic 25 day journey across much of eastern China, focusses on an array of rare Chinese endemics and migrants, and this year’s tour once again proved a great success. The focus of the first part of the tour is to achieve good views of rarities like Spoon-billed Sandpiper, the critically endangered Blue-crowned (Courtois’s) Laughingthrush, the superb Cabot’s Tragopan and Elliot’s Pheasant and the ultra-rare Chinese Crested Tern. This was successfully achieved alongside a plethora of other much sought after species including White-faced Plover, Great Knot, stunning Saunders’s Gulls, Reed Parrotbill, eastern migrants, including Pechora Pipit, Japanese Robin, Japanese Paradise, Yellow-rumped, Narcissus and Mugimaki Flycatchers, and forest species like Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, White-necklaced Partridge, Silver Pheasant, Buffy and Moustached Laughingthrushes, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Fork-tailed Sunbird and the delightful Pied Falconet. Quite a haul! 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Eastern China 2017 www.birdquest-tours.com Crested Ibis at Dongzhai Nature Reserve (Brendan Ryan). The second part of the tour, the ‘Northeast Extension’, visited a series of sites for various other Chinese specialities. Beginning in Wuhan, we bagged the amazing Reeves’s Pheasant and Crested Ibis, as well as stunners that included Fairy Pitta and Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. We then moved on to Jiaocheng for the fabulous Brown Eared Pheasants before flying on to Beijing, where the mountains of the nearby Hebei province yielded the endemic Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch, Chinese Nuthatch, Green-backed and Zappey’s Flycatchers and the rare Grey-sided Thrush. -
Assessing the Impacts of Agriculture and Its Trade on Philippine Biodiversity Andrea Monica D
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/861815; this version posted December 3, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. Assessing the impacts of agriculture and its trade on Philippine biodiversity Andrea Monica D. Ortiz1* and Justine Nicole V. Torres2* 1 Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK 2 Parabukas, Inc., Manila, Philippines *joint first-authors. Correspondence to [email protected] or [email protected]. Abstract The Philippines is home to a high number of unique species that can be found nowhere else in the world. However, its unique species and ecosystems are at high risk because of habitat loss and degradation. Agricultural land use and land use change are major drivers of biodiversity loss in the Philippines. In the Philippines, an important area that requires focus is plantation agriculture (monocropping) for high-value crops such as banana and pineapple, which are grown widely in the country, particularly in the island of Mindanao. The intensive nature of plantation agriculture means that it has many adverse effects on the environment while producing goods and commodities that are typically for trade and export with international partners. This means that local biodiversity losses may be driven by countries thousands of kilometers away. While many global studies have attempted to understand how biodiversity impacts are embodied within agricultural goods, there are few studies that have investigated the Philippines specifically. -
Mongolia (Tour Participant Martin Hale)
Pallas’s Sandgrouse epitomise the wilds of Mongolia (tour participant Martin Hale) MONGOLIA 21 MAY – 4/8 JUNE 2016 LEADERS: MARK VAN BEIRS and TERBISH KHAYANKHAYRVAA The enormous, landlocked country of Mongolia is the 19th largest and the most sparsely populated fully sovereign country in the world. At 1,564,116 km² (603,909 sq mi), Mongolia is larger than the combined areas of Germany, France and Spain and holds only three million people. It is one of our classic eastern Palearctic destinations and travelling through Mongolia is a fantastic experience as the scenery is some of the best in the world. Camping is the only way to discover the real Mongolia, as there are no hotels or ger camps away from the well-known tourist haunts. On our 19 day, 3,200km off-road odyssey we wandered through the wide and wild steppes, deserts, semi-deserts, mountains, marshes and taiga of Genghis Khan’s country. The unfamiliar feeling of ‘space’ charged our batteries and we experienced both icy cold and rather hot weather. Mongolia does not yield a long birdlist, but it holds a fabulous array of attractive specialities, including many species that are only known as vagrants to Europe and North America. Spring migration was in full swing with various Siberia-bound migrants encountered at wetlands and migrant hotspots. The 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Mongolia www.birdquest-tours.com endearing Oriental Plover was the Bird of the Trip as we witnessed its heart-warming flight display several times at close range. The magnificent eye-ball to eye-ball encounter with an angry Ural Owl in the Terelj taiga will never be forgotten and we also much enjoyed the outstanding experience of observing a male Hodgson’s Bushchat in his inhospitable mountain tundra habitat. -
Accipitridae Species Tree
Accipitridae I: Hawks, Kites, Eagles Pearl Kite, Gampsonyx swainsonii ?Scissor-tailed Kite, Chelictinia riocourii Elaninae Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus ?Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris ?Letter-winged Kite, Elanus scriptus White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus African Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides typus ?Madagascan Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides radiatus Gypaetinae Palm-nut Vulture, Gypohierax angolensis Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus Bearded Vulture / Lammergeier, Gypaetus barbatus Madagascan Serpent-Eagle, Eutriorchis astur Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus Gray-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis ?White-collared Kite, Leptodon forbesi Swallow-tailed Kite, Elanoides forficatus European Honey-Buzzard, Pernis apivorus Perninae Philippine Honey-Buzzard, Pernis steerei Oriental Honey-Buzzard / Crested Honey-Buzzard, Pernis ptilorhynchus Barred Honey-Buzzard, Pernis celebensis Black-breasted Buzzard, Hamirostra melanosternon Square-tailed Kite, Lophoictinia isura Long-tailed Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis longicauda Black Honey-Buzzard, Henicopernis infuscatus ?Black Baza, Aviceda leuphotes ?African Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda cuculoides ?Madagascan Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda madagascariensis ?Jerdon’s Baza, Aviceda jerdoni Pacific Baza, Aviceda subcristata Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogyps calvus White-headed Vulture, Trigonoceps occipitalis Cinereous Vulture, Aegypius monachus Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotos Gypinae Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus White-rumped Vulture, Gyps bengalensis Himalayan -
Birds and Tigers of Northern India
Dusky Eagle Owl on a nest at Keoladeo Ghana N.P. (all photos by Dave Farrow unless otherwise indicated) BIRDS AND TIGERS OF NORTHERN INDIA 21 NOVEMBER – 8 DECEMBER 2016 LEADER: DAVE FARROW This year’s ‘Birds and Tigers of Northern India’ tour was once again a very successful visual feast of avian delights. This tour is full of regional specialities and Indian subcontinent endemics, and among the many highlights were a total of 53 individual Owls seen of 9 species, including Dusky Eagle Owl on a nest, four Tawny Fish Owls and four Brown Fish Owls. We had great fortune with gamebirds, with three Cheer Pheasants plus stunning views of a pair of Koklass Pheasant, plus many Kalij Pheasants, Painted Spurfowl 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Birds and Tigers of Northern India www.birdquest-tours.com and Jungle Bush-Quail. We also saw Ibisbill, Red-naped Ibis, Black-necked Stork, Sarus Cranes, Indian, Himalayan and Red-headed Vulture, Pallas's and Lesser Fish Eagles, Brown Crake, Indian and Great Stone- curlew, Yellow-wattled and White-tailed Lapwing, Black-bellied and River Tern, Painted and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, and 15 species of Woodpecker including Great Slaty, Himalayan Pied, White-naped and Himalayan Flameback. We found plenty of Slaty-headed and Plum-headed Parakeet, Black-headed Jay, a Rufous-tailed Lark, Indian Bush Lark, the holy trinity of Nepal, Pygmy and Scaly-bellied Wren-Babblers, plus Brook’s Leaf Warbler, Black-faced and Booted Warbler, Black-chinned Babbler, six species of Laughingthrush including Rufous-chinned, Chestnut-bellied and White-tailed Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Chestnut and Black-throated Thrushes, White-tailed Rubythroat, Golden Bush Robin, dapper Spotted Forktails, Blue-capped Redstart, Variable Wheatear, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Black-breasted Weaver, Altai Accentor, Brown Bullfinch, Blyth’s Rosefinch (a write-in), Crested, White-capped and Red-headed Bunting.