Venkatraman: Breeding of Glossy Ibis in both size and distribution. Probably, this could be the reason Birdwatchers 24 (1–2): 10–11. for the change in the population structure of many of the birds Kingsford, R. T. & Norman, F. I. 2002. Australian waterbirds products of in recent years in Vedanthangal. Leslie (2001) and Kingsford & the continent’s ecology. Emu 102: 47–69. Norman (2002) suggest that successful breeding often requires Leslie, D. 2001. Effect of river management on colonially nesting waterbirds in the Barmah-Millewa forest, south-eastern Australia. Regulated exceptional flooding events that last long enough for completion rivers: Research and Management 17: 2136. of the breeding cycle. Hence, lack of competition and the instance Shiromoney, G. 1984. Occurrence of Glossy Ibis at Vedanthangal. Newsletter of exceptional flooding could be the likely factors for the Glossy for Birdwatchers 24 (5–6): 12–13. Ibis breeding first time in Vedanthangal. Narayanan, T. B. & Sathasivam, K. 2002. Unusually large congregation of Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) at Madurai. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 42 (1): 13. Acknowlegements Praveen, J. & Kumar, M. 1996. Glossy Ibis in Palakkad district. Newsletter I thank Dr Ramakrishna, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, and for Birdwatchers 36 (1): 13. Dr K. Rema Devi, Joint Director and Officer-in-Charge, Marine Biological Sasikumar, C., Jayakumar, C. & Jaffer, M. 1991. Glossy Ibis Plegadis Station, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai for their encouragement. I falcinellus (Linn.) and Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant): express my deep sense of gratitude to Tamil Nadu Forest Department for two more additions to the bird list of Kerala. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. their permission. Soc. 88 (1): 110. Santharam, V. 2000. More on Vedanthangal birds. Newsletter for Birdwatchers References 40 (5): 57–59. Indian Birds Desai, R. N. 1996. Rare visits of some ducks, Painted Stork and Glossy Ibis Subramanya, S. 2005. Heronries of Tamil Nadu. 1 (6): to the tanks of Dharwad (Karnataka: India). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 126–140. 36 (4): 78–79. Thirumalai, G. & Radhakrishnan, C. 2005. A sight record of the Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus Finlayson, C. M., Gitay, H., Belio, M. G., van Dam, R. A. & Taylor, I. 2006. (Linnaeus) [Threskiornithidae: Aves] from Chennai, Rec. Zool. Sur. India Climate variability and change and other pressures on wetlands South India. 104 (1–2): 179–182. and waterbirds: impacts and adaptation. Pp. 88–97. In: Waterbirds Venkatraman, C. 1996. Studies on the colonial waterbirds and the around the world. (Eds.) Boere, G. C., Galbraith, C. A. & Stroud, D. A. characteristics of the lake of the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Madras, Edinburgh, U.K.: The Stationery Office. Tamil Nadu. Ph.D thesis submitted to University of Madras. 102 pp. Kannan, R 1984. The Glossy Ibis in Vedanthangal heronory. Newsletter for

The Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes in Chennai: a review of sight records V. Santharam

Santharam, V. 2009. The Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes in Chennai: a review of sight records. Indian Birds 5 (1): 19–20. V. Santharam, Institute of Bird Studies & Natural History, Rishi Valley 517 352, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Email: [email protected] Mss received on 13th January 2009.

he Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes is represented on the Indian six additional sightings recorded by others (Kannan (1985), Subcontinent by two races of which A. l. syama is believed to Kumaran Sathasivam, S.Thyagarajan, C.S. Swaminathan, Geetha be a winter visitor from the north-east that moves along the Jaikumar, M. Nanda Kishore and B. Rajashekar). easternT seaboard to southern India and to Sri Lanka, where it is These tables indicate that the Black Baza is far from being a rare and irregular winter vagrant (Naoroji 2006). Naoroji (2006) a ‘stray’ visitor to the city as was suggested by the Wikipedia also mentions that there are a few sight records around Chennai article on Black Baza (accessed on 23rd November 2008). It also and Point Calimere on the eastern coast, and the accompanying suggests that the birds may not just be passage migrants as felt distribution map indicates that the birds are seen in Chennai, by Naoroji (2006) but are regular winter visitors with sightings north of Chennai (Nellore?), and Point Calimere, besides other in every month between October and March. There have been sites on the eastern coast on passage. However there appears to regular reports of this species at the Guindy National Park since be a paucity of data on the sightings of the bird. In this note I have the early 1970s by groups of birdwatchers (Selvakumar et. al. put together all my sightings along with a few reports that I had 1981). However, on perusal of some earlier literature, I came across recorded in my notebook from Chennai. the records by Jerdon from ‘near Nellore’ (1862; 1: 111) and the I have seen the species 15 times in Chennai since December 1980 Madras Museum specimen procured from the city (date and exact up till February 1997. With the exception of two, all sightings were locality not specified) – (Satyamurti 1970).More recently there in Guindy National Park. The two exceptional sight records were have been sightings from the Sriharikota Island, Nellore district at a mango grove at Manali-Madhavaram in northern Chennai in the months of November (12th and 14th ) and February (6th ) suburbs and at the Theosophical Society Estate. (Manakadan et.al. in prep.). The Black Baza is seen in Chennai between October and March. Elsewhere, I have come across the baza in the Western The earliest of these sightings was on 20th October (1990) and the Ghats: latest on 19th March (1994). Tables 1–3 provide year-wise and • Mundanturai Tiger Reserve (Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu): month-wise summaries of my sightings. I have also incorporated 17th January 1988: 10–15; 17th January 1989: 9 (coincidentally

Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 1 (Publ. 10th June 2009) 19 Santharam: Black Baza in Chennai

Table 1. Year-wise sightings of the Black Baza in Chennai Table 3. Group-size distribution Year # Sightings Group size 1 2 3 4 ? 1980 1 Frequency 5 5 8 1 1 1981 1 1982 2 1983 3 1984 1 1985 2 References Jerdon, T.C. 1862. The birds of India 2 vols. privately published, Calcutta. 1986 3 Kannan, R. 1985. Sight record of the Black Crested Baza (Aviceda leuphotes) 1987 0 in Madras. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 82 (3): 654–655. 1988 2 Naoroji, R. 2006. Birds of prey of the Indian subcontinent. New Delhi: Om 1989 1 Books. 1990 2 Satyamurti, S. T. 1970. Guide to the bird gallery. Madras: Madras Government Museum Publication. 1991 0 Selvakumar, R., R. Sukumar, V. Narayanaswamy and S.Theodore 1992 0 Baskaran 1981. A checklist of birds of Guindy Deer Park. Newsletter 1993 0 for Birdwatchers 21 (8): 3–6. 1994 1 1995 0 1996 0 1997 2 (Note: the years during which there are no sightings represent the period when the author was away from Chennai)

Table 2. Month-wise sighting frequency Month # Sightings

October 1 November 2 December 2 January 4 February 7 March 4 Total 20

both sightings were on the same date on two consecutive years and at the same spot—off Puckle’s path; however, I am not too confident about the group size on the first occasion). • Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (Kannur district, Kerala): 10th March 2000: 3. • Periyar Tiger Reserve (Idukki district, Kerala): 6th January 2008: 2. My only sightings of this species in the north have been at the Aibheel Tea Estate in the Jalpaiguri Dist. of West Bengal on 14th April 2008 (4 birds) and on 15th Ramki Sreenivasan April 2008 (2).

Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes, Thattekad, Kerala, November 2008.

20 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 1 (Publ. 10th June 2009)