36 Indian Vol. 1 No. 2 (March-April 2005)

Nesting of Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon elphinstonii at Nandi Hills, Karnataka, India S. Subramanya PHT Scheme, ‘J’ Block, GKVK campus, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore 560065, India. Email: [email protected] andi Hills (13°21’45”N, 77°40’30”E; During a trip to Nandi Hills on 31.i.2005 within the with most eggs N1,400m asl), located about 60km north a small group of us observed about 10 Nilgiri laid in May and June (Morgan 1875, Hume of Bangalore, is a popular holiday Wood-Pigeons in the evergreen patch. and Oates 1889-1890, Baker 1932-1935, destination. The site has recently been Loosely scattered groups of four and six Goodwin 1967), the nesting season at Nandi declared an Important Area (Islam and birds were observed on two occasions in appears to have a local variation and Rahmani 2004) owing to its importance in different areas, early in the morning and later commences in November / December. By supporting populations of Yellow-throated the birds could only be seen singly or in taking into consideration the observations Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus and the pairs. While being observed, the birds of Karthikeyan (2000) on nest building in Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon Columba eliphinstonii showed themselves up openly; not unduly late March, the birds probably appear to (Subramanya et al. 1991, 1994) and that of bothered by our presence and even allowing continue nesting till April-May. The two the critically endangered Long-billed Gyps us to get as close as 5-7m while being flimsy nests observed at Nandi were typical indicus and White-backed Vulture Gyps perched on low branches - some as low as of those built by the species in being the bengalensis in the past. 3m high. One pair was observed for over 10 usual “slight platform” of sticks on branches Occurrence of the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon minutes while it remained on a low branch of trees and bushes, placed usually 2.5-5m (NWP) at Nandi Hills is significant. For a near a clearing. Another pair appeared to be from the ground (Morgan 1875, Hume and species that is otherwise partial to moist courting, within a dense Cinnamomum Oates 1889-1890, Murray 1889). The birds at inter-belt and confined to the evergreen camphora () canopy. One of them Nandi appear to lay a single egg, as was biotope of the Western Ghats, Anaimalais, called, “wooo-woook- also observed by Morgan (1875), Terry Nilgiris, Palnis and hills of western woogugu,woogugugu,…” continuously, (1887) and, Hume and Oates (1889-1890). Karnataka (Ali and Ripley 1987), Nandi Hills while standing on an horizontal branch and While the birds were being observed, a is well outside its known distributional facing the other bird. Later, a nest of the troop of c40 Bonnet Macaques Macaca range. In fact, the small population of the species, with an incubating bird, was radiata invaded the area around us, often species at Nandi Hills appears to be relictual. discovered. However, once the inflow of approaching close and looking at us There are no historical records that show holiday crowd started passing through the expectantly with the hope of being fed. The when this site was colonized by Nilgiri evergreen patch, the birds were observed troop was seen at all heights of vegetation Wood-Pigeons. On top of Nandi Hills, the to confine themselves to the dense canopies within the evergreen patch. On one instance species is usually confined to a crater-like of trees and could not be seen so easily. a Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon was heard giving out depression supporting evergreen The nest was built on a stout branch of a low and harsh note while bending down vegetation with a dense shrub layer a Celtis tetrandra (Ulmaceae) tree aggressively towards a young macaque that dominated by Coffea spp. completely overrun by broad-leaved was moving up a branch from two feet below. Interestingly, earlier surveys of Nandi creepers of Thunbergia grandiflora The placement of its nest in a well-concealed Hills by Salim Ali, during his survey of the (Acanthaceae). The nest and the incubating condition may indicate that the nesting “Birds of Mysore” on 19. xii.1939 (Ali and bird were very well screened by a dense Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon at Nandi may suffer a Whistler 1941), and Ghorpade et al. (1974), tangle of creeping branches and were possible predation pressure from the did not report the Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon. completely hidden from a casual observer, macaques. During his visit to Nandi Hills, Salim Ali did with only a part of the bird’s neck and eyes As per the Department of Horticulture not seem to have visited the evergreen being visible. No efforts were made to officials in charge at Nandi Hills, over 1,500 patch, as his notes do not include species examine the nest or its contents. After this, macaques are known to inhabit the hilltop like Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis, a local boy who noticed us watching the and have been observed to live mostly off Blue-headed Rock-Thrush Monticola nest, led us to another abandoned nest of the remains of food discarded by visitors. cinclorhynchus, White-throated Ground the species in a dense Murraya paniculata Between 500-1,000 people visit the hilltop Thrush Zoothera citrina cyanotus, Indian (Rutaceae) bush at the edge of the evergreen during weekdays. The crowd swells to Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea, Pied Thrush patch and placed about 3m from the ground. 4,000-10,000 on Sundays and even up to Zoothera wardii and Blackbird Turdus He told us that the birds incubated a single 30,000 on certain government holidays. In merula which frequent it (Prasad et al. 1995). egg in this nest during the last week of fact, a record 2,00,000 people thronged the Also, during their three visits to Nandi Hills, December 2004 and the egg hatched a fluffy hilltop during the night of Maha Shivarathri Ghorpade et al. (1974) do not seem to have white nestling in the first week of January festival in February 2004. There has been surveyed the patch carefully, for they have 2005. Unfortunately, the nestling and the no in-depth assessment of the impact of the not mentioned the species in their article. parent disappeared a week after the former macaque population and human disturbance The occurrence of the pigeon at Nandi Hills was seen. The nest was a flimsy platform of on the land-locked population of the Nilgiri was first noticed in 1987 (Subramanya et al. loosely placed sticks. The nest was still Wood-Pigeon. 1991), and indications of its possible nesting intact without any signs of damage. In both A week later, the nest was still active, were only reported very recently the cases, the nest platforms were very although it was very difficult to make out (Karthikeyan 2000). In this article, simple affairs, made up of thin dried sticks. the incubating bird within the dark interior observation on the nesting of the species is Although the species has been created by the tangle of creepers. The bird being presented. observed breeding between May-July remained motionless with only the tail tip Indian Birds Vol. 1 No. 2 (March-April 2005) 37 projecting out of the nest and did not give those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri (3): 429-430 (2000). any indication of being affected by the Lanka. 2nd ed.. Bombay: Oxford University Morgan, R. W. 1875. On the nidification of certain people who were moving around, often close Press. p. 737. south-Indian birds. Ibis (3) 5: 313-323. to the nesting tree. Baker, E. C. S. 1932-1935. The nidification of Murray, J. A. 1889. The edible and game birds birds of the British Empire 4 vols. London: of British India with its dependencies and Acknowledgements Taylor and Francis. Ceylon. London: Trübner. I thank Dr Eric and Christine Lott for inviting Ghorpade, K. G., A. Verghese and B. Mallik. Prasad, J. N., S. Karthikeyan and S. Subramanya. me on the trip to Nandi Hills and Lloyd 1974. Birds of the Nandi Hills - A preliminary 1995. Wintering of the Indian Blue Chat Nehemiah, Drecie Ch. Marak, Oscar Prabhakar, survey. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 14 (5): Erithacus brunneus (Hodgson) and Pied Sandeep, Kitty Ch. Marak, Chea Amelia Ch. 1-5. Ground Thrush Zoothera wardii (Blyth) at Marak, Nishil Mark D. Mathew and Milind Goodwin, D. 1967. Pigeons and doves of the Nandi Hills, South India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Yohann Mathew for helping in sighting different world. London: British Museum (Natural Soc. 92 (2): 267-269. individuals of Nilgiri Wood Pigeons and locating History). Subramanya, S., S. Karthikeyan and J. N. the nest. Thanks are also due to Dr. George Hume, A. O. and E. W. Oates. 1889-1890. Nests Prasad. 1991. Yellowthroated Bulbul at Ommen, Lloyd Nehemiah, and Joel George and eggs of Indian birds. 2nd ed. London: R. Nandi Hill: Newsletter for Birdwatchers 31 Mathew for having taken me to Nandi Hills a H. Porter. (3-4): 7-8. week later. Assistance of the local boy and the Islam, M. Z. and A. R. Rahmani. 2004. Important Subramanya, S., J. N. Prasad and S. Karthikeyan. local staff on top of Nandi is gratefully Bird Areas in India: Priority sites for 1994. Nilgiri Wood Pigeons Columba acknowledged. conservation. Indian Bird Conservation elphinstonii (Sykes) at Nandi hills near References Network: Bombay Natural History Society Bangalore. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 91 (2): Ali, S. and H. Whistler. 1943. The birds of and BirdLife International (UK). Pp 1133. 319-320. Mysore. Part IV. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 44 Karthikeyan, S. 2001. Circumstantial evidence Terry, H. A. 1887. A few additional notes on (1): 9-26. of breeding of the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon birds on the Pulney Hills. Stray Feathers X: Ali, S. and S. D. Ripley. 1987. Compact handbook Columba elphinstonii (Sykes) at Nandi Hills, 467-480. of birds of India and Pakistan together with near Bangalore. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 97

Occurrence of the Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala in Assam Maan Barua1 and Polasz Bora 1Wild Grass, Kaziranga, Assam 785109, India. Email: [email protected]

he Painted Stork Mycteria nearby for comparison); head, neck, breast days, always in association with the group T leucocephala is a resident in the Indian and rest of under parts off-white, but grey- of Black-necked Storks, of which four birds Sub-continent from the Indus delta in brown on the feathers of mid-crown; black were juveniles. We managed to Pakistan through most parts of India, Nepal feathers of scapulars and coverts photograph the bird at 16:10hrs on and east through to Bangladesh, where it characteristically white-tipped, but lacking 19.xi.2004, with the help of a digital camera inhabits freshwater marshes, lakes and the barred appearance of adult birds as those and a 20x telescope. B. Oldrey also reservoirs, flooded fields and river banks of median and greater coverts were more captured the individual on film, and the (Grimmett et al. 1998). Surprisingly, it is diffused with grey-brown around the edges; first author holds a clip of the footage. The entirely absent in northeastern India, despite tertiary feathers beginning to show pink, but bird was last seen on 20.xi.2004, and a adequate habitat being present in the bases retaining a dirty grey-brown; off-white search in other areas of the park in the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, and in low- secondaries and dark primaries; off-white succeeding two weeks failed to locate the lying areas of Manipur. nape downwards, but feathers of mantle and bird. A Painted Stork was later seen at On 16.xi.2004, one of us (PB) was leading upper back dull grey-brown in colour; Bahu Beel in the western range of a nature tour in the Central (Kaziranga) extended down-curved beak yellow in Kaziranga in January 2005 (Rathin Barman Range of Kaziranga National Park (26º34’- colour, with reddish towards the base and pers. com.) and its description as “not a 26º46’N and 92º55’-93º36’E). At 10:30 hrs, bare areas around the eye; legs dull yellow. full adult” probably refers to the same while watching birds at Kathpora, a single From the above description, we infer that individual. Painted Stork was seen amidst a flock of the individual is presumably a first-winter There are very few records of the Painted Black-necked Storks Ephippiorhynchus bird, as it shows signs of a juvenile under Stork from Assam, but loners, and at times asiaticus. He informed MB about the going moult. The characteristic barring on up to three birds, have turned up in various sighting that very afternoon, who the coverts of adult birds was in an localities (Choudhury 2000), but none from immediately went to the area in order to intermediate state, with diffused grey-brown Kaziranga (Barua and Sharma 1999). None of corroborate the sighting. tips to the feathers. The tips of the tertiaries these observations have been published At 14:35hrs, the bird was present, in more showed a dull pink colour, and had the grey- with specific plumage reference or or less the same locality, at another end of brown base of juveniles, rather than the photographs, and it is not known whether Mihi Beel (Kathpora) – a perennial ox-bow white of the adult. A few feathers of the these were adult birds or juveniles. It would lake, where it was seen amidst 11 Black- crown and mantle were also grey-brown. not be surprising if more juvenile or first- necked Storks. Notes were taken Moreover, the feathers of the breast were winter birds were seen in Assam over the immediately, and they are summarized as not completely black, and had not formed next few years, as they are more likely to be follows: Size noticeably smaller than that of the barring reminiscent of the adult. ‘pushed out’ from their normal range by adult Black-necked Storks (which were present The bird remained in the area for a few birds, or may stray outside their normal range.