136 Indian Birds Vol. 10 No. 5 (Publ. 2 November 2015)

and the Middle East (Ali & Ripley 1986). However, observations of the Rosy Starling in the sub-Himalayan or Himalayan areas are very rare (please see distribution map in Grimmett et al. 2011: 404). Published bird checklists, relevant to the Doon Valley in particular (Pandey et al. 1994; Mohan 1996; Singh 2000), and for similar landscapes in the region (Sharma et al. 2003) have no record of the Rosy Starling. The bird is also not listed in the official checklist of birds published by the Uttarakhand Forest Department (Mohan & Sinha 2003). Hence, according to the best of my knowledge, this species has never been observed in Uttarakhand and this sighting is a new record for the state. Since only a single individual was seen of this otherwise highly gregarious bird, it is likely that the Rosy Starling I observed was a vagrant.

Acknowledgements I am grateful to Mohammed Bashir for assistance in field, and Soumya Prasad for support. Photo: Raman Kumar Raman Photo:

References Ali, S., & Ripley, S. D., 1986. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Cuckoo-shrikes to babaxes. 2nd (Hardback) ed. Delhi: (Sponsored by Bombay Natural History Society.) Oxford University Press. Vol. 5 of 10 vols. Pp. i–xvi, 1–278+2+8 ll. 126. Rosy Starling feeding on Mallotus sp. tree, Doon Valley. Champion, H. G., & Seth, S. K., 1968. A revised survey of the forest types of India. Government of India, Delhi. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. D. V. S., & Johnsingh, A. J. T., 1995. Birds of Rajaji National Park, India. Forktail 10: London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528. 105–114 (1994). Mohan, D., 1997. Birds of New Forest, Dehra Dun, India. Forktail 12 (August): 19–30. Sharma, M., Harvey, B., Devasar, N., & Grewal, B., 2003. A checklist of the birds of Mohan, D., & Sinha, S., 2003. Birds of Uttaranchal (A checklist). Uttaranchal Forest Corbett Tiger Reserve, Ramnnagar, India. Corbett Tiger Reserve: Ramnagar. Department: Dehradun. Singh, A. P., 2000. Birds of lower Garhwal Himalayas: Dehra Dun valley and neighbouring Pandey, S., Joshua, J., Rai, N. D., Mohan, D., Rawat, G. S., Sankar, K., Katti, M. V., Khati, hills. Forktail 16: 101–123.

A report of Brambling Fringilla montifringilla from Mandala Road, Arunachal Pradesh Qupeleio De Souza

De Souza, Q., 2015. A report of Brambling Fringilla montifringilla from Mandala Road, Arunachal Pradesh. Indian BIRDS 10 (5): 136–137. Qupeleio De Souza, India Nature Tourism, A-203 Chowgule Meadows, Paithona, Goa 403101, India. Email: [email protected] Manuscript received on 07 October 2015.

he Brambling Fringilla montifringilla is a medium-sized and from Dharamshala (Robson 2000; den Besten 2004; migratory finch that is widespread throughout northern Sharma et al 2013). TEurope and Asia. It breeds in a broad band spanning Reported sightings becoming increasingly sparse further east the boreal zone of Eurasia, from northern Europe to eastern across Nepal, from where only sporadic records exist (Inskipp & Russia, wintering further south in a narrow belt from western Inskipp 1985; Robson 2006), and through the eastern Himalaya and southern Europe through North Africa, the Middle East, of Bhutan and north-eastern India where there is a noticeable Afghanistan, Pakistan, and across the western Himalaya to China gap in documented distribution (Clement & Arkhipov 2010; and Japan (Spierenburg 2005; Clement & Arkhipov 2010). Grimmett et al. 2011; Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). In Bhutan Within the Indian Subcontinent the Brambling is a regular the Brambling is considered a vagrant, recorded once on 06 winter visitor to Balochistan, and to the northern districts of May 1990 when a single bird was observed in the Tang Valley, Pakistan during spring migration (Roberts 1992; Spierenburg Bumthang District (Clements 1992; Spierenburg 2005). 2005). In India, records exist from Kashmir (Ward 1906), and On 07 March 2013 a group of six Brambling was observed Ladakh (Pfister 2004), as well as a scattered records from along the Mandala Road (27.55°N 92.43°E), near the town Himachal Pradesh; from Manali (Robson 1997; Prasad 2006), of Dirang, West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. Of these, De Souza: Brambling 137 Photos: Qupeleio De SouzaPhotos: De Qupeleio

127. Brambling male coming into breeding plumage. 128. Male Brambling.

one individual male, in the early stages of assuming breeding References plumage, was photographed [127]. This being a distinctively Choudhury, A., 2006. A pocket guide to the birds of Arunachal Pradesh. 1st ed. marked species, the flock was immediately set apart by the bold Guwahati: Gibbon Books & The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India. Pp. orange and black colouration, particularly, the male bird, which 1–109. displayed bright orange throat, breast, and dark-spotted flanks Clement, P., & Arkhipov, V., 2010. Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) [Online]. In: del contrasting with white belly, mottled black head, scalloped black/ Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2013). Handbook brown mantle, and black-tipped yellow bill; identification was of the birds of the world Alive. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. URL: http://www.hbw. straightforward [128]. com/node/61288. [Accessed 7 October 2014.] Clements, F. A., 1992. Recent records of birds from Bhutan. Forktail 7 (June): 57–73. Brambling is not listed in the checklist of the birds of den Besten, J. W., 2004. Eurasian Linnet (Carduelis cannabina), Chaffinch (Fringilla Arunachal Pradesh compiled by Choudhury (2006), concurrent coelebs), Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. Journal with Rasmussen & Anderton (2012), who describe the reports of of the Bombay Natural History Society 101 (2): 325–326. its sporadic winter occurrence within the Himalaya not extending Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. beyond Bhutan. This sighting from the Mandala Road is almost London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528. certainly the first documented record of Brambling for the state. Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 1985. A Guide to the Birds of Nepal. 1st ed. London / New It is possible that further sightings exist, but remain unpublished, Delhi: Croom Helm / UBS Publishers’ Distributors Ltd. Pp. 1–392. including that of a flock of 8+ at Anini, Dibang Valley (28.79°N Lawton, N., 2013. A Norfolk birder in Thailand [Online]. URL: http:// norfolkbirderinthailand.blogspot.in/2013_01_01_archive.html. [Accessed 7 95.90°E), observed by M. F. Ahmed in February 2002 (M. Firoz October 2014.] Ahmed verbally, 11 March 2013). That Brambling is present in Pfister, O., 2004. Birds and mammals of Ladakh. 1st ed. New Delhi: Oxford University this region should perhaps not come as a surprise given the Press. Pp. i–xxvii, 1–361. wider distribution of the species, particularly in south-western Prasad, A., 2006. Some interesting bird records from Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Indian China. It is probable that this species has been overlooked here Birds 2 (1): 8–9. due to its presence during harsh winter conditions in remote Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C., 2012. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide. 2nd ed. and relatively less visited mountainous regions. It remains to be Washington, D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. 2 vols. seen whether Brambling will be confirmed as a regular winter Pp. 1–378; 1–683. Roberts, T. J., 1992. The Birds of Pakistan. Passeriformes: Pittas to Buntings. 1st ed. visitor to north-eastern India, and Bhutan, which would represent Karachi: Oxford University Press. Vol. 2 of 2 vols. Pp. i–xxxv, 1–617. a considerable eastward extension to its known wintering range Robson, C., 1997. India. Oriental Bird Club Bulletin 25: 63–64. within the Himalaya (Clements 1992), or whether these sparse Robson, C., 2000. From the field: India. Oriental Bird Club Bulletin 32: 68–69. records refer to vagrancy. Robson, C., 2006. From the field: Nepal. BirdingASIA 6: 94. Elsewhere in the Oriental region, J. Hornskov reports that Sharma, M., Abhinav, C., & Dhadwal, D. S., 2013. Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, Brambling 2013 appeared to have been a better-than-average year for F. montifringilla, and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella in Himachal Pradesh, the species in parts of China (Jesper Hornskov, verbally, 10 India. Indian BIRDS 8 (6): 156–157. March 2013), while there were further extralimital reports of two Spierenburg, P., 2005. Birds in Bhutan. Status and distribution. 1st ed. Bedford, U.K.: Oriental Bird Club. Pp. 1–383. Brambling, male and female, during the same winter period at Ward, A. E., 1906. Birds of the provinces of Kashmir and Jammu and adjacent districts. Doi Inthanon, Thailand, on 17 and 18 January 2013, adding to Part II. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 17 (2): 479–485. just a handful of records for that country (Lawton 2013; Andrew Pierce verbally, 13 March 2013). With the compliments of Acknowledgements G.B.K. Charitable Trust Thanks to Jesper Hornskov, Kulojyotu Lahkar, M. Firoz Ahmed, and Andrew Pierce for their valuable comments on the extralimital distribution of Brambling in India, and more B-1/504, Marathon Innova, Ganapatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013. widely in Asia, and Praveen J. for commenting on an earlier version of the manuscript.