Buceros 20(1)

ENVIS Newsletter Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015

Supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India ABOUT ENVIS CONTENTS CONSERVING ENVIS (Environmental Information System) is a network of subject-specific centres located in NATURE SINCE1883 various institutions throughout India. The focal point of the present 66 ENVIS centres in India is ENVIS News at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi, which further serves as BUCEROS ENVIS Newsletter the Regional Service Centre (RSC) for INFOTERRA, the global information network of the Avian Ecology Advisory committee meeting of BNHS-ENVIS United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to cater to environment information needs in Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 Centre...... 3 the South Asian sub-region. The primary objective of all ENVIS centres is to collect, collate, store and disseminate environment related information to various user groups, including ENVIS TEAM AT THE BNHS National News researchers, policy planners, and decision makers. Project Coordinator Dr. Asad R. Rahmani IBCN to compile Kerala Bird Atlas...... 3 The ENVIS Centre at the Bombay Natural History Society was set up in June 1996 to serve as a Scientist-in-Charge source of information on Avian Ecology. Pratik P. Tambe International News Objectives of the ENVIS Centre at BNHS Information Officer Sailee M. Joshi Bird Identification App Developed By Cornell ?To create a bibliographic database of published literature related to avian ecology study Research Team...... 4 ?To publish and distribute BUCEROS newsletter on avian ecology to its members Data Processing Assistant Tejashree D. Nakashe The European Robin is selected as the national ? To create and upload databases on avian ecology on ENVIS website www.bnhsenvis.nic.in bird of UK...... 5 ? To reply to queries related to birds EDITORIAL TEAM Dr. Asad R. Rahmani Dr. Gayatri Ugra Articles Cover design and page layout Tejashree D. Nakashe Sailee M. Joshi Birding in Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve, Uttarakhand Cover Raju Kasambe and Nandkishor Dudhe...... 6 Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii by Nirav Bhatt Birding in North-West India Asif N. Khan...... 10 © ENVIS-BNHS 2015: All rights reserved. This publication shall not be reproduced either in full or ;qjksfi;u jksyj in part in any form, either in print or electronic or any other medium, without the prior written permission fdj.k eksjs...... 18 of the Bombay Natural History Society.

Bombay Natural History Society, Abstracts...... 20 Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India. Tel.: (91-22) 2282 1811 Fax: (91-22) 2283 7615 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bnhsenvis.nic.in

Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Photograph: Nandkishor Dudhe

BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 ABOUT ENVIS CONTENTS CONSERVING ENVIS (Environmental Information System) is a network of subject-specific centres located in NATURE SINCE1883 various institutions throughout India. The focal point of the present 66 ENVIS centres in India is ENVIS News at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi, which further serves as BUCEROS ENVIS Newsletter the Regional Service Centre (RSC) for INFOTERRA, the global information network of the Avian Ecology Advisory committee meeting of BNHS-ENVIS United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to cater to environment information needs in Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 Centre...... 3 the South Asian sub-region. The primary objective of all ENVIS centres is to collect, collate, store and disseminate environment related information to various user groups, including ENVIS TEAM AT THE BNHS National News researchers, policy planners, and decision makers. Project Coordinator Dr. Asad R. Rahmani IBCN to compile Kerala Bird Atlas...... 3 The ENVIS Centre at the Bombay Natural History Society was set up in June 1996 to serve as a Scientist-in-Charge source of information on Avian Ecology. Pratik P. Tambe International News Objectives of the ENVIS Centre at BNHS Information Officer Sailee M. Joshi Bird Identification App Developed By Cornell ?To create a bibliographic database of published literature related to avian ecology study Research Team...... 4 ?To publish and distribute BUCEROS newsletter on avian ecology to its members Data Processing Assistant Tejashree D. Nakashe The European Robin is selected as the national ? To create and upload databases on avian ecology on ENVIS website www.bnhsenvis.nic.in bird of UK...... 5 ? To reply to queries related to birds EDITORIAL TEAM Dr. Asad R. Rahmani Dr. Gayatri Ugra Articles Cover design and page layout Tejashree D. Nakashe Sailee M. Joshi Birding in Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve, Uttarakhand Cover Raju Kasambe and Nandkishor Dudhe...... 6 Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii by Nirav Bhatt Birding in North-West India Asif N. Khan...... 10 © ENVIS-BNHS 2015: All rights reserved. This publication shall not be reproduced either in full or ;qjksfi;u jksyj in part in any form, either in print or electronic or any other medium, without the prior written permission fdj.k eksjs...... 18 of the Bombay Natural History Society.

Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Photograph: Nandkishor Dudhe

BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 ENVIS News EDITORIAL

A person takes up a hobby out of passion. One may move a step ahead and turn this hobby into one’s 4th Advisory committee meeting of BNHS-ENVIS Centre chosen field of work. One such hobby is birdwatching. Birdwatching is a delight for people around the As per the recommendations of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate world; it has its own way of rejuvenating the birdwatcher. It gives one the joy of walking through the Change, Government of India, at the National Evaluation Workshop held in

most beautiful landscapes and the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature. Yet it is not necessary to u

August 2012, the BNHS has constituted an Advisory Committee for monitoring D

visit a forest or field to fulfill this hobby, it can also be done in one’s backyard, even in urban h

and guiding the activities of the BNHS-ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. i

settlements. In this issue, we have covered two beautifully written articles in which the authors have d

a shared their birding experiences. One article is on birding in northwest India and other is on birding in The 4th meeting of this Advisory Committee for ENVIS Centre was held on N 4th Advisory commitee meeting Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand. While reading these articles, one can surely imagine July13, 2015 at 2.00 pm at Hornbill House. Dr. Asad R. Rahmani, Director the beauty of the terrain and experience the fun of birdwatching. Another important feature of the BNHS and Coordinator, ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology, chaired the meeting. Dr. Ashok M. Bhagwat, Honorary Secretary, Dr. articles is that the authors have given annotated checklists of the birds sighted. Such checklists add Deepak Apte, Chief Operating Officer, and other members of BNHS along with ENVIS staff attended the meeting. Dr. Goldin value to the avian database of that area. Amateur birdwatchers can look at these articles as a guide to pen Quadros, Coordinator, ENVIS Centre on Wetland Ecosystems including Inland Wetlands, SACON, attended the meeting and their birding experiences. shared his views and comments about the Centre. All the activities of ENVIS Centre held since the last Advisory Committee meeting in November 2014 were reviewed by the Committee. Members of the Committee gave their comments on the database The most important component of birdwatching is identifying the species observed. Many of us rely on of the website and overall functioning of the Centre. The ENVIS team is implementing the suggestions of the members to field guides, but technology has a role to play even in this field. Nowadays there are mobile applications provide thorough information to users. developed to do this job. Several web based android applications are being developed to identify commonly seen birds. Though there are many pros and cons to this, it is surely good news for today’s National News tech savvy generation. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the one which always come up with such innovations. We have covered news which will shed light on this initiative. IBCN to compile Kerala Bird Atlas Ecosystem services provided by birds are known to all, but it is important to quantify the economic value of these services. To achieve this, one needs thorough information on the avifauna of a The Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) will soon compile a bird atlas of Kerala, which will be the first bird atlas of an geographic location and the services provided by them. Indian Bird Conservation Network is all set to Indian state. A decision in this regard was taken at a workshop of the IBCN held at the College of Forestry (CoF), Kerala compile a bird atlas for the state of Kerala. The bird atlas attempts to provide information on Agricultural University. distribution, abundance, and seasonal as well as long-term changes in bird population. This cumbersome task will ultimately help to accumulate baseline data which can be used to quantify the A bird atlas gives the precise distribution pattern of birds in a region, and when put together over a period of time, it provides ecosystem services provided by birds. We have covered news on this subject for our readers. accurate trends of bird presence. Kerala has to its credit six bird monitoring schemes, which include recording common birds, heronries, water birds, pelagic (sea) birds, and forest birds. For the first time, we are publishing an article in hindi for our readers. It gives the reader a glimpse of the The workshop discussed several bird conservation related issues. It was attended by experts from the Royal Society for European Roller’s stay in central India during migration. The author has put forth the observations and Protection of Birds (RSPB) - UK, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) - India, and 55 Kerala birdwatchers. findings of his team over two years in a very informative way. It will certainly generate interest amongst birdwatchers and encourage them to observe bird behaviour. Impressive schemes “The impressive range of bird monitoring schemes being undertaken by Kerala birders makes it one of the leading states for In the Abstracts section, we have included abstracts on research conducted to highlight the importance birdwatching in India. It was exciting to see the enthusiasm and dedication of Kerala birders at the IBCN workshop,” said Bruce of birdbaths in urban areas, and population trends of common birds observed over a period of five years Liggitt of the RSPB. in a residential area of Thiruvananthapuram city in Kerala. The workshop proposed that the ecosystem services approach should be used to evaluate Kerala’s wetlands and the state should I hope our readers will find this issue informative and interesting to read. also consider setting up a ‘conservation toll’ for highways that pass through wildlife areas.

“Kerala currently has 24 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). Eleven more have been identified. These biodiversity jewels in Kerala’s crown are of high value not just for birds, but for fish and butterflies as well and should be protected. The Pratik P. Tambe wetlands of the state distinguish Kerala from many other states. These amazing places deserve protection,” said Neha Sinha of Scientist-in-Charge BNHS-India.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/ibcn-to-compile-kerala-bird-atlas/article7327975.ece

2 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 3 ENVIS News EDITORIAL

most beautiful landscapes and the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature. Yet it is not necessary to u

August 2012, the BNHS has constituted an Advisory Committee for monitoring D

visit a forest or field to fulfill this hobby, it can also be done in one’s backyard, even in urban h

and guiding the activities of the BNHS-ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. i

a settlements. In this issue, we have covered two beautifully written articles in which the authors have d

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/ibcn-to-compile-kerala-bird-atlas/article7327975.ece

2 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 3 International News The European Robin is selected as the national bird of UK

A campaign to select the UK’s most popular bird has been concluded and the winner, unsurprisingly to Bird Identification App Developed By Cornell Research Team many, is the European Robin. The European male A research project, collaborated on by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, USA and Visipedia, has led to the development of a variety is distinguished by a distinctive red breast. sophisticated bird identification application. The software’s advanced algorithm is capable of recognizing hundreds of different The UK, unlike many other nations, does not have a bird species from photos. The app, known as Merlin Bird Photo ID, can work out the identities of some 400 birds common to national bird. As part of a campaign to resolve this, Canada and the United States. ornithologist David Lindo ran a poll whereby people could vote from a shortlist to determine which feathered friend most typified Britain. The outcome was the robin. Given the ubiquity of the red breasted bird adorning many Christmas cards, the selection was perhaps unsurprising. e l d

BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 n Talking with the BBC ahead of the close of the poll, a S

m i

and predicting victory for the robin, Lindo reminded T voters that the robin, although found in many British European Robin Erithacus rubecula gardens during the winter, is arguably not a “true” British bird: “People consider the robin as a British bird – but [like] a lot of our native birds, some of the population move south to Siberia for the winter and are replaced by immigrants from the continent.”

With the poll outcome, some 240,000 people voted. Of these, some 34 percent selected the robin as the best candidate for the national bird. Coming a distant second was the barn owl, with 12 percent; and close behind, at number three and with 11 percent, was the blackbird, known for its beautiful song.

At number four was the wren and taking fifth spot was the red kite. At sixth was the kingfisher; whereas seventh and eighth spots were taken by mute swan and the blue tit. Finishing off the top 10 came the hen harrier and the puffin.

According to Merlin Project Leader Jessie Barry, Merlin Bird Photo ID manages to find the identity of a given bird and place it With the selection of the robin, an opinion piece in The Independent points out that the bird is not quite as ‘cute’ as it is often within its “top three” results section around 90 percent of the time. “It’s designed to keep improving the more people use it,” portrayed; noting that robins compete very extensively both for territory and females often fight very aggressively. added Barry, referring to Merlin’s machine-learning technology. Discussing the outcome, Lindo told The Guardian: “If the truth be known it would be great if something else had won, like a Merlin users simply upload a photo of an unidentified bird and tell the application where and when the image was snapped. blackbird, but I’m very happy still that a European Robin has been confirmed as Britain’s national bird. I think it’s good and I Users then draw a box around the bird, thereby ensuring the algorithm doesn’t get confused by some of the surrounding foliage think it’s a bird that we can be proud of and hoist up on our shoulders now.” or landscape. They are then tasked with selecting the creature’s bill, eye and tail. Once these steps have been successfully As a comparator to the diminutive robin, the U.S. has the American bald eagle as its national bird; India has the vibrant peacock; executed, the app gets to work and presents a result within seconds. The software not only recognizes the bird species but Australia has the flightless emu; and France has Gallic rooster, the cockerel. presents users with additional photos and sounds of the bird in question. The next stage of Lindo’s campaign is to have the British government formally adopt the robin as the national bird. Serge Belongie, a computer science professor at Cornell Tech, explained that computers are far superior to humans when it comes to processing images. “They can organize, index and match vast constellations of visual information such as the colours Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/the-robin-is-selected-as-the-u-k-s-national- of the feathers and shapes of the bill,” he explained. bird/article/435651#ixzz3fkHd7BPd

However, while Merlin offers a powerful indexing and identification service, it relies heavily on the work of human beings. Merlin accesses a vast catalogue of thousands of bird images, all of which have been pre-identified by ornithologists and bird enthusiasts. The algorithm also takes advantage of a bird sighting database, eBird.org, to narrow down its search and more accurately hone in on a particular bird’s identity.

Source: http://www.viralglobalnews.com/science/bird-identification-app-developed-by-cornell-research-team/30888/

4 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 5 International News The European Robin is selected as the national bird of UK

BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 n Talking with the BBC ahead of the close of the poll, a S

m i

Source: http://www.viralglobalnews.com/science/bird-identification-app-developed-by-cornell-research-team/30888/

4 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 5 Articles Annotations:

February 5, 2015: The following species were sighted at Pawalgarh FRH –Hathigaliyar Birding in Pawalgarh (Sitabani) trail: Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus seen perched and hunting in a Conservation Reserve crop field near Chunakhan FRH. A Himalayan Pied Kingfisher Ceryle lugubris was seen hunting in the river bed. It kept a safe Raju Kasambe* and Nandkishor Dudhe** distance from us. Four River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii were seen in the river basin. Two Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus (Near

Threatened) were seen perched atop trees. A flock of four Great Slaty b

Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus (Vulnerable) flew across the a

j river over our heads, calling loudly. A few Hair-crested Drongo a

R Dicrurus hottentotus, and a Red-billed Blue-Magpie Urocissa Fulvous-breasted Pied Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei erythrorhyncha were seen moving in tree canopies. Other important sightings of the day were Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana, Grey-crowned Warbler Seicercus burkii, Plumbeous Water-redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus, Chestnut-headed Tesia Oligura castaneocoronata, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Hypopicus hyperythrus, and a Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis. A Pied Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus, and a flock of Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni were seen.

February 6, 2015:

s A Black Stork Ciconia nigra was seen in the river bed. It flew and

u j landed after flying some distance. Other important sightings of the

day were Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata, Himalayan Bulbul b

Pycnonotus leucogenys, Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus a

K Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve is the third conservation reserve in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in Nainital district

flaviventris, Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva, and Grey- a between the Ramnagar-Haldwani Highway and the rivers Dabka and Kosi. The reserve includes beautiful and biodiversity-rich R breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii. Lineated Barbet terai-bhabhar forests in Nainital district and in Ramnagar Forest Division in Uttarakhand (29.36 N and 79.24 E). The altitude of Megalaima lineata the area varies from 300 to 700 msl. This conservation reserve, which was notified in December 2012, encompasses an area of Tawny Fish-owl Ketupa flavipes: A single bird was seen in dense nearly 49 sq. km, and is part of the Terai Arc Landscape. Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve has some beautiful patches of forests forest, roosting in a tree near Barati Rau waterfall in Chunakhan area. which attract many birdwatchers. These patches are Pawalgarh, Sitabani, Kyari, Sandanigaja, Kaladhungi, and Kotabagh. It was identified later from the photographs. Pawalgarh was once the hunting ground of Jim Corbett and many of his stories are set in this area, including the hunt for the famed tiger, ‘The Bachelor of Pawalgarh’. It has patches of Sino-Himalayan Subtropical as well as Sino-Himalayan Temperate February 7, 2015: Forest, besides cropfields and many villages. Pawalgarh to Karda Srot Trails: The trail from the Pawalgarh FRH towards Karda Srot yielded good We attended the 2nd Uttarakhand Spring Bird Festival which was held in Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve. The festival was sightings. These included a flock of 8–10 Green-crowned Warbler organized during February 4–8, 2015. The main objectives behind this festival are to involve more people in birdwatching and Seicercus burkii which was seen in bushes. They kept calling in a very promote bird tourism, to create employment for the local people. More than 3,000 people attended this four-day festival, low tone and kept to the inside of the bush. A lone Slaty-blue including more than 1,000 school children and members of the local community. Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor was seen on the fringe of forest and crop field.

We participated in the various trails and also birdwatched opportunistically in and around Pawalgarh and Chunakhan (near e

Bailparao) areas, the Hathigaliyar trail on February 5, the waterfall in Chunakhan Range on February 6, and did the Karda Srot s

Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria (Near Threatened): A K

u trail on February 7, 2015, as well as Buck Scent Resort and around Chunakhan Forest Rest House (FRH). We sighted 94 species j

single bird was seen on February 7, 2015 flying over a cropfield. R of birds during five days. Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus

6 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 7 Articles Annotations:

Threatened) were seen perched atop trees. A flock of four Great Slaty b

Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus (Vulnerable) flew across the a

j river over our heads, calling loudly. A few Hair-crested Drongo a

February 6, 2015:

s A Black Stork Ciconia nigra was seen in the river bed. It flew and

u j landed after flying some distance. Other important sightings of the

day were Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata, Himalayan Bulbul b

Pycnonotus leucogenys, Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus a

K Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve is the third conservation reserve in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in Nainital district

We participated in the various trails and also birdwatched opportunistically in and around Pawalgarh and Chunakhan (near e

Bailparao) areas, the Hathigaliyar trail on February 5, the waterfall in Chunakhan Range on February 6, and did the Karda Srot s

Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria (Near Threatened): A K

u trail on February 7, 2015, as well as Buck Scent Resort and around Chunakhan Forest Rest House (FRH). We sighted 94 species j

single bird was seen on February 7, 2015 flying over a cropfield. R of birds during five days. Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus

6 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 7

s Other birds observed: u

n i

Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri (Near Threatened): At a p s t i ] a

l u s a

i l h a s o n h s i c a least six birds were seen on February 5, a flock of 24 birds was seen on d h o s p u n h s n s r s s s s c s s n y i a p u u s u s o u u u n u a s o e t r t h e i j c n s b i u c e r t u y e r n a t r r s c o a

February 6, and at least 25 of them were seen on February 7,2015. a a s u a n i o a r a b n n h t r s e o i o e r i i o n r i t o y c t i r r e g e e l h o t t r i n c i r o e d p n l s r a a s a o v o n y t a p s p n k u e m h i t i a o l h o d a p l o i r o p t s t u e v r s o h a s r r o o i l e a p i t r a s p i d t t c n c s a t e y l e c u c c c s l i a n a i s s o a e m s g

e r r e a

n n a p N i m r b t l a u t a

e m c r

h u s a a e h p e a i d t a a u a t t c

i e

Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris: A few birds were s

m p s e c a o i c p s s p n c s n h k x o m l g

s s i s n o m s [ e i a

i a p c h d u u

f a a y n s h l s a

u u t n o s o s s a s s c d i a p i i o o s s c c i c t r i r r r p s i t e r u u o r u u t u u i r c r r c f a a u i u u s e o l l i i o u u o seen around the Chunakhan Forest Rest House area every day. On e h i i u n d e c d n p d e e c a l l c v v t u s t i i r r h o o c d a a l e h n n e g o c c l a r r n t i i a r r s o o o s t t t r r i i i i c c i i c o a t t p r l r r i i r r e u e h o o i r r a e a l d d c c o u e e i i February 5, 2015, we saw six of them feeding on ripe figs. Next day, a S F T M P P O O S S C P C S S Z A P P O O E E D C D G A C C j U D

we saw nine of these hornbills. They regularly visited an ancient h

c r t h

e i r e a c r a l t Peepal Ficus religiosa tree nearby, which was laden with figs. They p e h i - r e l a e b t d

e s g

l e y r r o l p b h e u i e a r d t l e o r a h g e e g o r i n i a

T i a N u c v i e i n y n

were highly vocal and announced their arrival loudly. w a

M r t n i r r W a d t b e

o d l

o o N a

d a r - c W r O - e e r P r

a O r e

i t

d e r g c

e e o w a i u C i d n e d d e b e n t l n y D C t d

t o l e l d W

t l o i i e

p o l

i y

a l e k e r n a n e o e t d r g

a S

a i e b B h d t d g a e e

r c

F n a r w d T u

T g e d n n

w s e i l

e e b M b T n a y h b a d

a o

Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum: An owlet near Pawalgarh village d t d l r i S s r o e o o D w a - - o

n a o W d r a

l h o e

p r s r t t

e a i R n n e r u o u e i S i T o r e l

l f

B n

d l e B

r e S C B G u u r

c l

o o s h l

o r - h b

D P

o a

r s s i

o e - i b P D h

c - b h - e n n t t c e e e e e

c s g n n - a

s i z t t u u t - - - m m n t

was seen active in a cropfield, even at 12:30 am in full sunlight. b

l r e n e k k n t -

s s y y s s a a - a c y n a n o o y e y y a e r -

a g c c g v e i i t m u u

n f m e e m f i e h h i r d c

i e e e e l i e o

r i o n a a

n a d d s r r r r r o s a r r s o

v u o h i a h r l l r o e u e y a p l

u l n n

A Another was seen in Chunakhan FRH active throughout the day. S S J R A G C C G G G f C B C V O C H I I B B A H B G D A C H L R R

Plumbeous Water-redstart . r 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4

Phoenicurus fuliginosus S 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 Other Fauna: As Pawalgarh is near Corbett Tiger Reserve, most of the larger s a l u

s s s i i a n u

a s mammals and other fauna is expected to be similar. During our stay, s t h a h n s n i n p t s

s s s r e s e e u h

i e e i t n

e s l s u s y u u r r c n a a a t

n we saw Cheetal Axis axis, troops of Nepal Grey Langur r c s n u o g u a a i

i a s x n c l p e n

r s h e o e s n o i i s e t d s l i l i o i a l e a l e g a g

m u

n c a u l t y l r c n a a v u v p g o s

e o r m i m r e l i a a h o i r s a s e r e Semnopithecus schistaceus, and Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta in a o h y a h c e o i a l l r i r a l v e c e u e t f e p u u p p i g h c r r y a u m h i h u e t u a p a m r e s

d p n a a o w f t e h n e v o e l o

b i l a y x a s s s f b a u s c j l f c a s a l z l r e s s s a p

s i h l s c o h

n e the croplands. Among reptiles, we saw an Indian Rock Python Python o o i a u

a i a s s s s s s b u u u N r a u n m t a m a a y P p p t t s

s h p w p c u r u u u u r

m o e i a h c i t t t t o o o o u

l a a a u p m m m m n u o i r a r s h l l i i a a n c c c c p o o o o c h a h f l n o l l c u u o l l d i i o u u i molurus. l i p i l i i a a i o o o o i i c n n n n c

o r t l l h u u o

d d p r p r o r r c c o h o y n p p o o o o r e i h i i s t a a p d d d n c c c r s d o d l a a l t e d i o o n n n n i i i h p l t t u e e e g g o e o e p n p n m

n i o o r r c c c c g n n i x l p c c c t e e u o o y e y e i i e h o a i e e y y y y e h h h i i c a e h h S X M M D H D P c D D M M M T H P P P P P P A C R M C P S R F F g

Discussion: i S

t r k s r a c Pawalgarh is home to at least 350 species of birds. A checklist of r d t e a e

l l s l l r e i i k n t k b h i h d r e i d u i l a a c e k c e s c a e

e t k t t e i t b b t t i u a e

Pawalgarh published by the Uttarakhand Forest Department (Anon. i u B r l r h e e g n l a m t o r n

r r b - b P p e l u h c r l

a a b c v f a a u a a h r e h t d p u s - i r l

t u d y s F h b B e F - o a a e t B o a b - l n

l W

t F

e t r d m

i c d l i

2015) contains 352 species of birds. There are no other published c B t e n t o g d d t a u F

d l e e e a d B e d p o u d y

s a d i i l b

t e e s n e l e d v h w e n M g r B e t a o r i r d e i a W i h

a i r r r i W h

P F B

e c

l l t

o F l d l a a o a t

g e e o c p t e e e t t l

n l l d t w i d s r t y

papers about this site. E-bird website (www.ebird.org, accessed on a g I W

a i o l n n n s s k a h e k k k k t B

e e d e s o S i r u h b e a M

m e a a a s e l s t c m

c c c a r

b e c n n - b a i i r

B h h o h l M l d u i s y y y - u - n

e e e y s n Y b t

e o o s - e a W h r c e r

l a e s a a a t

h S - -

e r t P a p p p u - - e r t t B n l l l July 17, 2015) has a checklist of 119 species of birds reported from e

s w W b i - h e F i u e e e

m m t v w b

d d d o e a k k r

a a a n l

a e t t t p o g - - - c o w a y e l s i i i r e c c o o o l n v m e e d C

i p f m m t e d d d n l l e i e s o a m m m a a u h h h n t o o o e u b

v i i r i r r o r u l o e e l o l e e i e o i Pawalgarh. A checklist of 687 species of birds of Uttarakhand p u i c l i

S C B L F W R W H W L H B G W W C P L S R R H B C Y W B O P S G L R

Himalayan Bulbul compiled by Mohan & Sondhi (2014) has recently been published by . r 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3

S 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6

Pycnonotus leucogenys

the Uttarakhand Forest Department.

Acknowledgements: s i

r l s

i a s s

Thanks to Mr. Sanjay Sondhi (of Titli Trust) and Mr. Rajiv Bhartari, s h o u m i

s r s s i p s a d r u i i e i i a i s u e t l c l u s n s s d i i b

t r i i c a e l a s h r s s n a s

Chief Conservator of Forests and Ecotourism, and the organizers of n n e e i r d i t a s e o s c c a g e t e n u u a e a t s s d s s n m a u l n u u s m e a e e n i i x n i n a a s e n m i a n s l c i o e i p i a i a a r r o a n n e n a i n s e r o p i a r d s y a u s r e l i r u r h y r u v y e the festival for excellent arrangements during the entire programme. r l b i o r t i t d i a u v r s r o a p a g h s c c k e a m u g v l i a N u e s a h n m b m b i e c r g

i l l b m a e c t t i d s c

l l a p i g

s a a a a a a r t c u s a g n l a i s h

s s i i l l l l s r u s i o i a u a f i e e s c a l l s s m

i g n l f p n o u e c u u u u u r p d a

a i p d u e e t u u i r a n i l s o c i a o c c c c s

c s t i t a o i o e l l t a l r p p e c p m c y l l l o t u l r r n p r e a a a a u o u d p n l u i t c o o o t t t t y o l c u y e e i e e u

n v o o c u h a e e t t t t l l l l l l a References: y l r b t u l v n t r t c g a i i i i i n n i i i d c s a c i a l a c i i o h e e e g u r u l c q e a a s s s s l n c a a p p p

S E B A B C E M A S N A A F G P V V C S S C P P P P C K G H A C O A

Anon. (2015) A Checklist of the Birds of Pawalgarh Conservation

r e e

Reserve. Published by Uttarakhand Forest Department. Pp.18. h

e h s l i s

t t l f i

l t e

f t e

e g g l a i l r e l e

e g

Mohan, D. & Sondhi, S. (2014) An updated checklist of the birds of e t

e n n b i g

e e e i i - e k n k a e n b i r h k n k

a k a t e r

e w K n s i r a r r g a o

K i n l o r r p w r r a t a

Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Forest Department. Pp. 54. l u f d E K e l o l o a a t a a e

n w d H g P P g e l c e n a v

i e P h e P L e d l w o H n e t n H u

l c n

v o - t o d e o

d i

e -

i e a p P t e o v r l e f u a o

d d d e o t t b e e l r y V e k eBird website: f h g

i e D F

t w o e g l n K e e e r a e o o n e n e e d

a s

m l

i s l s n D

w t a r r p r P i b g a g o a r e

t i

a o e H g D i S

g C C n a i u t

t a g h

s l

E F e y n n d d O n P P G t e n o s

o r i a w

a e P

d i l S K d a d

i a n L

http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L3295186?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec E h - r n

- r e e t r u l e e y a e e r a

K - e e g n n n h - i e

m a t t w b r l t r J r t t r k k k a p n g e t n n k a a a

- - c t e g u a a e a e t i x s

j g e c c c k m e e i i i p i a c s m e d d d i o e e i s u r e m e a w v a a a n h n r e u d d d r l r i r i l l l r h i e e o o e o a a m p t h t e p l a

R u n n n S G E I S B B B S C C S C P R I R R R L S E P R A R G T J W C H I O

White-throated Fantail * Raju Kasambe, Project Manager IBA-IBCN .

r 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 1

Rhipibura albicollis ** Nandkishor Dudhe, Research Assistant IBA-IBCN S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3

8 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 9

s Other birds observed: u

n i

Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri (Near Threatened): At a p s t i ] a

l u s a

e r r e a

n n a p N i m r b t l a u t a

e m c r

h u s a a e h p e a i d t a a u a t t c

i e

Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris: A few birds were s

m p s e c a o i c p s s p n c s n h k x o m l g

s s i s n o m s [ e i a

i a p c h d u u

f a a y n s h l s a

we saw nine of these hornbills. They regularly visited an ancient h

c r t h

e i r e a c r a l t Peepal Ficus religiosa tree nearby, which was laden with figs. They p e h i - r e l a e b t d

e s g

l e y r r o l p b h e u i e a r d t l e o r a h g e e g o r i n i a

T i a N u c v i e i n y n

were highly vocal and announced their arrival loudly. w a

M r t n i r r W a d t b e

o d l

o o N a

d a r - c W r O - e e r P r

a O r e

i t

d e r g c

e e o w a i u C i d n e d d e b e n t l n y D C t d

t o l e l d W

t l o i i e

p o l

i y

a l e k e r n a n e o e t d r g

a S

a i e b B h d t d g a e e

r c

F n a r w d T u

T g e d n n

w s e i l

e e b M b T n a y h b a d

a o

Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum: An owlet near Pawalgarh village d t d l r i S s r o e o o D w a - - o

n a o W d r a

l h o e

p r s r t t

e a i R n n e r u o u e i S i T o r e l

l f

B n

d l e B

r e S C B G u u r

c l

o o s h l

o r - h b

D P

o a

r s s i

o e - i b P D h

c - b h - e n n t t c e e e e e

c s g n n - a

s i z t t u u t - - - m m n t

was seen active in a cropfield, even at 12:30 am in full sunlight. b

l r e n e k k n t -

s s y y s s a a - a c y n a n o o y e y y a e r -

a g c c g v e i i t m u u

n f m e e m f i e h h i r d c

i e e e e l i e o

r i o n a a

n a d d s r r r r r o s a r r s o

v u o h i a h r l l r o e u e y a p l

u l n n

A Another was seen in Chunakhan FRH active throughout the day. S S J R A G C C G G G f C B C V O C H I I B B A H B G D A C H L R R

Plumbeous Water-redstart . r 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4

Phoenicurus fuliginosus S 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 Other Fauna: As Pawalgarh is near Corbett Tiger Reserve, most of the larger s a l u

s s s i i a n u

a s mammals and other fauna is expected to be similar. During our stay, s t h a h n s n i n p t s

s s s r e s e e u h

i e e i t n

e s l s u s y u u r r c n a a a t

n we saw Cheetal Axis axis, troops of Nepal Grey Langur r c s n u o g u a a i

i a s x n c l p e n

r s h e o e s n o i i s e t d s l i l i o i a l e a l e g a g

m u

n c a u l t y l r c n a a v u v p g o s

d p n a a o w f t e h n e v o e l o

b i l a y x a s s s f b a u s c j l f c a s a l z l r e s s s a p

s i h l s c o h

n e the croplands. Among reptiles, we saw an Indian Rock Python Python o o i a u

a i a s s s s s s b u u u N r a u n m t a m a a y P p p t t s

s h p w p c u r u u u u r

m o e i a h c i t t t t o o o o u

l a a a u p m m m m n u o i r a r s h l l i i a a n c c c c p o o o o c h a h f l n o l l c u u o l l d i i o u u i molurus. l i p i l i i a a i o o o o i i c n n n n c

o r t l l h u u o

d d p r p r o r r c c o h o y n p p o o o o r e i h i i s t a a p d d d n c c c r s d o d l a a l t e d i o o n n n n i i i h p l t t u e e e g g o e o e p n p n m

n i o o r r c c c c g n n i x l p c c c t e e u o o y e y e i i e h o a i e e y y y y e h h h i i c a e h h S X M M D H D P c D D M M M T H P P P P P P A C R M C P S R F F g

Discussion: i S

t r k s r a c Pawalgarh is home to at least 350 species of birds. A checklist of r d t e a e

l l s l l r e i i k n t k b h i h d r e i d u i l a a c e k c e s c a e

e t k t t e i t b b t t i u a e

Pawalgarh published by the Uttarakhand Forest Department (Anon. i u B r l r h e e g n l a m t o r n

r r b - b P p e l u h c r l

a a b c v f a a u a a h r e h t d p u s - i r l

t u d y s F h b B e F - o a a e t B o a b - l n

l W

t F

e t r d m

i c d l i

2015) contains 352 species of birds. There are no other published c B t e n t o g d d t a u F

d l e e e a d B e d p o u d y

s a d i i l b

t e e s n e l e d v h w e n M g r B e t a o r i r d e i a W i h

a i r r r i W h

P F B

e c

l l t

o F l d l a a o a t

g e e o c p t e e e t t l

n l l d t w i d s r t y

papers about this site. E-bird website (www.ebird.org, accessed on a g I W

a i o l n n n s s k a h e k k k k t B

e e d e s o S i r u h b e a M

m e a a a s e l s t c m

c c c a r

b e c n n - b a i i r

B h h o h l M l d u i s y y y - u - n

e e e y s n Y b t

e o o s - e a W h r c e r

l a e s a a a t

h S - -

e r t P a p p p u - - e r t t B n l l l July 17, 2015) has a checklist of 119 species of birds reported from e

s w W b i - h e F i u e e e

m m t v w b

d d d o e a k k r

a a a n l

a e t t t p o g - - - c o w a y e l s i i i r e c c o o o l n v m e e d C

i p f m m t e d d d n l l e i e s o a m m m a a u h h h n t o o o e u b

v i i r i r r o r u l o e e l o l e e i e o i Pawalgarh. A checklist of 687 species of birds of Uttarakhand p u i c l i

S C B L F W R W H W L H B G W W C P L S R R H B C Y W B O P S G L R

Himalayan Bulbul compiled by Mohan & Sondhi (2014) has recently been published by . r 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3

S 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6

Pycnonotus leucogenys the Uttarakhand Forest Department.

Acknowledgements: s i

r l s

i a s s

Thanks to Mr. Sanjay Sondhi (of Titli Trust) and Mr. Rajiv Bhartari, s h o u m i

s r s s i p s a d r u i i e i i a i s u e t l c l u s n s s d i i b

t r i i c a e l a s h r s s n a s

i l l b m a e c t t i d s c

l l a p i g

s a a a a a a r t c u s a g n l a i s h

s s i i l l l l s r u s i o i a u a f i e e s c a l l s s m

i g n l f p n o u e c u u u u u r p d a

a i p d u e e t u u i r a n i l s o c i a o c c c c s

c s t i t a o i o e l l t a l r p p e c p m c y l l l o t u l r r n p r e a a a a u o u d p n l u i t c o o o t t t t y o l c u y e e i e e u

n v o o c u h a e e t t t t l l l l l l a References: y l r b t u l v n t r t c g a i i i i i n n i i i d c s a c i a l a c i i o h e e e g u r u l c q e a a s s s s l n c a a p p p

S E B A B C E M A S N A A F G P V V C S S C P P P P C K G H A C O A

Anon. (2015) A Checklist of the Birds of Pawalgarh Conservation

r e e

Reserve. Published by Uttarakhand Forest Department. Pp.18. h

e h s l i s

t t l f i

l t e

f t e

e g g l a i l r e l e

e g

Mohan, D. & Sondhi, S. (2014) An updated checklist of the birds of e t

e n n b i g

e e e i i - e k n k a e n b i r h k n k

a k a t e r

e w K n s i r a r r g a o

K i n l o r r p w r r a t a

Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Forest Department. Pp. 54. l u f d E K e l o l o a a t a a e

n w d H g P P g e l c e n a v

i e P h e P L e d l w o H n e t n H u

l c n

v o - t o d e o

d i

e -

i e a p P t e o v r l e f u a o

d d d e o t t b e e l r y V e k eBird website: f h g

i e D F

t w o e g l n K e e e r a e o o n e n e e d

a s

m l

i s l s n D

w t a r r p r P i b g a g o a r e

t i

a o e H g D i S

g C C n a i u t

t a g h

s l

E F e y n n d d O n P P G t e n o s

o r i a w

a e P

d i l S K d a d

i a n L

http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L3295186?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec E h - r n

- r e e t r u l e e y a e e r a

K - e e g n n n h - i e

m a t t w b r l t r J r t t r k k k a p n g e t n n k a a a

- - c t e g u a a e a e t i x s

j g e c c c k m e e i i i p i a c s m e d d d i o e e i s u r e m e a w v a a a n h n r e u d d d r l r i r i l l l r h i e e o o e o a a m p t h t e p l a

R u n n n S G E I S B B B S C C S C P R I R R R L S E P R A R G T J W C H I O

White-throated Fantail * Raju Kasambe, Project Manager IBA-IBCN .

r 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 1

Rhipibura albicollis ** Nandkishor Dudhe, Research Assistant IBA-IBCN S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3

8 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 9

Annotations: Checklist of Birds Sighted in Rajasthan ·White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (CR) Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert Single bird seen on a Camel carcass at Desert National Park. No. Chhapar National Park ·Red-headed Vulture Aegypius calvus (CR) 1 Eastern Cattle Egret Bu bulcus coromandus Y Y Single bird seen on a Camel carcass at Desert National Park. 2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Y Y ·Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (CR) 3 Grey Heron A rdea cinerea Y 4 Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii Y Flock of 7 birds, 4 male and 3 female at Desert National Park. 5 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus Y ·Sociable Plover Vanellus gregarius (CR) 6 Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Y Flock of 4 birds seen at Tal Chhapar. 7 Greylag Goose Anser anser Y

·Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (EN) 8 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Y 9 Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos Y More than 200 birds seen at Jor Beed, and 5 at Desert National 10 Common Teal Anas crecca Y

Park. 11 Gadwall Mareca strepera Y Y ·Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga hastata (VU) 12 Eurasian Wigeon M areca penelope Y

Single bird seen perched at Jor Beed. 13 Northern Shoveller Spatula clypeata Y Great Indian Bustard 14 Northern Pinta il Anas acuta Y Y Ardeotis nigriceps ·Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca (VU) 15 Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha Y Y

Single bird seen at Tal Chhapar and Jor Beed. 16 Mallard An as platyrhynchos Y ·Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii (VU) 17 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca Y 18 Common Pochard Aythya ferina Y Single bird seen at Desert National Park. 19 Red-crested Po chard Netta rufina Y ·Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni (VU) 20 Black-winged Kite Ela nus caeruleus Y Y Y Y Y

Flock of 30 individuals seen at Jor Beed. 21 Black Kite Milvus migrans migrans Y Y ·White-browed Bushchat Saxicola macrorhynchus (VU) 22 White-eyed Buzzard Bu tastur teesa Y 23 ‘Steppe’ Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus Y Single bird seen doing “Pitch and roll” at Desert National Park. 24 Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus Y Y ·Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca (NT) 25 Shikra Accipiter badius Y Y

Four birds seen in Naliasar Wetland. 26 Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus Y Y ·Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus (NT) 27 Indian Spotted Eagle Clang a hastata Y 28 Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax Single bird seen on a Camel carcass at Desert National Park. 29 Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis Y Y ·Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (NT) 30 Eastern Imperial Eagl e Aquila heliaca Y Y

Five birds seen at Tal Chhapar. 31 White-tailed Eagle Halia eetus albicilla Y ·Red-headed Falcon Falco chicquera (NT) 32 Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus Y 33 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus Y Y Single bird seen in Tal Chhapar, perched close to the main gate. Egyptian Vulture 34 White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis Y Neophron percnopterus · Laggar Falcon Falco jugger (NT) 35 Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus Y

Single bird seen perched in Tal Chhapar. 36 Red-headed Vulture Aegypius calvus Y 37 Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus Y Y ·‘Western’ Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (NT) 38 Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus Y Flock of 17 birds seen feeding at Naliasar wetland. 39 Montagu’s Harrier Cir cus pygargus Y ·River Tern Sterna aurantia (NT) 40 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Y

Single bird seen over Salt Pan area of Tal Chhapar. 41 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Y Y Y Y 42 Lesser Kestrel Falco n aumanni Y (CR: Critically Endangered, EN: Endangered, VU: Vulnerable, NT: Near 43 Red-headed Falcon Falco chicquera Y Threatened) 44 Peregrine Falcon Fal co peregrinus calidus Y 45 Laggar Falcon Falco jugger Y 46 Black Francolin Fr ancolinus francolinus Y References: 47 Grey Francol in Francolinus Y Y Y BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Ardeotis nigriceps. pondicerianus

Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/06/2015. 48 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus Rasmussen, P.C. & J.C. Anderton (2012): Birds of South Asia: The Ripley 49 Demoiselle Crane Gru s virgo Y Y 50 Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps Y Guide Vol. 1: Field guide. Vol. 2: Attributes and status. S m i t h s o n i a n 51 Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii Y Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington, D.C. & Barcelona. 52 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Y

River Tern 53 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Y Y Sterna aurantia Asif N. Khan, Associate Programme Officer BNHS

14 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 15 Annotations: Checklist of Birds Sighted in Rajasthan ·White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (CR) Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert Single bird seen on a Camel carcass at Desert National Park. No. Chhapar National Park ·Red-headed Vulture Aegypius calvus (CR) 1 Eastern Cattle Egret Bu bulcus coromandus Y Y Single bird seen on a Camel carcass at Desert National Park. 2 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Y Y ·Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (CR) 3 Grey Heron A rdea cinerea Y 4 Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii Y Flock of 7 birds, 4 male and 3 female at Desert National Park. 5 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus Y ·Sociable Plover Vanellus gregarius (CR) 6 Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Y Flock of 4 birds seen at Tal Chhapar. 7 Greylag Goose Anser anser Y

Park. 11 Gadwall Mareca strepera Y Y ·Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga hastata (VU) 12 Eurasian Wigeon M areca penelope Y

River Tern 53 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Y Y Sterna aurantia Asif N. Khan, Associate Programme Officer BNHS

14 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 15 Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert No. Chhapar National Park No. Chhapar National Park

54 Cream-coloured Co urser Cursorius cursor Y 101 Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis Y 55 Indian Courser Cursoriu s Y Y 102 Small Minivet Pericrocotus Y

co romandelicus cinnamomeus 56 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanell us indicus Y 103 White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis Y Y Y

57 Sociable Plover Vanellus gregarius Y 104 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer Y Y Y 58 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Y 105 Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Y 59 ‘Western’ B lack-tailed Limosa limosa Y 106 Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus Y Y

Godwit 107 Rufous-backed Long- Lanius schach Y Y Y Y 60 Ruff Philomachus pugnax Y tailed Shrike erythronotus

61 Common Redshank Tringa totanus Y 108 Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor lahtora Y 62 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus Y 109 Oriental Magpie-robin Copsychus saularis Y Y Y 63 Common Greenshank Tringa neb ularia Y 110 Indian Black Robin Copsychus fulicatus Y Y Y

64 Wood Sandpiper Tr inga glareola Y 111 Brown Rock-chat Oenanthe fusca Y 65 Green Sandpiper Tring a ochropus Y 112 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Y phoenicuroides 66 Temminck’s Stint Ereunetes temminckii Y Y 67 Little Stint Ereunetes minutus Y Y 113 Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina Y Y 68 River Tern Sterna aurantia Y 114 Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygia Y

69 Chestnut-bellied Pterocles exustus Y 115 Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka Y Sandgrouse 116 Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti deserti Y Y Y 70 Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pteroc les orientalis Y Y 117 Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata picata Y Y 71 Rock Pigeon Columba livia Y Y Y 118 Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus maurus Y Y Y Y Y 72 Yellow-eyed Pigeon Columba eversmanni Y 119 White-browed Bushchat Saxicola macrorhynchus Y

73 Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopel ia decaocto Y Y Y Y 120 Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata 74 Red Collared-dove Streptope lia Y Y 121 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva Y tranquebarica 122 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense Y Y

75 Yellow-footed Green- Treron p hoenicopterus Y 123 Common Babbler Turdoides caudata Y Y pigeon chlorigaster 124 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Y

76 Rose-ringed Parakee t Psittacula krameri Y Y 125 Rufous-fronted Prinia Prinia buchanani Y 77 Spotted Owlet Athene brama Y 126 Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis Y 78 Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus Y 127 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca Y Y 79 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis Y Y Y halimodendri benghalensis 128 Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana Y Y 80 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops epops Y 129 Indian Spotted Creeper Salpornis spilonotus Y 81 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Y Y Y Y 130 Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus Y Y Y 82 Lesser Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Y 131 Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus Y 83 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Y 132 Indian Silverbill Euodice malabarica Y Y 84 Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Y 133 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Y Y Y Y Y 85 Coppersmith Barbet Xantholaema Y 134 Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis Y haemacephala 135 Yellow-throated Sparrow Gymnoris xanthocollis Y 86 Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla Y 136 Black Drongo Edolius macrocercus Y Y Y Y Y Y 87 Bimaculated Lark Melanocorypha Y 137 Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum Y bimaculata 138 Rosy Starling Pastor roseus Y 88 Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicura Y 139 Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Y Y 89 Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti Y 140 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Y Y Y 90 Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella Y Y 141 House Crow Corvus splendens Y Y Y brachydactyla 142 Indian Jungle Crow Corvus [macrorhynchos] Y Y longipennis culminatus 91 Crested Lark Galerida cristata Y Y 143 Punjab Raven Corvus corax subcorax Y 92 Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula Y 93 Black-crowned Finch-lark Eremopterix nigriceps Y 94 Ashy-crowned Finch-lark Eremopterix griseus Y 95 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Y 96 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Y 97 Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Y 98 White Wagtail Motacilla alba Y 99 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus Y 100 Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Y

16 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 17 Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert Sr. Common Name Scientific name Tal Naliasar Sambhar Kheechan Jor Beed Desert No. Chhapar National Park No. Chhapar National Park

54 Cream-coloured Co urser Cursorius cursor Y 101 Long-billed Pipit Anthus similis Y 55 Indian Courser Cursoriu s Y Y 102 Small Minivet Pericrocotus Y

co romandelicus cinnamomeus 56 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanell us indicus Y 103 White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis Y Y Y

Godwit 107 Rufous-backed Long- Lanius schach Y Y Y Y 60 Ruff Philomachus pugnax Y tailed Shrike erythronotus

75 Yellow-footed Green- Treron p hoenicopterus Y 123 Common Babbler Turdoides caudata Y Y pigeon chlorigaster 124 Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis Y

16 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 17 ;qjksfi;u jksyj isB es 2 ;qjksfi;u jksyj gok ess >xM+rs gq, fn[kkbZ fn;ssA 'kk;n t+ehu ij viuk vf/kdkj trkus ds fy, mudh tn~nkstgn Pky fdj.k eksjs jgh FkhA blds dqN fnukas ckn mles ls ,d us vejkorh ls 10 fdyksehVj varj ij fLFkr ukanxkao isB ds pqaxh ukds ds ikl rks nwljs us ogakW ls 4 fdyksehVj vkxs ukxiqj jksM ij viuk vf/kdkj tek fy;k vkSj Hkkstu ds fy, yxus okyh viuh viuh txg xM+k yxHkx 3 feuV rd pykA varRk% ;qjksfi;u jksyj ogakW ls ihNs gVdj nwljh txg ij tkdj cSBkA ogha blds foijhr ifjfLFkfr vdksyk fOk|kihB ifjlj dh Fkh] ;qjksfi;u jksyj ftl LFkku ij Fks ogakW vklikl ds ifjlj esa ,d Hkh bafM;u jksyj ugh Fkk] vr% Li"V Fkk fd viuh cM+h la[;k ds dkj.k mUgkasus ml txg dks gfFk;k fy;k FkkA Hkkstu dh [kkst esa rkj ij ls uhPks vkrs le; ;k jkLrkas ls mM+rs le; cgq/kk muds lkFk nq?kZVuk,aW Hkh gksrh gS] D;ksa fd ges 2 ;qjksfi;u jksyj vyx vyx LFkkuksa ij okguksa ls dqpys gq, fn[kkbZ fn;sA vusd ladV vkus ij Hkh Hkkstu

h vk;k gSA i;kZIr Hkkstu [kkdj 'kjhj esa vko';d pjch tek dj mUgs vxyh ;k=k ds fy, rS;kj jguk gh iM+rk gSA

n i orZeku es ;qjksfi;u jksyj dk lekos'k vk;-;q-lh-,u- dh ladVxzLr iztkfr;ksa eas gks pqdk gS] vkSj xqtjrs le; ds lkFk

N European Roller Coracias garrulus mudh rknkn Hkh fujarj de gksrh tk jgh gSA gekjk vuqeku gS fd ;qjksfi;u jksyj dk eq[; fuokl [ksrksa ds ifjlj es gksus ds dkj.k] de gksrh tk jgh [ksrh vkSj Qlykas ij fNM+dk, tkus okys dhVuk'kd dh Oktg ls mudh la[;k de gksrh tk jgh gSA uhydaB ¼bafM;u jksyj Coracias benghalensis½ ;g i{kh ges izk;% [ksrksa ds ifjlj eas fLFkr fctyh ds [kacksa] rkjkas ij mM+rs gq, fn[krk gSA og vius ia[kksa ls uhyh vkHkk fc[ksjrs gq, lHkh dks ges'kk ls gh foLe`r dj tkrk gSsA uhydaB LFkkfud fuoklh gksus ds dkj.k bldk ges'kk fn[kkbZ nsuk LokHkkfod gSA tgakW ,d vksj uhydaB Hkkjr eas xzh"edky eas iztuu dj vius cPpkas dk ikyu iks"k.k djrk gS ogh nwljh vksj blh iztkfr ls lacaf/kr ;qjksfi;u jksyj ;qjksi vksj vjch izns'kkas es iztuu djrk gSA ;qjksfi;u jksyj B.M ds ekSle es vkfQzdk [kaM es izokl djrk gS] blh nkSjku og Hkkjr ds dqN izns'kkas esa Lke; O;rhr djrk gSA flracj ls vDrwcj ds nkSjku 'kgjkas ls FkksM+k nwj ysfdu NksVs xakWoksa ds ikl jkLrksa ij fLFkr fctyh ds [kackas] rkjkas ;k [ksrkas ds vkl ikl bafM;u jksyj dh rjg fn[kus okyk ysfdu FkksM+h nqcyh cukoV] uhyh xjnu okyk iaNh fn[kkbZ ns rks mls fuf'pr rkSj ij ;qjksfi;u jksyj Coracias garrulus le> ysuk pkfg,A FkksM+k ut+nhd ls fujh{k.k djus ij mldh vka[kksa ds ikl iryh lh dkyh js[kk vkSj bafM;u jksyj ls FkksM+h eksVh pksap Li"Vr% fn[kkbZ nsrh gSA gekjs vc rd ds v/;;u ls irk pyk gS fd] ;qjkfsi;u jksyj gj ,d LFkku ij yxHkx 8 ls 15 fnu fcrkrk gSA okilh

dh ;k=k esa egkjk"Vª esa eq[;r% fonHkZ eas gksuss okys dqN fnu ds fuokl dk voyksdu vkSj fujh{k.k djus dk fu.kZ; eSaus vsksj e

okbZYM ykbZQ vWUM ,uok;jesaV dkWUt+oZs’ku lkslk;Vh (osDl) ds vU; i{kh vH;kld] fuukn vHkax] f'k"khj 'ksaMksdkj] xkSjo dMw] r

i vyds'k Bkdjs] izk- xtkuu ok?k vkSj MkW- t;ar oMrdj vkfn us nks o"kZ iwoZ fd;k FkkA izkjaHk es flarcj 2013 ds nkSjku 4 k

;qjksfi;u jksyj dh tkudkjh feyh vkSj ;gha ls okLrfod v/;;u dk izkjaHk gqvkA flracj 2014 dks vejkorh ds ikl ukanxkao N Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis

18 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 19 ;qjksfi;u jksyj isB es 2 ;qjksfi;u jksyj gok ess >xM+rs gq, fn[kkbZ fn;ssA 'kk;n t+ehu ij viuk vf/kdkj trkus ds fy, mudh tn~nkstgn Pky fdj.k eksjs jgh FkhA blds dqN fnukas ckn mles ls ,d us vejkorh ls 10 fdyksehVj varj ij fLFkr ukanxkao isB ds pqaxh ukds ds ikl rks nwljs us ogakW ls 4 fdyksehVj vkxs ukxiqj jksM ij viuk vf/kdkj tek fy;k vkSj Hkkstu ds fy, yxus okyh viuh viuh txg xM+k yxHkx 3 feuV rd pykA varRk% ;qjksfi;u jksyj ogakW ls ihNs gVdj nwljh txg ij tkdj cSBkA ogha blds foijhr ifjfLFkfr vdksyk fOk|kihB ifjlj dh Fkh] ;qjksfi;u jksyj ftl LFkku ij Fks ogakW vklikl ds ifjlj esa ,d Hkh bafM;u jksyj ugh Fkk] vr% Li"V Fkk fd viuh cM+h la[;k ds dkj.k mUgkasus ml txg dks gfFk;k fy;k FkkA Hkkstu dh [kkst esa rkj ij ls uhPks vkrs le; ;k jkLrkas ls mM+rs le; cgq/kk muds lkFk nq?kZVuk,aW Hkh gksrh gS] D;ksa fd ges 2 ;qjksfi;u jksyj vyx vyx LFkkuksa ij okguksa ls dqpys gq, fn[kkbZ fn;sA vusd ladV vkus ij Hkh Hkkstu

a h vk;k gSA i;kZIr Hkkstu [kkdj 'kjhj esa vko';d pjch tek dj mUgs vxyh ;k=k ds fy, rS;kj jguk gh iM+rk gSA

n i orZeku es ;qjksfi;u jksyj dk lekos'k vk;-;q-lh-,u- dh ladVxzLr iztkfr;ksa eas gks pqdk gS] vkSj xqtjrs le; ds lkFk

dh ;k=k esa egkjk"Vª esa eq[;r% fonHkZ eas gksuss okys dqN fnu ds fuokl dk voyksdu vkSj fujh{k.k djus dk fu.kZ; eSaus vsksj e

okbZYM ykbZQ vWUM ,uok;jesaV dkWUt+oZs’ku lkslk;Vh (osDl) ds vU; i{kh vH;kld] fuukn vHkax] f'k"khj 'ksaMksdkj] xkSjo dMw] r

i vyds'k Bkdjs] izk- xtkuu ok?k vkSj MkW- t;ar oMrdj vkfn us nks o"kZ iwoZ fd;k FkkA izkjaHk es flarcj 2013 ds nkSjku 4 k

;qjksfi;u jksyj dh tkudkjh feyh vkSj ;gha ls okLrfod v/;;u dk izkjaHk gqvkA flracj 2014 dks vejkorh ds ikl ukanxkao N Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis

18 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 19 Abstracts User Forum

Birdbaths: Attracting birds to an urban home garden Different facilities for users on www.bnhsenvis.nic.in website are as follows: Bhat, S. óUsers can search through more than 17,000 bibliographical references on Indian birds. The present article describes how placing birdbaths, in an urban home garden, can provide a critical resource for the local óUsers can search for information from the many databases developed by the Centre. Databases include avifauna. Between 2009 and 2014, two earthen and three cement birdbaths, of various sizes, were placed in an urban home Endemic birds of India, Threatened birds of India, Important Bird Areas (IBAs), Birds in CITES, garden. In addition, two sprinklers were set-up to drench the leaves of two bushes to encourage birds to bathe in the water- Marine birds of India, and others. droplets collected on the leaves. A total of 47 species of birds comprising both residents, and migrants visited the birdbaths for óList of other ENVIS Centres on various subject areas for navigating through information on different drinking and bathing. The number of species visiting the birdbaths over the years, increased steadily from a mere eight species subjects related to the environment. in the first year. Conservation implications of providing birdbaths in residential urban gardens, and the resulting opportunities óLink to the websites and journals pertaining to Avian Ecology are available. óKid’s Centre aimed towards school-going children provides interesting facts on birds. for studying bird behavior, are discussed. óAll issues of BUCEROS, the Centre’s newsletter, are available for download in PDF format. Indian Birds (2014) 10(2): 35–39 óInformative Powerpoint presentations on birds are also available for download. óGlossary has more than 300 ornithological terms explained. Population trend of the common birds in a residential area of Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala óOnline query facility for users to drop a query to us. Raju, S. óContacts of eminent experts in ornithological studies have been given. The status and distribution of birds in Jawahar Nagar, a residential area in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala were studied from Request for Articles and Literature March 2005 to March 2010. Bird diversity, and abundance, were assessed through systematic, regular, and repeated surveys. Seventy-seven species of birds were identified during the study period, represented 34 families, of which one is categorised as Dear Readers, Near Threatened, four are in Schedule I of the Wildlife Act, 14 are migrants, 62 residents, and two, habitat specialists. 213 field 1) You are welcome to contribute articles, photographs pertaining to avian ecology, to our newsletter. hours were spent in the field. House Sparrows Passer domesticus, which were abundant during the 1990s, were totally absent 2) To strengthen our databases we would request you to send us literature which is not available on our during the study period. An analysis of the data showed a gradual increase in the diversity, and abundance, of birds in the initial website. years, followed by a decrease in the last year. Incidentally, the study area was under a lot of disturbance during the study, caused by construction activity, habitat destruction, etc. An increase in the numbers of some species, especially Rock Pigeon Columba Feedback and Queries livia, was noticed, along with the increased number of large apartment blocks in the area. 40 species of birds were recorded You can send your feedback pertaining to our website and BUCEROS newsletter via email or through our breeding in the area, using 31 trees of different species; more than ten other nesting sites were observed. One large roost was also website. Any queries related to avian ecology can also be sent to [email protected]. observed, with 10,000+ birds comprising nine species. The guild structure analysis of the birds showed an equal representation of insectivores and carnivores (20 species each). As birds are indicators of the health and quality of their environment, fixing priorities, and developing strategies, for their conservation is inevitable for a healthy urban agglomeration. Indian Birds (2014) 10(2): 40–45

A pilot survey of the avifauna of Rangdum Valley, Kargil, Ladakh (Indian Trans-Himalaya) Ahmed, T., A. Khan & P. Chandani An avifaunal survey of Rangdum Valley in Kargil District, Jammu & Kashmir, India was carried out between June and July 201l. McKinnon’s species richness and total count methods were used. A total of 69 species were recorded comprising six passage migrants, 25 residents, 36 summer visitors and three vagrants. The recorded species represents seven orders and 24 families, accounting for 23% of the species known from Ladakh. A majority of the bird species are insectivores. Key words: Avifauna, feeding guild, Ladakh, Rangdum Valley, status JoTT (2015) 7(6): 7274–7281

Black-headed Ibis Leptoptilos javanicus Photograph: Avinash Bhagat

20 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 Abstracts User Forum

Black-headed Ibis Leptoptilos javanicus Photograph: Avinash Bhagat

20 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BUCEROS Vol. 20, No. 1, 2015 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Founded in 1883 for the study of natural history, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is now one of the premier research and conservation organisations in the country. The Society publishes a journal, the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, devoted to natural history and also has a popular publication, Hornbill, for the layman. It has also published a number of books on wildlife and nature. Its library has a large collection of books and scientific journals on wildlife and the environment. The Society’s invaluable collection of bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian and insect specimens has been recognised as a National Heritage Collection.

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Membership Officer Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001. India. Email: [email protected] Tel: (91-22) 2282 1811

BUCEROS is an ENVIS (Environmental Information System) newsletter published thrice a year by the ENVIS Centre at the BNHS, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, New Delhi.

The Centre collects, collates, stores, and disseminates information on Avian Ecology.

Address for correspondence

Project Coordinator Tel: (91-22) 22821811 ENVIS Centre, Fax: (91-22) 22837615 Bombay Natural History Society, Email: [email protected] Hornbill House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Website: www.bnhsenvis.nic.in Mumbai 400 001. India.

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