Correspondence 89

Eurasian Ptyonoprogne rupestris in , The Ptyonoprogne rupestris breeds in the trans Himalaya (Ladakh, Baltistan, etc.) and parts of Himalaya between 1,600 and 5,000 m, and is also resident in parts of Himalaya eastwards to Bhutan. It has been recorded as a winter visitor to different parts of India, but records from north-eastern India do not exist in various works (Ali & Ripley 1987; Grimmett et al. 2011), despite its range extending continuously further eastwards into northern Myanmar and China. It is chiefly a montane and is generally found in rocky riversides and cliffs. On 30 November 2008, while coming back from Walong, Chaglagaum, and Hayuliang in Anjaw District, eastern Arunachal 112. Eurasian Crag Martins showing whitish throat. Pradesh, I saw some resting (lying down) at 1400 h, on the steep rocky slopes on the right bank of the . This location is about three kilometers (27.90ºN, 96.34ºE; ) from the bridge (towards the north-west) near Parshuram Kund, as the crow , where the Lohit River descends to the plains. The birds were on the northern side of the river, while Parshuram Kund on the southern side. Viewing them through binoculars, I realised they were martins and took several photographs for confirming the species in due course, as Choudhury Anwaruddin I was on way back to Guwahati. However, ‘due course’ became 12 years. I came across those photos again when searching for photos for my upcoming book. The birds were identified as Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris with dark brown upperparts, and dusky brown lower underparts; throat whitish, blending gradually with paler breast and dusky brown flanks 113. Eurasian Crag Martins resting on the rocks, Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh. [112, 113]. There were 12 birds on the rocky slope, while a few may have been on the wing. Rajneesh Suvarna’s records (2014a,b) from the Anjaw Singh (1995), and Choudhury (2006) have not reported the District, have not been included as no location or numbers were species from Arunachal Pradesh. It was also not reported from the given by him. rest of the north-eastern region in standard works (Choudhury The species has been recorded across the border of north- 2000; Kazmierczak 2000; Grimmett et al. 2011). A number of eastern region of India (especially the states of Arunachal Pradesh, online records between 2006 and 2021 are listed in Table 1. and Meghalaya) in Bhutan, northern West Bengal and

Table 1. Records of Eurasian Crag Martin in Arunachal Pradesh Date Place District Number of birds Source 11 April 2006 Between Bompu and Khellong West Kameng c.50 Ritschard (2006) 22 March 2007 Sunder View, Eagle’s Nest & Sessa Orchid Sanctuary West Kameng 1 Prince (2007) 30 November 2008 Near Parshuram Kund Lohit 12 on rocky slope, a few This study more in flight 06 March 2017 Sally Lake Lower Dibang Valley 1 Anand (2017) 27 February 2018 Walong Anjaw 1 Deka (2018) 28 February 2018 Udayak Pass Lohit 1 Patgiri (2018) 25 December 2018 Udayak Pass Lohit 3 Thangaraj (2018) 02 January 2019 Walong Anjaw 3 Dey (2019) 02 January 2019 Meshai Road Anjaw 6 Parashar (2019) 23 April 2019 27.15ºN, 92.47ºE West Kameng 1 Singal (2019) 04 May 2019 Between Sessa and Dirang West Kameng Bray (2009) 22 January 2020 27.20ºN, 92.46ºE West Kameng 2 Su et al. (2020) 26 December 2020 Namti to Kaho Anjaw Shah (2020) 09 January 2021 Walong (28.10ºN, 97.00ºE) Anjaw 60 Islam (2021) 12 February 2021 28.26ºN, 97.03ºE Anjaw 15 Panwar (2021) 90 Indian Birds Vol. 17 No. 3 (Publ. 8 July 2021)

Bangladesh. As Table 1 indicates, the might be a regular, 2,500 m asl, and probably at similar elevations throughout the but scarce, winter migrant along the rocky banks of streams and outer Himalayan ranges (Osmaston 1911). In November they rivers with records between November and the first week of May. begin to move down the hills and in January and February they I thank S. Ahmed, Radhe Appa, S. Jenew, R. Barthakur, may be seen in flocks of 10–20, or more, birds in the plains at Narayan Das, Sanjay Singh, K. Gupta, T. Rahman, and Hashim the Himalayan foothills, and eastwards through Bijnor and Pilibhit Choudhury. (Osmaston 1911). The species is known to feed on a variety of seeds, including References Pine Pinus and Alder Alnus, also downy seed heads of Asteraceae, Ali, S., & Ripley, S. D., 1987. Compact handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan especially thistles Cirsium, Carduus, dandelions Taraxacum, together with those of Bangladesh, , Bhutan and Sri Lanka. 2nd ed. daisies Coreopsis, and Senecio chrysanthemoides and other Bombay: Oxford University Press. Pp. i–xlii, 1 l., 1–737, 52 ll. herbs. It is particularly fond of Wild Hemp Cannabis sativa L. Anand, V., 2017. https://ebird.org/checklist/S35209045. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] (Cannabaceae), SunflowerHelianthus annuus L. (Asteraceae), Bray, D., 2009. India – Eaglenest. 2009. Zoothera global birding: Eaglenest tour report. Unpublished. Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum Moench (Polygonaceae), Choudhury, A., 2000.The birds of Assam. 1st ed. Guwahati: Gibbon Books & World Rice Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae), etc., besides berries, and Wide Fund for Nature-India. Pp. 1–240. (Ali & Ripley 2001; Osmaston 1918; Clement 2020). They also Choudhury, A., 2006. A pocket guide to the birds of Arunachal Pradesh.1st ed. feed on berries of Daphne mucronata Royle (Thymelaeaceae), Guwahati: Gibbon Books & The Rhino Foundation for Nature in NE India. Pp. and the flowers, and flower buds, ofC. sativa (Dilawar & Sharma 1–109. 2014). Deka, D., 2018. Website URL: https://www.facebook.com/search/ posts/?q=eurasian%20crag%20martin%20by%20dipanjol%20deka. [Accessed During our field visit on the morning of 03 February 2018 to a on 12 April 2021.] cultivation area in Seyal Sallan village, Udhampur District, Jammu Dey, S., 2019. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S51293305. [Accessed on 12 and Kashmir (32.91°N, 75.14°E; 756 m asl), we observed this April 2021.] greenfinch on Mustard (Brassicaceae). A small flock of eight to Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. ten birds was seen feeding on the seeds of mustard B. rapa and London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528. B. juncea. 114a, b]. Islam, R., 2021. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S79531648. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Kazmierczak, K., 2000. A field guide to the birds of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives.1st ed. New Delhi: Om Book Service. Pp. 1–352. Panwar, R., 2021. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S81046518. [Accessed on 08 May 2021.] Parashar, Y., 2019. Website URL: https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S51827650. [Accessed on 08 May 2021.] Patgiri, S. J., 2018. Website URL: https://www.facebook.com/search/ posts/?q=eurasian%20crag%20martin%20by%20saurav%20jhoti%20patgiri. [Accessed on 08 May 2021.] Prince, M., 2007. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S19422086. [Accessed on 08 May 2021.] Ritschard, M., 2006. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S72271887. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Shah, D., 2020. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S78810131. [Accessed on 26 May 2020.] Singal, R., 2019. Website URL: https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S55454030. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Singh, P., 1995. Recent bird records from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Forktail 10: 65–104 (1994). Su, C., Ding, T. & Lin, S., 2020. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S63652660. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Suvarna, R., 2014a. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S17942871. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Suvarna, R., 2014b. Website URL: https://ebird.org/checklist/S17942859. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] Thangaraj, H., 2018. Website URL: https://ebird.org/india/checklist/S50987285. [Accessed on 12 April 2021.] – Anwaruddin Choudhury House No. 7, Islampur Road, Guwahati 781007, Assam, India. E-mail: [email protected]

Yellow-breasted GreenfinchCarduelis spinoides feeding on Mustard seeds Brassica sp Brinder Kumar Both: The Yellow-breasted GreenfinchCarduelis spinoides is an inhabitant of the Himalaya and north-eastern India (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). These birds are common around the hill stations of Chakrata, and Nainital (Uttarakhand), and Darjeeling (West Bengal) from April till October where they breed at 2,000– 114a, b. Male Yellow-breasted Greenfinch feeding on Mustard seeds.