Newsletter for BirdwatchersVol. 46 No. 5 Sept. - Oct. 2006

Vol. 46

No. 5

September - October . 2006

Vol. 46

No. 5

Sept. - Oct. 2006

A Note from the PublisherDear Fellow Birdwatchers,

Editorial BoardS. Theodore Baskaran Dr. A.M.K. Bharos Harish R. Bhat Dr. S.P. Bhatnagar Dr. A.K. Chakravarthy Dr. Ranjan Kumar Das Dr. S. Devasahayam B.S. Kulkarni Arvind Mishra Dr. Geeta S. Padate Prof. S. Rangaswami K. Mrutumjaya Rao A.N. Yellappa Reddy Dr. Rajiv Saxena Dr. A.B. Shanbhag S. Sridhar Dr. Abraham Verghese, FRES (London)

Talking of albinism, partial albinism and the other -isms!In this issue we are publishing two articles on albinism. Albinism refers to birds which have some or all of the pigmentation lacking in their plumage, and are therefore partly or fully white. True albinos are deficient in colours not only in their plumage but also in the soft parts such as the bill and feet, and the eyes are mostly pink. However, this condition is somewhat rare and many reported albinos have normal eye, bill and leg coloration. Such birds are partial albinos. Malcolm Ogilvie, a natural history writer and editor, defines albinism, partial albinism and all the other -isms! All-white birds are called albinos and they are due to a complete loss of pigment in the feathers. In its most extreme form, pure albinos, even the soft parts lack pigment and appear pinkish. These are rare in the wild, occurring slightly more often in captivity, possibly due to inbreeding or malnutrition. While all-white birds are rare, birds with anything from a few to many white feathers in their plumage are commoner and are called partial albinos. Another colour abnormality by and large consists of paleness. We had noticed a small green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) with such an abnormality, several years ago. It was a semi-bleached, pale ash-green coloured bird. However this bee-eaters throat gorget was a bit darker and it was found nesting cooperatively with a pair of normal plumaged bee-eaters, at the GKVK campus. Ogilvie wonders what to call such pale birds which is a matter of some difference of opinion in the literature. The most commonly used term is leucistic, which is certainly shorter and easier to declare than the two alternatives of chlorochroistic and schizochroistic. The latter is in fact a comprehensive term for a variety of plumage abnormalities. The highest occurrence of albinism is in species that are more or less social, are sedentary and are usually common in urban areas. There are several possible explanations of albinism. Most often it is of genetic origin, i.e. inherited. It is, however, a recessive character which means that the offspring between an albino and a normal bird will be normal, but some of their offspring may show albino characteristics. Partial albinism may occasionally be caused by the failure of pigmentation to reach certain feathers as they are growing, perhaps because of a blocked gland. Shock, unbalanced diet, disease or injury are all further possible factors in causing albinism. Partial albinos outnumber pure albinos by about 2 :1, but together they form only a tiny proportion of wild birds. They are, of course, generally conspicuous and therefore more likely to fall victim to predators, and in many cases; where the defect is other than genetic, they will also be less robust than normal birds. Like albinos and partial albinos, the occurrence of pale birds is the result of genetic abnormalities in both male and female. Except in very small, inbred, populations they will always remain rare. They are nonetheless, a recurrent source of curiosity and puzzlement to birders of all ages. Thanking you, Yours in bird conservation, S. Sridhar, Publisher, NLBW

Publisher : S. Sridhar

CONTENTS A Note from the Publisher Talking of albinism, partial albinism and the other -isms!

Articles

ested by chaos and anarchy

Record of Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) and other birds from Melghat, by Raju Kasambe and Jayant Wadatkar Sighting of some threatened bird species in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) Bhagalpur, Bihar, by Dr. D.N. Choudhary and Mr. Arbind Mishra Occurrence of a partial albino Blue-rock Pigeon (Columba livia) on Burnt Island from 1938 to 2006 : a probale case of inheritance, by Anil Mahabal and Satish Pande Occurrence of isabelline cum partial albino Ashycrowned Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix griseus), near Pune, India, by Amit Pawashe, Satish Pande and Anil Mahabal Birds of Pithoragarh district, Uttaranchal, India, by P. C. Tak and J. P. Sati Correspondence Sighting of nests of Dusky Horned Owl (Bubo coromandus) in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, by Rachna Chandra and B. Anjan Kumar Prusty Reappearance of Pied Thrush (Zoothera waardi) (Blyth) at Nandi Hills, Karnataka, South India, by Praveen. J.Address for Correspondence :

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10, Sirur Park B Street, Seshadripuram, Bangalore 560 020, India. Tel. 080 2356 1142, 2346 4682

E-mail : Printed and Published bi-monthly by S. Sridhar at Navbharath Enterprises, Seshadripuram, Bangalore - 560 020, India. For Private Circulation Only. Cover pages : Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus) at nest. (Front Cover : Male, Back Cover : Female. Inset: Female incubating). Minivets are purely arboreal birds that flit about the foliage looking for insects. The male begins its day with sweesweee - a repertoire of high feeble-whistled salute to the sunrise and continues the tranquil love song to its brooding mate. Later when the chicks have hatched, the male energetically supplies his insatiable chicks with worms throughout the long day. Every two or three minutes, the little heads spring up; mostly gaping pale orange mouths and the parent birds work hard throughout the day to keep their nestlings crops filled. Photo : S. Shreyas

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Record of Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) and other birds from MelghatRAJU KASAMBE* and JAYANT WADATKAR *G-1, Laxmi Apartments, 64, Vidya Vihar Colony, Pratap Nagar, Nagpur - 440022, Maharashtra. E-mail: kasambe.raju@gmail.com Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) is located in Amravati district of Maharashtra and covers an area of 1676.93 Sq km. The geographical location of MTR is 21015 to 210 45 N and 76057 to 77030E. A preliminary list of 33 birds was prepared by Mr. R. T. Jenkin (D.F.O. Melghat) in 1925 and was published in the Guide to Chikhalda (Nelson,1925). Sawarkar (1987) published the first comprehensive checklist of birds of Melghat, which included 252 species. Besides the old records of Fairy Blue-bird (Irena puella) and recent record of Great Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis), Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) has been rediscovered in Melghat. It was Mr. Kamlakar Dhamge (Dy. Conservator of Forest, MTR), who first sighted three Malabar Pied Hornbills near Kolkas rest house on July 20th 2003 in the canopy of a Banyan tree Ficus benghalensis. These included one immature bird indicating successful breeding. He being a bird enthusiast informed me (RK) of this finding. Jayant stayed for 4 days from 5th to 8th December 2003 at Raipur village rest house in MTR for the study of butterflies. On the afternoon of December 6th, he saw two more birds on a fruit laden Banyan tree. The Raipur rest house is a century old building constructed by the British and has three equally aged Banyan trees. During his stay of two more days, Jayant saw the pair visiting the Banyan trees daily around noon. Raju visited the Raipur range on 20th and 21st December 2003 for the study of Forest Owlets along Satish Charthal. On 21st at 0615hrs., when Raju came out with binoculars for birdwatching, a Malabar Pied Hornbill had just alighted on one of the Banyan trees. Apart from A. coronatus, several Indian Grey Hornbills (Ocyceros birostris), Yellow-footed Green Pigeons (Treron phoenicoptera) and Asian Koels (Eudynamys scolopacea) were also flocking the tree. Other birds like Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus), Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Large Cuckoo Shrike (Coracina macei), White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens) and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus) also visited the trees. We both took photographs of A. coronatus separately. The bird has an axe shaped casque on its bill with a large black patch along the upper ridge of the casque. The outer tail feathers are white and have a white trailing edge to wings and have pink throat patches. The male and female can be differentiated. It is resident in peninsular hills, from South-West West Bengal and Bihar to North Andhra, Western Ghats (mainly along the eastern edge), South of South Maharashtra (Ratnagiri) and Sri Lanka (Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005). It is a near threatened bird species (criterion NT C1) (Islam and Rahmani, 2002) and its population is declining. The sighting of five birds in Melghat including an immature bird, confirms the presence of a small breeding population of A. coronatus. Many expert birdwatchers like Salim Ali, Mr. V.B. Sawarkar, Ms. Prachi Mehta, Mr. Aasheesh Kothari, Mr. Kishor Rithe, Mr. Nishikant Kale etc. have studied the avifauna of Melghat for many years, but had never come across this bird. Moreover, this is not a species to be confused with any other species or which may escape the attention of a good birdwatcher. W e can thence presume that the species is trying to establish itself in a new habitat (Melghat), which is suitable and safe. A few birds might have probably migrated from Pench Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) in search of a suitable habitat. It is a good sign both for the survival of A. coronatus and for the biodiversity of Melghat. Additional records for Melghat Mr. Aashish Kothari (1998) has reported the presence of Stork-billed Kingfisher (Halcyon capensis) near Kolkhas rest house. Ms. Prachi Mehta has reported the sighting of Blackcapped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) near Sidukund, Barwinged Flycatcher-shrike (Hemipus picatus) and Bluebearded Bee-eater (Nyctyornis athertoni). In addition, Kishor Rithe has sighted Fire-capped Tit (Cephalopyrus flammiceps) and Blue-capped Rock Thrush (Monticola cinclorhynchus) at Jamoda Padav, Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) in the Tapi river, and a W hite Stork (Ciconia ciconia) at Rangubeli. Mr. Nishikant Kale again sighted the Green Munia (Amandava formosa) near Raipur village. Raju Kasambe saw many Indian Silverbills (Lonchura malabarica) at Chourakund and a few Little Cormorants (Phalacrocorax niger) across Tapi river at Rangubeli. He has also reported (Kasambe, R. 2003) the occurrence of Little Green Heron (Butorides striatus), Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Crested Bunting (Melophus lathami), and possibly a Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus) in Melghat.References:BirdLife International (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia. The BirdLife International Red Data Book, Cambridge, U.K. Grimmet R. Inskipp C. and Inskipp T. (2000). Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press. Islam, MZ & Rahmani, A. R. (2002). Threatened Birds of India. Buceros. Vol.7 (1&2) pp.78.

68Kasambe, R. M. (2003) Additions to the birds of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra. Zoos Print Journal. Vol.18(3) pp.1050. Kasambe, R., Pande. S., Wadatkar, J., Pawashe, A. (2004): Additional Records of the Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, Newsletter for Ornithologists: Vol. I-II:12-14. Kasambe, R., Wadatkar J., Bhusum N.S., & Kasdekar F. (2005): Forest Owlets Heteroglaux blewitti in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Distt. Amravati, Maharashtra, Newsletter for Birdwatchers: Vol.45 No.3. pp.38-40 Kothari A. (1998) Sighting of Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, Newsletter for Birdwatchers. Vol.38(1).pp.11. M.K.S. Pasha, R. Jayapal, G. Areendran, Q. Qureshi, K. Sankar (2004). Birds of Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, central India. Newsletter for Ornithologists: Vol.1 (1&2): 2-9

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006Nelson A. E. (1925) A Guide to Chikalda. Govt. Press Nagpur. Ranjitsinh M. K. (1985) Saker Falcons in the Melghat, Journal of Bom. Nat. Hist. Soc. Vol.82. Rasmussen, P. & Anderton, J. (2005): Birds of South Asia-The Ripley Guide Vol.2. Attributes and Status pp.152 Rithe K. (2003) New bird species recorded from Melghat. 18th National Symposium on Recent Trends in Life Sciences, Amravati University, Amravati. pp.27-29. R. Jayapal, Qamar Qureshi & Ravi Chellam (2005): Some significant records from the central Indian highlands of Madhya Pradesh. Indian Birds. Vol.1 (5): 98-102 Sawarkar V. B. (1987) Bird survey of Melghat Tiger Reserve. Cheetal. Vol.29.pp.4-27.

Sighting of some threatened bird species in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) Bhagalpur, BiharDr. D.N. CHOUDHARY* and Mr. ARBIND MISHRA** *Dept. of Zoology. P.N.College, Parsa, Saran, 841219, Bihar **Coordinator, IBCN, Bihar & Jharkhand. (Authors are senior activists of Mandar Nature Club, Bhagalpur, Bihar)

It was a pleasant morning of March 23, 2005, when we started our boat trip to Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) from Sultanganj Ghat. Sultanganj Ghat and Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin sanctuary are internationally recognized places. On one hand Sultanganj ghat is the famous pilgrimage center for the Hindus. The renowned Ajgavinath temple is situated in the midst of river Ganga near this ghat. Pilgrims from different parts of India and abroad visit this place during the month of Sawan (July- - August), take their holy dip in Uttarbahini Ganga and carry holy Ganga water to Babadham (Deoghar in Jharkhand) on foot to worship lord Shiva. On the other hand, the famous Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin sanctuary (\/GDS) starts form this place. VGDS has been recognised as a paradise for Ganges River Dolphins. The Govt. of Bihar designated in 1991, a 50 km segment of the river between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon as Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, considering the occurrence of higher number of Soons or Ganges River Dolphins. The VGDS is the only protected area established specifically for the protection of Ganges River Dolphins. This sanctuary lies in the alluvial tract interspersed with agricultural fields. Geographically the sanctuary lies north of the Tropic of Cancer (Sultanganj Ghat N 25.15, 247', Bhagalpur, N 25.16, 647' & Khalgaon N 25.15,402') The area has a moderate climate and July is the rainiest season. The sanctuary comprises many smaller and larger islands (sand deposits) chaurs, crisscrossing water bodies, river banks, a few cultivated fields and the main river stream.

It has a rich biodiversity comprising important flora and fauna. In addition to Gangetic dolphins, otters, turtles and gharials, are found in the sanctuary. Moreover, it is a permanent roosting, feeding and breeding ground for a large number of resident and migratory birds. In view of these facts, this sanctuary has been selected as an IBA site of Bihar. We reached Sultanganj Ghat by 6:00 am, had the DahiChura (traditional breakfast of Sultanganj ghat) and hired a mechanized country boat for our survey. As we started our journey, we saw dolphins sliding on the water surface by elevating their long snout in the air with a hissing sound susu. We enjoyed watching the frenzied activities of the dolphins in the main stream throughout our journey. Common crows and a few pariah kites were seen flying overhead near this Ghat, hoping to pickup a morsel or two tossed by the pilgrims. This is a regular feature at this Ghat, particularly in the mornings. The survey began at 7:00 am and ended by 3:30 pm at Bhagalpur near Bararighat. Our boat moved slowly throughout the main stream, sometimes along the margin of the river so that we could watch the activities of birds on the bank and in the nearby cultivated fields. We also halted now and then on the islands and river banks. During this eight hour journey, we conducted an exhaustive survey of birds and aquatic animals on the river banks, islands, near cultivated fields and in the main stream, covering a 25 km segment of VGDS. We encountered many resident and migratory bird species during this boat ride. It was a fruitful journey. Four large flocks of migratory birds were recorded at four separate sites.

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The sighting of 39 Common cranes, 53 Greater adjutant storks, 57 painted storks, 500+ Brahminy ducks, 200+ Pintail ducks and small Indian Pratincoles, was indeed exciting. In addition, the presence of a large number of Little cormorants, Black and White ibises, Spoonbills and Terns, added grandeur to the VGDS. Black and White Ibis, Spoonbills, Spurwings (River plovers), Painted storks and Little cormorants were mostly recorded on the sandbars (islands). Common cranes and Greater adjutant storks were noticed at two separate locations on the sandy river bank near Sonbarsa diarah. More than 300 nests of Bank mynas were recorded along the edge of the riverbank near Chaunia diarah. The nests were closely excavated horizontal holes that formed a mono-colony. A similar survey was taken up during the next successive season (3rd week of Feb. 2006). We could discern a declining trend of migratory birds in the same segment of VGDS and in its surrounding area, after the second survey. Before the second survey, we had conducted a local survey during the last week of January, 2006 of a few wetlands of Bihar in Kursela, Naugachia, Bihpur, Khagaria, Mansi & Karwar lake of Begusarai (as these areas have been the traditional roosting and beeding grounds for migratory birds in North Bihar) with a dual objective. The main objective was to count the birds as a part of our regular waterfowl census and the secondary objective was to create awareness about the Bird Flu threat to the local population through distribution of handbills. After surveying these wetlands, VDGS and its surrounding areas we came to the conclusion that the arrival of migratory birds in these parts of Bihar was considerably less in this winter (Jan-Feb. 2006) compared to 2005 survey. This is a matter of concern about the deterioration of the riverine ecosystem of Bihar. The decline may be either due to scanty rainfall and scarcity of food for the birds or perhaps due to Bird Flu (as mass mortality of migratory birds has been reported in different Asian and European countries since 2004). The matter calls for in-depth research and analysis. Mandar Nature Club of Bhagalpur, Bihar an NGO working in the field of conservation of birds and wildlife, is not only monitoring the fluctuation of waterfowl populations, but is also looking at the potential causative factors. Recently (on 23rd of May, 2006), when we were moving upstream from Kahalgaon to Sultanganj, on our third trip specifically to study the breeding waterfowl of VGDS, we succeeded in taking photographs of eggs and hatchlings of some of the important waterfowl on the exposed sandy river bank among the aquatic weeds. The report of this particular trip is under preparation which will be published with photographs at a later date. The most exciting discovery came at 5.25 pm on that day, when 53 greater Adjutant storks and 57 Painted storks were sighted on the river bank about two km from the Sultanganj ghat. Both the flocks were seen roosting close to each other. W e tried to photograph these birds, but due to insufficient light the

results were not up to the mark. However, this is the first time in Bihar that such a huge congregation of Greater adjutants has been recorded in VGDS. We suspect that Greater adjutants might be breeding in parts of Bihar, similar to that of the Lesser adjutants. Efforts are underway to visit other remote parts of Bihar to ascertain this fact. We counted waterbirds as per the Asian waterfowl censusIndia data sheet. We counted individual birds as well as birds in flock following the standard method of sampling technique (Javed et.al. 2000). We tried to approach the flocks, as closely as possible to count birds on both the sides of our boat as well.Table 1. List of birds recorded in VDGS during two successive winter seasons (2005 & 2006) and a summer (2006)No. of Birds Observed Common & Scientific Name Sta- 23rd 21st 23rd tus Mar. Feb. May, 2005 2006 2006

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger Large Cormorant P. carbo Little Egret Egretta garzetta Median Egret Mesophoyx intermedia Large Egret Casmerodius albus Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Asian Openbill stork Anastomus oscitans Lesser adjutant Stork Leptoptilos javanicus Greater adjutant Stork L. dubius White-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala Black Stork Ciconia nigra White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa Spoon bill Platalea leucorodia Lesser Whistling Teal Dendrocygna Javanica Brahminy Duck Tadorna ferruginea Pintail Duck Anas acuta Common teal A. crecca Mallard A. platyrhynchos Shoveller A. clypeata White-eyed Pochard Aythya nyroca Tufted Pochard Aythya fuligula Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina Common Crane Grus grus Common Coot Fulica atra Red-wattled lapwing Vanellus indicus Spurwing (River lapwing) V. spinosus Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Little-ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Greenshank Tringa nebularia Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Little Stint Calidris minuta Small Indian Pratincole Glareola lactea Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Indian River Tern Sterna aurantia Little Tern S. albifrons Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus Small Blue Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Lesser Paid Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

R M R R R R R R R RM RM R RM M R R R R R RM M M M RM M M M RM R R R RM M RM M R RM R R R R R

55 06 300 0 25 15 05 07 125 05 02 06 00 02 23 16 22 00 500+ 125 130 62 85 00 08 65 39 0 18 25 27 06 35 13 32 300+ 03 35 17 22 06 05

62 00 256 06 30 08 00 10 189 09 07 06 27 01 25 22 08 35 85 35 62 00 10 16 00 22 00 300+ 12 00 00 02 22 08 17 300+ 00 32 41 16 03 07

37 00 337 02 13 02 02 06 237 04 53 04 57 01 17 27 07 287 05 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 27 05 07 00 00 00 00 400+ 00 37 177 02 07 07

Common Snipe

RM

03

00

00

70 White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Common Swallow Hirundo rustica White Wagtail Motacilla alba Pied Wagtail M. maderaspatensis Citrine Wagtail M. citreola Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus Curlew Numenius arquata Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Bank Myna A. ginginianus Pied Myna Sturnus contra Common Crow Corvus splendens Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Osprey Pandion haliaetus Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Shikra Accipiter badius Kestrel F. tinnunculus Pariah Kite Milvus migrans govinda Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Black Headed Gull Larus ridibundus White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis Black Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Indian Roller Coracias bengalensis Lesser spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina Indian Small Skylark Alauda gulgula Sand Lark Calandrella raytal Blue Rock pigeon Columba livia R RM RM R RM R M R R R R R RM M R RM M R M RM R R R R R R R R 08 50 07 05 00 03 05 22 300+ 12 42 05 02 01 02 02 12 01 01 08 02 05 04 03 01 01 03 35 12 37 00 03 07 07 00 37 500+ 25 57 13 02 02 01 00 15 03 00 02 00 02 02 05 02 03 07 31 03 00 00 05 00 05 00 17 400+ 37 37 03 00 00 03 00 08 00 00 00 03 23 07 11 01 03 05 17

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In two successive seasons we recorded approximately 70 species (excluding a few unidentified species) of birds It was found that the bird numbers in some species varied in both the seasons. However, the presence of common crane, painted stork. Greater adjutant stork, small Indian Pratincole and few species of migratory ducks in Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (BGDS) is certainly a matter of delight for birdwatchers and nature lovers alike. We are regularly visiting this part and hope to add several more species in the checklist in future. Acknowledgments We are thankful to Dr. T.K. Ghosh, Dr. Sunil Kumar Agrawal and Dr. T.K. Pan of Mandir Nature Club, Bhagalpur, for encouraging us to take up this field work. ReferencesAli, S. and S.D. Ripley (1995). A pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian subcontinent, Oxford University Press, Bombay. Ali, S. (1996). The book of Indian Birds, Oxford University Press, Bombay. Grimmett, R.C., Inskipp & T. Inskipp, (1999). Pocket Guide to the Birds of Indian subcontinent, Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Javed, Salim, Kaul, Rahul & BNHS (2000). Field Methods for Bird Surveys, Dept. of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, World Pleasant Association, Delhi & BNHS, Mumbai. Islam M.Z. and Rahmani A.R. (2002). Threatened Bird of India. Buceros, Vol. 7 No. 182 compiled from threatened Birds of Asia.

Status : R = Resident, RM = Regional Migrant, M = Migrant.

Occurrence of a partial albino Blue-rock Pigeon (Columba livia) on Burnt Island from 1938 to 2006 a probale case of inheritanceANIL MAHABAL* and SATISH PANDE** *Zoological Survey of India, W.R.S. Akurdi, Pune **ELA Foundation, Pune. Email: satishpande@hotmail.com

We visited the offshore islets of Vengurla Rocks archipelago in the Arabian Sea (1635-1645 N latitude and 7327-7330 E longitude), off the coast of Sindhudurga district, Maharashtra first time during April 2001. Thereafter we regularly visited the Burnt Island, an islet in this archipelago for the study of nesting Edible-nest Swiftlets (Collocalia unicolor) and marine terns up to May 2006 (Pande, et al, 2001; Pande, 2002 a; Pande, 2002 b). During all these visits we observed a single partial albino Blue Rock Pigeon Columba livia Gmelin, on the Burnt Island, perching on ground on a particular bare rock. On all our visits we saw it in the flock of about 25 pigeons of the same species, in the same locality, but it was always seen on the periphery of the flock. This partial albino pigeon had a few white coloured central primary flight feathers in both wings, a white lateral neck patch and no other body part was white and it was recorded on a photograph. In all 150 to 200 Blue Rock Pigeons were seen during our visits and they appeared to be slightly larger in size than the counterparts seen on the mainland. These numbers have apparently remained

constant from their first sighting by A.O. Hume in 1875 (Hume, 1876). A noteworthy behaviour of the single partial albino Blue Rock Pigeon was that it was the first bird to take to wings whenever we approached the flock and usually remained either a certain distance away from the flock or at the periphery, hence easily noticed. It was particularly conspicuous in flight since the unique white wing mirror patterns of this pigeon flashed in daylight. Interestingly, a single semi-albino Blue Rock Pigeon was first reported from the Burnt Island in a small flock of 10 to 15 pigeons in February 1938 (Abdulali, 1940). Abdulali again visited this island in March 1941 and May 1983 but has not reportedly sighted the semi-albino pigeon (Abdulali, 1942; Abdulali, 1983). We would therefore like to highlight that a single partial albino Blue Rock Pigeon was re-sighted by us on the Burnt Island in 2001 after a gap of about 62 years, i.e. 1938. We do not intend to say that it is the same bird, since the average life span of wild Blue Rock Pigeon is about 6 years and

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maximum longevity recorded is 35 years (Flower, 1925; Johnston, 1992). However we would like to suggest that the trait of partial albinism in Blue Rock Pigeon might have been passed on to successive generations since 1938. We do not know the sex, age and fertility status of this single partial albino Blue Rock Pigeon, but the trait, which appears to be recessive, can be passed on by normal coloured adults (Mishra, et al, 1982). We have recorded only one partial albino Blue Rock Pigeon in all our visits and cannot confirm that it is the same individual. But the fact that the partialalbino pigeon was always seen at the same locality as member of a similar sized flock of about 25 pigeons, on all our visits for the past 6 years, it is quite possible that this is the same individual. Abdulali has stated that the population of pigeons of the Burnt Island is most likely feral and must have originated from those on the lighthouse island, half a mile away and further states that these pigeons also nest on ground on this island and do not probably go to the mainland for feeding (Abdulali, 1983). We have also documented the breeding of these pigeons on the Old lighthouse island (the lighthouse island mentioned by Abdulali could be either the new or the old, the latter being half a mile further west to the new lighthouse island) as well as on Burnt Island. W e hypothesize that this flock of Blue Rock Pigeons could be partially confined to the Vengurla Rocks archipelago for safety. Another reason for strengthening this hypothesis is their relatively stable numbers of about 150 to 200 birds over the past several years. This is likely to be a semi-wild or wild independent island population though it may be regularly visiting the mainland to meet the dietary requirements, since adequate quantity of food for so many pigeons is not available on these barren islands. We have noticed that some of the pigeons from Burnt Island do fly to the adjacent old and new lighthouse islands, other islands of the archipelago as well as to the mainland. They are most likely using these offshore islands as a safe roosting and nesting area. Due to the absence of ground pigeon predators on these islands, the pigeons have even resorted to ground nesting, a most unusual occurrence for this species as documented by Abdulali and corroborated by us (Abdulali, 1983; Pande, 2002 c). Similar behaviour is also reported in dove Streptopelia semitorquata Ruppel, on islets in the Mafia group off the east African coast (Ibis 1944: 36 as cited by Abdulali, 1983). As is commonly seen amongst pigeons tamed by pigeon fanciers, the wild pigeons interbreed freely with domesticated varieties, producing a chaotic mixture of races (Ali and Ripley, 1969). Albinism or isabellinism is usually a freak incidence (Mishra, et al, 1982; Mahabal and Pande, 2006) in birds and transmission of this trait in wild bird populations is not generally documented. However the inheritance and expression of albinism in subsequent generations of mammalian population, like Tiger (Panthera tigris) in Rewa is reported and well documented (Oswald, 1960; Desai, 1970). Another such occurrence is reported in Five-striped Palm Squirrel (Funanbulus pennanti Wroughton) where one

of the parents and a juvenile were albinos (Mahabal, et al, 2005). Although such inheritance may be occurring in wild populations of mainland birds, they are difficult to detect due to the large geographical distribution as against confined populations on islands. A rare and first instance of transmission of melanism, a type of isabellinism, is reported in Spotted Owlets (Athene brama Temminck) (Pande, et al, 2005). Hutt (1969) considered albinism as an indication of infertility. However as seen from a few above examples of albino Tiger, Five-striped Palm Squirrel and Spotted Owlet, this association of albinism and isabellinism with infertility does appear to have strong exceptions. We feel that this phenomenon could be an interesting report of persistent expression of partial albinism in one individual in subsequent generations of semi-wild or wild partially isolated island population of Blue Rock Pigeon at Burnt Island from 1938 till 2006. It is likely to be an inherited trait and is worth documenting and for further studies by interested students. The other possible explanation, though less likely, is the occurrence of a second unrelated mutation or a trait acquired by breeding with coastal feral population, expressing itself in the form of partial albinism after a gap of several years. Acknowledgement We express our gratitude to Mr. Shridhar Metar for taking us to Vengurla Rocks archipelago in his powered boat for our surveys. ELA Foundation supported the study. ReferencesAbdulali, Humayun (1940). Swifts and Terns at Vengurla Rocks. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 41(3):661-665. Abdulali, Humayun (1942). The Terns and Edible-nest Swifts at Vengurla, West Coast, India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 43(3):446-451. Abdulali, Humayun (1983). Pigeons (Columba livia) nesting on the ground-some more bird notes from the Vengurla Rocks. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 80(1):215-217. Ali Salim and S. Dillon Ripley (1969). Handbook of Birds of India and Pakistan, Oxford University Press, Bombay; vol 3: 1-325. Desai, J. H. (1970). The White Tiger. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 67(3):551. Flower, M.S.S. (1925). Contributions to our knowledge of the duration of life in vertebrate animals - III. Reptiles. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1925(2): 911-981. Hume A.O.(1876). Laccadives and the West Coast, Stray Feathers 4(4,5,6);413-483. Hutt, F. B. (1969) Genetic aspects of infertility : Comparative mammalian cytogenetics. (Ed. Benirschke, K.) Springer Verlag, New York. Johnston, R.F. (1992). Columba livia, rock dove, in The Birds of North America, A. Poole and F. Gill, Editors. Philadelphia: The Ornithologists Union & The Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia. 1(13): 9. Mahabal, Anil; Sharma, R. M. and Pradhan M. S. (2005). A case of total albinism in the Five-striped Palm Squirrel (Funanbulus pennanti Wroughton) in Sindhudurga Districy, Maharashtra state. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. Vol. 102(1):98-99. Mahabal Anil and Satish Pande (2006). Isabelline Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler) in ZSI Collection, Pune. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46(2):23-24.

72Mishra, Ch. G; L. N. Achrjya and L. M. Choudhary (1982) Birth of White Tiger (Panthera tigris) cubs to normal colourd Tigers in captivity. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. Vol.79:404-407. Oswald, A. (1960) The White Tigers Of Rewa. Cheetal, 2(2):63-67. Pande,Satish; Katdare V. and Mone Ram (2001) Swift Action that saved the swifts. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 41:3: 30-31, May-June 2001. Pande, Satish (2002 a) Terns nesting on the Vengurla Rocks Archipelago. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 42(1):10-12.

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006Pande, Satish (2002 b) A diary of the anxious times of Operation Swift. Orintal Bird Club Bulletin, 35: 12-14. Pande, Satish (2002 c) Conservation of habitat and documentation of the nesting status of Indian Edible-nest Swiftlets and Marine Terns of Vengurla Rocks : A Report submitted to BNHS under SALOR Grant. P. 1-42. (Unpublished report). Pande, Satish; Amit Pawashe and Anil Mahabal (2005) Melanism in southern spotted owlet Athene brama - first report. Indian Birds. Vol.1. No. 4. July-August, 2005.

Occurrence of isabelline cum partial albino Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix griseus Scopoli) near Pune, IndiaAMIT PAWASHE, SATISH PANDE* and ANIL MAHABAL# *ELA Foundation, C-9, Bhosale Park, Sahakarnagar-2, Pune 411009 email: satishpande@hotmail.com # Zoological Survey of India, WRS, Akurdi, Pune

Ash y-cro wned Sparro w-Lark (E remo pterix g rise us Scopoli), is a common resident bird that occurs all over India from Himalayan foothills to Kanyakumari and also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It inhabits dry scrub stony habitat, vicinity of ploughed fields, village grazing grounds, paddy stubbles and dry riverbeds (Ali and Ripley, 1972; Grimmett, et al, 1998). It is a terrestrial graminivorous and insectivorous bird with a typical finchlike heavy beak. It keeps in pairs or small parties with seasonal change in social organization and rests on ground during night but perches on wire during the day. Sexes are dimorphic. Male has ashy crown, is sandy brown above and entirely black below from chin to vent Female is hen sparrow like, sandy brown above and below, lacks dark eye-stripes and under parts of the male, has un-streaked upper parts and mantle with black under wing coverts. Juvenile is pale rufous all over with mottled blackbrown underparts, grayish eye-stripes and whitish cheek pat ch (Al i a nd R ip l ey, 19 72 ; P an de , et a l, 2 0 03 ; Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005). On 2nd July 2006, during a field study of Hyena (Hyena hyena) and Indian Fox (Vulpus bengalensis), a small party of Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Larks was sighted near a water hole in dry, hilly, scrub habitat at noon, in the Dive mountain range near Saswad (180,25 N; 740, 01 E), district Pune, Maharashtra. In this party of six male and female birds one Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark was strikingly different in appearance from the others of the same species and was confusingly similar to Great Tit (P aru s ma j or). Th e c on f u s in g s imil a ri ty w a s th e conspicuous tit-like dark belly stripe. However, the striking difference was the typical heavy finch-like beak, unlike the slender and pointed bill of the Great Tit. Close scrutiny and video clipping revealed the true identity of this unusual bird as isabelline cum partial albino male Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark. This bird of unusual plumage was freely mixing with the other Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Larks in the party and they all flew away after

some time. The detailed comparison of plumages of normal and isbelline cum partial albino male Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark sighted by us is given in Table 1.Table 1. Comparison of plumages of normal and isabelline cum partial albino male Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix griseus, Scopoli. Character / Plumage Size Crown Normal Isabelline / Partial albino About 13 cm Whitish Whitish Whitish Pale Pale black Black Pale cream Broad white scalloping Pale brown Only central broad dark stripe like in Great Tit, with bilateral whitish flanks joined above vent Blackish brown Pale brown Pale brown

13 cm Grey to ashy, streaked Cheek-patch Pale brownish Nape Ashy brown Bill Horny grey dusky culmen Eye-stripe Dark black Half collar & chin Dark black Upper parts Sandy brown Wings coverts Narrow white scalloping Wings Brown Under parts Entirely black

Under tail coverts Black Tail Sandy brown Legs Fleshy brown

Albinism or isabelline pigmentation is described in several bird species but is a rare occurrence (Pande et al, 2003; Mahabal and Pande, 2006). The detection of a particular colour pigment abnormality such as brown, red, yellow, etc may not be always possible, hence abnormal pale colouration in birds is termed as luceism and such birds are called isabelline (Heimo Mikkola In Duncan, 2003). We justify the use of the term isabelline in the present

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5), 2006

73Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1998). Birds on the Indian Subcontinent. Christopher Helm, London. Mahabal, Anil and Satish Pande (2006). Isabelline Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler in ZSI Collection, Pune. Newsletter for Birdwatchers, 46(2):23-24. Mikkola, Heimo (2003). Colour variation in Owls: Albinism and Melanism. In: Owls of the World by James Duncan, Key Porter Books, Canada. Pp 137-141. Pande, Satish; Tambe, Saleel; Francis, C. F. and Sant, Niranjan (2003). Birds of Western Ghats, Kokan and Malabar (Including birds of Goa) Oxford University Press and Bombay Natural History Society, India. Pp-1-378. Rasmussen, P. C. and Anderton, J. C. (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vols. 1 & 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicion. Washington D. C. and Barcelona.

case since the usual brown to sandy brown upper parts and wings in normal plumage of male Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark have taken an abnormal pale variant plumage. Further, we have used the term partial albino to denote the almost white crown, cheek-patches, both flanks and margins of scalloped wing coverts. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such report of an isabelline cum partial albino Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark from India. Acknowledgement Prashant Deshpande of ELA Foundation provided video camera. ELA Foundation supported the study. ReferencesAli, S. and S. Dillon Ripley (1969). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Vol.3. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Birds of Pithoragarh district, Uttaranchal, IndiaP. C. TAK and J. P. SATI Northern Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, 218- Kaulagarh Road P.O. IPE Dehra Dun 248 195 (Uttaranchal) India. E-mail: pctak@sancharnet.in

Introduction Pithoragarh is the eastern most district of the Uttaranchal state. Earlier, it was a part of Almora district. It got its identity, as a separate district, in the year 1960. Recently in 1997, it was further divided into two districts, namely, Pithoragarh (the northern part) and Champawat (the southern part). Pithoragarh district is bordered by Tibet in the north, Nepal in the east, Chamoli and Almora districts in the west and by Champawat district in the south. Information on the birds of this district is very scanty. It is by Tak and Sati, 1994 (Goriganga Valley); Rawat and Sathyakumar, 1998 (Panchchuli Trek); and Anonymous 2002 (Gori River Basin). In the recent past, the authors surveyed the district under General Faunistic Survey programmes of the Zoological Survey of India (1989 and 2005) and under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of Hydro-electric Projects coming up on the river-systems of Gori, Dholi and Kali (2004). During these surveys, the bird life was also documented and area-wise records were prepared. Therefore, an attempt has been made for a comprehensive systematic list covering 212 bird species from Pithoragarh district. Study area The geographical area of the district is about 7090 km2 and lies at the co-ordinates 2922 to 3045 N latitudes and 80000 to 8105 E longitudes. The altitudinal range varies from between 1,100 and 7,400 m above msl. About 29% area (2,077 km2 out of 7,090 km2) of the district is forested (Anonymous, 2003). The vegetation is mainly composed of unique sub-tropical, temperate and alpine floral

components. The flora of the area consists of Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. Rare varieties of Orchids occur in higher valleys such as Milam, Darma, Beyans, Kuthi, etc. The natural vegetation of the area consists of trees such as Sal (Shorea robusta), etc., at the lower altitudes; Pine (Pinus roxburghii), Oaks (Quercus incana and Q. leucotrichophora), Rhododendron (Rhododendron barbatum), etc., at the middle altitudes (1500-2800m); Blue Pine (Pinus wallichiana), Deodar (Cedrus deodara), Fir (Abies pindrow), Silver Oak (Quercus semecarpifolia), etc., at higher altitudes (2800-3500m) and Birch (Betula utilis), Rhododendron (Rhododendron arboreum), etc., along with Brahm Kamal (Saussurea obvallata), Dhup (Salix sp.), etc., in the alpine zone (above 3500m). Methodology Observations were made with the aid of a 10 x 50 super Zenith Field Binoculars and birds were identified with the help of various field guides (Ali & Ripley 1983a, Grimmett et al. 1999, Krys 2000). The nomenclature followed here is after Manakadan & Pittie (2001). The numbers, in parenthesis, following Common English name of the species are those given in the Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (Ali & Ripley 1983b). A three-fold terminology, as given below, has been used to depict various status categories of 212 bird species. (i) Residential status presented here is strictly in context with the district Pithoragarh. (ii) Abundance status is assessed on an arbitrary frequency scale as: very common (1), common (2), fairly common (3), uncommon (4), rare (5), and status not known (?).

74A 1. 1 2 2. 3 3. 4 5 4. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 5. 20 6. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7. 32 8. 33 34 35 9. 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 10. 45 46 47 11. 48 49 50 12. 51 13. 52 53 54

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006Table: Systematic list of birds of Pithoragarh district, Uttaranchal, India B C D E F G H Cormorants/Shags Phalacrocoracidae Little Cormorant (28) Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot, 1817) + Great Cormorant (26) Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) + + Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae Little Egret (49) Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) + Swans, Geese & Ducks Anatidae Eurasian Wigeon (103) Anas penelope (Linnaeus, 1758 + Duck sp. Anas sp. + Hawks, Eagles, Buzzards & Vultures Accipitridae Black-shouldered Kite (124) Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines, 1789) + Black Kite (132-134) Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) + + + Bearded Vulture (188) Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) + + + + Egyptian Vulture (186-87) Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) + + + Himalayan Griffon (181) Gyps himalayensis Hume, 1869 + + + + Red-headed Vulture (178) Sarcogyps calvus (Scopoli, 1786) + + + Crested Serpent-Eagle (196-200) Spilornis cheela (Latham, 1790 + + + + Pallid Harrier (190) Circus macrourus (S.G. Gmelin, 1770) + + Eurasian Sparrowhawk (147-48) Accipiter nisus (Linnaeus, 1758) + + Upland Buzzard (154) Buteo hemilasius Temminck & Schlegel, 1845 + + Black Eagle (172) Ictinaetus malayensis (Temminck, 1822) + + Golden Eagle (166) Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758) + + Booted Eagle (164) Hieraaetus pennatus (Gmelin, 1788) + Mountain Hawk-Eagle (158-159) Spizaetus nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) + + Falcons Falconidae Common Kestrel (222-224) Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 + + + + Pheasants, Partridges, Quails Phasianidae Snow Partridge (227) Lerwa lerwa (Hodgson, 1833) + + Himalayan Snowcock (232) Tetraogallus himalayensis G.R. Gray, 1843 + + Chukor (234-236) Alectoris chukar (J.E. Gray, 1830) + + + + Black Francolin (237-239) Francolinus francolinus (Linnaeus, 1766) + + + Common Hill-Partridge (266-269) Arborophila torqueola (Valenciennes, 1826) + + Satyr Tragopan (286) Tragopan satyra (Linnaeus, 1758) + + Koklass Pheasant (303-306) Pucrasia macrolopha (Lesson, 1829) + + Impeyan Monal (290) Lophophorus impejanus (Latham, 1790) + + Red Junglefowl (299-300) Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758) + Kaleej Pheasant (293-298) Lophura leucomelanos (Latham, 1790) + + + + Cheer Pheasant (307) Catreus wallichii (Hardwicke, 1827) + + Rails Rallidae Rail sp. Rallina sp. + Stints, Snipes, Godwits & Curlews Scolopacidae Eurasian Woodcock (411) Scolopax rusticola Linnaeus, 1758 + Snipe sp. Gallinago spp. + Common Redshank (393, 394) Tringa totanus (Linnaeus, 1758) + Pigeons & Doves Columbidae Blue Rock Pigeon (516-517) Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 + + + + + Hill Pigeon (515) Columba rupestris Pallas, 1811 + + + Snow Pigeon (513-514) Columba leuconota Vigors, 1831 + + + Ashy Wood-Pigeon (523) Columba pulchricollis Blyth, 1846 + Oriental Turtle-Dove (530-533) Streptopelia orientalis (Latham, 1790) + + + Spotted Dove (537-540) Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) + + + + + Eurasian Collared-Dove (534) Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) + + Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon (494) Treron sphenura (Vigors, 1832) + + Mountain Imperial-Pigeon (510-2) Ducula badia (Raffles, 1822) + Parakeets & Hanging-Parrots Psittacidae Rose-ringed Parakeet (549-550) Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) + Slaty-headed Parakeet (562) Psittacula himalayana (Lesson, 1832) + + + Plum-headed Parakeet (557-558) Psittacula cyanocephala (Linnaeus, 1766) + + Cuckoos, Malkohas & Coucals Cuculidae Large Hawk-Cuckoo (572) Hierococcyx sparverioides (Vigors, 1832) + Indian Cuckoo (576) Cuculus micropterus Gould, 1838 + Common Cuckoo (577-579) Cuculus canorus Linnaeus, 1758 + Barn Owls Tytonidae Barn Owl (606-607) Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) + Owls Strigidae Spotted Scops-Owl (611-612) Otus spilocephalus (Blyth, 1846) + + Eurasian Scops-Owl (615) Otus scops (Linnaeus, 1758) + Eurasian Eagle-Owl (625-627) Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) + + I J R R R W ? R R R RA + A + R R W A W R R RW R + + K 4 4 4 4 ? 4 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 L LC LC LC LC ? LC LC LC LC LC NT LC NT LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC NT LC LC LC LC VU ? LC ? LC M IV IV IV IV ? I I I IV IV BRS (05) IV BRS (11) I I I I I I I I IV IV IV IV IV IV I IV I IV IV I ? IV ? IV BRS (05) BRS (05) N

RW 2 R RA R R R RA A A R A R ? A ? W + RA RA RA R RW RA + RA R R 2 2 2 2 2 4 3 2 2 2 4 ? 4 ? 4 2 3 4 4 3 2 2 4 4

BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07)

RRS (4)

LC NLA LC IV LC IV BRS (05) LC IV LC IV LC IV LC IV LC IV LC IV LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC IV IV BRS (08) IV BRS (11) IV IV IV IV IV IV IV

R 2 RA 3 R 2 S R S R R ? R 3 2 3 4 4 ? 4

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5), 2006B Forest Eagle-Owl (628-629) Asian Barred Owlet (639-641) Nightjars Nightjar sp. Swifts Himalayan Swiftlet (683-684) Alpine Swift (693-695) Pacific Swift (699-700) House Swift (702-706) Kingfishers Small Blue Kingfisher (722-724) White-breasted Kingfisher (735-8) Greater Pied Kingfisher (717-718) Bee-eaters Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (744-5) Rollers Indian Roller (755-757) Hoopoes Common Hoopoe (763-766) Barbets Great Barbet (777-779) Woodpeckers Rufous-bellied Pied Woodpecker (832-3) Himalayan Pied Woodpecker (836-7) Large Yellow-naped Woodpecker (812-3) Large Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker (806-7) 73 Black-naped Green Woodpecker (809-811) 74 Himalayan Golden-backed Woodpecker (824) 22. Wagtails & Pipits 75 White Wagtail (1885-1890) 76 Large Pied Wagtail (1891) 77 Yellow Wagtail (1875-1880) 78 Grey Wagtail (1884) 79 Eurasian Tree Pipit (1854-1855) 80 Oriental Tree Pipit (1852-1853) 81 Rosy Pipit (1865) 82 Upland Pipit (1873) 23. Minivets etc. 83 Rosy Minivet (1089) 84 Long-tailed Minivet (1085-1087) 85 Scarlet Minivet (1080-1083) 24. Bulbuls & Finchbills 86 Himalayan Bulbul (1125) 87 Red-vented Bulbul (1126-1132) 88 Black Bulbul (1148-1151) 25. Shrikes 89 Rufous-backed Shrike (946-948) 90 Grey-backed Shrike (944-945) 26. Dippers 91 Brown Dipper (1775-1776) 27. W rens 92 Winter Wren (1769-1771) 28. Accentors 93 Alpine Accentor (1777-1779) 94 Robin Accentor (1781) 95 Rufous-breasted Accentor (1782-3) 29. Thrushes, Babblers, Warblers etc. 29a. Thrushes, Robins, Forktails etc. 96 Blue-headed Rock-Thrush (1723) 97 Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush (1724) 98 Blue Whistling-Thrush (1729-30) 99 Plain-backed Thrush (1738-1739) 100 Long-tailed Thrush (1740) 101 Tickells Thrush (1748) 102 White-collared Blackbird (1749) 103 Grey-winged Blackbird (1750) A 55 56 14. 57 15. 58 59 60 61 16. 62 63 64 17. 65 18. 66 19. 67 20. 68 21. 69 70 71 72 C Bubo nipalensis Hodgson, 1836 Glaucidium cuculoides (Vigors, 1831) Caprimulgidae Caprimulgus sp. Apodidae Collocalia brevirostris (Horsfield, 1840) Tachymarptis melba (Linnaeus, 1758) Apus pacificus (Latham, 1801) Apus affinis (J.E. Gray, 1830) Alcedinidae Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Megaceryle lugubris (Temminck, 1834) Meropidae Merops leschenaulti Vieillot, 1817 Coraciidae Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) Upupidae Upupa epops Linnaeus, 1758 Capitonidae Megalaima virens (Boddaert, 1783) Picidae Dendrocopos hyperythrus (Vigors, 1831) Dendrocopos himalayensis (Jardine & Selby) Picus flavinucha Gould, 1834 Picus squamatus Vigors, 1831 Picus canus Gmelin, 1788 Dinopium shorii (Vigors, 1832) Motacillidae Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 Motacilla maderaspatensis Gmelin, 1789 Motacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758 Motacilla cinerea Tunstall, 1771 Anthus trivialis (Linnaeus, 1758) Anthus hodgsoni Richmond, 1907 Anthus roseatus Blyth, 1847 Anthus sylvanus (Blyth, 1845) Campephagidae Pericrocotus roseus (Vieillot, 1818) Pericrocotus ethologus (Bangs & Phillips) Pericrocotus flammeus (Forster, 1781) Pycnonotidae Pycnonotus leucogenys (Gray, 1835) Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) Hypsipetes leucocephalus (P.L.S. Muller, ) Laniidae Lanius schach Linnaeus, 1758 Lanius tephronotus (Vigors, 1831) Cinclidae Cinclus pallasii Temminck, 1820 Troglodytidae Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) Prunellidae Prunella collaris (Scopoli, 1769) Prunella rubeculoides (Moore, 1854) Prunella strophiata (Blyth, 1843) Muscicapidae Turdinae Monticola cinclorhynchus (Vigors, 1832) Monticola rufiventris (Jardine & Selby, 1833) Myiophonus caeruleus (Scopoli, 1786) Zoothera mollissima (Blyth, 1842) Zoothera dixoni (Seebohm, 1881) Turdus unicolor Tickell, 1833 Turdus albocinctus Royle, 1840 Turdus boulboul (Latham, 1790) D E F G H + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + I J K R 5 RA 3 ? R ? ? R R R R R R R A R A R R R R W R + W + AW P AW AW A ? 3 ? ? 1 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 4 1 4 3 2 4 4 3 3 L LC LC ? LC LC LC LC LC LC LC M IV IV ? NLA NLA NLA NLA IV IV IV N

75

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+

LC NLA LC IV

LC NLA LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC IV IV IV BRS (07) IV IV IV IV BRS (09) IV IV IV IV IV IV IV BRS (05) IV IV BRS (08) IV IV IV BRS (08) IV IV BRS (08)

+ +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

R 4 + RA 2 RA 2 + + R 1 R 1 RA 1

+ + + + +

+

+ RA 2 + RA 2 A A 2 2

LC NLA LC NLA BRS (05) LC NLA LC IV

A 3 A 4 RA 3

LC NLA BRS (05) LC NLA BRS (05) LC NLA BRS (07)

+

+ + + + + + +

+ + + +

+ +

+

S A A A A A A A

2 4 1 3 3 4 3 3

LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC

IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV

BRS (08)

BRS (05) BRS (07) BRS (08) BRS (07) BRS (08)

76A 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 29b. 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 29c. 133 134 29d. 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 29e. 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 29f. 154 29g. 155 156 157 30. 158 159 B C D Indian Blue Robin (1650, 1651) Luscinia brunnea (Hodgson, 1837) Orange-flanked Bush-Robin (1654-6) Tarsiger cyanurus (Pallas, 1773) Golden Bush-Robin (1657-1658) Tarsiger chrysaeus (Hodgson, 1845) Black Redstart (1671-1672) Phoenicurus ochruros (Gmelin, 1774) Blue-fronted Redstart (1675) Phoenicurus frontalis (Vigors, 1832) White-capped Redstart (1716) Chaimarrornis leucocephalus (Vigors, 1831) + Plumbeous Redstart (1679) Rhyacornis fuliginosus (Vigors, 1831) + White-tailed Robin (1681) Myiomela leucura (Hodgson, 1845) Little Forktail (1684) Enicurus scouleri Vigors, 1832 + Black-backed Forktail (1685) Enicurus immaculatus (Hodgson, 1836) Slaty-backed Forktail (1686) Enicurus schistaceus (Hodgson, 1836) Spotted Forktail (1688-1689) Enicurus maculatus Vigors, 1831 + Common Stonechat (1695-1698) Saxicola torquata (Linnaeus, 1766) + Pied Bushchat (1700-1703) Saxicola caprata (Linnaeus, 1766) Grey Bushchat (1705) Saxicola ferrea Gray, 1846 Babblers, Laughingthrushes, etc. Timaliinae Wh.-throated Laughingthrush (1273-4) Garrulax albogularis (Gould, 1836) White-crested Laughingthrush (1283-4) Garrulax leucolophus (Hardwicke, 1815) + Striated Laughingthrush (1279-82) Garrulax striatus (Vigors, 1831) Spotted Laughingthrush (1298-99) Garrulax ocellatus (Vigors, 1831) Streaked Laughingthrush (1312-6) Garrulax lineatus (Vigors, 1831) + Variegated Laughingthrush (1289-90) Garrulax variegatus (Vigors, 1831) Black-faced Laughingthrush (1322-23) Garrulax affinis Blyth, 1843 Red-headed Laughingthrush (1324-30) Garrulax erythrocephalus (Vigors, 1832) Greater Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler (1197-8) Pnoepyga albiventer (Hodgson, 1837) Jungle Babbler (1261-1265) Turdoides striatus (Dumont, 1823) + Red-winged Shrike Babbler (1341) Pteruthius flaviscapis (Temminck, 1836) Bar-throated Minla (1358-1361) Minla strigula (Hodgson, 1838) Rufous Sibia (1396-1398) Heterophasia capistrata (Vigors, 1831) Yellow-naped Yuhina (1367-1370) Yuhina flavicollis Hodgson, 1836 Parrotbills Panurinae Great Parrotbill (1236) Conostoma oemodium Hodgson, 1841 Black-throated Parrotbill (1239a-44) Paradoxornis nipalensis (Hodgson, 1837) Goldcrest, Prinias, Tesias, Warblers Sylviinae Brown Prinia (1526-1528) Prinia criniger Hodgson, 1836 Olivaceous Leaf-Warbler (1581) Phylloscopus griseolus Blyth, 1847 Orange-barred Leaf-Warbler (1587-89) Phylloscopus pulcher Blyth, 1845 Grey-faced Leaf-Warbler (1597-99) Phylloscopus maculipennis (Blyth, 1867) + Lemon-rumped Warbler (1594-96) Phylloscopus chloronotus (G.R.Gray & J.E.Gray, 1846) Greenish Leaf-Warbler (1602-05) Phylloscopus trochiloides (Sundevall, 1837) Western Crowned Warbler (1606) Phylloscopus occipitalis (Blyth, 1845) Blyths Leaf-Warbler (1608-1611) Phylloscopus reguloides (Blyth, 1842) Gold-spectacled Flycatch-Warbler (1615) Seicercus burkii (Burton, 1836) Grey-headed Flycatc-Warbler (1616-19) Seicercus xanthoschistos (G.R. Gray ) + Flycatchers Muscicapinae Sooty Flycatcher (1405-1406) Muscicapa sibirica Gmelin, 1789 Orange-gorgeted Flycatcher (1414) Ficedula strophiata (Hodgson, 1837) Little Pied Flycatcher (1419-20) Ficedula westermanni (Sharpe, 1888) + Ultramarine Flycatcher (1421-22) Ficedula superciliaris (Jerdon, 1840) Slaty-blue Flycatcher (1423-1425) Ficedula tricolor (Hodgson, 1845) Verditer Flycatcher (1445) Eumyias thalassina (Swainson, 1838) Small Niltava (1429-1430) Niltava macgrigoriae (Burton, 1836) Rufous-bellied Niltava (1431-32) Niltava sundara (Hodgson, 1837) Grey-headed Flycatcher (1448-49) Culicicapa ceylonensis (Swainson, 1820) Paradise-Flycatchers Monarchinae Asian Paradise-Flycatcher (1460-4) Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus, 1758) Fantail-Flycatchers Rhipidurinae Yellow-bellied Fantail-Flycatcher (1450) Rhipidura hypoxantha Blyth, 1843 White-throated Fantail-Flycatcher (1454-59) Rhipidura albicollis (Vieillot, 1818) White-browed Fantail-Flycatcher (1451-53) Rhipidura aureola Lesson, 1830 + Long-tailed Tits Aegithalidae Red-headed Tit (1818-1820) Aegithalos concinnus (Gould, 1855) + White-throated Tit (1822) Aegithalos niveogularis (Gould, 1855)

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006E F + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + G H + + + + + + + + + + + + I J S A A A A A A A A R R RA AW RA RA A R A R A A A A A R A A A A ? R R S RA A A S S AW A + A S R A S + RA + A + A RA RA S K 3 2 4 3 3 1 1 4 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 4 1 3 4 1 3 4 2 3 2 4 3 2 3 ? ? 3 4 4 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 L LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC M IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV N BRS (07) BRS (07)

BRS (08) BRS (09) BRS (08)

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + +

BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07)

+

+

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

BRS (07) BRS (11) BRS (07) BRS (07)

IV BRS (07) IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV BRS (11) IV BRS (08) IV RRS (4) BRS (08) BRS (05) BRS (07) BRS (07)

BRS (07)

BRS (08)

BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (08) BRS (07)

RA 3 R R R A 2 2 2 5

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5), 2006A 31. 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 32. 170 171 172 33. 173 174 34. 175 176 177 178 35. 179 36. 180 181 37. 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 38. 191 192 39. 193 194 40. 195 196 41. 197 198 42. 199 200 43. 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 B Tits Simla Crested Tit (1804) Rufous-bellied Crested Tit (1805-6a) Spot-winged Crested Tit (1802) Coal Tit (1803) Brown Crested Tit (1807-1808) Great Tit (1790-1797) Green-backed Tit (1799) Black-lored Yellow Tit (1809-11) Black-spotted Yellow Tit (1812-a) Yellow-browed Tit (1813-1814) Nuthatches, Wallcreeper White-tailed Nuthatch (1834-35) Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (1838) Wallcreeper (1839) Tree-Creepers, Creepers Eurasian Tree-Creeper (1842-44) Bar-tailed Tree-Creeper (1845-48) Sunbirds Purple Sunbird (1916-1918) Green-tailed Sunbird (1922-1924) Crimson Sunbird (1927-1929a) Fire-tailed Sunbird (1930) White-eyes Oriental White-eye (1933-1936) Buntings Crested Bunting (2060) Rock Bunting (2051-2052) Finches Yellow-breasted Greenfinch (1990,2) Hodgsons Mountain-Finch (1999-2000) Dark-breasted Rosefinch (2014-15) Pink-browed Rosefinch (2017) Scarlet Finch (2034) Red-headed Bullfinch (2039) Black-and-Yellow Grosbeak (1982) Collared Grosbeak (1983) Spotted-winged Grosbeak (1986) Munias (Estrildid Finches) Red Munia (1964) Spotted Munia (1974-1975) Sparrows & Snowfinches House Sparrow (1938-1939a) Cinnamon Tree Sparrow (1946-1947) Starlings & Mynas Common Myna (1006-1007) Jungle Myna (1009-1011) Orioles Eurasian Golden Oriole (952-953) Maroon Oriole (961) Drongos Black Drongo (962-964) Ashy Drongo (965-966b) Crows, Jays, Treepies, Magpies Eurasian Jay (1020-1021) Black-headed Jay (1022) Yellow-billed Blue Magpie (1025-6) Red-billed Blue Magpie (1027-28) Indian Treepie (1030a-1034) Grey Treepie (1037-1039) Spotted Nutcracker (1042-1044) Red-billed Chough (1046-1047) Yellow-billed Chough (1045) C Paridae Parus rufonuchalis Blyth, 1849 Parus rubidiventris Blyth, 1847 Parus melanolophus Vigors, 1831 Parus ater Linnaeus, 1758 Parus dichrous Blyth, 1844 Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 Parus monticolus Vigors, 1831 Parus xanthogenys Vigors, 1831 Parus spilonotus Bonaparte, 1850 Sylviparus modestus Burton, 1836 Sittidae Sitta himalayensis Jardine & Selby, 1835 Sitta frontalis Swainson, 1820 Tichodroma muraria (Linnaeus, 1766) Certhiidae Certhia familiaris Linnaeus, 1758 Certhia himalayana Vigors, 1832 Nectariniidae Nectarinia asiatica (Latham, 1790) Aethopyga nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) Aethopyga siparaja (Raffles, 1822) Aethopyga ignicauda (Hodgson, 1836) Zosteropidae Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck, 1824) Emberizinae Melophus lathami (Gray, 1831) Emberiza cia Linnaeus, 1766 Fringillidae Carduelis spinoides Vigors, 1831 Leucosticte nemoricola (Hodgson, 1836) Carpodacus nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) Carpodacus rodochrous (Vigors, 1831) Haematospiza sipahi (Hodgson, 1836) Pyrrhula erythrocephala Vigors, 1832 Mycerobas icterioides (Vigors, 1831) Mycerobas affinis (Blyth, 1855) Mycerobas melanozanthos Hodgson, 1836 Estrildidae Amandava amandava (Linnaeus, 1758) Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus, 1758) Passerinae Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Passer rutilans Temminck, 1835 Sturnidae Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) Acridotheres fuscus (Wagler, 1827) Oriolidae Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus, 1758) Oriolus traillii (Vigors, 1832) Dicruridae Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 Dicrurus leucophaeus Vieillot, 1817 Corvidae Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Garrulus lanceolatus Vigors, 1831 Urocissa flavirostris (Blyth, 1846) Urocissa erythrorhyncha (Boddaert, 1783) Dendrocitta vagabunda (Latham, 1790) Dendrocitta formosae Swinhoe, 1863 Nucifraga caryocatactes (Linnaeus, 1758) Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Linnaeus, 1758) Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linnaeus, 1766) D E F G H + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + I J R R A ? R R R R ? R K 3 2 2 5 4 1 2 1 ? 3 4 3 2 4 2 3 3 3 3 1 L LC LC LC LC LC ? LC LC LC LC M IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV N

77

+ +

BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (08) BRS (07)

+ + +

+

+

A R + W R A RA RA RA RA R

LC NLA BRS (07) LC NLA LC NLA BRS (05) LC NLA LC NLA BRS (07) LC LC LC LC LC LC ? LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC IV RRS (1) IV IV IV BRS (07) IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV LC IV IV IV IV IV BRS (08) IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV BRS (07) BRS (05) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07) BRS (07)

+

+

RA 3 A 2 A A A A A A A A A R R R A R R R R 2 4 3 2 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 1 3 1 2 2 4

+ +

+ +

LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC LC

+

+ RA 1 RA 2 RA + RA RA + RA R + RA RA RA RA 3 2 3 1 2 1 3 1 1

+ + + + + +

BRS (08) BRS (07)

+ + + + + + + + + +

BRS (08)

BRS (05)

78A B C Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006D E F G H + + + + + + + + I J K L LC LC ? M V IV IV N

210 House Crow (1048-1051) 211 Jungle Crow (1054-1057) 212 Common Raven (1059-1060)

+ RA 1 + RA 1 RW 4

Note: The following abbreviatons have been used in the table 1. A = Sl. No., B = Common English Name, C = Scientific Name, D to I = Areas explored / surveyed {D = Pithoragarh District Survey (2005), E = Dhauli River Basin (2004), F = Gori River Basin (2002), G = Panchchuli Expedition (1998), H = Goriganga Valley (1994), I = Kali River Basin (1989)} J to N = Status {J = Residential, K = Abundance, L = BirdLife International 2004, M = Bombay Natural History Society 2002, N = Jhunjhunwala et al. 2001} 2. Residential status: R = Resident, RA = Resident with altitudinal movements, RW = Resident with winter influx, AM = Altitudinal migrant, AW = Altitudinal migrant with winter influx, W = Winter visitor, S = Summer visitor, P = Passage migrant, ? = Status not known 3. Abundance status: 1 = Very common, 2 = Common, 3 = Fairly common, 4 = Uncommon, 5 = rare, ? = Status not known 4. BirdLife International 2004: Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concerned (LC), Status not known (?) 5. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: I = Schedule I, IV = Schedule IV, V = Schedule V, NLA = Species not listed in the Act 6. RRS (4) [againt Cheer Pheasant] = The Restricted Range Species occurs in Endemic area number 4 that is Western Himalayas, RRS (1) = Western Ghats 7. BRS (05) = Biome Restricted Species of the Biome (05) = Eurasian High Montane, Biome (07) = Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest, Biome (08) = Sino-Himalayan Subtropical Forest, Biome (09) = Indo-Chinese Tropical Moist Forest, Biome (11) = Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone.

(iii) Conservation status has been worked out at threatened as well as protection levels based on the recent publications. For threatened status BirdLife International (2004) data have been used, while for protection level status the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended up to 1993) as given in BNHS (2002), and for Restricted Range Species (RRS) and the Biome Restricted Species (BRS) data provided by Jhunjhunwala et al. (2001) have utilized. Observation and Results 212 species of birds belonging to 126 genera and 43 families have so far been spotted and recorded (Table). Analysis of various categories and subcategories of residential, abundance, and conservation status revealed the following results (Table): (i) Residential Status Resident (R) Resident with altitudinal movements (RA) Resident with winter influx (RW) Altitudinal migrant (AM) Altitudinal migrant with winter influx (AW) Winter visitor (W) Summer visitor (S) Passage migrant (P) Status not known (?) 73 41 04 61 05 07 10 01 10

b) Of the 212 species, 14 are listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, 175 under Schedule IV, one under Schedule V, 18 are Not Listed under the Act, while the status of remaining four species is not known (BNHS, 2002) (Table). c) Only three species, viz., Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichii) and White-throated Tit (Aegithalos niveogularis) are categorized as Restricted Range Species- RRS (4) and one species, viz., Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica) as RRS (1). A total of 81 species are known as the Biome Restricted Species (BRS). Of these, 13 species are from the Eurasian High Montane (Alpine and Tibetan)- Biome (05); 45 from the Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest. Biome (07); 17 from the SinoHimalayan Subtropical Forest- Biome (08); two from the Indo-Chinese Tropical Moist Forest- Biome (09); and four from the Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone- Biome (11) Jhunjhunwala et al. (2001) (Table). Remarks Pithoragarh district provides habitat for more than 30% bird species (212 out of 620) of the Uttaranchal state. The avian community of this district is dominated by the resident birds. About 50% of them (114 out of 212 bird species) are resident; this includes both residents (73 species) as well as residents with altitudinal movements (41). The second dominant category (about 25%) is of altitudinal migrants (61 species). The migratory birds are represented comparatively by less number of species (summer visitors: 10 species and winter visitors: seven species). In India, there are 79 Globally Threatened bird species (comprising of Critical, Endangered, Vulnerable and Data Deficient and Conservation Dependent species) and 74 restricted range species or the species unique to a small region of which 38 are confined to the geographic boundaries of the country (Jhunjhunwala et al., 2001). Of these, the occurrence of four GT species, 14 Schedule I species, three RRS and a total of 81 BRS (Table) is, perhaps, an indication towards some better management practices in the district by the competent authorities.

Total 212 (ii) Abundance status, in terms of frequency of sightings, indicates that 22 species are very common (1 vide Table), 59 common (2), 70 fairly common (3), 47 uncommon (4), 04 rare (5) and the abundance status of the remaining 10 not known (?) (Table). (iii) Conservation status various analyses reveal that: a) A total of four species are listed as Globally Threatened (GT): Three species Near Threatened (NT) (Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus; Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus and Satyr Tragopan Tragopan satyra), One Vulnerable (VU) (Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichii), and 201 species are listed as Least Concerned (LC), and the status of the remaining seven species is not known (?) (BirdLife International, 2004) (Table).

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5), 2006

79Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) (2002). A BNHS Review of the Avifaunal list of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Buceros, 7 (3): 1- 56. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T. (1999). Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Jhunjhunwala, S., Rahmani, A. R., Ishtiaq, F. and Islam, Z. (2001). The Important Bird Areas Programme in India. Buceros, 6 (2): 1-50. Krys, Kazmierczak. (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Om Book Service, New Delhi. Manakadan, R. and Pittie, A. (2001). Standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian subcontinent. Buceros, 6 (1): i-ix + 1-37. Rawat, G. S. and Sathyakumar, S. (1998). Status of Mammals, Birds and Their Habitats inthe Panchchuli Region, Kumaon Himalaya, in Report on Scientific and Ecological Research- PANCHCHULI 6. Multidimensional Expedition- 1998. Sapper Adventure Foundation. The Corps Engineers, Indian Army. Tak, P. C. and Sati, J. P. (1994). Birds of Goriganga Valley: Kumaon Himalaya. Cheetal 33 (1), 17-26.

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for encouragements throughout. We are also thankful to Officer-in-Charge, Zoological Survey of India, Dehra Dun for various facilities. ReferencesAli, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983a). A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of Indian Subcontinent . Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D. (1983b). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (Compact Edition). Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Anonymous (2002). A Biodiversity Log and Strategy Input Document for the Gori River Basin : Western Himalaya Eco-region District Pithoragarh, Uttaranchal. By Foundation for Ecological SecurityMunsiari, District Pithoragarh, Uttaranchal. Anonymous (2003). State of Forest Report (2003). Forest Survey of India (Ministry of Environment and Forests) Dehra Dun. Pp. i-xii + 1-134. BirdLife International (2004). Threatened Birds of the World 2004, CDROM. Cambridge, U.K.: BirdLife International.

CORRESPONDENCESIGHTING OF NESTS OF DUSKY HORNED OWL (BUBO COROMANDUS) IN KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK, BHARATPUR, RAJASTHAN. RACHNA CHANDRA and B. ANJAN KUMAR PRUSTY, Environmental Impact Assessment Division, Slim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikatty (PO), Coimbatore 641108, India, Email: rachnaeia@gmail.com. Keoladeo National Park, a world heritage and one of the early Ramsar sites, is situated between 27 7.6 to 27 12.2 N and 77 29.5 to 77 33.9 E at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Located on southeastern part of the city it is equidistant from Delhi and Jaipur on either side. This 2900 ha National Park is unique in having multiple habitats, i.e. wetland, grassland and woodland, differentiated by distinct vegetation. The park has been divided into 15 blocks or compartments for the ease of tourism and management, and named alphabetically from A to O. It lies in the semi-arid zone of India with an annual temperature variation from 1 to 49 C. The terrestrial birds prefer the woodland, populated by several plant species such as Acacia nilotica, Syzygium cumini and Mangifera indica, for nesting, foraging and roosting purposes. Dusky horned owl (Bubo coromandus, Order: Strigiformes, Family: Strigidae), one of the common nocturnal bird species was reported to have a nest in exterior part of the F and J block. These blocks represent semi wetland and thorny woodland respectively. Two nests of this bird were recorded on 30th and 31st March 2006 from J (27 09 14.7" N and 77 31 05.3" E) and F (27 09 14.6" N and 77 32 33.5" E) blocks. The nests were observed each on Acacia (Acacia nilotica) in J block and Kadam (Mitragyna parvifolia) in F block. After sighting and recording the co-ordinates with a GPS, photographs of both the nests were taken. Other relevant field data was also collected such as tree height (m), GBH (m) and nesting height (m). In F block the nest was seen at 6.7 m height on a Kadam tree of 10.97 m height and 2.11 m GBH. The surrounding vegetation comprised Acacia nilotica, Prosopis juliflora,

Ziziphus sp., Capparis sp., Salvadora sp., Kirganelia reticulata, Vetiveria zizanioides. In J block the nest was seen at 5.79 m on the tree of 6.7 m height and 1.16 m GBH and plant species surrounding that were mostly P. juliflora and A. nilotica. The park is reeling under severe water scarcity in the recent years and anthropogenic pressures of several magnitudes all around. The number of winter avian visitors, for which the park is famous world over, has reportedly gone down due to such problems. Even the native bird species also seem to migrate to distant places for nesting, feeding, roosting and other such routine activities. In view of these facts the recent sighting of this bird assumes significance so far as the state of the habitat in the Keoladeo National Park is concerned. Acknowledgement The authors express their gratitude to Dr P A Azeez, Sr. Principal Scientist and Head of EIA Division at SACON for his critical comments and encouragement.

a a aREAPPEARANCE OF PIED THRUSH (ZOOTHERA WAARDI) (BLYTH) AT NANDI HILLS, KARNATAKA, SOUTH INDIA. PRAVEEN. J. 14/779(2), Ambadi, K. Medu P.O., Palakkad, Kerala 678013, India. Email: paintedstork@gmail.com Pied Thrush (Zoothera waardi) is considered a passage migrant through the South Indian hills with many isolated records, but nowhere putting up a stay for the whole winter (Ali & Ripley 2001). It has been recorded from Nandi hills (78 12E, 12 53N), one of the highest hillock formation (c. 1560m above MSL) in 1992 (Karthikeyan 1992) and in 1995 (Prasad et.al 1995). However, L.Shyamal (pers comm. 30.xii.2005) opinioned that this bird might have been wintering in the Nandi Hills in all years and it has been once spotted in GKVK Campus in the outskirts of Bangalore. However, there has been no report of Pied Thrush from this area by any observer of late and hence this note is about the re-sighting of this species from Nandi hills after a gap of thirteen years; the last dated sighting being on 9.i.1992 by L.Shyamal (Prasad et.al. 1995). While bird-watching on a misty morning of 11.xii.2005 with Brian Tinker near the hill top at Nandi, a single male bird was observed

80 on an exposed tree trunk giving us a good view of the black upper parts and head, speckled white breast and belly, distinct white eye-brow, yellow bill and white in the outer webs of the blackish tail. The bird was seen along with a female Indian Blue Robin (Erithacus brunneus) and two male Blue-capped Rock Thrushes (Monticola cinclorhynchus). The same bird was observed a second time in the course of the day rummaging in the underground and a third sighting was made at 11:00 AM along with Sudhir Shivaram when he tried to photograph it. This sighting is of additional interest as it was made in the month of December. Ali & Ripley consider the main period for passage migration to be September-October and March-April. Prasad et.al (1995) have two sightings each in March and

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 46 (5),2006 November while the last sighting was in January. This corroborates their summary that Nandi hills is a likely wintering destination for Pied Thrush, rather than just a passage migration staging point.References Ali, Salim & Sidney Dillon Ripley (1986). Handbook of birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Ceylon. Vol. 5. Delhi: Oxford University Press. Karthikeyen, S. (1992). Pied Ground Thrush Zoothera wardii (Blyth) in Bangalore. J BNHS 89:258. Prasad,J.N., S.Karthikeyan & S. Subramanya (1995). Wintering of Indian Blue Chat Erithacus brunneus (Hodgson) and Pied Ground Thrush Zoothera wardii (Blyth) at Nandi Hills, South India. JBNHS 92: 267-269.