Stephen and Carol Warman,Truro, Cornwall.
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This is a list of birds we saw well enough to identify from the moment we stepped off the train at Kathgodam to the moment we embarked again for Delhi. The list does not include birds we saw in Delhi or through the murky windows of the train. The Village Ways guides were excellent and, while they were not infallible, they helped us to see and identify many more birds than we could have done on our own. The list below does not include birds that they saw on the walks but that we missed or failed to identify (so, for example, we have not recorded the Eurasian Griffon Vultures that they were so good at distinguishing from their Himalayan relatives).
Most of the birds listed here were identified using Grimmett, R. & Inskipp, T. (2003), Birds of Northern India, Helm (London). We didnʼt sort out the owl noises however until we got home and listened to on-line recordings. I have included the scientific names in case anyone visits using a different book with variants of the English names or with non-English nomenclature.
At the end of our walking we were still constantly seeing new birds so there is no doubt that someone with more expertise or more time would see many more. We struggled particularly with Bulbuls (though theyʼre probably easy!), Small Hawks, Warblers and Pipits. Though we saw Pipits fairly regularly we didnʼt feel confident enough in our identification to put any named species on this list.
Some of the birds here may be common, some may be rare in those localities. We just donʼt know. We probably missed some very common things. The list would undoubtedly look very different at different seasons as birds move into, out of, and through the region or go through skulking or ostentatious phases of their life-cycle.
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The Bird List:
Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus
Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos
Brown-fronted Woodpecker Dendrocopos auriceps
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus
Himalayan Woodpecker Dendrocopos himalayensis
Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus
Great Barbet Megalaima virens
Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris
Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
Slaty-headed Parakeet Psittacula himalayana
Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
House Swift Apus affinis
Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus
Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis
Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus
Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
Besra Accipiter virgatus
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Little Heron Butorides striatus
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
Black-headed Jay Garrulus lanceolatus
Yellow-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa flavirostris
Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhynchus
Grey Treepie Denrocitta formosae
Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchus
Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii
Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus etholagus
Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Monticola rufiventris
Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata
Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula superciliaris
Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis
White-capped Water Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus
Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata
Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea
White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis
Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana
Spot-winged Tit Parus melanolophus
Great Tit Parus major
Black-lored Tit Parus xanthogenys
Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus
Dusky Crag Martin Hirundo concolor
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
Nepal House Martin Delichon nipalensis
Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys
Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandi
Striated Prinia Prinia criniger
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus
Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
Western Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus occipitalis
Grey hooded Warbler Seicercus castaniceps
Streaked Laughingthrush Garrulax lineatus
Chestunt-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax erythrocephalus
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus erythrogenys
White-browed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus
Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans
White Wagtail Motacilla alba
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
Robin Accentor Prunella rubeculoides
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch Carduelis spinoides
Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
Spot-winged Grosbeak Mycerobas melanozanthos
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