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List of birds of Kerala

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The state of Kerala, India, has 567 bird species within its boundaries.

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List, version 11.2. This list also uses British English throughout. Any bird names or other wording follows that convention. The species list and English names are entirely based on the Checklist of Birds of Kerala[1] published in November 2015.

The following tag has been used to highlight accidental species. The commonly occurring native species do not fit within this category.

  • (A) Accidental - Also known as a rarity, it refers to a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Kerala-typically less than ten confirmed records.


Ducks, geese, and swans

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Lesser whistling duck at Kannur
Indian spot-billed duck pair at Karanji Lake

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.

Pheasants and allies

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Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.

Frogmouths

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Sri Lankan frogmouths in Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Thattekad

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Podargidae

The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and huge frog-like gape, which they use to take insects.

Nightjars

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Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.

Treeswifts

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Order: Apodiformes   Family: Hemiprocnidae

The treeswifts, or crested swifts, are closely related to the true swifts. They differ from the other swifts in that they have crests, long forked tails and softer plumage.

Swifts

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Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.

Bustards

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Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae

Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.

Cuckoos

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Asian koel in Chalakudy

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

Indian cuckoo in Kannur

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Many are brood parasites.

Sandgrouse

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Order: Pterocliformes   Family: Pteroclidae

Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes.

Pigeons and doves

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Laughing dove at Sultanpur National Park, Haryana

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

Rails, crakes, and coots

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Grey-headed swamphen in Vembanad lake

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.

Grebes

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Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.

Flamingos

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Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.

Buttonquail

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Turnicidae

The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.

Stone-curlews and thick-knees

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Great thick-knee in Ranganathittu, Mysore

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

Oystercatchers

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

Stilts and avocets

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Plovers

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Red-wattled lapwing at Kerala
Kentish plover at Kannur, Kerala

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.

Painted-snipes

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae

Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

Jacanas

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Jacanidae

The jacanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat.

Sandpipers and snipes

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Whimbrel at Kannur, Kerala
Wood sandpiper at Kannur, Kerala
Ruddy turnstone at Kannur, Kerala

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Crab-plover

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Dromadidae

The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet and a bill designed for eating crabs.

Coursers and pratincoles

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards.

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

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Whiskered tern in Thommana, Chalakudy
Many lesser crested terns with a solitary Sandwich tern in Kannur, Kerala
River tern at Ranganthittu, Mysore

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of both gulls and terns. Gulls are medium to large seabirds including kittiwakes. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.

Skuas

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants.

Tropicbirds

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Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.

Austral storm petrels

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Wilson's storm petrel

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

The austral storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

Northern storm petrels

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Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

The northern storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

Petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrels

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Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Storks

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Asian Openbill at Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary, Mysore

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.

Frigatebirds

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Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black-and-white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.

Gannets and boobies

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Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

Anhingas and darters

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Oriental darters' nesting colony at Kalletumkara

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas or darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged. The males have black and dark-brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving.

Cormorants and shags

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Great cormorant pair at Banasura Sagar Dam

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.

Ibises and spoonbills

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Eurasian Spoonbill at Ranganathittu

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.

Herons and bitterns

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Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

Grey heron at the Chirakkal Chira, Chirakkal, Kannur
Cattle egret at the Chirakkal Chira, Chirakkal, Kannur

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.

Pelicans

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Spot-billed pelican

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.

Osprey

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Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The family Pandionidae contains usually only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater.

Kites, hawks, and eagles

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Brahminy kite in Chalakudy
Changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) in Mayannur, Thrissur
Changeable hawk-eagle juvenile in Mayannur, Thrissur

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.

Barn owls

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Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.

Owls

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Jungle owlet in Kerala
Brown fish-owl in Thattekad

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Trogons

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Order: Trogoniformes   Family: Trogonidae

The family Trogonidae includes trogons and quetzals. Found in tropical woodlands worldwide, they feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage.

Hoopoes

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Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae

Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Hornbills

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Malabar grey hornbill in Thattekad

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucerotidae

Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly coloured.

Rollers

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Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not.

Kingfishers

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Stork-billed kingfisher in Kumarakom

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.

Bee-eaters

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Blue-tailed bee-eater in Chalakudy

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar.

Asian barbets

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White-cheeked Barbet at Nilambur

Order: Piciformes   Family: Megalaimidae

The Asian barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Most species are brightly coloured.

Woodpeckers

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Black-rumped flameback in Chalakudy

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.

Caracaras and falcons

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Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

Old World parrots

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Malabar parakeet (blue-winged parakeet) in Thattekad

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.

Pittas

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae

Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many are brightly coloured. They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrates.

Vangas, helmetshrikes, woodshrikes, and shrike-flycatchers

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vangidae

The woodshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes.

Woodswallows, butcherbirds, and peltops

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Ashy woodswallow in Thattekad

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Artamidae

The woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. They are smooth, agile flyers with moderately large, semi-triangular wings.

Ioras

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithinidae

The ioras are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub, but whereas that group tends to be drab in colouration, ioras are sexually dimorphic, with the males being brightly plumaged in yellows and greens.

Cuckooshrikes

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Campephagidae

The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured.

Shrikes

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

Figbirds, orioles, and turnagra

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Black-hooded oriole

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles.

Drongos

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Greater racket-tailed drongo in the Western Ghats of Kerala

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicruridae

The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.

Fantails and silktails

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White-browed fantail (Rhipidura aureola), Mayannur, Thrissur

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Rhipiduridae

The fantails are small insectivorous birds which are specialist aerial feeders.

Monarchs

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Black-naped monarch

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Monarchidae

The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines which hunt by flycatching.

Crows and jays

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Rufous treepie in Calicut

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.

Fairy flycatchers

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Stenostiridae

Most of the species of this small family are found in Africa, though a few inhabit tropical Asia. They are not closely related to other birds called "flycatchers".

Tits and chickadees

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.

Larks

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Malabar lark in Kannur, Kerala

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.

Bulbuls

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Red-vented bulbul in Ernakulam

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage.

Swallows and martins

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.

Leaf warblers and allies

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.

Reed warblers, Grauer's warbler, and allies

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Clamorous reed warbler in Kannur

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.

Grassbirds and allies

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae

Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over.

Cisticolas and allies

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Plain prinia at Kannur in Kerala

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.

Sylviid babblers

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sylviidae

The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.

Parrotbills and allies

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Yellow-eyed babbler

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paradoxornithidae

The parrotbills are a group of peculiar birds native to East and Southeast Asia, though feral populations exist elsewhere. They are generally small, long-tailed birds which inhabit reedbeds and similar habitat. They feed mainly on seeds, e.g. of grasses, to which their bill, as the name implies, is well-adapted.

White-eyes

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Zosteropidae

The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.

Babblers and scimitar babblers

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Timaliidae

The babblers, or timaliids, are somewhat diverse in size and colouration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage.

Ground babblers

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pellorneidae

These small to medium-sized songbirds have soft fluffy plumage but are otherwise rather diverse. Members of the genus Illadopsis are found in forests, but some other genera are birds of scrublands.

Alcippe fulvettas

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alcippeidae

The genus once included many other fulvettas and was previously placed in families Pellorneidae or Timaliidae.

Laughingthrushes and allies

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Palani laughingthrush in Munnar

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Leiothrichidae

The members of this family are diverse in size and colouration, though those of genus Turdoides tend to be brown or greyish. The family is found in Africa, India, and southeast Asia.

Fairy-bluebirds

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Irenidae

The fairy-bluebirds are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub. The males are dark-blue and the females a duller green.

Nuthatches

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet.

Starlings and rhabdornis

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Jungle myna in Kottayam

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.

Thrushes

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Indian blackbird at the Government Botanical Gardens, Ooty

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.

Chats and Old World flycatchers

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Blue-throated flycatcher in Thattekkad
Indian robin (Saxicoloides fulicata) female in Mayannur, Thrissur
Male pied bushchat at Ooty

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Chats and Old World flycatchers is a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.

Leafbirds

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Chloropseidae

The leafbirds are small, bulbul-like birds. The males are brightly plumaged, usually in greens and yellows.

Flowerpeckers

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Nilgiri flowerpecker in Thattekad

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Dicaeidae

The flowerpeckers are very small, stout, often brightly coloured birds, with short tails, short thick curved bills and tubular tongues.

Sunbirds

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Little spiderhunter in Thattekad

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Nectariniidae

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

Old World sparrows and snowfinches

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.

Weavers and widowbirds

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ploceidae

The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.

Waxbills, munias, and allies

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.

Wagtails and pipits

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White-browed wagtail
Dark-headed wagtail, subspecies of the western yellow wagtail

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country.

Finches and euphonias

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.

Buntings

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Emberizidae

The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Praveen, J (2015). "A checklist of birds of Kerala, India" (PDF). Journal of Threatened Taxa. 7 (13): 7983–8009. doi:10.11609/jott.2001.7.13.7983-8009.
  2. ^ Karuthedathu, D., Das, V. N., & Palot, M. J. (2014). "Sighting of Common Swift Apus apus from southern India". Indian Birds. 9 (3): 78–79.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Ammas, N. (2012). "Breeding of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse at Malamel Rock, Kollam District, Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 10.
  4. ^ Mannar, H; Ambika, D,S. (2014). "Snapshot Sightings: Red Turtle Dove from Haripad, Kerala". Indian Birds. 9 (5&6): 168A.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Narayanan, S. Prasanth; Kumar, V. Prashobh; Al Badush, A.; Jayamohan, Saji; Jinesh, P. S.; Sreekumar, B.; Thomas, A. P. (2016). "First record of Spotted Crake Porzana porzana from Kerala, India". Indian Birds. 11 (2): 48–49.
  6. ^ Rajeevan, P. C. (2011). "Great Stone-plover Esacus recurvirostris (Cuvier, 1829) at Madayipara, Kannur district, Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 9 (1&2): 22.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Praveen, J, Narayanan, S.P. (2014). "Additions to the checklist of Birds of Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 11 (1–3): 2–12.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Rajeevan, P. C., Khaleel, K. M, Thomas, J. and Sangha, H. S. S. (2014). "First records of Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos and Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus from Kerala". Indian Birds. 9 (3): 64–67.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Sreenivasan, P. P. (2015). "Red Knot at Chavakkad, Kerala, Snapshot Sightings". Indian Birds. 10 (1): 28A.
  10. ^ Francis, T., Sreenivasan, P. P., Gnanakumar, M. and Das, S. (2013). "Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta (Middendorff, 1853) from Kole wetlands, Thrissur-First photographic record from Kerala, South India". Malabar Trogon. 10 (3): 16–17.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Rajeevan, P.C. & Thomas, J. (2011). "Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis from northern Kerala: a third record for India". Indian Birds. 7 (5): 22.
  12. ^ Sreenivasan, P.P. (2016). "Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus: An addition to the avifauna of peninsular India". Indian Birds. 11 (4): 97–98.
  13. ^ Rajeevan, P.C. & Thomas, J. (2013). "First record of Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola from Kerala". Indian Birds. 8 (2): 49–50.
  14. ^ Praveen, J. (2011). "A Review of Pelagic Bird Records in Sea Swallow from the off-shore waters of Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 9 (1&2): 7–10.
  15. ^ Jayson, E. A., Babu S., Govind, S. K. (2013). "Recovery of White Tern Gygis alba at Athirapilly, Kerala, India". Indian Birds. 8 (6): 163.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Das, S., Kechery, S., Sreenivasan P. P., & Sreeranj C. (2013). "Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla from Puthankadapuram, Kerala, India". Indian Birds. 8 (3): 73.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Sreenivasan P. P., Praveen J., Prince, M. & Karuthedathu, D. (2013). "Sabine's Gull Xema sabini from Puthankadapuram, Kerala, India: a first record for South Asia". Indian Birds. 8 (4): 99–100.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Karuthedathu, D., Raju, A.K. (2014). "Roseate Tern off Nileshwaram, Kerala". Indian Birds. 9 (1): 28.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Praveen J., Karuthedathu, D., Prince, M., Palot, M. J. & Dalvi, S. (2013). "Identification of South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean". BirdingASIA. 19: 83–88.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ a b c d Praveen, J.; Karuthedathu, D.; Palot, M. J.; Prince, M.; Meppayur, S. (2011). "Significant pelagic bird sightings from off-shore waters of the Malabar coast, southern India". Indian Birds. 7 (3): 66–69.
  21. ^ Prince, M. (2011). "Some Observations from Lakshadweep and the Laccadive Sea off Kerala". Indian Birds. 7 (3): 63–65.
  22. ^ a b Vivek Chandran, A.; Praveen, J.; Sreenivasan, P. P.; Nameer, P. O.; Dilip, K. G. (2011). "Swinhoe's Storm-petrel Oceanodroma monorhis and other pelagic birds from the Thrissur coast, Kerala". Indian Birds. 7 (3): 73–74.
  23. ^ Praveen, J.; Jayapal, R.; Pittie, A. (2013). "Notes on Indian rarities—1: Seabirds". Indian Birds. 8 (5): 113–125.
  24. ^ Karuthedathu, D.; Palot, M. J.; Praveen J.; Sreenivasan, P. P.; Uthaman, K. V. (2013). "Streaked Shearwater Calonectrics leucomelas from Kannur coast, Kerala". Indian Birds. 8 (2): 44–45.
  25. ^ Praveen, J.; Palot, M. J.; Karuthedathu, D. (2013). "Recovery of a Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis from Thaikadapuram beach, Kasaragod district, state of Kerala". Indian Birds. 8 (6): 152–153.
  26. ^ Praveen, E. S.; Das, S.; Dilip, K. J. (2015). "Sighting of Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris, and Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica from the Arabian Sea, off Ponnani, Kerala". Indian Birds. 10 (1): 26–27.
  27. ^ Gandhe, A. (2014). "Seabird observations off the western coast of India". Indian Birds. 9 (5&6): 137–138.
  28. ^ Jacob, Tytus T.; Pramod, P.; Gangadharan, K.; Mahesh, M. (1994). "First record of the Rosy Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Linnaeus in Kerala". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 91 (3): 452.
  29. ^ Nair, Manoj V. (1993). "Rosy Pelican at Aakkulam". Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 33 (1): 7–8.
  30. ^ Praveen, J., Nameer, P. O., Karuthedathu, D., Ramaiah, C., Balakrishnan, B., Rao, K. M., Shurpali, S., Puttaswamaiah, R., & Tavcar, I. (2014). "On the vagrancy of the Himalayan Vulture Gyps himalayensis to southern India". Indian Birds. 9 (1): 19–22.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ Chandran, A., Rasmussen, P. C., Jahan, S., & Praveen J. (2016). "The Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei in south-western India, with notes on identification". Indian Birds. 12 (2&3): 56–63.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Sreenivasan P. P. (2013). "Blue-cheeked Bee-eater from Kole Wetlands, Kerala" (PDF). Indian Birds. 8 (4): 110.
  33. ^ Manekkara. S. (2016). "Blue-throated Bee-eater Merops viridis in Kerala: An escapee, or a wild vagrant?". Indian Birds. 12 (2&3): 76–78.
  34. ^ Praveen, E. S.; Sankar, Abhiram (2011). "Recent sightings of Red-headed Falcon Falco chiquera from Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 8 (2&3): 11–12.
  35. ^ PAbhilash A. K. (2011). "Abhilash A. K.". Indian Birds. 11 (2): 56A.
  36. ^ Jønsson, K. A., Bowie, R. C. K., Moyle, R. G., Irestedt, M., Christidis, L., Norman, J. A. & Fjeldså, J. (2010). "Phylogeny and biogeography of Oriolidae (Aves: Passeriformes)" (PDF). Ecography. 33: 232–241. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06167.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ Packert Martin, Martens Jochen, Eck Siegfried, Nazarenko Alexander A, Valchuk Olga P., Petri Bernd, Veith Michael (2005). "The great tit (Parus major) – a misclassified ring species". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 86 (2): 153–174. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00529.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ Mohanram Kemparaju (2012). "A photographic record of Hume's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei from Wayanad District, Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 10 (1&2): 19.
  39. ^ Mujeeb Panchili (2012). "Sighting of Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola and the first photographic record of the species from Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 9 (3): 7–8.
  40. ^ a b Sashikumar, C., Vishnudas, C. K., Raju, S., Vinayan, P. A., Shebin, V. A. (2012). "Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcomi and Syke's Warbler Iduna rama in Walayar: first photographic record from Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 10 (1&2): 7–8.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  41. ^ Praveen, J.; P. O. Nameer (2012). "A Report of Large Grey Babbler from Attappady Hills, Kerala". Malabar Trogon. 10 (1&2): 8–9.
  42. ^ George, P. J (2016). "Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula superciliaris at Santhigiri, near Kumily, Idukki District, Kerala, India". Indian Birds. 11 (3): 81–82.
  43. ^ Balar, R. B.; Saikia, P. J.; Goswami, V. P.; Prasanth, Kumar S. R. P. (2016). "More records of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxatilis from southern, and western India". Indian Birds. 12 (4&5): 141–144.
  44. ^ Damle, S; Inskipp, T. (2014). "Sighting of Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe from the Nubra Valley, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and a review of previous records from the Indian Subcontinent". Indian Birds. 9 (5&6): 139–141.
  45. ^ Reghuvaran, P. (2016). "Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka at Bekal Fort, Kasaragod, Kerala". Indian Birds. 12 (1): 18–19.
  46. ^ Rajeevan, P. C., Biju, P. B. and Thomas, J. (2011). "First record of Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris from Kerala". Indian Birds. 7 (6).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  47. ^ Eaton, J. A.; Mathew, J. (2016). "Little Bunting Schoeniclus pusillus in Munnar Hills, Kerala". Indian Birds. 12 (1): 17–18.
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