Handbook of The Birds of India and Pakistan V 10

HANDBOOK OF THE
BIRDS
OF INDIA
AND PAKISTAN
TOGETHER WITH THOSE OF BANGLADESH,
NEPAL, SIKKIM, BHUTAN AND SRI LANKA
S ~ I M
ALI
AND
S. DILLON RIPLEY
With contributions by T. J. Roberts
Volume 10
FLOWERPECKERS TO BUNTINGS
Synopsis Nos. 1892-2060
Colour Plates 99- 106
SECOND EDITION
Sponsored by the
Bombay Natural History S o c i e ~
DELHI
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

CALCUl'TA CHENNAI MUMBAI
1999
INDEX T O THE VOLUMES BY FAMILY

Lorin ~ m e s(for English names see back endpaper)
Accipitridae, I
Aegithalinae (Paridac), 9
Alaudidae, 5
Alcedinidae, 4
Anatidae, 1
Apodidae, 4
Ardeidae, 1
Arramidae, 5
Bom bycillidae, 5
Bucerotidae, 4
Burhinidae.3
Carnpephagidae, 6
Capitonidae, 4
Caprimulgidae,4
Carduelinae (Fringillidae), 10
Ccrthiidae, 9
Charadriidae, 2
Ciconiidae, 1
Cinclidae, 9
Columbidae, 3
Coraciidae, 4
Cowidae, 5
Cuculidae, 3
Dicacidae, 10
Dicruridae, 5
Dromadidae, 2
Emberizidae, 10
Estrildinae ( Ploceidae), 10
Eurylaimidae, 4
Falconidae, 1
Fregatidae, I
F~ingillidae. 10
Fringillinae (Fringillidae), 10
Gaviidae, I
Glareolidae, 3
Gruidae, 2
Haematopodidae, 2
Heliornithidae, 2
Hemiprocninae (Apodidae), 4
Hirundinidae, 5
Hydrobatidae, 1
Hypoooliinae (Bombycillidac), 5
Indicatoridae, 4
Ircnidae, 6
Japnidae, 2
Jynginae (Picidac), 4
Laniidae, 5
Laridae, 3
Mcgapodiidae, 2
Meropidae, 4
Monarchinac (Muscicapidae), 7
Motacillidae, 9
Muscicapidae, 6-9
Monarchinac, 7
Muscicapinae, 7
Pachycephalinae, 7
Sylviinae, 8
Timaliinac, 6 7
Turdinae, 8-9
Muscicapinae, 7
Salpornitinae (Sittidae), 9
Scolopacinac (Charadriidae) , 2
Sittidae, 9
Sittinae (Sittidae), 9
Stercorariidae, 3
Strigidae, 3
Stumidae, 5
Sulidae, 1
Sylviinae (Muscicapidae), 8
Tichodromadinae (Sittidae), 9
Timaliinae (Murcicapidae), 6-7
~ r k g l o d ~ t i d a e9,
Trogonidue, 4
Turdinae (Murcicapidae), 8-9
Turnicidae, 2
Tytoninae (Strigidae), 3
Threskiomithidae, 1
Zosteropidae, 10
Upupidae, 4
DATE DUE
I
Nectariniidae, 10
Oriolidae, 5
Otididae, 2
Pachyccphalinae (Muscicapidae), 7
Paridae, 9
Parinae (Paridae), 9
Passerinae (Ploceidae), 10
Pelecanidae, 1
Phaethontidae, 1
Phalacrocoracidae, 1
Phalaropinae (Charadriidae), 2
Phasianidac, 2
~hocnico~teridae,
1
Picidae, 4
Picinae, 4
Picumninae (Picidae), 4
Pittidac, 4
Ploceidae, 10
Ploceinac (Ploceidie), 10
Podargidae, 4
Podicipitidae, 1
Proccllariidae, 1
Prunellidae, 9
Psittacidae, 3
Pteroclididae, 3
Pycnonotidae, 6
Rallidae, 2
Recurvirostridae, 2
Remizinae (Paridae), 9
Roatratulidae, 2
I
D e m o , I ~ c38-293
.
Odord University Pmss, Great C~amndonStwet, O d o d 0x2 6Df

Odord New York
Athens Auckland Bangkok Calcutta
Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi
Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi
Kuala Lwnpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City
Mwnbai Naimbi Pans Singapore
Taipei Tokyo Toronto
and associates in
Berlin Ibadan
O Oxford University Press, 1974, 1998
Scilim Ali 1896

Sidney Dillon Ripley 1913
First published 1969
Second edition 1999
ISBN 0 19 563708 9
Tjpeset by Sheel Arts, Delhi 110 092

Printed at Rekha Printers Pvt. hd., New Delhi 110 020
and published by Manzar Khan, Odorid University Pmss
YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
..
..
..
..
Terms used in the description of a bird's plumage
..
..
.. .. ..
and parts
Abbreviations
..
..
.. . . ..
Systematic index
..
.. . . ..
List of colour plates
..
.. .. ..
Changes in territorial names
.. . . ..
Descriptive text . .
..
.. .. ..
References cited . .
..
.. .. ..
Index to Vol. 10 . .
. . .. .. ..
..
..
..
..
..
..
vii
a,.
Vlll
ix
xiv
xvii
1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IN Volume 10 of the first edition (pp. vii-viii) the indebtedness of the authors
was expressed to a number of individuals and institutions for various courtesies
received. To these must now be added many more but for whose active and
solicitous collaboration the revision of these volumes could not have been
completed.
Gorman M. Bond, already named before, began his association with the project
almost from its start in 1964. Subsequently this work was taken qver by Michel
Desfayes, and later by Dr. Bruce M. Beehler, who ably assisted in Washington on
the revision of volumes 4 through 8, and then finally by Dr. P. C. Rasmussen who
worked on the revision of volumes 8 through 10. Greatly appreciated was the
painstaking industry with which Miss Adele Issa typed the bulky first drafts of
the MSS, from the Washington side, and of the administrative support she and
later Mary Talbot Pacaro gave the project. On the Indian side, the remarkable,
conscientious, and unflagging help of J. S. Serrao was indispensible, throughout
the entire process of producing the first edition and its revision, presented here.
W~thouthis continual, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable help this project would
have taken quite a different aspect. Throughout the execution of both phases of
the project, from the initial extracting of the literature through the protracted
drudgery of ' decoding ', typing and retyping the first untidy handwritten drafts,
and sometimes two or more redrafts, up to the final copy for the printer, the
correcting of successive printer's proofs and revises, and the preparation and
checking of the indexes and bibliography-he slogged ungrudgingly and even
seemingly cheerfully! A special debt is owed to Mr. Tom Roberts for his
knowledgeable comments on the final volumes. Finally, it is a privilege to be
able to present the fine illustrative plates, showing nearly every Indian bird,
painted by John Henry Dick and generously given by him to the Bombay Natural
History Society.
The list of all the parties to whom the authors are indebted is too long to detail
here. In the revision process, Santosh Mukherjee, and later Mr. Neil O'Brien,
General Manager of Oxford University Press, India, saw this project through to
publication. Also deserving sincere thanks are Dr. Jay Samant, Director of the
Bombay Natural History Society; Mr. J. C. Daniel, Principal Investigator of the
revision project; Ms Francine Berkowitz, Director of the Office of International
Relations; and Dr. David Challinor, now ScienceAdvisor, Smithsonian Institution,
for their efforts on behalf of completion of the revision project.
Terms used in the description of

a bird's plumage and parts
Topography of a sparrow
4
Maxilla (= upper mandible)

Mandible (= lower mandible)
Nostril
Forehead
Iris
Supercilium
Crown
Hind crown
Ear-coverts
Malar region (malar stripe,
moustache)
Lores
Side of neck
Hindneck (= nape)
Back
Rump
Tail (rectrices)
Under tail-coverts
Scapulars
Tertials
Secondaries
(rerniges)
Primaries
Primary coverts
Greater coverts
Bastard wing (alula)
Median coverts
Lesser coverts
Chin
Throat
Breast
Belly (abdomen)
Tarsus
Inner toe
Middle toe
Outer roe
Hind toe (hallux)
ABBREVIATIONS
Bull. BOC
CBCN
Dementiev
FBI
Ind. Hb.
J. Om.
JBNHS
OBC Bull.
PZS
SF
sz
Wi therby
Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club

Ceylon Bird Club Notes
Birds of the Soviet Union
Fauna of British India. Birdr
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan
Journal fir Ornithologie, Berlin
Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society
Oriental Bid Club Bulletin
Proceedings of the Zoological Socie8 London
Stray Feathers
Spolia Zeylanica
The Handbook of British B i d
Abbreviated references to persons frequently quoted

Abdulali or HA
Alexander or HGA
Baker
Biswas or BB
Desfayes or MD
Diesselhorst or GD
Hartert
Hume
lnglis
Inskipp & Inskipp
Jerdon
Kinnear or NBK
Meinertzhagen or RM
Murphy
Osmaston or BBO
Paynter or RAP
Peters
Phillips
Ripley or SDR
Sdlim Ali or SA
Stresemann or Stres.
TJR or Roberts
Tcehurst or CBT
Whistler or HW
Humayun Abdulali
Horace G. Alexander
E. C. Stuart Baker
Biswamoy Biswas
Michel Desfayes
Gerd Diesselhorst
Er nst Hartert
A. 0. Hume
C. M. Inglis
T.& C. Inskipp
T.C. Jerdon
Sir Norman B. Kinnear
Col. R. Meinertzhagen
R. C. Murphy
B. B. Osmaston
R. A. Paynter
J. L. Peters
W. W. A. Phillips
S. Dillon Ripley
Sdim Ali
Erwin Stresemann
T. J. Roberts
Claud B. Ticehurst
Hugh Whistler
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
Order P a s s e r i f o r m e s (cont.)
Family DICAEIDAE: Flowerpeckers
Thickbilled Flowerpecker. Dicaewn agile agile (Tickell) .........
ssp. zeylonense (Whistler) ...................................................
Yellowvented Flowerpecker. Dicaewn chrysorrhewn
chrysochlore Blyth ......................................................
Yellowbellied Flowerpecker. Dicaewn melanoxanthwn
(Blyth) ...................................................................................
Legge's Flowerpecker. Dicaeum vincens (Sclater) .....................
Orangebellied Flowerpecker. Dicaeum trigonostigma
rubmpygiwn Baker ...............................................................
Tickell's Flowerpecker. Dicaeum erythmrhynchos
erythmrhynchos (Latharn) ..................................................
ssp. ceylonense Babault ...............................................................
Plaincoloured Flowerpecker. Dicaeum concolor
olivacewn Walden .................................................................
ssp. concolor Jerdon .....................................................................
ssp. vimscens Hume .....................................................................
Scarletbacked Flowerpecker. Dicaewn cruentatwn
cruentafum (Linnaeus) .........................................................
Firebreasted Flowerpecker, Dicaewn ignipectus
ignipectus (Blyth) .................................................................
Family N E C T A R I N I I D A E : Sunbirds
Rubycheek. Anthreptes singalemis nrbinigentis (Baker) ...........
Purplemmped Sunbird. Nectarinia zeylonica
flaviventris (Hermann) .........................................................
ssp. zeylonica (Linnaeus) .............................................................
Small Sunbird. Nectarinia minima (Sykes) ................................
Van Hasselt's Sunbird. Nectarinia sperata brasiliano
(Gmelin) ................................................................................
Loten's Sunbird. Nectarinia lotenia hindustanica
(Whistler) .............................................................................
ssp. lotenia (Linnaeus) .................................................................
Olivebacked Sunbird. Nectarinia jugularis andamanica
(Hume) ..................................................................................
ssp. klossi (Richmond) .................................................................
ssp. pmselia (Oberholser) ............................................................
Purple Sunbird. Nectarinia asiatica brevirostris Blanford .........
ssp. ariatica (Latham) ..................................................................
ssp. intermedia (Hume) ................................................................
Mrs Gould's Sunbird. Aethopyga gouldiae gouldiae
(Vigors) .................................................................................
ssp. isolara Baker ........................................................................
ssp. dabryii (Virreaux) .................................................................
Nepal Yellowbacked Sunbird. Aethopyga nipalensis
horsfieldi (Blyth) ................................................................
ssp. nipalensis (Hodgson) ...........................................................
ssp. koelzi Ripley .........................................................................
xii
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
Spottedwinged Grosbeak. Coccothraustes melanotanthus
Hodgson ................................................................................
Goldfinch. Carduelis carduelis major Taczanowski ...................
ssp. subulata (Gloger) .................................................................
........................................
ssp. caniccps Vigors ......................
Himalayan Greenfinch. Carduelis spinoides spinoides
Vigors ..................................................................................
ssp. taylori (Kinnear) ...................................................................
ssp. heinrichi Stresemann ............................................................
Eurasian Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linnaeus) ............................
Linnet. Acanthis cannabina bella (Brehm) .................................
X t e . Acanthis flovimstris montanella (Hume) .........................
ssp. rufostrigata (Walton) ............................................................
Goldfronted Finch. Scrinw pusillus (Pallas) ..............................
Siskin. Serinus thibetanw (Hume) ................................
Hodgson's Mountain Finch Lcucosticte nemoricolo
alraica (Eversmann) .............................................................
ssp. nemoricola (Hodgson) ..........................................................
Brandt's Mountain Finch. Leucosticte brandti b r d i
Bonaparte ..............................................................................
ssp. pamimnsis Severtzov .............................................................
304 ssp. huematopygia (Could) ..........................................................
ssp. pallidior Bianchi ...................................................................
Redbrowed Finch Callacanthis burtoni (Could) .......................
Crimsonwinged Desert Finch. Callacanthis sanguinea
sanguinca (Could) .....................
.
.......................................
Lichtenstein's Desert Finch. Rhodospiul obsokta
(Lichtenstein) ........................................................................
Trumpeter Finch. Carpodmu githagineus crussimstris
Blyth ......................................................................................
Mongolian Desert Finch. Carpodacus mongolicu Swinhoe .....
Common Rosefinch. Carpodacus erythrinus ferghanensis
(Kozlova) ..............................................................................
ssp. roseatus (Blyth) ....................................................................
ssp. kubanensis Laubmann ..........................................................
ssp. erythrinus (Pallas)...............................................................
Nepal Rosefinch. Carpoducur nipalenris kangrae
(Whistler) ..............................................................................
ssp. nipalensis (Hodgson) ............................................................
Blanford's Rosefinch. Carpodacw rubescens (Blanford) ..........
Pinkbrowed Rosefinch. Carpodacus rhodochmus (Vigors) .......
Vinaceous Rosefinch Carpodacus v i ~ c c u sv i ~ c e w
Verreaux ...............................................................................
Redmantled Rosefinch. Carpodocus rhodochlamys
grandis Blyth ........................................................................
Spottedwinged Rosefinch. Carpodocus rhodopeplus
(Vigors) .................................................................................
Whitebrowed Rosefinch. Carpodacus thura blythi
(Biddulph) .............................................................................
ssp. rhura Bonaparte & Schlegel .................................................
ssp. femininus Rippon ..................................................................
.
.
.
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
Beautiful Rosefinch. Carpodacus pulcherrimus
pulcherrimus (Moore) ........................................................
ssp. waltoni (Sharpe) ....................................................................
Large Rosefinch. Carpodacus edwardsii rubicunda
(Greenway) ...........................................................................
Threebanded Rosefinch. Carpodacus rrifasciatus Verreaux ......
Great Rosefinch. Carpoducus rubicilla severtzovi Sharpe .........
Eastern Great Rosefinch. Carpodacus rubicilloides
lucifer R . & A . Meinertzhagen .............................................
Redbreasted Rosefinch. Carpodacus puniceus kilianensis
Vaurie ....................................................................................
ssp. humii (Sharpe) .......................................................................
ssp. puniceus (Blyth) ....................................................................
Crossbill. Loxia curvimstra himalayensis Blyth ........................
Redheaded Rosefinch Propyrrhula subhimachala
(Hodgson) .............................................................................
Scarlet Finch. Haemarospiza sipahi (Hodgson) ..........................
Goldheaded Black Finch. Pyrrhoplecres epauletfa
(Hodgson) .............................................................................
Brown Bullfinch Pyrrhula nipofemis nipalensis Hodgson .......
ssp. rickerti La Touche .................................................................
Beavan's Bullfinch. Pyrrhula erythaca eryrhaca Blyth .............
Redheaded Bullfinch. Pyrrhula erythrocephala Vigors .............
Orange Bullfinch. Pyrrhula aurantiaca Gould ...........................
Family E M B E R I Z I D A E : Buntings
Corn Bunting. Emberiza calandra Linnaeus ...............................
Pine Bunting. Emberiza leucocephalos leucocephalos
S . G . Gmelin .........................................................................
Blackheaded Bunting. Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli ..........
Redheaded Bunting. Emberiza bruniceps Brandt .......................
Chestnut Bunting. Emberiza rutila Pallas ...................................
Yellowbreasted Bunting. Emberiza a u ~ o l aaureola Pallas .......
Blackfaced Bunting. Emberiza spodocephala sordida Blyth .....
Whitecapped Bunting. Emberiza stewarri (Blyth) ......................
Ortolan Bunting. Emberiza hortulana Linnaeus .........................
Greynecked Bunting. Emberiza buchanani Blyth .......................
Rock Bunting. Emberiza cia par Hartert ....................................
ssp. srraclzeyi Moore ................................. ...............................
ssp. khamensis Sushkin ................................................................
ssp. yunnanensis Sharpe ..............................................................
Greyheaded Bunting. Emberiza fucata amuata Sharpe ..............
ssp. fucata Pallas ..........................................................................
Little Bunting. Etnberiza pusilla Pallas ......................................
Striolated Bunting. Emberiza striolata striolata
(Lichtenstein) ................................... .................................
Reed Bunting. Emberiza schoeniclus pallidior Hartert ..............
ssp. pjv-rhuloides Pallas ............................................................
Crested Bunting. Melophus lathami (Gray) ................................
..
..
COLOUR PLATES
Synopsis numbers in brackets
(SE) = species extralimital (RE)= race extralimital
PLATE 99
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Dicaewn agile, Thickbilled Flowerpecker (1892, 1894)

Dicaewn melanoxanthwn, Yellowbellied Flowerpecker (1896)
Dicaewn erythmrhynchos, Tickell's Flowerpecker (1899)
Dicaewn concolor; Plaincoloured Flowerpecker (190 1)
Dicaewn chrysorrkwn, Yellowvented Flowerpecker (1895)
Dicaeum vincens, Legge's Flowerpecker (1897)
Dicaewn trigonostigma, Orangebellied Flowerpecker (1898)
Dicaeum ignipectus, Firebreasted Flowerpecker (1905)
Estriluh amandava, Red Munia (1964)
Dicaeum cruentatwn, Scarletbacked Flowerpecker (1904)
Lonchura malacca otricapilla, Blackheaded Munia (1977)
Lonchura m. malacca, Blackheaded 'Munia (1978)
Estrilda formosa, Green Munia (1965)
Lonchura punctulara, Spotted Munia (1974)
Lonchura kelaarti jerdoni, Rufousbellied Munia (197 1, 1972)
Lonchura &. kelaarti, Rufousbellied Munia (1973)
Lonchura malabarica, Whitethroated Munia (1966)
Padda oryzivora, Java Sparrow (1978a)
Lonchura striata, Whitebacked Munia (1968)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Plate 100
Zosterops palpebmsa, Oriental White-eye (1933)
Zosterops ceylonensis, Ceylon White-eye (1937)
Anthreptes singalensis, Rubycheek (1906)
Nectarinia zeylonica, Purplerumped Sunbird (1907)
Nectarinia jugularis, Olivebacked Sunbird (19 13)
Nectarinia sperata, Van Hasselt's Sunbird (1910)
Nectarinia minima, Small Sunbird (1909)
Aethopyga gouldiae, Mrs Gould's Sunbird (1919)
Nectarinia lotenia, Loten's Sunbird (19 11)
Nectarinia asiatica, Purple Sunbird (19 1 7)
Aethopyga nipalensis, Nepal Yellowbacked Sunbird (1923)
Aethopyga saturata, Blackbreasted Sunbird (1925)
Aethopyga siparaja, Crimson Sunbird (1 927)
Arachnothera longirostris, Little Spiderhunter (193 1)
Arachnorhera magna, Streaked Spiderhunter ( 1932)
Aethopyga ignicauda, Firetailed Sunbird (1930)
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
Plate 101
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Passer ammodendri, Saxaul Sparrow (EL)

Passer domesticus, House Sparrow (1 938)
Passer hispartiolensis, Spanish Sparrow (1940)
Passer moabiticus, Scrub Sparrow (1 947a)
Passer pyrrhonotus, Sind Jungle Sparrow (1945)
Passer rutilans, Cinnamon Tree Sparrow (1946)
Passer montanus, Tree Sparrow (1 942)
Petmnia petronia, Rock Sparrow (1950)
Petronia xanthocollis, Yellowthroated Sparrow (1949)
Ploceus benghalensis, Blackthroated Weaver (1961)
Ploceus megarhynchus, Finn's Baya (1960)
Plocew manyar; Streaked Weaver (1962)
Plocew philippinus, Baya (1957)
Ploceus philippinus burmanicus, Baya ( 1959)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
I5
16
17
18
Plate 102
Prunella collaris, Alpine Accentor (1 779)
Prunella strophiata, Rufousbreasted Accentor (1783)
Prunella rubeculoides, Robin Accentor (1781)
Prunella immaculata, Maroonbacked Accentor ( I 788)
Prunella himulayana, Altai Accentor (1 780)
Prunella atrogularis, Blackthroated Accentor ( 1787)
Prunella fulvescens ocularis, Radde's Accentor (1785a). ssp of 1784
Prunella montanella, Siberian Accentor (1787a)
Prunella filvescens, Brown Accentor (1 784)
Montifringilla blanfordi, Blanford's Snow Finch (1955)
Montifiingilla davidiana, Pere David's Snow Finch (1956)
Montifiingilla adamsi, Tibet Snow Finch (1952)
Montifringilla nivalis, Snow Finch ( 1951)
Montifiingilla taczariowskii, Mandelli's Snow Finch (1953)
Leucosticte nemoricola, Hodgson's Mountain Finch (2000)
Montifringilla ruficollis, Rednecked Snow Finch (1954)
Leucosticte brandti, Brandt's Mountain Finch (2001)
Montifringilla theresue, Bartailed Snow Finch (SE)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
II
12
13
14
15
Plate 103
Fringilla coelebs, Chaffinch ( 1979)
Fringilla montifringilla, Brambling (1 980)
Serinus pusillw, Goldfronted Finch ( I 998)
Serinus rhibetanus, Tibetan Siskin ( 1 993)
Carduelis chloris, European Greenfinch (SE)
Carduelis spinoides, Himalayan Greenfinch (1990)
Carduelis spinoides taylori, Blackheaded Greenfinch ( 1991 )
Acanthis cannabina, Linnet ( 1994)
Acanthis flavitwsm's, m i t e (1 995)
Carduelis carduelis, Goldfinch (1 989)
Rhodospiza obsoleta, Lichtenstein's Desert Finch (2008)
Callacanrhis sanguinea, Crimsonwinged Desert Finch (2009)
Carpodacus githagineus, Trumpeter Finch (2006)
Carpodacus mongolicus, Mongolian Desert Finch (2007)
Carpodacus synoicus, Sinai Rosefinch (SE)
x vi
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
SYSTEMATIC INDEX
Plate 104
Indicator mnthonotus, Orange-mmped Honeyguide (794)
Haematospiza sipahi, Scarlet Finch (2034)
Callacanthis burtoni, Redbrowed Finch (1997)
Pyrrhula nipalensis, Brown Bullfinch (2036)
Pyrrhula aurantiaca, Orange Bullfinch (2040)
Pyrrhula erythrocephala, Redheaded Bullfinch (2039)
Pyrrhula erythaca, Beavan's Bullfinch (2038)
Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Hawfinch (198 1)
Coccothraustes icterioides, Black-and-Yellow Grosbeak (1982)
Coccothraustes afinis, Allied Grosbeak (1983)
Coccothraustes melanozanthos, S pottedwinged Grosbeak (1986)
Pyrrhoplectes epauletta, Goldheaded Black Finch (2035)
Coccothraustes carnipes, Whitewinged Grosbeak (1985)
Melophus lathami, Crested Bunting (2060)
Plate 105
Carpodacus rubescens, Blanford's Rosefinch (2016)
Carpodacus nipalensis, Nepal Rosefinch (2015)
Carpodacus erythrinus, Common Rosefinch (2013)
Carpodacus rhodochmus, Pinkbrowed Rosefinch (2017)
Carpodacus pulcherrimus, Beautiful Rosefinch (2023)
Carpodacus edwardrii, Large Rosefinch (2025)
Carpodacus vinaceus, Vinaceous Rosefinch (2017a)
C a r p o h u s rhodopeplus, Spottedwinged Rosefinch (2019)
Carpodacus trifarciatus, Threebanded Rosefinch (2026)
Carpodocus thura, Whitebrowed Rosefinch (202 1)
Carpodacus thura blythi, Whitebrowed Rosefinch (2020)
Carpohcus mbicilla, Great Rosefinch (2027)
Carpodacus rhodochlamys, Redmantled Rosefinch (2018)
Propymhula subhimachala, Redheaded Rosefinch (2033)
C a r p o h u s rubicilloides, Eastern Great Rosefinch (2028)
Carpodocus puniceus, Redbreasted Rosefinch (203 1)
Loxia curvimstra, Crossbill (2032)
Plate 106
1 Emberiza calandra, Corn Bunting (204 1 )

2 Emberim citrinella, Yellowhammer (SE)
3 Emberiza leucocephalos, Pine Bunting (2042)
4 Emberiza buchanani, Grey necked Bunting (2050)
5 Emberiza stewarti, Whitecapped Bunting (2048)
6 Emberiza cia, Rock Bunting (205 1)
7 Emberiza h o r t u l a ~ ,Ortolan Bunting (2049)
8 Emberiza striolata, Striolated Bunting (2057)
9 Enrberiza pusilla, Little Bunting (2056)
10 Emberiza fucata, Grey headed Bunting (2055)
11 Emberiza aureola, Yellowbreasted Bunting (2046)
12 Emberiza melanocephula, Blackheaded Bunting (2043)
13 Emberiza rurila, Chestnut Bunting (2045)
14 Emberiza spodocephuh, Blackfaced Bunting (2047)
15 Emberiza schoeniclw, Reed Bunting (2058)
16 Emberiza bmniceps, Redheaded Bunting (2044)
CHANGES IN TERRITORIAL NAMES

The Handbook relies on observations made during the last hundred years, during
which period many areas have changed their names and boundaries. The authors
have striven to keep up with changes which have taken place during the writing
and publication of the ten volumes, and their revision, and hope the following
notes will be helpful in interpretation. They should be supplemented by reference
to atlases.
ANDHRA
F'RADESH.Until 1953 the northern half of Madras State, including the deltas of the
Krishna and Godavari rivers and the arid hills of the Eastern Ghats, and the former
Hyderabad State.
ARUNACHAL
PRADESH. ' The Province of the Dawn.' The Himalayas east of Bhutan, including
the Dafla,Abor, Miri and Mishmi hills. Before 1972 this area was the North-East Frontier
Agency (NEFA), comprising the Kameng. Subansiri. Siang and Lohit frontier divisions.
ASSAM. Before 1947 this province included Arunachal Radesh. Meghalaya, Mizoram and
Nagaland (qq.~.).In 1972 it was restricted to the Brahmaputra Valley.
Constituted in 1971, formerly East Pakistan. Besides the Brahmaputra plains it
BANGLADESH.
includes the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the south.
BENGAL. Prior to 1947 the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta area, later divided into Bangladesh
(q.v.) and West Bengal.
CEYLON.NOWSri Lanka, q.v.
EASTPAKISTAN.NOWBangladesh, q.v.
HARYANA.The fertile plains area north and west of Delhi, formerly part of the Punjab (q.v.).
HIMACHAL
PRADESH. ' The Snowy Province.' The Himalayan hill States were united under
this name in 1948, and in 1966 the area was enlarged by the hill regions of the Punjab.
KARNATAKA.
The official name of Mysore since 1973.
LAKSHADWEEP.
The official name of the Laccadive Islands group since 1973.
MEGHALAYA.' Cloud-land.' The Garo, Jaintia, Khasi and Cachar hill districts, constituted a
separate State in 1972.
MIZORAM.The Lushai or Mizo Hills area, constituted a separate State in 1972.
NAGALAND.The Naga Hills area, constituted a separate State in 1962.
NEFA.
Now Arunachal Pradesh, q.v.
OUDH(=Awadh). The eastern Gangetic plains, now part of Uttar Pradesh (' Northern
Province '). The name given in 1950 to the United Provinces (of Agra and Oudh).
PAKISTAN.Before 1972 West Pakistan, including Sind, Baluchistan. Punjab (q.v.), the NorthWest Frontier Province and Bahawalpur.
PUNJAB. Prior to 1947 the whole of the northern plains area watered by the Indus, and its five
tributaries, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi. Beas and Sutlej. Divided in 1947 into West
Punjab (Pakistan) and East Punjab (India). In 1966 East Punjab was further divided into
Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh ( q q . ~ . ) .
SAURASKIRA.The union of States was merged with Bombay in 1956 and since 1960 has been
part of Gujarat.
SRILANKA. The official name of Ceylon since 1972.
TAMILNADU. The name given to Madras State in 1%9.
Family D I c A E I D A E: Flowerpeckers
For description see Van Q n e , J. & Berger, A.J., 1959: 540; Salomonsen, Finn, 1964,
article 'Flowerpecker' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.), A New Dictionary of Birdr, London and
New York.
Genus D I c A E u M Cuvier
Dicaeum Cuvier, 1817, RCgne Anim. 1: 410 . 5 p e , by subsequent designation, Certhia
erythronotos 'Vieillot', 1802, Ois. dor. 2, pl. 35: 70 = Certhia erythronotos Latham ex
Sonn. = Dicaeum cruentatum erythronotos (Latham), (Gray, G.R.,1840, List Gen. Bds.:
13)
Pachyglossa 'Hodgson' = Blyth, 1843, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 12: 1009. Qpe, by
monotypy, I? melanozantha Blyth
Piprisoma Blyth, 1844, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 394.5pe, by monotypy, Fringilla
agilis Tickell
Acmonorhynchus Oates, 1890, Fauna Brit. Ind., Bds. 2: 381. Q p e , by monotypy,
Prionochilus vincens Sclater
Cf. Mayr, E. & Amadon, D., 1947, Amer Mus. Novit., No. 1360: 16-29.
Bill short, triangular, edges finely serrated; nostrils exposed but partly covered by a
membrane. Rictal bristles short. Wing with none primaries.
Bill of Tickell's Flowerpecker
Key to the Species

Page
I
Tail with white spots or terminal band

A
White on all rectrices forming narrow terminal band; plumage
olive-grey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. agile d Q
B
No white on central rectrices; abdomen yellow
1
White spots on inner webs only . . . . . . . D. melanoxonthum d 9
2 White spots on both webs at tip
a Upperparts olive.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. vincens Q
b Upperparts slaty blue.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. vincens d
11
No white in tail
C Plumage with some crimson colour
3 Crimson on breast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. ignipectus d
4 Crimson on back
c Crimson from crown to rump. . . . . . . . . . . .D. cruentatum d
d Crimson on rump only.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. cruentatum 9
Page
D
No crimson in plumage
Underparts striped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. chrysorrheum d 9
6 Underparts not striped
e Abdomen yellow or orange
i Upperparts slaty blue, back and rump orange-red . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. trigonostigma d
ii Upperparts olive-grey; orange or yellow restricted to rump
5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D.
ignipectus 9
18
iv Upperparts brownish or greyish tinged with olive

o' Bill pale coloured; no supercilium . . D. erythrorhynchos d 9
o" Bill dark coloured; a whitish supercilium. . .D. concolor d 9
10
13
f Abdomen buff
iii Upperparts dark olive-green; bill black.
trigonostigma
. . . . . . D.
DICAEUM
AGILE (Tickell): THICKBILLED
FLOWERPECKER
Key to the Subspecies

Upperparts brownish olive, underparts greyish white
1 Paler, rump yellower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. a. agile
2 Darker, rump greener. . . . . . . . . . . . . D. a. zeylonense
2
4
1 892, 1 894. Dicaeum agile agile

Fringilla Agilis 'lickell, 1833, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 2: 578
(Borabhlim and Dholbhlim)
Piprisoma agile saruratior Koelz, 1939, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 52: 77
(Londa, Bombay Presidency)
Dicaewn agile deignani Ripley, 1952, J . Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 50: 510
(Kohima, Assam)
Baker, FBI No. 131 1 (part). Vol. 3: 435
Plate 99, fig. 1
LOCAL NAMES.
Phul sungha'ni (Gujarati); C l ~ e(Chota Nagpur); Chirrir-jitta (Telugu);
Ittnkkannikklcrfivi (Malayalam).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length c. 9 cm (3.5 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ E R S . A drab stumpy-tailed flowerpecker with a short, thick bill.
Above. olive-grey, greener on rump. A narrow white terminal band on tail. Below.
greyish white faintly brown-streaked on breast. Sexes alike.
The bluish almost finch-like bill, white-tipped tail and orangc-red eyes are
diagnostic.
STATUS. DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident; in the Himalayan foothills
a vertical migrant. The Indian Peninsula from the outer Himalaya (from Murree
foothills to Sialkot to Bhutan and NE India north and south of the Brahmaputra
with Meghalaya and Nagaland). South through Rajasthan and Gujarat (Gir Forest.
JBNHS 66: 378) to Kerala (Peermade, Maraiyur), and on the eastern side through
Bengal. Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu south at least to the Shevaroy
Hills c. I ION.(SA). No records from farther south. In the western Himalayan
FLOWERPECKERS
foothills breeds up to c. I000 m, in Darjeeling district and Nepal to c. 2 100 m; in

Garhwal observed at 3000 m in June in clumps of rhododendron. May be seen at
these higher elevations till October, withdrawing in winter to the foothills below
c. 800 m. Affects large flowering or fruiting trees and shrubs (especially those
infested with the plant parasites Loranthus and Viscum) in a variety of biotopesdry to moist-deciduous or semi-evergreen forest and cultivated country-orchards.
village groves and suburban gardens.
Dicaeum a ~ i l e
Distributional ranges
2 zeylonense ( 1 893),
I agile ( 1 892, 1894),
3 extralimital subspecies.
Extralimital. Northern Burma. The species ranges east through the Indochinese
countries, Malaysia, Lesser Sunda and Philippine islands.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps singly or in pairs. hopping restlessly about the foliage
generally in the tree canopy and seldom staying long on one tree, carefully
searching the end twigs or petioles and underside of the leaves, or flying from
one plant parasite clump to another within its accustomed beat. Has a characteristic
habit of twitching the stumpy square tail from side to side.
FOOD. Chiefly figs of peepul (Ficus nligiosa), banyan ( E bengalensis), gulair
( E glomcrata), and berries of Lantana, Bridelia, Viscum and Loranthus but
somcwhat less closely dependent upon the last than other flowerpeckers, e.g.
1899. Instead of swallowing Loranthus berries entire, like D. erythmrhynchos, it
usually revolvcs them in the finch-like bill to strip them of the edible epicarp and
wipcs off the viscous seeds on to the perch or adjoining branches. Thus it helps
to sprcad the parasite over the same host-tree rather than disseminate it farther
afield. Also fond of the nectar of Bonthax, Erythrina, and other blossoms. and
DICAEIDAE
the juicy flesh of mhowa (Madhuca indica) flowers. Spiders are also taken. and
presumably various insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-notes a sharp metallic chik, chik, chik . . . similar to
but easily distinguishable from those of D. erythrorhynchos. While uttering these,
spreads out tail and screws i t nervously from side to side. In flight gives a
diagnostic thin pseeow (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 384). Song,
given all year round, rambling and intermingled with call-notes resembling Ashy
Wren-Warbler's in tone (Trevor Price, JBNHS 76: 4 19). Courtship song includes
rapid trills on same note and rapid, prolonged repetition ofchik-chik calls (Roberts,
pers. comm.).
BREEDING.
Season, overall January to June. but mostly early in the season when
the trees are still bare, somewhat later in the hills. Nest, a hanging oval purse
about 10 cm long with the roof slung for 8 cm or so along a twig; the entrance
somewhat elongated horizontally, about 2 cm in length and immediately below
the supporting twig. Built of a peculiar reddish brown vegetable down mixed
with cocoons compacted into a soft, pliable and resilient felt; structure resembles
that of D. erythrorhynchos in shape but instead of being hidden in a bunch of
leaves it is usually fully exposed near the tip of a bare twig. Despite this, its
cryptic coloration makes it look so deceptively like a dry rolled-up leaf that it
eludes casual notice. Frequently builds among the leaf nests of the vicious red
ant (Oecophylla) without apparent harm, and possibly for protection. Nest
suspended at heights varying from two to nine metres on large- or medium-sized
trees, usually quite high. Eggs, normally 3, sometimes 2, rarely 4, pale pink with
reddish brown speckles and blotches. Average size of 76 eggs 15.9 x 11.5 mm
(Baker). Building of nest, feeding young and nest sanitation by both sexes; share
in incubation, and period, undetermined.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Key to the Species and Subspecies.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
55-65
5 8-64
Bill
(from skull)
10
9-10
Tarsus
Tail
1415
31-34 mm
27-30 mm
13-14
(Koelz. HW, SA, Rand & Fleming)
Weight 1 1 d 9 7.5-11 ( a v . 9 ) g - 4 A . 1 d 8 . 5 g(GD). 1 9 9 . 5 ; 2 9 Q 8.8.5 g-SDR.
COWURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris orange-brown or orange-red. Bill horny grey, duskier on
upper mandible; mouth bright yellow and pink. Legs and feet dark slate. In fledgling bill
brown. gape yellow.
1893. Dicaeum agile zeylonense

(Whistler)
Piprisoma agils zeylonicwn Whistler, 1944, Spolia Zeylanica 23: 210
(Kumbalgamuwa, Ceylon)
Baker, FBI No. 13 11 (part), Vol. 3: 435
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-; length c. 9 cm (3.5 in.).
F~ELDC H A R A ~ S . AS in 1892, q. v.
FLOWERPECKERS
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Sri Lanka Up to C. 1200 m in the hills; mosl
plentiful in the eastern forest tracts; also in the foothills of the central range and
intermediate zone (Hoffmann, JBNHS 86: 15). Affects tree-tops in forest and
well-wooded areas. Keeps to a higher stratum than Tickell's Flowcrpecker.
GENERAL HABITS.
AS in 1892.
FOOD.Spiders, insects, berries, fruit and nectar. Nestling in early stages fed
mostly on berries and fragments of succulent fruit; later spiders (mostly) and
insects are given.
VOICE and CALLS.AS in 1892.
BREEDING.
Season, February to August. Nest and eggs as in 1892; clutch size 2.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from agile (1 892) in being darker, rump more olive, less
yellow. Postnuptial moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
I
1
6
2
d
9
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
56
10
9
12
12
28
57
ddjuv.
9 Vjuv.
55-57
54.56
rnrn
29 rnrn
24-28 rnm
25, 26 rnrn
(HW)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.AS
in 1 892.
1895. Yellowvented Flowerpecker. Dicaeum chrysorrheum chrysochlore

Blyth
Dicaeum chrysochlore Blyth, 1843, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 12: 1009
( Arracan)
Dicaewn chrysorrhewn intensum Baker, 1921, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 41: 108
(Sikkim)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1301 and 1302, Vol. 3: 426, 427
Plate 99, fig. 5
NAMES.None recorded.
SIZE.Sparrow-; length c. 9 cm (3.5 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. A flowerpecker with distinctly streaked underparts. Above,
olive-green; wings and tail dark brown. Below, buffish white streaked with dark
brown. A dark moustachial streak. Under tail-coverts bright yellow. Sexes alike.
The streaked underparts identify this species.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, common south of the Brahmaputra.
The Himalayan foothills from Nepal (where scarce and very local)' east through
Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the Patkai Range, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur south to Tripura, Mizo Hills and the Chittagong Hill Tracts;
apparently only in the hills, up to over 1200 m, in Sikkim to over 2000 m. Affects
open jungle, edges of forest and orange orchards.
LOCAL
' Rediscovered in
1973 along Tarnur river. southwest of Dhankuta. c. 300 m. in SE Nepal

(R. L. Fleming, Jr., Nepal Nature Conservation Society Newsletter No. 22: 4, January 1974;
Fleming et al., 1984; Inskipp. C. & T.. 1991).
DICAEIDAE
Extralimital. Ranges east to Vietnam. Nominate subspecies in Malaysia,

Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
GENERAL HABTTS. Those of the genus.
FOOD. Berries, especially Loranthus, flower-nectar, small beetles and other
insects.
VOICE and CALLS. A short harsh dzeep (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand,
p. 384).
BREEDING. Season, April to July. Nest, similar to that of other flowerpeckers;
scraps of moss are often used on the exterior and more grass or fibre incorporated
to support the vegetable down; nest usually placed under c. 6 metres. Eggs, 2 or
3, similar to others of the genus. Average size of 16 eggs 15.3 x 11 mm (Baker).
Building of nest and incubation by both sexes.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters.
Dicaeum chrysorrheum
1 chrysochlore ( 1 895),
2 chrysorrhewn ( R E ) .
Young, like adult but underparts more greyish; streaks finer, less defined. Upperparts
rather less bright. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers and probably all coverts except
primary series.
MEASUREMENTS
d0
Weight I
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
55-62
(from skull)
13-14
14- 15
Tail
27-31 rnrn
(Baker. MD)
d 9 g (SDR).
COLOURS OF B A R E PARTS.
Iris orange-red. BiU blackish. Legs and feet plumbeous.
FLOWERPECKERS
1896. Yellowbellied Flowerpecker. Diccuum melanoxanthum (Blyth)

?! (achyglossa) melanozuntha 'Hodgson' = Blyth, 1843, Jour. Asiat. Soc.
Bengal 12: 1010 (Nepal)
Baker, FBI No. 1315, Vol. 3: 439
Plate 99, fig. 2
LOCAL NAMES. None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
n E L D CHARACTERS. A relatively large, black-and-yellow flowerpecker.
M a 1 e. Above, entirely slaty black; white spots in tail. Below, sides of head,
neck and breast slaty black; a white band from chin down centre of throat and
centre of breast. Rest of underparts bright yellow.
F e m a l e. Like male but black replaced by olive-brown, paler on sides of
head, neck and breast. Middle of chin, throat and breast greyish white. Belly and
under tail-coverts yellow.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Status and distribution little known. Scarce
STATUS,
resident, local and subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from Almora
(Prater, JBNHS 42: 187) east through Nepal (cf. Biswas, 1963 and Diesselhorst,
1968), Sikkim (SF 2: 455, SF 5: 348; cf. also Shlim Ali, Birds of Sikkim: 356),
Bhutan (Ali et al., 1955 (?), Birds of Bhutan, p. 236); Arunachal Pradesh
(Joonkotollee, Dibrugarh Dist., specimens in British Mus.; Namdapha, I? Alstrom

et. al. (pers. comm.); Bangladesh (near Srimangal, at 35 m on 23.ii.1985 D. L.
Johnson & N. Bayen, 1993, Forktoil 9: 39); thence south through Nagaland (SF
' On spelling of this word see Peters's Check-list vol. 12: 179, footnote.
l 1: 85) and Manipur (British Mus.). Obtained in summer at 2000 m (Almora),

between 2400 and 3000 m in summer (Nepal), 2700 m (Sikkim) and up to 3600 m
fide Salomonsen in Peters's Check-list 12: 179; recorded in winter between 1050
and 1550 m (Nepal-Inskipp, C. & T., 1991) and between 1600 and 1800 m
(Sikkim). Affects tall trees in open forest and clearings in dense forest.
Extralimital. Ranges east to northern Yunnan, the Shan States of Burma,
northern Thailand and extreme northern Vietnam.
GENERAL HABITS. Little known. A lively but apparently elusive bird frequenting
the foliage of tall trees and climbers, visiting flowers, creeping in and out in
incessant motion. Has been observed to make sallies from dead branches after
insects in flycatcher style. Usually solitary and silent.
FOOD. Probably as of other flowerpeckers.
VOICE and CALLS. Unrecorded.
BREEDING. Unknown.
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from feathers)
d?
72-76
8-9
14-15
4 0 4 2 mm
(Baker)
(from skull)
d
71
11
41
mrn
d
70
1I
37 mm
(sub-ad.)
(BB)
Wing 2 d d 70.75; 3 99 63-69 mm (Stres., Rand & Fleming)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris red. Bill black. Legs and feet dark plumbeous.
1
I
1897. Legge's Flowerpecker. Dicaeum vincens (Sclater)

Pnonochilus vincens Sclater. 1872. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 730
(Ceylon)
Plate 99, fig. 6
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e. Above, slaty blue. Wings and tail black, the lattcr
with large white terminal spots. Below, throat white, belly
bright yellow.
F e m a l e. Above, head grey. Back dull olive. Wings
and tail dark brown; terminal spots on rectriccs smaller
than in male. Below, throat whitish; belly pale yellow,
x c. 1
flanks olive.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION A N D HABITAT. Widely distributed in small numbers in the
Wet zone of Sri Lanka up to c. 900 m. One repor: of three birds from Kuliyapitiya,
in North-Western Province, in the dry zone in early August (Guanwardana, 1992,
LOCAL NAMES.
FLOWERPECKERS
CBCN 1992: 107).Affects foliage of tall trees and creepers entwining their trunks
in rain-forest.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps solitary, in pairs or in small family parties. Frequents
mainly the tops of tall trees.
FOOD. Nectar, berries, spiders and small insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-notes described as 'tchip, tchip-twee-see-see; also has
two types of song, one of which, the breeding song, is uttered, often during
stormy southwest monsoon weather, from exposed twigs high up in tall trees'
(Cicely Lushington).
BREEDING. Season, February to June, occasionally in July and August. Nest, a
small pear-shaped structure with the entrance near the top sheltered by an eave
projecting about 2 cm and suspended from a twig; rather sihilar to that o f ~ c k e l l ' s
Flowerpecker (1 899) but larger, more neatly built and reddish brown in general
colour. Material consists of fine, very soft vegetable down felted with cobweb
into a fine wool-like material, on the outside of which are fastened many pieces
of reddish sheaths from leafbuds, some of the larger pieces hanging down below
the nest, loosely attached by one end. The whole nest resembles a dead leaf and
is very difficult to make out without powerful binoculars as it is placed high up
among the foliage at the end of a branch of a large tree, from c. 18 up to 37
metres above the ground. Eggs 2, white profusely speckled with small blotches,
spots and specks of purplish brick-red with underlying lavender markings of the
same type. One egg measured 15.4 x 11.2 mm (Phillips). Building of nest and
incubation apparently by female only, the male spending much of his time singing
nearby. The nest is so well insulated that during the heat of the day the female
often leaves it for long intervals (Lushington. C., JBNHS 42: 186; Phillips, W.
W. A., Ceylon Jour: Sci. 24: 18-20).
MUSEUMD I A G N O S I S . See Field Characters. Postnuptial moult complete, August to
October.
MEASUREMENTS
Bill
(from skull)
12
c. 12
Wing
dd
99
58.59
56-59
Tarsus
Tail
(10). 12
28, 31 mm
26-30 rnrn
(HW,SDR)
COLOURS OF R A R E PARTS.
Iris brown. Bill: upper mandible black, lower blue-grey on
basal half. Legs and feet black.
c.
13
1 898. Orangebellied Flowerpecker. Dicaeum trigonostigma rubropygium
Baker
Baker, 1921, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 41: 108
(Mergui)
Plate 99, fig. 7
Dicaclir~trri~ortosri,qn~n
rubroljygium
I.O('AI.
NAMES.
None recorded.

FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, slaty with bright orange back and rump.
Below, throat pale grey; rest of underparts bright orange.
F e m a l e. Above, olive-grey; lower rump orange. Below, throat and flanks
grey tinged with olive. Abdomen yellow.
STAWS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. s c a r c e and very local resident. T h e
submontane tracts of the Lakhimpur district, easternArunacha1 Pradesh andAssam
(Baker) and in the Sunderbans (Ripley, 1961, Synopsis: 581). Affects glades and
margins of evergreen forest.
Extralimital. Southern Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia a n d the
Philippines.
GENERAL HAB~TS. Those of the genus.
FOOD. Unrecorded.
VOICE and CALLS. Call a harsh dzip; song a slightly descending tsi-si-si-si-sew
(Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 384).
BREEDING.Season, April and May. Nest and eggs similar to those of other
members of the genus; nest usually placed on a high tree c. 1 0 or 12 metres
above the ground. Average size of 10 eggs 15.5 x 11.2 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
SIZE. Sparrow-;
MEASUREMENTS
d9
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
45-5 1
(from feathers)
9-10
c. 13
Tail
2 4 2 7 mm
(Baker)
Bill from skull c. 13 mm

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.M a I e. lris brown. Bill black. Legs and feet horny black.
F e m a I e. lris grey to brown. Bill: base of upper mandible reddish brown; tip of both
mandibles blackish horn; rest of lower mandible orange-brown to orange-vermilion (HW
MS.).
DICAEUM
ERYTHRORHYNCHOS (Latham): Tickell's Flowerpecker
Paler and greyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..D. e. erythrorhynchos

Darker and more olive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. e. ceylonense
1 899. Dicaeum erythrorhynchos erythrorlrynchos
(Latham)
Certhia erythrorhynchos Latham, 1790. Index Om. 1 : 299
(India, restricted to Bombay by Baker, 1926. 'Fauna' ed. 2, vol. 3: 432)
Baker. FBI No. 1308, Vol. 3: 432
Plate 99, fig. 3
Phoolchuki (Hindi); Sungti-pro-pho (Lepcha).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length c. 8 cm (3 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. A plain olive-brown bird with greyish white underparts,
I.OCAL NAMES.
rather like a female sunbird but smaller, with the bill much shorter and fleshcoloured. Sexes alike.
The very similar D.concolor has a dark bill and pale supercilium.
FLOWERPECKERS
11
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. From Dharmsala and
Kangra east along the Himalayan foothills and adjacent plains of Uttar Radesh
to the Jalpaiguri duars and Bhutan foothills and through Assam to Dibrugarh and
North Cachar, south to Bengal, Bangladesh, Bihar and the Indian Peninsula from
Jabalpur and Baroda south to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin). Delhi, very
--
ceylonense ( 1900).
uncommon (Gaston, JBNHS 75: 124). In Nepal occurs from terai up to c. 350 m
in summer. In the hills of southern India occurs up to the summits, but is more
abundant in the plains. Affects deciduous forest, forest plantations, groves of
mango and other orchards, and fig trees in open country or cultivation; sometimes
coastal mangroves. Local distribution almost entirely dependent on the presence
or absence of plant parasites of the mistletoe family (Loranthaceae).
Extralintital. Occurs very locally in Burma south to Tenasserim.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps singly or in pairs; occasionally in small loose parties
of 4 or 5 individuals. Incessantly on the move, flitting restlessly among the parasite
clumps or darting from tree to tree. Frequents the foliage canopy of trees, seldom
coming down to bushes. Very strong on the wing; flies high and rapidly for long
distances in a series of dips and bounds. Has regular 'beats' or feeding territories
of infested host-trees-in effect parasite plantations raised and maintained by
the bird's own activities.
FOOD. Predominantly berries of parasitic Loranthus and Viscum spp. Along
with other flowcrpeckcrs is largely responsible for the dispersal of their seeds
and thus for considcrable damage and economic loss in forest plantations (teak,
DICAEIDAE
12
sal, etc.) and orchards (mango, guava, etc.). The ripe berries are either swallowed
entire or the viscous contents squeezed out in the mandibles and the peel
discarded. The undigested slimy seeds pass through the body with great rapidity'
and adhere to the branches on which they are excreted, sprouting in a few days
and sucking the sap of the host. Spreads the infestation over a wide area rather
than to adjacent branches of the same tree, cf. 1892.2Also takes other berries and
fruit, nectar, spiders and small insects.
VOICE and CALLS. A sharp, almost incessant chik-chik-chik uttered while
hopping about and in flight. A series of twittering notes in the nature of a song
(SA). A call like a cricket's reel and a piercing alarm-note utic, utic (Lowther). A
simple jjjt note in flight (SDR, JBNHS 85: 103).
BREEDING. Season, in the north February to June, in the south February to May
and again in AugustSeptember (Betts). Nest, a small oval purse of fine grass,
vegetable down, pieces of bark, green moss and cocoons; resembles that of the
Purple Sunbird but lacks the 'porch' over the entrance and the trailer of rubbish
dangling underneath. It is woven around a twig, not suspended from a point as is
the sunbird's, from c. 3 to 12 metres above the ground and well hidden in a
bunch of leaves. Eggs, 3 more usually than 2 [Lowther,Bihar (Manbhum district)],
white, unmarked. Average size of 30 eggs 14.4 x 10.5 mm (Baker). Building of
nest, care of young and probably also incubation, by both sexes. Incubation period
undetermined. Nest-young fed largely on peeled loranthus berries.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS See Field Characters and keys to the Species and Subspecies.
Y o u n g, like adult but greyer above and more greyish below.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
4652
4650
Bill
(from skull)
11-13
11-13
Tarsus
Tail
11-13
22-27 mm
Q?
c. 12
22-25 rnm
(SA, HW, Rand & Fleming, BB)
Weight 17 d 9 4 8 (av. 6.3) g--SA 3 d d 5.6.3.6.5 g-4DR.
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris hazel. Bill pale horny brown, pinkish flesh at gape and on
lower mandible excepting tip; mouth pale pink. Legs, feet and claws dark slate. Y o u n g:
Iris hazel. Bill orange-yellow; mouth bright orange. Legs and feet slate; claws horny
brown.
1900. Dicaeum erythrorhynchos ceylonense
Babault
Dicaewn erythrorhynchus ceylonensis Babault. 1920. Mission Babault: 293
(Boista, Ceylon)
Baker. FBI No. 1309. Vol. 3: 433
' For structure etc. of alimentary canal see H. Desselberger (193 1 ) 'Der Verdauungskanal der
Dicaeiden'. J. Om. Ixxix(1): 353-70.
For details see Sillirn Ali (1931) 'The role of sunbirds and flowerpeckers in the propagation
and distribution of the tree-parasite Loranthus Inngi/loruc Desr. in the Konkan (W. India)'.
JBNHS 35: 1449.
FLOWERPECKERS
NAME. Pililer-geddi sfih'kka (Sinhala).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
~ L CHARACTERS.
D
AS in 1899, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT. Plentiful and widely distributed throughout
Sri Lanka, in the hills up to over 2100 m. Affects tall trees in forest, groves,
cultivation, and shade trees in tea plantations.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and voice. As in 1899.
BREEDING. Season, January to July with a peak in March (Phillips); breeding
specimens also obtained in September and November (Ripley). Nest and eggs as
in 1899. For details see Phillips, 1951, Ceylon Jour: Sci. 24(3): 145-63. Clutch
size 2. Average size of 4 eggs 14.6 x 10. 5 mm (Baker, Henry).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from nominate race (1899) in being darker, more olive
both above and below. Both mandibles may be either pale pinkish or silvery-horn.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
COLOURS OF BARE
(HW)
PARTS.Iris yellowish brown. Bill plumbeous brown. Legs and feet
greyish.
DICAEUM
CONCOLOR Hume: PLAINCOLOURED
FLOWERPECKER
A
Belly bright pale yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. c. vimscens

Belly with a faint buffy yellow tinge
1
Above more olive-green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..D. c. olivaceum
2
Above browner, less olive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. c. concolor
Page
16
13
15
1901. Dicaeum concolor olivaceum

Walden
Dicaeum olivaceum Walden, 1875, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 15: 401
(Tounghoo)
Plate 99, fig. 4
LOCAL NAME. Bongfang daorisha (Cachari).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ RASsmall
.
plain-coloured flowerpecker, olive-brown above,
greyish white below.

Very similar to erythrorhynchos (1 899) but recognizable at close range by
blackish bill and pale lores and supercilium.
DISTRIBUTION and HABTTAT.
Common resident. The Himalayan foothills
STATUS,
from central Nepal east through Sikkim, northern Bengal, Bhutan and Arunachal
Pradesh, thence south through the plains and hills of Assam (especially Cachar
DICAEIDAE
14
hills-Roberts), Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur south to the Chittagong Hill

Tracts. Occurs mostly in the hills, in the Himalayas up to at least 1525 m, in
Dicaeum concolor
-
1 olivaceurn (1901).
2 concolor (1902).
-.
,- .....
!,-,;3 vimsccns (1903)
Arunachal up to 1800 m, but more common between 700 and 1000 m. Affects
groves of trees in open country, orange orchards outskirts of forest, wide glades
and sides of streams in forest.
Extralimital. Ranges east through the Indochinese countries and southern
China to Guangdong. Other subspecies in Taiwan, Hainan, Malaysia, Borneo,
the Sunda Islands and the Andamans. A disjunct population (nominate) in
southwestern India.
GENERAL HABITS. Usually keeps in pairs, though several pairs may be seen
feeding on the same tree. A very energetic, restless species turning and twisting
about in every kind of attitude while searching leaves, blossoms and parasitic
plants for insects, nectar and berries.
FOOD. Berries, especially of the Loranthaceae, nectar, insects and spiders.
vorm and CAUS. When feeding utters the usual twitter of the genus, and when
flying from one tree to another a constant chip, chip, chip (Baker). 'Very noisy as
they pour out their trill from the top of lofty trees.' Song a tsit, tsi-si-si-si (Lekagul
& Round, Bids of Thailand p. 384).
BREEDING. Season, March to August, chiefly May and June. Nest, a very small
hanging purse (c. 5 x 7 cm) made mostly of the silky whitish floss of Salmalia
malabanca, usually placed on trees between c. 6 and 12 metres above the ground,
sometimes in high bushes or in low plants growing among weeds, nettles and
briars. Eggs, 2 or 3, white, unmarked. Average size of 40 eggs 14.5 x 10.6 mm
FLOWERPECKERS
15
(Baker). Building of nest, incubation and care of young by both sexes. Incubation
period undetermined.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from concolor (1902) in being more olive-green above
and on edges of wings; underparts rather duller and more ashy with a slight buffy yellow
tinge. In worn plumage the olive-green is lost and the differences are far less.
Y o u n g, like adult but upperparts a little browner, less olive; underparts more ashy.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tail
11-12
(BB, SDR)
Weight d 9 4-6 g (SDR).
comuu OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill plumbeous grey. Legs and feet plumbeous;
soles grey.
1902. Dicaeum concolor concolor Jerdon

Dicaeum concolor Jerdon, 1840, Madras Jour. Lit. Sci. 11: 277 (Malabar Coast)
Dicaeum minullum subjZuvum Baker, 1921, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 42: 12 (Belgaum)
Dicaeum concolor micolor Koelz, 1939, Roc. Biol. Soc. Washington 52: 121
(Kodaikanal, Palni Hills, Madras Residency)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1304 and 1305, Vol. 3: 429,430
LOCAL NAMB.
Ittihnnikkirivi (Malayalam).
FIELDCHARAC~ERS. AS in 1901, q.v. Very similar to co-existing Tickell's
Flowerpecker (1899) but somewhat dumpier; distinguished also by blackish
(v. pinkish) bill, white shoulder of closed wing, and yellowish white underparts.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABKAT. Common resident. Southwestern India from
Mahableshwar south through western and southern Karnataka, Kerala and western
Tamil Nadu east to the Shevaroys (Yercaud-SA), in the low country and hills
up to the summits but more abundant in the foothills up to c. 1000 m. Affects
deciduous and mixed deciduous-and-evergreen forest, clearings in and about tea
and coffee plantations, and groves of trees in the vicinity of villages. Inseparable
from the tree parasites (family Loranthaceae).
Extralimital. Range of this subspecies widely disjunct from that of olivaceum
(I 9011 [Assam].
GENERAL H A B ~ .AS in 1901
SIZE.
Spmow-;
and CALLS. 'Call, a sharp check; sometimes a rapid series of ticks. Song,
a high-pitched trill, weak and wiry' (Nichols). Voice and notes indistinguishable
from those of Tickell's Flowerpecker (SA).
BREEDING. Season, January to April with second broods in May and June. Nest
and eggs, as in 1901. Average size of 20 eggs 14.7 x 10.6 mm (Baker).
vela
16
DICAEIDAE
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Subspecies.
MEASUREhENTS.
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(~oelz;HW,SA)
Weight 15 d 9 5-8
6.2) g--SA.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill bluish grey, dark horny brown on culmen;
mouth grey, brownish and pink. Legs, feet and claws brownish black.
(av.
1903. Dicaeum concolor virescens Hume

Dicaeum vimscens Hume, 1873, Stray Feathers 1: 482
(Neighbourhood of Port Blair, Andamans)
Baker, FBI No. 1307, Vol. 3: 43 1
LOCAL NAME.
SIZE.
None recorded.
Sparrow-; length c. 8 cm (3 in.).
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident in South and Middle

STATUS,
Andarnan islands. Affects trees parasitized by Loranthus.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. As in 1901.
BREEDING.
Unrecorded, probably as in 1901. A female with mature ovary and
distended oviduct, 20 March; also young being fed by parents in March (Abdulali,
JBNHS 68: 41 1; 78: 49).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Very similar to concolor (1902) but brighter and greener than it
or olivaceum (1901). Lores whitish but no white on forehead and a mere trace of a
supercilium. Below, differs from both the above races in having the abdomen bright pale
yellow contrasting with the pale grey of breast.
M E A S U R E M E ~ Sand c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. AS in 1902.
1904. Scarletbacked Flowerpecken Dicaeum cruentatum cruenlatum

(Linnaeus)
Certhia cmentata Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 119
(Benghala)
Plate 99, fig. 10
NAME. Daomoji gajao (Cachari).

SIZE.Sparrow-; length c. 7 cm (3 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ E R
MSa. I e. Above, crown, back and rump crimson. Sides of
head black. Wings and tail glossy blue-black. Below, centre
of throat, breast and belly pale buff. Sides of throat and
breast black, flanks grey.
F e m a l e. Above, olive. Upper tail-coverts crimson.
x C. 1
Tail black. Wings dark brown. Below, buff with grey sides.
LOCAL
FLOWERPECKERS
17
STATUS, D I S T R I E I ~ O Nand HABRAT.
Common resident. The Himalayan foothills

From eastern Nepal (Hodgson; Redman, et al., JBNHS 80: 52), east through
Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachd Radesh, south in the plains and hills
FOOD. Insects, spiders, bemes and nectar. Has been observed hawking flying
insects from a perch in a tree and hovering motionless to capturc them (Roseveare).
VOICE and CALIS. Call-note, a surprisingly loud tchik-tchik reminiscent of the
Tailor Bird's (1535) or Streaked Fantail Warbler's (1498). Also a constant
twittering while feeding. Song a thin, repeated tissit, tissit (Lekagul & Round,
Birds of Thailand, p. 384). ' A series of sharp notes most nearly imitated by
drawing the point of a nail or hard-pointed substance in a series of jerks over a
glass pane ' (Davison, SF 6: 192).
RREEDING. Season, April to August, chiefly May and June. Nest, an oval purse
of vegetable down kept together by shreds of grass, rootlets and cobweb. The
rather broad entrance near the top occasionally has a downy ' porch ' projecting
18
NECTARINIIDAE
above it. Size of nest c. 9 x 6 cm. It is suspended on a twig at the end of a branch
but well hidden by leaves, at heights varying from 2 to 15 metres, usually between
6 and 9 metres. Eggs, 2 or 3, unmarked white. Average size of 40 eggs 14 x 10.3
mm (Baker). Building of nest and incubation by both sexes; period of incubation
10 or 1 1 days.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Postnuptial moult complete, June to
September. Some body moult in February. Postjuvend moult of body-feathers, lesser,
median and most greater coverts, tertials and tail.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dQ
46-5 1
Tarsus
C. 13
Tail
25-28
(I3 aker)

Weight 3 d d 7-8 g (SA).
Iris brown. Bill black; mouth black in male, flesh-coloured in

female; bill in juvenile orange. Legs and feet black.
COLOURS OF BARB PARTS.
1905. Firebreasted Flowerpecker. Dicaeum ignipectus ignipectus

(Blyth)
M. (yzunrhe) ignipectus ' Hodgson ' = Blyth, 1843, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 2: 983
(Nepal and Bootan)
Dicaewn ignipecm pulchellwn Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration,
No. 1: 21 (Sangau, Lushai Hills)
Baker, FBI No. 1303. Vol. 3: 427
Plate 99, fig. 8
Scmgri-pm-pho (Lepcha).
SIZE. Sparrow-; length c. 7 cm (3 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, metallic greenish black. Below, rich buff
with a scarlet patch on breast and a black patch below this on centre of belly.
Flanks olive.
F e m a l e. Above, olive-green, yellower on rump. Below, pale buff washed
olive on sides.
STATUS,
DISTRIBU~ON and HABTTAT. Common resident subject to vertical
movements. The Himalayas from Kashrnir (Kishtwar) east through Arunachal
Pradesh, thence south through Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur to the Mizo
Hills. Breeds between c. 1400 m (locally probably lower) and 1800-2100 m
(Kangra), 2700 m (Nepal-Polunin), 3000 m (Sikkim fide Stevens), 2300 m
(Bhutan). In winter occurs between c. 600 m and 1200 m (Kangra), 9W2300 m
(Nepal), 750-2000 m (Sikkim) and from the foothills to 2000 m in Arunachal. In
Nagaland occurs between 750 and 2500 m, in Meghalaya up to at least 1800 m.
Affects subtropical evergreen or deciduous forest; inseparable from the parasitic
Loranthus clumps on tall trees. Also secondary growth, and trees in orchards and
cultivation.
Extralirnital. Ranges east through N. Burma and the norther Indochinese
countries and China to Hupeh and Fujian. The species ranges south to Sumatra
and Cambodia, and east to the Philippines and Taiwan.
LOCAL NAME.
SUNBIRDS
Inwdhg smcm, d d i q the

wrb. Kwpa singly, or in pairei In
rounds of brmthus-laden trees, K&ppigen-y
am0ngl.bpdb ~lustsn.
Sometimes in d l partieti in winter, joining up with flu& of Ytfther mall binds
wandering hrbm $ree to Oree in fhe lbm&.
FOOD. Insects, spiders, nectar and berries, especially of the mistletoe family
Loranthaceae.
VOICE and CALLS. A single clicking chip uttered in flight, Song, a loeg
continuous &es of clicks uttered fnnn a perch while swaying its M y from ride
to side (Smythiea); d m desnibed as a
#ffy-f@y-tPptr.
&Zlng the naim
of the mpia qknimg ,wi& clodfig of-. pair of ichm 0.
Smg m
od in
Nepal, mid February to June (Proud).
Y
1
BREEDING. Season, Manch to June. Nest,a~ ln 1904, p W in brreesr between 3
and 9 m above the $round. Eggs, 2 2 3a 3,b. A
b of 18 eglgs.44.8 x
OWE
..
1Q.3 mm @&).
h4kfW1Fdw1mmfs. See R d ClimtWm. J u v e n i 1e i(m, Chin and throat white.

Buff on underparts much paler and duller than in adult (Biewm).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing-
dd
99
U1
45-49
>
Bill
(from skull)
9-12
Tarsus
1 ,
Tail
f ~~
35-36 mm
Family N E C T AR I N ~ I D A E Sunbirds
:
For description see Baker, E. C. Stuart, 1926, FBI 3: 372 (excludes Anthmptes); Van
Qne, J. & Berger, A. J.. 1959: 539; Bannennan, D.A., 1964, article ' Sunbird ' inThomson,
A. L. (ed.), A New Drcrionary of birds, London and New York
NECTARINIIDAE
1
2
Lower mandible straight or nearly s o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anthreptes

Lower mandible distinctly curved downwards
a Tail short, rounded; females yellowish below. . . . . . . . .Nectarinia
b Central rectrices lengthened; females greenish below . .Aethopyga
Genus A N TH R E P T E S Swainson
Anthreptes Swainson, 1837, Nat. Hist. Class. Bds. 2: 329.
Qpe, by monotypy, A. javanica Horsfield = Certhia malacensis Scopoli
Chalcoparia Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 103.
Qpe, by original designation, Sylvia singalensis Gmelin
Cf. Delacour, J., 1944, Zoologiccr 29: 17-38. (Review of family)

Bill shorter than, or equal to head, nearly straight. Nostrils operculated, exposed. First
primary (as.) short. Tail square or slightly rounded, shorter than wing. Tarsus entirely
covered with scales.
1906. Rubycbeek. Anthreptes singufensis rubinigentis (Baker)

Chalcoparia singalensis rubinigentis Baker, 1930 (23 April, or more probably 14 March)
[cf. Biswas, JBNHS 60: 6841, Fauna Brit. Ind., Bds. 7: 282, new name for Chulcoparia
singalensis lepida (Latham),cited in Baker, 1926, FBI 3: 370 (India, restricted to Cachar),
nec Certhia lepida Latharn, 1790, nor Certhia lepida Spamnan, 1787 = Certhia malacensis
Scopoli, 1786
Chalcoparia singalensis assamensis Kloss, 1930 (7 May), Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 50: 69-70,
new name for Chulcoparia singalensis lepida (Latham), cited in Baker, 1926 (FBI 3:
370) Baker, FBI No. 1258, Vol. 3: 370

Plate 100, fig. 3
UICAL NAME.
SIZE.
Daotisha swrdai (Cachari).
Sparrow-;
FIELDC H A R A ~ R S . M a l e. Above, brilliant metallic
green. Ear-coverts copper coloured, bordered below by a

brilliant violet-purple line. Below, throat and breast rufous;
rest of underparts lemon-yellow.
;,-,&
F e m a l e. Above, olive-green, yellowish on wing.
Below, like male.
I
Y o u n g, like female but throat yellow.
STATUS, D ~ ~ I B U T I Oand
N HABITAT. Common resident. From central Nepal (Ripley
1950; Fleming & Traylor 1964; Inskipp, C. & T., 1991), east through Darjeeling,
Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and south through Nagaland, Manipur,
Assam and Bangladesh to Dacca. Sight record from Vishakapatnarn Hills, Andhra
Pradesh (SDR, JBNHS 85: 103). Affects open forest, scrub jungle and glades or
tracks in dense evergreen forest, in the foothills up to c. 700 m and in adjacent
plains, but does not seem to wander away from broken ground.
\,
/
1
Anthreptes singalensis
[IIIIB
1 mbinigentis (1906).
Extends east to northern Thailand. The species ranges

Extralimital.
throughout the Indochinese countries, Malaysia, Borneo and the Sunda Islands.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps singly, in winter sometimes in small parties, moving
and working together like a flock of tits. Flits actively around bushes and trees
searching the leaves for insects or probing into blossoms for nectar. Actions
somewhat reminiscent of White-eye (Zostemps, 1933).
FOOD. Insects and nectar.
VOICE and CALLS. A shrill and rather loud chirp when flying from one bush to
another. A rising wee-eest (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 384).
BREEDmG. Season, end of March to June. Nest, a pear-shaped structure of very
fine fibres mixed with fern stalks and lined with the same material; the rather
large entrance is protected by an overhanging porch. The nest is suspended on
small drooping twigs of bushes within a couple of metres above the ground.
Eggs, 2, white speckled with brown-grey. Average size of 8 eggs 16.9 x 12 mm
(Baker).
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS.
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(Baker, MD. SA)

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.
Iris
red. Bill blackish. Legs and feet greenish grey.
G ~ ~ U S N E C T A R Illiger
INIA
Ncctarinia Illiger, 18 11, Prodromus: 210.

v p e . by subsequent designation, Certhia famosa Linnaeus
Cinnyris Cuvier. 1817, Rkgne Anim. 1: 41 1.
v p e , by subsequent designation. Certhia superba Shaw
Chalcostetha Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 103. v p e , by original designation,
Ch. pectoralis Temm. = Nectarinia chalcostetha Jardine
Leptocoma Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 104. v p e , by original designation,
L. zeylonica = Certhia zeylonica Linnaeus
Bill much longer than head, strongly curved and pointed. Nostrils operculated, exposed.
No rictal bristles. First primary (as.) short. Tail shorter than wing, square or slightly
graduated. Tarsus anteriorly covered with transverse scales. Plumage of male with metallic
colours.
Key to the Species

Males
Page
Throat dark coloured and metallic

Abdomen yellow
1 Throat metallic dark blue. . . . . . I . ............... N. jugularis
2 Throat metallic purple-red
a Upper tail-coverts metallic purple. ............ N. zeylonica
b Upper tail-coverts metallic red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N. minima
B
No yellow on abdomen
3 Abdomen purple-blue.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N. asiatica
4 Lower abdomen dull brown
c A black band between metallic green of crown and blue-green
of back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N. sperata
d Upperparts uniform metallic blue-green ........... N. lotenia
31
22
26
34
27
28
Femalcs
11
C
D
Throat pale and not metallic

Throat ashy contrasting with breast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. zeylonica
Underparts uniform yellow or olive-yellow
5 Upper tail-coverts red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N. minima
6 Upper tail-coverts olive like back
e Underparts rich yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N. jugularis
Underparts dull yellow or olive-yellow
f
i Bill from skull over 24 mm ...................N. lotenia
ii Bill from skull under 24 mm
o' Smaller. tarsus 13 mm or less . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. sperata
o" Larger, tarsus 14 mm or more. . . . . . . . . . . . ..N. asiatica
N E ~ A RZEY~NICA
~ I A (Linnaeus): ~ R P L E R U M P E DSUNBIRD
Key to the Subrpecier
Wing averaging lonter, c. 56 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..N.z. /laviventris
Wing averaging shorter, c. 53 mm ...................N. z zeylonica
22
26
31
28
27
34
SUNBIRDS
1 907 Nectarinia zeylonica flQviventris
(Hermann)
Cerfl~ia
fiviventrii Hermann, 1804. Observ. Zool.: 136
(Tranquebarica)
Cirlnyris sola Vieillot, 1819, Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat. 31: 512
(PondichCry)
Nectarirlia zeylonica whistler; Ripley, 1946, Spolia Zeylanica 24: 238
(Muddur, My sore)
Baker, FBI No. 1287 (part), Vol. 3: 406
Plate 100, fig. 4
Shalir khGri (Hindi); Chiimka (Marathi); Man choongi (Bengali);
LOCAL NAMES.
Manja tenkili (Malayalam).
FIELDCHARACERS.
M a 1 e. Above, crown metallic green. Back deep chestnut.
Rump metallic purple. A metallic green shoulder-patch. Below, throat metallic
purple. Sides of head and band across lower throat deep chestnut. Breast and
centre of belly lemon-yellow. Flanks greyish white.
Female. Above, brown, more rufous on wing. Throat and flanks greyish white.
Breast and centre of belly lemon-yellow.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. Peninsular India south of
STATUS,
a line from Nasik (NW. Maharashtra), Jabalpur (M.P.) and Lohardaga (Bihar),
southern Bengal and Bangladesh north to Dacca and east presumably to the
Chittagong region. In the plains and lower hills up to c. 750 m (Nilgiris), 1000 m
SIZE.
Sparrow-;
Nectan'nia zeylonica
flaviventris ( 1907).
rcylonico (1908).
24
NECTARINIIDAE
(Maraiyur) and 2100 m (probably non-breeder) [Kodaikanal-Nichols, JBNHS

44: 4071. Affects scrub, light secondary jungle and dry cultivated country in the
neighbourhood of villages with tamarind and babool trees, cactus hedges and
gardens; prefers deciduous biotope.
Extralimital. Extends to Arakan, Burma (Smythies).
GENERAL HABITS and FOOD. Not different from other sunbirds, e.g. the Purple,
1917. Usually keeps in pairs the year round. Hops and flits vivaciously among
foliage and flower-clusters searching for small insects and nectar, clinging to the
branchlets in all manner of acrobatic positions to probe the corollas, sometimes
hovering momentarily in front of a sprig to take a spider, or cobweb for nest.
Territorial and very pugnacious, especially on its feeding tree. Nectar of largepetalled flowers which preclude access by direct probing with bill is reached by
short-cut through a hole pierced at the base of the calyx. For its role in the
propagation of the mischievous Loranthus tree-parasite see Shlim Ali (193 1).
VOICEand CALLS. Song, a sharp twittering tityou, tityou, tityou, trr-r-r-tit, tityou,
etc. uttered while hopping about and feeding among flowers. Also a feeble mousy
Sisiswee, sisiswee...almost identical with that of Small Sunbird (1909) given
from a perch while the bird pivots from side to side and excitedly opens and
shuts its wings and tail (SA).
BREEDING. Season: Nests are found in every month, but a period of increased
breeding activity occurs from March to May in Bengal and from February to
April in southern India, with a second peak from July to September in the latter
region where the species breeds freely after the monsoon. Nest, a pear-shaped or
roundish oval purse composed mostly of grass and other fibrous material mixed
with a variety of oddments, lined with soft vegetable down and draped on the
outside with bits of lichen, bark, caterpillar frass, moss, broken leaves and other
rubbish fastened with cobweb. Most nests, but not all, have a porch-like projection
over the entrance. Nest very much like that of N. asiatica and almost impossible
to distinguish; placed from as low as a couple of metres, sometimes up to 12 or
15, in trees and shrubs. Usually suspended at the tip of a branch, often in creepers
growing on the trellis-work of verandas; sometimes even on pendent electric
light bulbs and sockets, or a wire dangling from the ceiling actually within a
bungalow, regardless of the movements of the inmates. Eggs, nearly always 2,
very exceptionally 3, grey with a greenish or buff tinge, flecked and speckled
with greyish brown, more profusely around the broad end. Average size of 100
eggs 16.4 x 11.8 mm (Baker). Building of nest by female alone, accompanied to
and fro on her material-gathering trips by male. Old nests are frequently
reoccupied. Incubation by female alone; she sits within with bill projecting from
entrance-hole. Incubation period 14-1 5 days. Care of nestlings by both parents;
young leave nest when 16 or 17 days old, after that male takes over most of
feeding. Parasitized by Plaintive Cuckoo (E. Bharucha, JBNHS 79: 671).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Male does not moult into non-metallic
winter (or eclipse) plumage. Postnuptial moult complete.
Young (d and ?), like female but whole underparts very pale lemon-yellow.
Distinguished from young of N. asiarica (1917) by rufous tinge to edges of secondaries
SUNBIRDS
25
and tertials. Young male assumes metallic plumage at postjuvenal moult, which is
complete.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
5 1-58
51-56
(from skull)
17-19
16-18
15-17
14-15
Tail
30-38 nun
30-35 mm
(HW, SA. SDR)
21 d 9 Wing av. 56.2 rnm; Tail av. 35.2 mm

Weight 8 d d 7-11; 9 Q 9 7-9 g 4 A . 1 d 8.5 g 4 D R .
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris orange-brown or reddish brown. Bill brownish black;
mouth dull orange-pink or pinkish brown. Legs, feet and claws horny brown or black;
soles yellowish flesh.
1908. Nectarink zeylonica zeylonica
(Linnaeus)
Certhia zeylonica Linnaeus, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1: 181
(Ceylon)
LOCAL NAMES. Ma7
siirikki (Sinhala); Thkn-kiidi, Pii-kiidichin (Tamil).
FIELD CHARACIERS. AS in 1907, q.V.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Commonest of the three sunbird species of
Sri Lanka in all zones in the lowlands and lower hills up to c. 1400 m. Less
common in the highlands, more abundant in the Wet zone. Affects open jungle,
cultivation and gardens.
GENERAL HABITS. AS in 1907.
FOOD. Nectar and small insects, soft caterpillars, spiders, etc.
VOICE and CALLS. AS they hop and flit about, both sexes constantly utter a chirp
which though quite musical sounds like the opening and shutting of a large pair
scissors: sweety-swee, sweety sweety-swee. At the same time the closed wings
are flirted upwards and the tail opened and shut (Henry).
BREEDING.
Season, February to June, many birds raising a second brood from
August to November. Nests may be found throughout the year. Nest and eggs as
in 1907. For details see Phillips, Ceylon Jour Sci. 24, pt. 3: 11-14.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from flaviventris (1907) in being smaller. No s~gnificant
colour difference although some Indian specimens have somewhat more extensive
iridescence in the post-ocular area, tinted in some cases with bronze rather than green.
SIZE.
Sparrow-;
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
50-57
5Cb54
(from skull)
17-18
16-18
1616
15-16
l l d 9 Wing av. 52.9 mm; Tail av. 32.4 mm
(SDR)
Tail
30-35 mm
29-32 mm
(HW, SDR)
NECTARINIIDAE
1909. Small Sunbird. Nectarink minimu (Sykes)
Cinnyris minima Sykes, 1832, Roc. Zool. Soc. London: 99
(Ghauts, Dukhun)
Plate 100, fig. 7
Chhot(3 sh=r W r i (Hindi); Cheru tcnkili (Malayalam).
LOCAL NAMES.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELDCHARACTERS. M a 1e. Above, very similar to N. zeylonica (1907) but back
deep crimson-brown or maroon instead of chestnut (difference not appreciable
in the field), and without the metallic shoulder-patch. Below, also similar but
collar broader, covering breast. Belly dull yellow with bright lemon tufts on
sides. Flanks greyish white.
F e m a I e. Above, olive; lower rump deep crimson-brown. Below, dull yellow.
Small size and crimson-brown rump identify the female.
STAIWS, DISTRIBWTIONand HABITAT. Fairly common resident. The Sahyadri or
Western Ghats complex from Suriamal (north of Bombay) south to the southernmost hills of Kerala, including the Bababudans, Biligirirangans, Nilgiris and
Nectm'nia minima and N. sperata
Distributional ran es
1 N. minima (1909).
2 N. s. brasilkma (1 9 10)
Palnis', between c. 300 and 2100 m. In the Palnis occurs from c. 1600 m to the
summits; in Karnataka replaces N. lotenia above c. 1200 m. Affects evergreen
biotope chiefly in foothills country: forest, sholas, gardens and shade trees in tea
and coffee plantations.
' Unconfirmed reports from Sri Lanka appear to be erroneous (cf. Phillips, W.W.A., 1951,
Ceylon Jour: Sci. %I. 24. p. 3: 13).
27
SUNBIRDS
GENERAL H A B ~ .vpical of sunbirds. Hunts actively among flower-clusters and
leaf-buds, for inseots and nectar, clinging upside down or sideways or hovering
momentarily in front of them in the quest (SA). Partial to blossoms of Erythrina
spp., and almost invariably present on clumps of the parasitic Loranthaceae in
flower; also on a wide range of flowers in hill-station gardens. ' In Londa it did
not frequent flowering Butea trees alike N. asiatica ' (Koelz).
FOOD. Nectar, insects and spiders.
VOICE and CALLS. Song, a squeaky see-see-whi-see-see-siwee etc. for five or
ten seconds at a stretch and frequently repeated after short pauses; the bird pivots
restlessly on its perch from side to side while singing (SA). Call-note a single
metallic chik constantly repeated while foraging.
BREEDING. Season, chiefly December to April with a second and lesser peak
(at least in the southern part of the range) in September and October. Nest, the
usual hanging pouch characteristic of sunbirds, but smaller and neater in appearance and more roundish than those of other species; made largely of fine bast
fibres and green moss with a little cobweb, and usually lacking the tail of rubbish
dangling below. Suspended from the tip of a twig, generally under 2 metres up in
a bush or sapling on the edge of a path or clearing, commonly on strobilanthes
plants (Karvia).Eggs 2, white with a dense ring of dark reddish spots and a few
reddish speck elsewhere. Average size of 20 eggs 14 x 10.2 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS. See Field Characters. In April or early May, male assumes an
eclipse plumage which is similar to that of the female except that the metallic purple
rump is retained (female has a crimson-brown rump). Moult to full metallic plumage
takes place before August.
Y o u n g of both sexes alike and similar to the adult female, though rather yellower
below. Young male acquires metallic plumage by complete moult, about May-June.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
44-50
99
42-46
Bill
(from skull)
14-17
c. 15
Tarsus
12-13
c. 13
Tail
27-31 nun
26-27 mm
(HW,SA, Koelz)
Weight 8 d d (Apr.-May) 4-6; 8 Q ? (Apr.-May) 4-5 g--SA.

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill, legs, feet and claws in male blackish brown,
in female somewhat paler.
19 10. Van Hasselt's Sunbird. Nectarinia sperata brasilianu
(Gmelin)
LOCAL
SIZE.
Certhia brosiliona Gmelin, 1788, Syst. Nat. 1: 474

(Brazilia errore = Java)
Plate 100, fig. 6
NAME.
None recorded.
Sparrow-; length c. 9 cm (3.5 in.).
HELD CHARACTERS.
Ma
1 e. Above, crown metallic green. Upper back black.

Rump and shoulder-patch metallic purple-bluc. Tail and wings blackish. Below,
28
NECTARINIIDAE
throat metallic purple. Breast and upper belly deep maroon-crimson. Rest of
underparts sooty brown.
F e m a I e. Above, olive; tail black. Below, yellow, brighter on belly.
L AT US, DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT. Resident, apparently with some seasonal
movements; locally distributed. Assam in Dibrugarh, Cachar (rare), Silchar,
Hailakandi, Tripura and Manipur; Bangladesh in south Sylhet (' exceedingly
plentiful from October to about mid January, rare thereafter '-Primrose, JBNHS
14: 594), Comilla, Chittagong and down to Cox's Bazaar (Roberts). Affects forest
and gardens and dense cover in swampy land.
Extralimital. Ranges east to southern Thailand and south to Sumatra and
Borneo. The species extends east to the Philippines and Celebes (Sulawesi).
GENERAL HABITS. Qpical of the sunbirds, cf. 1917.
FOOD. ' Feeds almost exclusively on nectar ' (Hume).
vorm and CALLS. Call-note, a feeble chip chip uttered as it flies from flower to
flower (Hume).
BREEDrnG. Records within our limits not beyond doubt (see Baker, Nidification
3: 219).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
MEASUREMENTS
d?
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
45-50
(from skull)
16- 17
12-13
28-29 rnrn
(Baker, MD)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris
brown. Bill, legs and feet black.
NECI-ARINIA
LOTENIA (Linnaeus): LOTEN'SSUNBIRD
Larger, bill usually 30 mm or over. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. 1. lotenia

Smaller, bill usually less than 30 mm . . . . . . . . . N. 1. hindustanica
1911. Nectarinia lotenia: hindusltrnica
(Whistler)
Cinnyris lotenia hindustanicus Whistler, 1944, Spolia Zeylanica 23: 199
(Kurnta, North Kanara)
Plate 100, fig. 9
L
~ NAMES.
L
Te-nkili, Valia tinkili (Malayalarn); Pun chitti, Thin chirtii (Tamil,
Madurai).
SIZE. Sparrow-; length c. 13 cm (5 in.) including long bill.
FIELD C H A R A ~ RASdark
.
sunbird with long, slender, deeply arched bill.
Distinguished from Purple Sunbird (N. asiatica) by sooty brown not blue-black
belly, slightly larger size and noticeably longer bill.
Ma I e. Above, whole head, back, shoulders and rump black with glistening
metallic green and purple sheen. Wings and tail dull blackish. Below, throat
metallic green and purple changing to metallic purple on breast. A dark crimson
or maroon band across breast and bright yellow tufts on sides of breast, at
' annpits '. Rest of underparts sooty brown.
SUNBIRDS
29
F e m a 1 e. Above, dull olive. Tail blue-black with white tips. Below, entirely
dull yellow.
The brilliant yellow feather-tufts at male's armpit are erected in sexual display
to such an extent as to be strikingly conspicuous even on a rear view of the bird.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Fairly common resident in the southern
STATUS,
Indian Peninsula, on the east side north to Duanali, Pun dist, Orissa (c. 19"501N.)
[N. Majumdar, JBNHS 78: 3821 and on the west side north to the Thana and
Kolaba districts near Bombay (c. 20N.) Occurs in the low country and hills up
hindusranica (19 1 1 ).
lotenia (1912)
to c. 1600 m (Kerala); in Karnataka replaced by N. minima above c. 1200 m.

Affects moist-deciduous biotope in well-wooded but fairly open country with
plenty of flowering trees and shrubs, gardens and cultivation. Generally avoids
dense evergreen forest but where it occurs it is confined to the canopy (Betts).
GENERAL HABUS.Keeps singly or in pairs flitting from flower to flower in quest
of nectar. Parasitic loranthus clumps with their explosive ornithophilous flowers
arc particularly favoured. The bird springs the mature buds open by a pinch with
the mandibles and probes the long tubular corollas with the specially adapted
bill and extensile tubular tongue (common to the sunbird family). Usually alights
on the flower-stalk or an adjacent branchlet for the purpose, but where large
pctals or otherwise unsuitable structure precludes feeding in the normal way,
will take short-cut to the nectary through a hole pierced at the base of the calyx.
Will sometimes also hover momentarily above or in front of such flowers, like a
hawk-moth, and shoot the suctorial tongue rapidly back and forth, well beyond
the bill-tip, to reach the nectar.
Display. As in 1912.
FOOD. Nectar of many species of flowers, in particular Loranthus, Lantana,
Erythrina and Salmalia. Also spiders and tiny insects.

VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, a sharp, metallic chit, chit. Song cheewit-cheewitcheewit quickly repeated two to six times from an exposed branch as the bird
pivots from side to side and nervously raises and lowers his wings, erecting the
bright yellow pectoral tufts (SA). See also 1912. The female has a soft sub-song.
eREEDmG. Season, not well defined. Chiefly March to May but nests may be
found in every month. Nest, a pear-shaped or oval pouch made of fine fibres,
grass, moss, small leaves, roots and other material, lined with vegetable down or
wool. The entrance is protected by a protruding porch. Nest distinguishable from
that of other sunbirds by the comparative lack of cobweb in exterior construction;
outside very untidy, covered with moss, dead leaves, caterpillar frass and oddments
loosely attached and often hanging below the nest in ragged tail. Suspended on a
twig c. 3 metres or more above the ground, usually in the shady interior of some
fairly dense-foliaged tree (Betts). Other nests however are wedged between twigs
or creepers or built in a mass of spider webs and have been found in bushes as
low as 50 cm above the ground. One has been observed close to the nest of red
ants (Oecophylla), apparently in peaceful co-existence with the vicious insects.
Eggs, 2, brownish white with dull brown spots at the small end, passing into
large blotches and forming a cap at the large end. Average size of 50 eggs 17 x 12
mm (Baker). Building of nest by female accompanied by male flying back and
forth and singing in the neighbourhood. Incubation by female only but male
visits nest. Period 15 days. Both parents feed the nestlings; young out of nest fed
mostly by male.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies. Postnuptial
moult from September to November. from metallic plumage to metallic plumage. No
eclipse plumage.'
Young, similar to female. Postjuvenal moult complete to adult plumage.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
5'9
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
56-60
53-56
(from skull)
27-29
26-28
15-16
14-16
Tail
3640 nun
32-35
(HW, SA, Koelz)
Weight 8 M d 8-1 1; 7 9 Q 7-8 g-SA.

cowu~sOF BARE PARTS.
Iris brown or reddish brown. Bill black; mouth pinkish brown.
Legs and feet horny black
19 12. Nectarinia lotenia lotenia

(Linnaeus)
Cerrl~iaLotenia Linnaeus, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1: 188
(Ceylon)
LOCAL NAMES.Ran surikkii (Sinhala); The-n-kkfi,P u - k d i c k n (Tamil).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length c. 13 cm (5 in.) including long bill.
' This, however. is equivocal. Some males observed (and filmed)by SAin February in plumage
identical with that on N. asiatica (1917) in eclipse. namely more or less like female but with 0
broad black median band on underparts. See also Henry, 1955: 109 (footnote).
SUNBIRDS
31
AS in 1911, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. Sri Lanka in all zones, in
the lowlands and hills up to c. 2100 m, more common below c. 1000 m. Affects
open scrub, tea plantations and gardens.
GENERAL HABITS.
AS in 1911. Also hunts insects among the foliage and petals
of flowering trees, and spiders for which it searches tree-trunks. 'Has a habit of
continually jerking the head to and fro' (Henry).
Display. The male tightens all his feathers, looking strangely slim while his
metallic colours gleam and scintillate. The bright yellow pectoral tufts-normally
hidden under the closed wings-are puffed out, and the bird flies about in a
series of deep loops singing all the while (Henry).
FOOD. Nectar, spiders and soft-bodied insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note twit or chit. Song, a pleasing titti-titu-weechi weechi
weechi (Henry).
BREEDING.
Season, February to May in the low-country Dry zone, with a second
period from August to December in the hills and in the Wet zone. Nest, of two
types: ( I ) pear-shaped suspended from the tip of a twig, (2) built in the interior of
a large mass of spider-webs usually in a bush or low tree. In the latter case (more
common in the Dry zone) the female excavates a hole in the middle of the side of
the cobweb mass, then presses out with her body a sufficiently large cavity and
lines it first with a little fibre and bits of dead leaf to strengthen the walls and
then with a generous amount of vegetable down. The entrance is neatly finished
off with a small porch over it. The same nest may be used for several successive
broods (Phillips). Eggs and breeding activity as in 1911.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from hindustanica (191 1) in being larger and having a
longer bill.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
NECTARINIA
JUGULARIS Linnaeus: OLIVEBACKED
SUNBIRD
Key to the Subspecies'
Page
A
Smaller; bill from skull usually 20 mrn or l e s s . . . . . . . . . . N. j. pmselia

Larger; bill from skull usually 21 rnm or more
a
Upperparts olive-brown, forecrown usually without metallic colour
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nandamanica
.j.
b
Upperparts olive, forecrown usually with metallic purple N. j. klossi
34
32
33
' Olivebacked Sunbirds seen at Malumghat Forest, Bangladesh. on 14 March 1994. by

D. Johnson (OBC Bull. 19: 65). are presumably of the race N. j.flommuxillaris, widespread in
Burma.
NECTARINIIDAE
19 13. Nectarinia jugularis andumanica

(Hume)
Arachnechthra andamanica Hume. 1873, Stray Feathers 1 : 404
(Andaman group)
Plate 100, fig. 5
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, olive-brown. Tail black with whitish tips.
Below, throat and breast metallic purple and blue-green bordered on breast with
a rusty band. Pectoral tufts bright yellow; rest of underparts pale yellow. In eclipse
plumage like female but with a dark gular stripe.
F e m a 1 e. Above, olive. Tail dark brown with whitish tips. Below, pale yellow,
brighter on belly.
DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT.
Common resident in the Andaman Islands.
STATUS,
Affects forest. scrub and coastal mangroves.
SIZE.
Nectarinia jugularis
I---?
'---J
Distributional
ranges
1 andomanica (1 91 3),
3 klossi ( 19 14),
2 pmselia (191 S),

Extralimital. Numerous subspecies in the Indochinese countries, Malaysia,

Indonesia. the Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Queensland,
Australia.
GENERAL HABITS. Those of the genus.
FOOD. Nectar [Loranthus spp., Finniana colorata, Moringa oleifera, Hibiscus
spp. and cocodut (Cocos nucifera) specifically recorded]. Presumably also spiders
and small insects.
SUNBIRDS
33
VOICE and
CALLS.Unrecorded.
BREEDmG. Season, January-February and May to July. Nest, hung from some
twig or grass stem, often close to the ground, less frequently at some considerable
height up in a shrub or tree. The oval purse is made of grasses, bark, cocoons,
moss, lichens, bits of leaves and vegetable fibres, and lined with fine grass and
vegetable down; similar to that of N. asiatica but smaller and neater though
many nests have miscellaneous rubbish hanging about and below them. Eggs 2,
pale greyish white to pale brown; markings very variable. Average size of 46
eggs 16.6 x 11.5 mm (Baker).
M a l e differs from both klossi and proselia in lacking (usually)
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
any metallic colour on forecrown, and in having the upperparts brown only faintly tinged
with olive. Metallic plumage on breast and sides of throat blue-green rather than purpleblue. Abdomen pale yellow (v. bright yellow), separated from metallic of breast by a
narrow rusty band. Pectoral tufts bright yellow (v. orange-yellow) [MD].
F e m a 1 e differs in being browner, not olive above, and paler yellow below.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
(from skull)
23-24 (25)
22.23
14
dd
51-54
oo?
50,5 1
Tail
32-33 mm
30.32 mm
(MD)
brown. Bill, legs and feet black.
19 14. Nectarink jugularis klossi

(Richmond)
Arachnechrhra klossi Richmond, 1902, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 25: 297
(Great Nicobar)
Cyrtosromus pecroralis blanfordi Baker, 1921, Bull. Brit. Om, C1. 41: 71
(Kondol Is., Nicobars)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1282 (part) and 1283, Vol. 3: 401-2
None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, olive, usually with metallic purple
forecrown. Below, throat metallic purple (centre), metallic purple-blue (sides
and breast). Belly bright yellow. Pectoral tufts orange-yellow.
F e m a l e. Above, olive. Below, yellow.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT.
Common resident in the Nicobar Islands,
STATUS,
except Car Nicobar (where replaced by pmselia). Affects forest, scrub and coastal
mangroves.
Extralimital. See 1913.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. As in 1913, q.v.
BREEDING.
AS in 1913. Nest usually in mangroves, overhanging water.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from pmselia in being larger and having a longer bill.
For differences from ondamunico see 19 1 3 (Museum Diagnosis). Rusty band between
metallic breast and yellow belly only faintly indicated or absent.
LOCAL NAMES.
34
NECTARINIIDAE
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
5
dd
50-53
Bill
(from skull)
21-23
Tarsus
Tail
14
30-32 mrn
(MD)
Bill (from feathers ) 17-18 mm (Nancowry, Trinkat, Carnorta); 2CL21 mm (Kondal, Great
Nicobar)+Abdulali).
COUIURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 1913.
1915. Nectcuinicr jugularis proselicr

(Oberholser)
Cinnyris ornuta proselia Oberholser, 1923, Jour. Washington Acad. Sci. 13: 230
(Car Nicobar)
Raycha (Car Nicobar).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
F I E L D C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1914, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABKAT. Common resident in Car Nicobar Island.
Habitat as in 19 13.
G P ~ ~ U LH A B and
~ FOOD. As in 1913.
VOICEand c u . A feeble twittering song uttered from an exposed perch while
slightly opening wings and raising pectoral tufts.
BREEDING. AS in 1913.
Musew DIAGNOSIS.Differes from both a n k i c u and klossi in being smaller and
having a shorter bill. In colour very similar to klossi. For differences from andamunico
s
a 1913.'
LOCAL NAMES.
MeAsuRBMBm
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
5 dd
2 99
47-52
47.49
~ ~ ~ U R S O F B A R E P A R T SAS
. in
18-19
(one) 19
14
30-31 mm
28 mm
(MD)
1913.
N ~ A R MASIATICA
A
(Latham): PURPLE SUNBIRD
Key to the Sukpcdu
A
Bill shorter, under 18 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N. a brrvirostris

Bill longer, usually over 18 mm
1 Metallic colour more green, less purple. . . . . . . . . . . . N. a. asiarica
2 Metallic colour more purple, less green.. . . . . . N. a intenncdia
. ..
1916. Nectarinb asiatica bnv&osbis Blanford

Nectarinia ( Atachnechthra) bnvimsrris Blanford, 1873. Ibis: 86
[(Persian) Baluchistan near Jmk]
LCKAL NAMES.
S h d i r &m (Urdu); Dwbag (Sind); P h d c W i (Gujarati).
sm.Sparrow-; length c. 10 cm (4 in.).
Page
34
36
39
AS in 19 17, q. v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT.
Partial migrant. common. Occasional in
Baluchistan in coastal and central Makran, Quetta district, but more plentiful in
N.W.F.P. north to Peshawar, the northern foothills east to the Sutlej river. the
FIELD C H A R A ~ E R S .
1 brevimstris (1 9 16).
2 asiatica ( 1 9 17).
3 i n t e m d i a (1918).
plains of the Indus south through Sind, western Gujarat (Kutch) and western
Rajasthan; intergrades with nominate race (1917) east of these limits. In the hills
generally up to c. 1200 m, locally 1500 m. Affects gardens, cultivation, tamarisks
along river beds, thorn and dry forest.
Extralimital. Extends west to southern Iran and southeastern Arabia (Muscat).
The species ranges east through the Indochinese countries.
MIGRATION. A summer visitor to the northern foothills and most of Punjab plains;
arrives March orApril according to altitude, departs end August or early September
(latest 17 Sept.). A few birds winter in the plains of Punjab. In Sind, partly a
summer visitor partly resident, the winter population increased by migrants from
the north. May winter in western India as far south as Londa (cf. Koelz, JBNHS
43: 22).
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE.
As in 1917.
BREEDING. Season, end March to July. Nest and eggs as in 1917. Clutch size 2
or 3. Average size of 30 eggs 16.7 x 11.6 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Like asiatica (1917) but bill shorter. Above rather more green.
Reddish brown pectoral band often absent. Female like asiatica but paler. Bill shorter.
NECTARINIIDAE
MEASUREMENTS
do?
Wing
Tarsus
55-57
15-16
Tail
34-35 mm
(Baker)
Bill (from skull) d Q 1416,mostly I5 mrn (HW);3 9 9 from Sind 19-20 mm (MD).
1917. Nectarinia asiatica a s W a

(Latham)
Certhia asiatica Latham, 1790, Index Om. 1: 288 (India = Gurgaon)
Plate 100, fig. 10
LOCAL NAMES.
K a l i piddjj (Funjab); Sha=r W r i , PhCl soongni (Urdu, Hindi); Phiil
cha'kli (Gujarati); Jugi-jugi (Bhagalpur); SUP (Chota Nagpur); Chumka (Marathi);
Karuppan tenkili (Malayalam); Thbna-pitti (Telugu); Zh?n-kdi, Pu-kdichdn (Tamil);
Sutikka, Gewal kuriilla (Sinhala).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e, breeding. Above, metallic dark blue and purple.
Below, throat and breast metallic purple, sides bluegreen. Belly dark purple separated from breast by a
narrow, inconspicuous reddish brown band. Pectoral
tufts bright yellow and scarlet. At a distance the bird
appears all black.
M a 1 e, non-breeding (or eclipse plumage).Above,
r' r I
pale olive-brown with blackish wings and tail. Below,
yellow with a broad blue-black band down middle of throat and breast.
N.B. Males in breeding as well as non-breeding plumage may be seen at almost
any season.
F e m a 1 e. Above, olive-brown. Below, dull yellow. Distinguished from similar
female Purplemmped ( I 907), often found alongside, by uniform yellow underparts
(v. ashy throat contrasting with yellow breast).
STATUS, DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT.
Common and widespread resident subject to
local movements. The whole of India (east of the range of brevimstris) from the
Himalayan foothills (Punjab to Sikkim) south to Kanyakumari, and Sri Lanka in
all zones. Intergrades with intermedia in Bengal. A summer visitor to Punjab
(March to September) and the Himalayan foothills (up to c. 1200 m in Kangra,
1400 m in Nepal, locally to 1700 m). In the hills of southern India generally up
to c. 900 m, in the Madurai district to c. 1600 m, in the Nilgiris to 2400 m
(Nichols, JBNHS 44: 406). In Sri Lanka essentially a dry zone bird, only visiting
the highland and southern regions in winter (Roberts). Affects light deciduous
forest, semi-cultivation, gardens and compounds.
Local movements. A male ringed at Bharatpur, 5.iii. 1968, was recovered three
years later. on 30.iii. 1971, at Dehra Dun, c. 350 km north-presumably moving
up to its annual summer quarters.
GENERAL HABITS.
Very similar to those of Purplemmped and ~aroon-breasted
SUNBIRDS
37
sunbirds (1907, 1911), qq.v. Keeps singly or in pairs. Inseparable from flowering
trees and loranthus clumps in gardens, orchards and the countryside. Probes into
blossoms of a wide variety of trees and shrubs with the specially adapted nectareating bill and tongue and plays an important role in cross-pollinating many
species. Along with other sunbirds it is amongst the chief pollinators of the
' explosive ' loranthus flowers. Individual birds not uncommonly seen hawking
gnats in the flycatcher manner, but an unusual gathering of 40 or 50 once observed
energetically catching midges swarming over a stagnant stream. Several birds at
a time would spring up in the air from the bordering shrubbery and snap up the
minute insects; or they would launch out horizontally for a distance of 15 metres
or so over the water and hover and zigzag and twist and turn in agile pursuit
returning to the perch after each capture, evincing extraordinary acuity of vision
(SA).
Display. The male, with slightly raised head and perched in front of the female,
flutters his partially opened wings to display the pectoral tufts, singing the while.
For further details see A. R. K. Das, Pavo 2: 72, 1964. Also displays by hovering
vertically in the air, his wings beating so rapidly as to show only as a blur, while
the pectoral plumes stand out in front of them like a blaze. For a few seconds this
attitude is maintained, then with a flick of his wings he is away, only to return in
a few moments and repeat the performance (Baker).
FOOD. Nectar of loranthus and many other flowers. For a list of some of the
more commonly patronized species see Shlim Ali, 1931 and 1932. Very fond of
the fleshy blossoms of mhowa (Madhuca indica) and the sugary exudation from
Borassus palms tapped for toddy. Small spiders and insects are also taken,
especially when rearing young. Among the insect items specifically recorded in
stomach contents are Tineid and Geometrid larvae, weevils (Myllocerus sp.),
bugs (Cydnus nigritus), Jassids and small flies (Mason & Lefroy, 1912). For
notes on feeding habits, see A. R. K. Das, 1963, Pavo 1: 60-65.
vorcE and CALLS. Call-notes, a single chip and a frequently uttered, loud chweet
(Henry). Song, usually given by male from the topmost twig of a leafless tree or
a telegraph wire, an excited cheewit-cheewit . . . repeated rapidly two to six times
while the bird pivots From side to side and nervously raises and lowers his wings,
flaunting the brilliant crimson and yellow pectoral tufts erected laterally.
Approaches singing perch with a curious hovering flight with tail well expanded
(SA). Male in non-breeding plumage often utters a low twittering sub-song which
goes on for a long time without any appreciable pause ' invariably in the afternoon
hours ' (Neelakantan). Song may be heard the year round. Main period in Nepal
February to early June and Septemberactober (Proud).
BREEDING. Season, varies according to climate and altitude, chiefly in the dry
season though nesting has been reported in nearly every month. In Nepal Valley
breeds chiefly in June; in Haryana from March to June; in most parts of the
Peninsula from February to June, starting even earlier in the south. Two broods
are commonly raised. In Sri Lanka breeds from January to June, occasionally till
September, with a peak in March-April. Nest, an oblong purse of soft grass and
fibres, small leaves, bark, cobweb, etc., untidily draped on the outside with pieces
NECTARINIIDAE
38
of bark, caterpillar droppings, bits of paper, string and other rubbish; most nests
have a porch-like projection over the entrance. Usually suspended on a twig
within a couple of metres from the ground; occasionally up to six metres. Some
nests are hung from the trellis-work of verandas, or creepers growing over them,
or from the fleshy thorny leaves of prickly pear (Opuntia) bushes; one was found
hanging from a bush growing in a disused well about a metre and a half below
ground level. Despite the usual lack of concealment, the nest often escapes notice
as it may easily pass for a casual wind-blown collection of cobwebs and rubbish.
Nests, especially in Sri Lanka (De zylva, 1984), frequently found within the
greyish flocculent nest masses of the gregarious Eresid spider Stegodyphus
sarusinorum, and perhaps other species, in thorny trees and hedges. The nest is
completely enveloped by the adhesive cobweb fabric except for the entrancehole, thus enjoying additional cryptic value and concealment. Examination of
such nests has failed to reveal conclusively whether the bird chooses the cobweb
mass for building within, or whether the spider builds over an old nest which the
bird uses again for the second brood as seems more probable (see Bombay
Newsletterfor Birdwatchers, June 1963,p. 2 andAugust 1963, p. 7). Some unusual
sites recorded: Punkah-pulling rope (Gill, JBNHS 29: 967), hanging electric wire
of portico lamp in regular use (Shipp, ibid. 28: 1136), rafter in veranda (Bates,
ibid. 3 1: 282), pendent flush-tank chain in temporarily disused lavatory (Joseph
George, ibid. 54: 943), pocket of nightgown and fold in canvas drying on a
clothes line (Munidasa, ibid. 66: 169-71, and Ceylon Bird Club Notes, May
1968). For details on building method see Joseph George, JBNHS 55: 42Cb28.
Eggs, normally 2, sometimes 1 or 3, greyish white with chocolate streaks tending
to form a band around the large end. Average size of 100 eggs 16.3 x 11.6 mm
(Baker). Female alone collects materials and builds nest, sometimes accompanied
to and fro by male; exceptionally male may also help; building may take from
six days to three weeks. Incubation, starting with first egg, by female alone;
period 14 or 15 days. Nestling period 13 to 17 days. Feeding of nestlings and
sanitation by both parents though in some cases the latter chore apparently done
by female only. Two successive broods often reared in the same nest. For further
details on breeding biology see Das (1964, 1966). Brood-parasitism by Plaintive
Cuckoo, Cacomantis m. passerinus (584) recorded-M. Suter, 1945, JBNHS
45(2): 235.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies.
Prenuptial moult November to February. Postnuptial moult complete, mostly July to
December.
Y o u n g. like female. Postjuvenal moult complete or wing not moulted till prenuptial
moult.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
??
54-60
5 1-56
Bill
(from skull)
2CL22
2&22
Tarsus
1416
14-15
Tail
31-38 nun
29-34 mm
(HW)
Weight 3 d d (March-April) 6.9-8.6 g (GD). 10d d(July) 7-1 1 (av. 8.2); 8 9 9 (July) 5-10
(av. 8)g--SA. 2 d d 7 . 8 . 5 g . 197.5g-SDR.
39
SUNBIRDS
comuw OFBAREPARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill, legs and feet brownish black; mouth
pinkish yellow.
1918. N e ~ t ~ nashtka
ia
intermedia (Hume)
Arachnechrhra intermedia Hume, 1870, Ibis: 436 mppera)
Thiin-thiini, Mauchung (Bengal).

SIZE. Spamow-;
F I E L D C H A R A ~ ~ E R S AS
.
in 1917, q.v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. Bhutan, Bangladesh and
NE. India to Burma, from the plains to c. 1400 m, exceptionally 1500 m.
Specimens from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh (N. Majumdar, JBNHS 76: 162,77:
354 and 78: 382). Habitat as in 1917.
Extralimital. Ranges east to the Indochinese Peninsula.
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD and VOICE. As in 1917.
BREEDING. Season, January to June with a peak in April. Nest and eggs, as in
1917. Average size of 35 eggs 15.9 x 11.5 mm (Baker).
LOCAL NAMES.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from asiatica (1917) in having the upperparts, chin and
throat more violet-purple. Female like asiatica but darker above and richer yellow below.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tail
53-59
50-55
19-22
19-20
34-40
~UI
30-35
mm
(HW)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in
1917.
Genus A E T H o P Y G A Cabanis
Aethopyga Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1:103.
Q p e , by original designation, A. siparaja = Certhia siparaja Raffles
Bill slightly longer than head, curved. Culmen ridged. Nostril bare, longitudinal,
operculated. Tail much graduated, central rectrices (in male) projecting far beyond the
rest. Sexes very different.
Key to the Species

Males
Chin and throat scarlet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , A . siparaja
B
Chin and throat dark, not scarlet
1
Ccntral rectrices red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. ignicauda
2
Central rectrices metallic green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. nipalensis
3
Central rectrices metallic purple
a Sides of head crimson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.
. gouldiae
b Sides of head black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..A. saturata
A
Page
48
52
43
40
46
NECTARINIIDAE
40
Females
Page
Crown grey; a yellow band across rump
Belly yellow contrasting with grey breast and throat. ...A. gouldiae
Underparts greyish olive ..........................A. saturata
Crown olive; no yellow band across rump
B
3 Outer rectrices not tipped with white. ............. .A. ignicaudo
4 Outer rectrices tipped with white
a Tail under 40 mm; lower mandible pale brown .......A. siparaja
b Tail over 40 mrn; lower mandible dark brown to black.. ........
A
1
2
...........................................A. niplensis
40
46
52
48
43
AETHOPYGA
GOUU)IAE (Vigors): MRSGOULD'S
SUNBIRD
,
Key to the Subspecia
A
Breast scarlet. ..................................A. g. dobryii

Breast yellow
1 Yellow darker.. .............................. A. g. gouIdiae
2
Yellow paler. ................................. . A . g. isolata
Page
42
40
42
1919. Aethopyga gouIdiac gouIdiac

(Vigors)
Cinnyris Gouldiae Vigors, 1831, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 44
(Himalayan mountains = Sirnla-Almora area, vide flcehurst & Whistler, 1924,
Ibis: 471)
Plate 100, fig. 8
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.); d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including long
tail.
FIELDCHARACTERS.
M a l e. Above, crown, ear-coverts and a patch on sides of
neck metallic purple-blue; sides of head, neck, supercilium, nape and back
crimson; rump bright yellow; upper tail-coverts and upper surface of tail metallic
purple-blue. Tail graduated, outer rectrices brown tipped with buffish, central
rectrices greatly elongated. Below, throat metallic purple-blue. Rest of underparts
yellow streaked with scarlet on breast and tinged with olive on vent.
F e m a I e. Above, head and nape grey. Rest of upperparts olive, yellowish on
rump, Below, throat pale grey. Rest of underparts yellow.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT.
Resident, subject to vertical movements,
valley (recorded near Islamabad,
locally common. The Himalayas from the ~ h i l u m
Palustan, in winters of 1973, '89 and '91-Roberts, 1992) east to Arunachal
Pradesh (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 366). Breeds between 1800 and 3300 m, in Nepal
up to 3600 m. Withdraws from the higher levels in winter but observed as high 8s
2700 m in Nepal in the coldest weather; in Bhutan and Bengal (Jalpaiguri dist.)
reaches the base of the hills in the cold season.Affects deciduous forest, especially
oak, and the lower coniferous zone.
SUNBIRDS
41
3 babryii (1921).
Extrulimitul. Extends east to southwestern Sichuan. The species range east to

Hupeh, Guangxi and the Indochinese countries.
GENERAL HABITS. Similar to other sunbirds'.Avery active and vivacious species,
restlessly searching blossoms for nectar on bushes and shrubs as well as among
parasitic plants up in lofty forest trees.
FOOD. Nectar, insects, spiders.
VOICE and CALLS. Common notes rendered as a scissors-like tzit-tzit.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS. Differs from isolata (1920) in being darker yellow on breast and
rump. For identification of females see Key to the Species.
Juvenile, like female but tail not so graduated nor tips so whitish (CBT).
Postjuvenal moull complete. Adult plumage held till post-breeding moult; no eclipse
plumage.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
52-58
(27
48-52
Bill
(from skull)
20-25
(once 27)
20-22
Tarsus
Tail
15-18
60-86 mrn
14-15
35-47 mm
(Baker. SA)
Weight 5 d d 6.5-8; 2 9 P 4 , 6 g (SA).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris reddish brown to crimson. Bill dark brown, lower mandible
paler. Legs and feet dark brown.
1920. Aethopyga gouIdiae isolotcr

Baker
Aerhopyga gouldiae isolata Baker, 1925, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 46: 13
(Manipur)
Aelhopvga gouldiae melirtae Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration,
No. 1: 21 (Mt Victoria)
Aerhopyga gouldiae rmchiloidea Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration,
No. 1: 21 (Blue Mountain, Lushai Hills)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1269 (part) and 1270, Vol. 3: 385, 386
LWAL
SIZE.
NAMES. None recorded.

Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.); d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including long
tail.
CHARAmERS. AS in 1919, q.V.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Uncommon resident, subject to seasonal
movements. The hills of Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur,
thence south to the Chittagong region, chiefly between 900 and 2400 m. Affects
evergreen forest and deciduous scrub jungle.
GENERAL HAB~TS,FOOD and VOICE. As in 1919.
BREEDmG. Season, April through June. Nest, a pear-shaped structure of
vegetable down. green moss and cobweb, suspended from the end of a twig
rather low down on bushes or brambles. The edge of the entrance, which is about
two-thirds of the way up, is reinforced so as to form a firm rim. Eggs, generally
2, sometimes 3, white freckeld with small blotches of pale reddish brown, slightly
more numerous at the larger end. Average size of 10 eggs 14.6 x 11.2 mm (Baker).
Building of nest and care of young by both sexes.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from gouldiae (1919) in being a paler yellow on rump
and breast. and in being slightly smaller. Female indistinguishable in colour.
FIELD
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(Koelz. Baker)
Weight d d 6-7 g (SDR).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill blackish. Legs blackish brown. feet a little
paler; soles dingy yellowish to hoary grey.
1 92 1 . A ethopyga gouldiae dabryii

(Verreaux)
Necrarinia Dabg-ii Verreaux, 1867, Rev. Mag. Zool. 19: 173, pl. 15
flu-tsien-leou. Setchuan 0.)

SIZE. Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.); d 15 cm (6 in.) including long tail.
LOCAL
FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS
in 19 19 but breast scarlet instead of yellow.

Presumably a winter visitor from western
STATUS,DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT.
China. Recorded in extreme eastern Nagaland (Ripley, 1953, JBNHS 61: 693),
in Manipur (sight record, Hume, SF 11: 8 l), and in North Cachar (Baker, FBI 3:
388) between 1200 and 1800 m.
MIGRATION.
In adjacent Burma this form has been recorded from January to
March.
GENERAL HABITS. FOOD and VOICE.As in 1919.
BREEDING.
Extralimital.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from both gouldiae ( 1919) and isolata (1 920) in having
a scarlet breast. Metallic colour of crown and throat more lilac or purple than blue.
MEASUREMEFFTS
Wing
dd
53-59
Tail
75-76
nun
(Mayr)
COLOURS OF BARE
PARTS.AS in 1920.
AETHOPYGA
NIPALENSIS (Hodgson): NEPALYELLOWBACKED
SUNBJRD
Rack with only a trace of crirnson-brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . A . n. horsfieldi

Back with a broad crimson-brown band
B
1
Bill from skull 23 mm or less.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. A . n. nipalensis
2
Bill from skull 24 mrn or more.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A , n. koelzi
A
Page
43
44
45
1922. Aethopyga nipalensis horsfieldi

(Blyth)
Cinnyris Horsfielai [sic]Blyth, 1842, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal I 1 : 107,
nomen nudum
Necrarinia Horsfieldi Blyth, 1843, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 12: 975
(Himalayas = Mussooree)
SIZE.Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.); d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including long
tail.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS in 1923. q.v.
STATUS. DlsTaleunoN and HABITAT.
Uncommon resident, subject vertical movements.The western Himalayas from Mussooree to west Nepal (where it intergrades
with nipalensis). between 600 and at least 1800 m. Affects gardens and forest.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE.As in 1923.
BREEDING.
Unrecorded, probably as in 1923.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.M a I e, like nipal~nsis(1923) but back and sides of neck oliveyellow with only a trace of maroon along the margin of the metallic green of hindneck;
hardly any trace of scarlet on breast.
AS in 1923 but bill averaging 1 or 2 mm shorter.

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 1923.
MEASUREMENTS.
1923. Aethopyga nipalensis nipalensis

(Hodgson)
Cinnyris Nipalensis Hodgson, 1836, Ind. Rev. 1 (7): 273
(Nepal, restricted to Chandragiri Pass, central Nepal, by Ripley, 1961, Synopsis: 588)
Aethopyga griseiceps Bentham, 1908, Rec. Ind. Mus.2: 167 (Darjiling)
Plate 100, fig. 11
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.); d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including long
tail.
FIELD CHARACERS.
M a I e, adult. Above, crown and nape metallic blue-green,
bordered on upper back and sides of neck by a crimson-brown or maroon band.
Wings and middle of back olive-green. Rump bright yellow; tail metallic green.
Below, cheeks black, throat metallic blue-green. Rest of underparts bright yellow
streaked with scarlet on breast.
F e m a l e, olive-green, outer rectrices tipped with white.
DISTRIB~ON
and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical moveSTATUS,
ments. The central Himalayas from western Nepal to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan,
LCKAL
western Arunachal Pradesh and Khasi Hills. Breeds between c. 1800 and 3000 m
[not breeding above this altitude in Nepal (Inskipp, C. & T., 1991) but has been
recorded as high as 3500 m in the Langtang Valley (Polunin)]. Recorded in
winter between 300 and 2400 m in Nepal and as high as 3600 m in Sikkim.
Affects heavy forest of oak, rhododendron, etc. (more so than A. ignicauda) and
scrub jungle.
GENERAL HABITS.
Those of the genus. In Nepal the four species nipalensis,
ignicauda, saturata and siparaja may all be found together in winter, feeding on
flowering Leucosceptrum, Caryopteris and suchlike species ' but Gould's Sunbird
is never found with them ' (Proud).
FOOD.Mainly nectar.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note, a sharp dzit. Song described as tchiss (high)
. . . tchiss-iss-iss-iss (low-rising-high) [Lister]. Song period in Nepal February to
mid June (Proud).
BREEDING.
Season, chiefly May and June. Nest, an oval purse of vegetable
down and green moss suspended from the end of a twig within a couple of metres
from the ground. Entrance near the top, about 25 mm in diameter. Eggs 3, white,
spotless or sparingly spotted and mottled with dark brown. Average size of 3
eggs 15.7 x 10.9 mm (Osmaston); of 1 1 eggs 15.3 x 10.8 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from horsjeldi in having a broader maroon band on upper
back, and from koelzi in having a shorter bill.
Y o u n g, like adult female but tail not so markedly graduated and the pale tips not so
pronounced. Young male has an orange wash on breast. Postjuvenal moult complete in
October to January. No eclipse plumage (CBT).
For identification of female see Key to the Species.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
51-58
47-52
>
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
20-23
c. 15
20-22
Tail
mm
4 2 4 9 mm
(BB)
58-70
Weight 2 d d 6.5, 8; 4 9 P 5 4 g (GD. SA).

COLOURS OF BARE
PARTS.Iris reddish brown. Bill, legs and feet dark brown. Soles grey.
1924. Aethopyga nipalensis koelzi Ripley
Aethopyga nipalensis koelzi Ripley, 1948, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 61 : 106
(Dening-Dreyi trail, Mishmi Hills, NE. Assam)
Aerhopyga nipalensis ripleyi Koelz, 1952, Jour. Zool. Soc. India 4: 43
(Mawryngkneng, Khasi Hills)
I.OCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE.Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.);

tail.
FIELD CHARAmRS. AS In 1923, q.V.
d c.
15 cm (6 in.) including long
NECTARINIIDAE
46
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical moveSTATUS,

ments. Mishmi Hills, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur
south to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. In the Himalayas breeds between c. 1800
and 2800 m, rarely reaching the duars in winter. Affects dense forest, scrub jungle
and gardens.
Extralimital. Extends to northwestern Yunnan and northern Vietnam. Other
subspecies in the Indochinese countries.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from nipalensis (1923) only in having a longer bill.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
53-57
50-52
25-26
22 (1)
Tarsus
c. 15
Tail
58-64 mm
4146 mrn
(SDR, MD)
Weight d O 5.5-7.5 g (SDR);4 9 9 6-6.5 g (SA).

AS in 1923.
AEWOPYGA
SATURATA (Hodgson): BLACKBREASTED
SUNBIRD

Less richly coloured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. s. saturata
More richly coloured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. s. assamensis
1925. Aethopyga saiurata saturata
(Hodgson)
Cinnyris Saturata Hodgson, 1836. Ind. Rev. 1 (7): 273 (Nepal)
Plate 100, fig. 12
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-; length? c. I0 cm (4in.);d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including elongated
rectrices.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S M
. a 1 e, adult. Above, crown and nape metallic purple. Back
and sides of neck crimson-brown. Wings blackish brown. A narrow yellow band
on rump. Upper tail-coverts and upper surface of tail metallic purple, the two
central rectrices elongated. Below, throat and breast dull blackish, a broad metallic
purple malar streak. Rest of underparts greyish olive.
F e m a l e, a nondescript olive-green. See Key to the Species.
Fairly common resident subject to vertical
movements. The Himalayas from Mussooree east to Bhutan, from c. 450 m in
winter (to the base of the hills and adjacent duars) up to c. 1800 m in summer (in
Bhutan from c. 305 m up to 2200 m in Nepal). Withdraws from the higher levels
for a couple of months in the coldest weather but ' is back and singing by the end
LOCAL NAMES.
SUNBIRDS
47
of February ' (Proud). Affects bushes in forcst and outskins of dense jungle.
chiefly in the evergreen zone.
m
IDistributional ranges
1 safurata (1925).
2 assamensis (1 926)'
Those of the genus. Recorded visiting cherry blossoms in

season; also cardamom flowers at ground level. Along with other sunbird species
is an unfailing attendant on the scarlet ' cup and saucer ' flowers of Holmskjoldia.
FOOD. Chiefly nectar.
VOICE and CALLS. Undescribed. Song period in Nepal February to mid July
(Proud).
GENERAL HABITS.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from assamensis in being less richly coloured.
Y o u n g, like adult female but tail not so graduated and white tips not so distinct.
Postjuvenal moult complete. No eclipse plumage (CBT). For identification of female see
Key to the Species.
MEASUREMEFm
d cf
9 5'
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
53-58
4749
20-25
20-22
Tarsus
Tail
14-17
63-81 mm
14 (1)
32-37 mm
(BB. SA, Sues., Rand & Fleming)
Weight 4 d d 6-6.5 g (SA).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS,
brown.
Iris brown. Bill brownish black. Legs, feet and claw dark horny
NECTARINIIDAE
1926. Aethopyga saturtrta assamensis
(McClelland)
Cinnyris Assamensis McClelland, 1839, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 167
(Assam, restricted to neighbourhood of Sadiya by Deignan, 1948,
Jour. Washington Acad. Sci. 38: 22)
Aerhopyga saturata anel Koelz, 1953, Jour. Zool. Soc. India 4: 154
(near Nokrek, Garo Hills)

SIZE. Sparrow-;
length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.fincluding elongated rectrices.
LOCAL
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements.
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam south of the Brahmaputra, Meghalaya and adjacent
hills of Bangladesh, the Patkai Range, Nagaland and Manipur; from the foothills
to c. 1800 m. In North Lakhimpur district ' a resident throughout the plains '
(Stevens). Affects dense evergreen and deciduous forest, scrub, secondary growth
and open pasture land with scattered bushes.
Exrralimital. Northern Burma to western Yunnan. Other subspecies in the Indochinese countries.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE.
As in 1925.
BREEDING.
Season, May to July. Nest, pear-shaped, made of dry grass, moss,
fibre and cobweb, decorated outside with chips of dead wood and bamboo leaves,
lined with vegetable down; entrance-hole two-thirds of the way up, with a porch
projecting 2 or 3 cm over it, sometimes with only a bare suggestion of a porch;
nest usually attached to thin branches of bushes or creepers within a couple of
metres from the ground. Eggs, 2 or 3, white, marked with specks and spots and
occasionally blotches of inky black with secondary ones of inky grey. Average
size of 25 eggs 14.6 x 11.3 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from saturara (1925) in being more richy coloured.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
9 5)
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
51-55
(from feathers)
20-2 1
18-19
c. 15
4448
Tail
69-77 mm
- mm
(SDR, Koelz)
V 5-6 g (SDR).
COL.OURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill black. Legs and feet dark brown.
We~ghtd
AEMOPYGA
SIPARAJA (Raffles): CRIMSON
SUNBIRD
Page
A
B
Breast streaked with yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. s. v i ~ o r s i i

Breast plain scarlet
1
Crown violet-purple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. s. nicobarica
51
52
SUNBIRDS
49
Page
a
b
Crown green
Paler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. s. seheriae
Darker, more richly coloured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. A . s. labecula
49
50
1927. Aethopyga siparaja seheritre

(Tickell)
Nectarinia Seheriae 'Iickell, 1833, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 2: 577
(near Seheria in Borabhum)
Aethopyga siparaja mussooriensis Baker, 1925, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 46: 12
(Mussoorie)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1262 (part) and 1263, Vol. 3: 378, 380
Plate 100, fig. 13
Phulchuiya (Dehra Dun).

SIZE.Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including elongated rectrices.
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e, adult. Above, crown metallic green. Sides of neck
and back dark crimson. Rump bright yellow. Tail metallic green, the two central
rectrices elongated. Below, chin, throat and breast scarlet with metallic purple
malar streaks. Belly yellowish olive.
F e m a l e entirely olive, more yellowish below.
ments. The Himalayan foothills from Kangra east to Siklum thence south in the
plains of eastern Bihar (Purnea), northern Bengal (Inglis, JBNHS 26: 996) and
western Bangladesh (Rashid).Also occurs in the hills of the northeastern Peninsula
but the few records are old and mostly undated:Allahabad, Mirzapur (U.P.,Hume,
S F 5: 122), Singhbhum (Ball, S F 7: 208). Seheria in Borabhum (type locality),
Lohardaga (Ball, S F 2: 396), Bamra (Orissa, specimens 8 December-SA, Koraput
and Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh, 1 April, D'Abreu, JBNHS 22: 393). Also Eastern
Ghats in January (Trevor Price, JBNHS 76: 419), Visakhapatnam Hills, March
(SDR et al., ibid. 85: 104). In the Himalayas occurs up to c. 1200 m (Dharmsala,
ar this level from March to August only), in Nepal rarely up to c. 1800 m in
summer, c. 300 m in winter. Affects gardens, orchards, groves, scrub, sal and
pine forest.
GENERAL HABITS.
Those of the genus. Usually found singly, foraging among
loranthus clusters, blossoms of a wide range of trees and shrubs, and garden
flowers, hopplng about energetically, clinging sideways, upside down and in all
manner of acrobatic positions among the branchlets and dashing from tree to
trce. 1,argc flowers (e.g, hibiscus and canna) are pierced at the base of the corolla
for short-cur to the nectar. Often hovers in front of flowers like a hawk-moth to
lnscrl rhc sucrorlal ruhular tongue for the sugary liquid. A predilection for bright
crlnison and scarlet colourcd flowers has been consistently noted.
~oor,.Chic fly nectar: also Insects and spiders.
volct- and ~ . A I . I . S'Call
.
vcry like the noise of scissor blades opening and shutting'
( ' S . R . 'in Whisller MS.). Song described as a chirping trill.
LOCAL NAME.
50
NECTARINIIDAE
Aethopyga siparaja
D 2 labecula (1928).
1 seheriae (1927).
3 vigorsii (1929).
I={
1- [
4 nicobarica (1929a).
5 extralimital subspecies
BREEDmG. AS in 1928. Brood-parasitized by Emerald Cuckoo (Chalcites
rnaculatus, 586)-Baker,
JBNHS 18: 278.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Subspecies. For details of plumage, see Baker,
Young m a 1 e, like female but chin and centre of throat scarlet.Young f e m a 1 e,

like adult female but greyer, not so yellow below. Postjuvenal moult complete. A
complete postnuptial moult about November-December (Rand & Fleming). Some
body moult noted in March (BB). No eclipse plumage (CBT).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
O?
53-60
47-53
Bill
(from skull)
19-2 1
>
Tarsus
1416
Tail
62-76 mm
34-39 mm
(BB, SA, Stres.)
Weight 1 d (Nov.) 7.5 g (BB). 4 d d (March) 6.4-7.9 g (GD).
co~ounsOF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible dark brown, black on
basal third; lower mandible horny brown. Legs, feet and claws dark brown.
1928. Aethopyga siparaja labecuh
(Horsfield)
Cinnvris labecula Horsfield. 1839 (1840), Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 167
(Assam)
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SUNBIRDS
51
Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including

elongated rectrices.
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1927. q.v.
STATUS,
Common resident, subject to vertical
movements. The eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh and south
throughAssam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur and Bangladesh (east of the range
of seheriae) south to the Chittagong region. Breeds from the foothills up to
c. 1800 m. More common in winter in the foothills and adjacent plains. Affects
dense evergreen forest and open deciduous and scrub jungle.
Extralimital. The species extends east to Guangdong, the Indochinese countries
and the Philippines, and south to Celebes, Borneo, Sumatra and Java.
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD and VOICE.
As in 1927.
BREEDING.
Season, April to July. Nest, pear-shaped. generally with a porch
over the entrance; made of vegetable down, rootlets, moss and scraps of grass
and cobweb, more or less decorated on the outside with oddments. Eggs, 2 or 3,
white or cream, marked with brown or reddish brown specks, especially at the
large end; very variable; for further details see Baker, Nidification 3: 203. Average
size of 31 eggs 15.1 x 11.4 mm.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from seheriae in both sexes being darker and more richly
SIZE.
coloured above and below.

MEASUREMENTS and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 1927. Tail of 1 M 81 mm (SA).
Weight d d 6-9; 1 9 6 g (SDR).
1 929. Aetlt opyga siparaja vigorsii

(Sykes)
Cirtnyris Kgorsii Sykes, 1832, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 98
(Ghauts, Dukhun)
I-OCAL
NAMES.
Tenkili (Malayalam).
Sparrow-; length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including elongated rectrices.

FIELD C H A R A ~ E AS
R Sin
. 1927 but breast of male streaked with yellow.
Common resident. The Western Ghats complex from the Narbada river (SAlim Ali. JBNHS 52: 788) south to North Kanara.
Possibly farther south to Kerala, though not yet authentically recorded thence,
and also the Nilgiris [Whistler's MS., based on sight records ' near Ootacamund
and lower down along the road, about 900 m elevation, before reaching Gudalur ',
first week of September (J. Berlioz in lift. to HW; cf. also L'Oiseau, 1940, 10:
315)]. Affects wooded, preferably foothills country in evergreen and moistdeciduous biotope.
As in 1927. Call a sharp, harsh but lively chichwee reminiscent of the Blacknaped Monarch Flycatcher's (Monarchs azurea,
1465).
Season, June to September (monsoon). Nest and eggs, as in 1928.
BREEDING.
SIZE.
Nests commonly suspended from bushes growing out of and over-hanging steep
roadside earth cuttings in hilly country.
Differs from seherrae in having the scarlet of breast streaked
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
with yellow. For details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit. Some females have the chin,
throat and breast dull orange-scarlet (SA, JBNHS 52: 788).
MEASUREMENTS
Bill
Wing
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(SA)
Weight 2 d d 7.9; 2 5)5)7. 8 g (SA).
PARTS.Iris red-brown to crimson. Bill blackish, dark brown below.

Legs and feet dark brown to blackish.
COLOURS OF BARE
1929a. Aethopyga siparaja nicobarica

Hume
Aethopyga nicobarica Hume, 1 873, Stray Feathers 1 : 41 2
(Kondul and Meroe hlands. Nicobar Group)
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length 9 c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including elongated rectrices.
LOCAL
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. Great and Little Nicobar,
Kondal and Meroe islands. Affects open country, outskirts forest and coconut
groves.
GENERAL HABITS,FOOD and VOICE. As in 1927.
BREEDING. Little recorded. Probably as in 1928.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from labecula in having the crown and tail violet-purple.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
50-52
dd
99
Tail
40-45 mm
32-33 mm
(MD)
COI.OURS OF BAREPARTS.AS in
1927.
1930. Firetailed Sunbird Aethopyga ignicaudu ignicaudo

(Hodgson)
(Cinnyris) Ignicauda Hodgson, 1836, Ind. Rev. 1 (7): 273
(Nepal)
Plate 100, fig. 16
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE.Sparrow-; length ? c. 10 cm (4 in.), d c. 15 cm (6 in.) including elongated rectrices.

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e, adult. Above, crown metallic purple. Sides of crown
Rom eye, nape, back, upper tail-coverts and tail scarlet. Rump yellow. Wings
olive. Throat metallic purple. Rest of underparts yellow, the breast washed with
orange.
Identity unmistakable from the elongated central pair of bright crimson tailfeathers.
F e m a l e olive, more yellow on rump and belly.
Common resident, subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from Garhwal east through Arunachal Pradesh; thence
south through Nagaland, Manipur, Assam in the Cachar hills, Meghalaya, and
1 ignicauda (1930).
2Javescens ( R E , Chin Hills)
Bangladesh in Sylhet and Chittagong Hill Tracts (winter only?). Breeds between
c. 3000 and 4000 m, at higher elevations than A. nipalensis; winters between
c. 1200 and 2900 m. Affects open coniferous forest with dense growth of
rhododendron and juniper, rhododendron and barberry bushes at or above timberline.
Extralimital. Extends to western Sichuan and central Yunnan. Another
subspecies in the Chin Hills. Vagrant to Thailand.
GENERAL HABITS. Those of the genus.Very active while visiting flowering bushes
for nectar, and aggressive towards food competitors.
Chiefly nectar (of Rhododendron arbomum, R. campanulaturn, Berberis,

Elaeagnus, Leucosceptrum, etc.); also insects and spiders.
VOICE and CALLS. Song, a high-pitched, monotonous dzidzi-dzidzidzidzi
continually repeated as the birds fly from bush to bush, pursuing each other
(Defayes). Song period in Nepal April to at least the end of June (Proud).
BREEDING. Season, April to June. Nest, an oval structure with a small entrance
near the top; made of moss, rootlets, cobweb, papery bark, lined with vegetable
down, fine grass and feathers; suspended from a branchlet of dwarf bamboo or
other bush within a couple of metres from the ground. Eggs, 2 or 3, variable:
pale violet-whi te covered with purplish speckles or brick-red with darker brickred freckles (Himalayas), or white with tiny brown blotches forming a broad ring
at the large end (Assam). Average size of 12 eggs 15.6 x 11.8 m m (Baker).
See Field Characters and Key to the Species. Postnuptial moult
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
to eclipse plumage complete, October to February; male becomes green like female but
has the underparts brighter yellow, often showing some odd orange or reddish tinted
feathers. Upper tail-coverts red.Tail longer than in female, outer webs red; central rectrices
not projecting more than c. 15 mm beyond rest of tail; central rectrices apparently moulted
last, an exceptional condition among passerine birds (cf. Stanford. J. K. & Mayr, E., lbis
1941: 480). Prenuptial moult to breeding plumage from February to April; in this the
central or all rectrices are renewed and the body plumage moulted, but apparently not the
wings. Males in breeding plumage may be found in every month (C. B. Ticehurst, lbis
1935: 197).
Young male. similar to female but has a patch of reddish feathers between throat and
breast.
FOOD.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
dd
55-60
(from skull)
2 1-24
9 5'
52-56
21-22
Tarsus
c. 16
Tail
(summer) 109-157 mm
(eclipse)
c. 48 mm
c. 40 mm
(BB. SA, Stres.. Rand & Fleming)
Weight 2 d d (winter)7.5.9 g (SDR).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill. legs and feet blackish brown.
Genus A R A C H N O T H E RTemminck
A
Arachnorhra Temminck, 1826, PI.Col. d'Ois. 65, text to pl. 388.
ripe. by monotypy, Nectarinia chrysogenys Temminck
Bill long, about twice the length of head or longer, stout and strongly curved, with
the culmen ridged between the nostrils.
Key to the Species
Page
Plumage boldly streaked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. magna
Plumage not streaked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. longirostris
57
55
SUNBIRDS
55
193 1 . Little Spiderhunter. Arachnothera longirostris longirostris

(Latham)
Certhia lorlgirostra Latham. 1790. Index Om. I : 299
(Bengal, restricted to Sylhet by Baker, JBNHS 28: 124)
Arachnorhera longirostra vanrynei Koelz, 1939, Proc. Biol.
Soc. Washington 52: 77 (Jagalbed, Bombay Presidency)
Plate 100, fig. 14
LOCAL NAME.
Tenkilimatan (Malayalam).
Sparrow-; length (including long bill) c. 14 cm (5 in.).

FIELD CHARACTERS.
An olive and yellow bird reminiscent of a large female
sunbird with very long and stout, curved bill. Above, olive; tail dark brown tipped
with white. Below, throat and breast greyish white. Belly yellow with orange
tufts on flanks. Sexes alike.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, locally common. Range disjunct:
(1) The Sahyadri or Western Ghats complex of southwestern India from North
Kanara south through western Karnataka, Kerala and western Tamil Nadu, from
SIZE.
Arachnothera longirostris
Disjunct distributional range

low country up to c. 2100 m. (2) Orissa (Kotegarh) [N. Majumdar, JBNHS 76:
1621, E. Ghats (Lamasingi c. 820 m in Visakhapatnam dist., c. 18"N., 82"E. (K.
Raju & J. P. Selvin, JBNHS 68: 454-5; S. D. Ripley et al., ibid. 85: 104). (3)
From southeastern Nepal (Fleming & Rayler, 1964), Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri
districts (Inglis, JBNHS 26: 996), Bhutan and Arunachal foothills southwards in
NECTARINIIDAE
56
Meghalaya, Nagaland (?), Manipur and Bangladesh south to the Chittagong Hill
Tracts (where common); occurs mostly in the foothills up to c. 1500 m in
Meghalaya, 1800 m in the Himalayas (scarce at these higher elevations); also
found in adjacent plains (winter only?). Affects moist-deciduous and evergreen
biotope: dense forest as well as glades and margins, secondary growth, heavy
jungle along rivers, cardamom sholas, and wild and cultivated banana patches.
Extralimital. Extends through Burma to westernThailand south to the Isthmus
of Kra; other subspecies in the Indochinese countries, Malay Peninsula, Indonesia
and the Philippines.
GENERAL HABITS. Similar to those of sunbirds. Usually keeps singly or in pairs.
Very fond of the nectar of wild banana blossoms, and is an important agent in
their cross-pollination. May commonly be seen clinging upside down to the purple
bracts probing deep into the flowers with its long bill. Loranthus clumps and a
very large variety of flowers are also visited.
VOICEand CALLS. Call an incessant tzek-tzek (TJR) or a sharp chit (Eekagul &
Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 379), rather reminiscent of both Paradise Flycatcher
and Ashy Swallow-Shrike but somewhat higher-pitched and more musical. Song,
a metallic, monotonous which-which-which-which etc. repeated at the rate of
twice a second or so, maybe for two minutes or more at a stretch.
BREEDING. Season, in Assam March to September, chiefly May to August; in
southwestern India December to August. Nest, a compact cup c. 10 cm deep,
made of skeleton leaves, soft grass and vegetable down, neatly felted together;
attached by its rim like an inverted dome to the underside of a banana or similar
broad leaf by means of cobwebs or threads of vegetable cotton passed through
the leaf and neatly knotted on its upper surface. There is semicircular entrancehole on one side. Eggs, usually 2, occasionally 3, pinkish white to salmon-pink,
sparsely stippled all over with reddish with a sharply defined ring around the
large end. Average size of 100 eggs 18.4 x 13.1 mm (Baker). Building of nest
and incubation by both sexes. Period, undetermined. Brood-parasitism by
Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo (Cuculusfugar, 575) recorded (Baker, JBNHS 17: 369).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. Young similar to adult.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
P9
Bill
(from skull)
64-67
59-60
34-37
32-33
>
Tarsus
c.
15
Tail
40-42 mm
36-38 mm
(HW)
11.8, 13.1; 1 9 8 ; lo? 10.9g(SDR).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill horny brown, plumbeous at chin and on gonys;
mouth greyish pink with brown mottling. Legs, feet and claws bluish plumbeous. (In one
immhture female legs greyish blue, feet particoloured yellow and blue.)
Weight4d3 11-15g(SA).2dd
SUNBIRDS
57
1932. Streaked Spiderhunter. Arachnothera magna magna (Hodgson)

(Cinnyris) Magna Hodgson, 1836, Ind. Rev. 1 (7): 272 (Nepal)
Plate 100, fig. 15
Dom-siriok-pho (Lepcha); Ydong-pichang (Bhutea).
SIZE.Sparrow-; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.) including long bill.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S .A boldly streaked yellowish olive bird with very long and
stout, curved, black bill and yellow legs. Above, yellowish olive streaked with
LOCAL NAMES.
black. Tail tipped with buffish spots, with a blackish sub-terminal band. Below,
very pale yellow with bold black shaft-streaks. Sexes alike.
STATUS,
locally common. Bilaspur in the Sutlej Valley (Stoliczka, Jour: Asiat. Soc. Berigal,
Arachnothera magna
Distributional range
1 magna ( 1 932).
ZOSTEROPIDAE
58
1868), but since then not recorded west of central Nepal (Biswas, JBNHS 60:
189), east through Sikkim, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, Bhutan and
Arunachal Pradesh, thence south through Nagaland, Manipur, Assam (Cachar),
Meghalaya, and the hills of Bangladesh to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Breeds
between c. 600 and 1500 m, occasionally 2200 m, extending well into the plains
in winter. Affects dense evergreen forest and abandoned cultivation clearings,
especially where wild banana and plantain trees are found. Occasionally also
hill-station gardens with flowering shrubs.
Extralimital. Extends to northern Burma and Yunnan. Other subspecies in the
Indochinese countries.
GENERAL HABITS. Found singly or in pairs, often in mixed parties of babblers
and warblers, usually quite high up in trees. Difficult to observe because of its
swift flight and preference for canopy of lofty trees in evergreen forest. Almost
inseparable from wild banana trees whose blossoms it largely helps to crosspollinate. Movements rapid and rather jerky. Explores leaves from all angles for
insects and often hovers while probing flowers for nectar or for taking spiders
from their web. Flight surprisingly strong and rapid with fast wing-beats and
slight undulations.
VOICEand CALLS. A sharp, metallic chirruping chiriririk or chirik, chirik uttered
both when feeding and on the wing. A soft song beginning clearly like vijvitte vij
then gaining speed and becoming a rapid, monotonous song. A soft ug-ug-ug
when angry and a chee-chee-chee (in captivity-R. Hoppe, Peacock 4, No. 2:
48). A strident chatter (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 382).
BREEDING. Season, March to July. Nest, a neatly finished inverted dome of
skeleton leaves firmly fastened together with cobweb, lined with fine grass stems
or skeleton leaves; it is sewn by means of vegetable down and cobwebs to the
underside of a broad leaf, usually a banana leaf (cf. also 1931). Eggs, normally 2,
sometimes 3, brown or olive-brown with a darker zone at the large end; for
details on colour variations see Baker, Nidification 3: 232. Average size of 100
eggs 22.7 x 15.9 mm (Baker). Building and incubation by both sexes. Often
brood-parasitized by cuckoos (Cuculus micropterus, C. sparwerioides and other
species).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. Young, like adult but streaks less sharply
defined. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
84-96
78-84
4547
4244
20-2 1
20-22
Tail
44-52 mm
3 9 4 8 mm
(MD. SA)
Weight 2 d d (breeding) 28.30; 1 o? 25 g (SA).
co~ouasOF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill blackish brown. Legs and feet chrome-yellow
to orange-yellow.
WHITE-EYES
59
Family Z o s T E R o P I D A E : White-eyes
For description see Baker, E. C. Stuart, 1926, FBI 3: 357; Van Qne, J. & Berger, A. 3..
1959: 541; Moreau, R. E., 1964, article 'White-eye' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.), A New
Dictionary of Birds, London and New York.
Genus Z o s T E R o P s Vigors & Horsfield
Zostemps Vigors & Horsfield, 1827, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 15: 234.
Qpe, by monotypy, Zosterops dorsalis Vigors & Horsfield = Sylvia lateralis Latham
Bill slender and small, about half the length of the head; culmen curved, tomium
smooth, nostrils covered with a large membrane. Tarsus long and fairly strong. Tongue
protractile and furnished with two brushes of stiff, horny fibres.' Wing long, of ten
primaries, the first (as.) very minute. Tail short and square.
Key to the Species

Upperparts olive; throat yellowish olive . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Z. ceylonensis
Upperparts yellowish olive; throat yellow. . . . . . . . . . . . . Z. palpebmsa
Page
63
59
ZOSTEROPS
PALPEBROSA (Temminck): ORIENTAL
WHITE-EYE
Cf. Stresemann, E., 1939, Jour: Om. 87: 15644; Ripley, S. D., 1950, JBNHS 49: 411;
Mees, G.F., 1957, Zool. Verhand. Rijksmus. Nat. Hist. Leiden, No. 35: 22-63; Biswas, B.,
1963. JBNHS 60: 190-1.

A
B
Abdomen usually with a faint yellow streak on centre . . . Z. p. salimalii

Abdomen usualy without yellow streak on centre
1
More yellow above, tail averaging shorter. . . . . . . . . Z. p. palpebmsa
2
Greener above
a Tail averaging longer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z. p. nilgiriensis
b Tail averaging shorter.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z. p. nicobarica
62
59
62
63
1933. Zosterops palpebrosa palpebrosa

(Temminck)
Sylvia palpebrosa Temminck, 1824, PI. Col. d'Ois. 49, pl. 293, fig. 3 (Bengale)
Zosterops egregia Madarhsz, 1911, Ann. Mus. Hist.-Nat. Natl. Hung. 9: 422, pl. 16
fig. I (Kandy, Ceylon)
Zostemps palpebrosa elwesi Baker, 1922, Ibis: 144 (Sikkim)
Zosterops palpebrosa cachamnsis Baker, 1922. Ibis: 144 (Gunjong, N. Cachar)
Zostemps palpebrosa occidenfis Ticehursl, 1927, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 47: 88 (Simla)
Zostervps palpebrosa atnabilis Koelz, 1950, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1452: 9 (Sasan,
Junagarh, Kathiawar. India)
Raker, FBI Nos. 1247 (part), 1248, 1249 and 1250, Vol. 3: 358-61
Plate 100, fig. 1
' For a detniled study see Moreau, R. E., Mary Perrins and J. Trevor Hughes, 1969. ' Tongues
of the Zosteropidae (White-eyes) '. Ardea 57 (112): 2947.
ZOSTEROPIDAE
60
NAMES.Ba'boona- (Hindi); MorichPr (Saugor, M.P.); Daotisha-gophwpi

(Cachari); Vellai kanni (Tamil, Madras); KanncSdi kuruvi (Tamil, Madurai); Ptikuriivi
(Tamil, Ceylon); Ma7 kurulla (Sinhala).
FIELDCHARACTERS. ~ b o v eyellow-olive;
,
a very distinct white eye-ring; lores
and a patch under eye blackish. Below, throat and under
tail-coverts bright yellow; breast greyish white, belly
whitish. Sexes alike.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident,
STATUS,
subject
to
seasonal movements. All India south of the
x c. 1
Himalayan foothills from Kas'hmir through Nepal,
Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, excluding western Rajasthan and the
ranges ofsalimalii andnilgiriensis, qq.v. South to central Karnataka on the western
and to the Godavari river on the eastern side of the Peninsula, extending eastward
to Nagaland and Manipur, Bangladesh east to the Chittagong region. Pakistan
from the Himalayan foothills up to 2100 m (Murree) south to Karachi, but
LOCAL
Zosrerops palpebrosa
1 palp~hrosa(1933).
3 nilgiriensis (1935).
2 salimalii (1934).
4 nicobarica (1936).
excluding most of Sind. Sri Lanka, low country and hills up to c. 1200 m in the
wet districts. and to c. 1800 m in the dry portions. Lakshadweep Islands. Breeds
more commonly in the hills especially in central India and the more southern
parts of i!s range, but also in the better-wooded portions of the plains. In the
Himalayas commonly breeds up to c. 1500 m, locally 2 100 m (Kangra, Nepal;
observed as high as 3000 m in May-GD), the majority moving down to the
WHITE-EYES
61
plains in winter. In the Peninsula also spreads to the plains from where it may be
absent in summer. Affects forests, groves, gardens, orchards; colonizes isolated
wooded compounds far out in desert country; also recorded in mangroves (Karachi
and Las Bela-Roberts, 1992).
Extralimital. Ranges east through northern Burma, southeastern Tibet,
Sichuan, Yunnan and the Indochinese Peninsula (Mees, 1957). Other subspecies
in Malaysia, the Sunda Islands and western Borneo.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or in parties comprising up to 50 birds or more.
frequently in company with small babblers or other insectivorous species. Entirely
arboreal, but appears attracted to water and comes down freely to bathe in garden
runnels, irrigated lawns, etc. Moves about from tree to tree keeping up a musical
jingling or cheeping call and often clinging upside down to the springs while
visiting foliage and blossoms in quest of food. Is one of our regular ' flowerbirds ' with specially adapted bill and tongue for nectar-eating, and largely
responsible for cross-pollinating a wide variety of flowers.
FOOD. Insects, caterpillars, berries, buds, seeds and nectar. Almost invariably
present on the flowers of Bombax, Erythrina, Madhuca, Loranthus, Woodfordia,
etc. and of the introduced Grevillea robusta and various Eucalyptus spp. Partial
to the exudation from the petioles of banyan leaves, and to ripe peepul figs.
Reported to damage ripening orchard fruit, e.g. mangoes and guavas, by piercing
holes for sucking the juice. Identified insect items include weevils (Tanymecus
hispida and 7: indicus), ants (Camponotus compressus, Phidole malinsi?,
Polyrachis simplex) and small larvae (possibly Tineid)-Mason & Lefroy, 19 12.
VOICE and CALLS. Song, a tinkling jingle reminiscent of the Verditer Flycatcher's, beginning almost inaudibly, growing louder and soon fading out (SA).
Song lasts 4 to 5 seconds, comprising a continuous, rising and falling repetition
of their rather plaintive contact calls uttered in accelerating and decelerating
strophes (Roberts, 1992). Song period in Nepal March to September (Proud).
Call-note, a feeble, plaintive cheer orprrree-~c(slightly falling) constantly uttered
as the bird moves about. Other notes rendered as tzip-tzip and sisifesife (Lister).
BREEDING. Season, April to September, mainly June-July. Nest, a small, fragile,
loosely built cup of fine grass, rootlets, moss. lichen, cobweb and vegetable
down, lined with hair, slung hammock-wise in a horizontal fork in a tuft of leaves
at the end of a branch between one and six metres above the ground. Eggs, 2 to
4, generally 3, pale blue, unmarked. Average size of 48 eggs 15.2 x 11.5 mm
(Baker). Building of nest apparently by female only. Incubation by both sexes,
period about 10-1 1 days. Care of young by both parents.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
Differs from nilgiriensis in being yellower above, and from
salimalii in having a slightly larger bill and usually lacking a yellow streak on the centre
of abdomen. Postnuptial moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
50-57
Bill
(from skull)
11-14
5) 9
50-55
11-14
'Weight 9 d d 7.5-10.1; 5 P
C 7.6-10 g (GD).
Tarsus
15-16
Tail
3 4 4 1 mm
35-39 mm
(BB, Mees. HW, SA)
62
ZOSTEROPIDAE
PARTS. lris yellowish brown. Bill black. lower mandible grey at base.
Legs and feet plumbeous grey to grey-brown.
COLOURS OF BARE
1934. Zosterops palpebrosa stilimalii

Whistler
Zosremps palpebmsa salimalii Whistler, 1933, Jour.
Bombay nat. Hist. Society 36: 81 1 (Farahabad, SE. Hyderabad)
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ RAS
S . in 1933, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HAB~I-AT.
Common resident, subject to seasonal movements. Andhra Pradesh from the Godavari river south in Tamil Nadu to about the
Cauvery river. Chiefly confined to the hilly country. Habitat as in 1933.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDLNG. AS in 1933.
Differs from palpebrosa (1933) in being yellower above and
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
having usually a faint yellow streak on centte of belly. Bill finer than in other races; this
character not apparent from length measurement alone.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(HW, SA)
Weight 20 d 9 6-1 l (av. 8.6) g--SA. 2 9 Q 7.5 (2); 800? 6 9 . 2 g-SDR.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.lris hazel brown. Bill brownish slate, paler on lower mandible;
mouth pink or yellowish pink. Legs and feet bluish grey; claws dusky.
1935. Zosterops palpebrosa nilgiriensis
Ticehurst
Zosremps palpebrosa nilgiriensis licehurst, 1927. Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 47: 89
(Coonoor)
Zostemps palpebmsa palniensis Koelz. 1939, Roc. Biol. Soc. Washington
52: 76 (Kodaikanal, Palni Hills)
NAMES. Vellibni (Malayalam); Kanntidi kirivi (Tamil).
SIZE.Sparrow-; length c. 10 cm ( 4 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ RAS
S .in 1933, q.v.
STATUS,
D I S T R I B U ~ O Nand HABITAT.
Common resident, subject to seasonal movements. The hills of southern Karnataka (Biligirirangans), Kerala (from Coorg to
theAshambu Hills) and westernTamil Nadu (Nilgiris, Palnis, etc.), from c. 350 m
up to the summits. Affects evergreen sholas, cardamom plantations, scrub jungle,
gardens and orchards.
LCCAL
WHITE-EYES
63
HABITS,
BREEDING. Season, February to May. Nest and eggs, as in 1933. Clutch size
usually 2.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from palpebmsa (1933) and salimalii (1934) in having a
longer tail, larger bill, and in being greener above.
GENERAL
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
54-5 8
(from skull)
13-14
15-17
53-57
13-15
Tail
34-42 mrn
36-41 mm
(Mees, HW)
COLOURS OFBARE PARTS. Iris buffy hazel brown. Bill horny brown, grey at gape and
chin. Legs and feet slaty grey; claws brown.
1936. Zosterops palpebrosa nicobarica

Blyth
Zostemps nicobaricus Blyth, 1845, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 14: 563
(Nicobar Islands)
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length c. 10 c m (4 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1933.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Colnmon resident. Andaman and the Great
Nicobar island (not recorded from Little Nicobar [Abdulali, JBNHS 75: 7651).
Affects gardens and evergreen forest.
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD and VOICE. AS in 1933.
BREEDING. Season, February to July. Nest and eggs, as in 1933. Average size of
3 1 eggs 16.2 x 12.2 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from peninsular subspecies in being greener, less yellow,
and in having a larger bill.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from feathers?)
Tarsus
Tail
(Mees)
PARTS.Iris bright red-brown or light reddish brown. Bill above dark
horny or slaty brown. Legs and feet greenish grey or slaty green.
COLOURS OF BARE
1937. Ceylon White-eye Zosterops ceylonensis Holdsworth

Zastemps cevlonensis Holdsworth, 1872, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 459, pl. 20, fig. 2
(Nuwara Elya)
Baker, FBI No. 1256, Vo1.,3: 366
Plate 100, fig. 2
LOCAL NAMES.
Ma?-kurulla (Sinhala); Pu-kuriivi (Tamil)
PASSERINAE
64

FIELD CHARACTERS.
Above, entirely olive with a conspicuous white eye-ring.
Below, throat and under tail-coverts yellow; belly greyish white. Sexes alike.
Distinguished from palpebrosa by slightly larger size, stronger bill, and by
being darker olive, less yellow above. Voice stronger and deeper in tone.
Common resident at high altitudes. Sri Lanka
in the hills above c. 1000 m, locally down to c. 450 m (in the southwest). Affects
forests, tea plantations and gardens.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, otherwise in large
scattered parties; appears to be more sociable than palpebrosa and to be more
partial to bushes and undergrowth though it is found just as often in the foliage of
large trees. Parties often include palpebrosa as well as many other small
insectivorous species.
FOOD.Nectar, berries, insects, caterpillars.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note, a sparrow-like cheep. A twittering continually
uttered while foraging; voice stronger and deeper in tone than that ofpalpebrosa.
A jingling song, suggestive of shaking a bunch of keys repeatedly, eight or nine
times (Henry).
BREEDLNG. Season, end of February to July with a peak in April and a renewed
activity in August and September. Nest, a small deep cup suspended by the rim
in a slender fork amongst the foliage of a tree or bush, generally between 2 and
4 metres above the ground; this species more often selects a lower site than
palpebrosa. Grevillea shade-trees in tea plantations, and coffee bushes, are often
chosen. Nest made of green moss, rootlets, fine grass and fibres, lined with rootlets.
Eggs, 2 more often than 3, pale prussian blue, without spots. Average size of 33
eggs 16.5 x 12 mm, rather longer and less broad than those of the co-existing
smaller species. Building of nest and care of young by both sexes; incubation
most probably also by both.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Species and Field Characters. Postnuptial moult
complete, August to October.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
?9
Bill
(from skull)
15-16
5 5-5 7
Tarsus
Tail
3 8 4 5 mm
3 8 4 1 mm
(HW Mees)
Weight 1 9 12.6 g (SDR).

Iris light brown. Bill blackish above, bluish grey below. Legs
and feet plumbeous or dark greyish flesh.
C O L O U R ~OF BARE PARTS.
Family P L o c E I D A E : Weaver Birds

For description see Baker, E. C. Stuart, 1926, FBI 3: 65-6; Van Q n e , J. & Berger, A. J.,
1959: 551.
Subfamily P A s s E R I N A E : House and Rock Sparrows

For description see Moreau, R. E., 1964, article ' Sparrow ' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.),
A New Dictionary of Birdr, London and New York.
HOUSE AND ROCK SPARROWS

Genus P A s s E R Brisson
Passer Brisson, 1760, Om. 1: 36, 3: 71.

5 p e , by subsequent designation, Fringilla domestica Linnaeus
Bill short and stout, culmen slightly curved. Both sexes exhibit a peculiar pattern
(' double half hour-glass shaped mfous patch ') on outer webs of primaries caused by
varying width of outer webs.
Key to the Species

Page
1
A
B
11
C
D
Centre of throat black

Flanks streaked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I! hispaniolensis d
Flanks not streaked
1 Crown grey
a Black extending to breast.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I! domesticus d
b Black restricted to throat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I! pyrrhonotus d
2 Crown not grey
o'
A pale supercilium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I! moabiticus d
o"
No supercilium
A dark patch on ear-coverts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I! monranus d 9
i
ii No patch on ear-coverts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F! rutilans d
No black on throat
Underparts faintly streaked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I! hispaniolensis 9
Underparts not streaked
3 Underparts more or less yellow
c
Upperparts sandy brown, tertials and rectrices broadly edged
with buff.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I!
. moabiticus 9
d
Upperparts darker brown, tertials and rectrices with only thin
. rutilans 9
pale edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I!
4 No yellow on underparts
e
Larger; wing usually over 70 mm . . . . . . . . . . . I! domesricus 9
f
Smaller; wing usually under 70 mm . . . . . . . . .I! pyrrhonotus 9
%
70
65
76
80
72
78
70
80
78
65
76
PASSER'DOMES~CUS
(Linnaeus): HOUSESPARROW
A
B
Darker and largest; chestnut richer.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I! d. parkini

Paler
1
Bill averaging smaller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F! d. indicus
2
Paler than (I), wing and bill averaging larger. . . . .I! d. bactrianus
Page
68
65
69
1938. Passer domesticus indicus

Jardine & Selby
Passer indicus Jardine & Selby, 1835, Ill. Om. 3, pl. 1 18 (India, restricted to Bangalore
by Kinnear, 1925, Ibis: 751)
Pyrgita nigricollis Burton, 1838, Cat. Bds. Mus. Fort Pitt, Chatham: 23 (South India)
PASSERINAE
Passer confucius Bonaparte, 1853, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris 37: 915 (China,
e r n e = Rangoon)
Posser enigmaticw Sarudny, 1903, Om. Monatsb. 11: 130-3 1 (Hurrnuk and Kamschar,
Persian Baluchistan). Specimens based on intersexes vide. Mayr, 1949, b i s 91: 304-6
Parser domesticus somr Ripley, 1946, Spolia Zeylanica 24: 241 (Nikawella State Farm,
Rattota, Matale district, Ceylon)

Baker. FBI Nos. 1096 and 1097 (part), Vol. 3: 170, 172
Plate 101, fig. 2
Ginjishki (Baluchi); Guora (Nepali); Gouriya (Hindi, Urdu); Churi,
Khos churi (Hindi); C W i (Gujarati); Charkalpe (d,Bhil); Gcirhwci (Chota Nagpur);
Choti chirii (Bengali); Ghor c ~ r i h iG&
,
suroee (Assam); Sending (Manipur); Kiinivi,
Nfirijinappibhi Angnadi kunivi (Malayalarn); Or kunivi, Adaikala kirivi (Tamil);
G i kunrlla (Sinhala).
LOCAL NAMES.
FIELDCHARA~ERS.M a 1 e. Above, crown grey. Lores and round eye black. Sides
of crown behind eye, sides of neck and upper back
chestnut. Back rufous-chestnut with black streaks.
Wing rufous with a white shoulder-patch. Rump
grey-brown. Tail dark brown. Below, sides of throat
white. Centre of throat and breast black. Rest of
underparts greyish white. In winter the crown
becomes grey-brown and the black of throat and
r c. 1
breast fringed with whitish.
F e m a 1 e. Above, greyish brown streaked with fulvous and dark brown on
back. A pale supercilium. Below, plain brownish white.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Very widespread and abundant resident;
STATUS,
locally subject to vertical movements. The whole of India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh [except for the range of parkini (Himalayas above c. 1500 m)]; Sri
Lanka in all zones; introduced into the Andaman Islands (Port Blair, South
Andaman) and Male, Maldives; a population of c. 200 in the port area (Ash &
Ali Shafeeg, 1994, Forktail 10: 23-24). Breeds up to 3000 m (Baluchistan),
2000 m (Duala Dhar), 2 100 m (Simla), 1500 m (Nepal), replaced above byparkini
(1939); in Siklum up to c. 1300 m, replaced above by l? montanus; in the Nilgiris
at all elevations but in the rest of southern India apparently absent or very local
above c. 1000 m, even in populated areas. In the Cachar and Khasi Hills and in
the Chittagong region, absent from the hills. An unfailing commensal of man;
affects cities and suburbs, villages, often even isolated homesteads, and human
habitations of every description. In winter also cultivation and scrub jungle far
from human dwellings.
Extralimital. Ranges from Arabia to Burma; introduced in South Africa,
Zanzibar, Comoro and Mascarene islands. The species ranges from the
Mediterianean region north to Lapland and east to Manchuria and the Amur
region; introduced, and thriving, in most temperate parts of the world.
MIGRATION. A summer visitor (March to October) to higher elevations in
Baluchistan and in the Himalayas.
SIZE.
Bulbul-;
HOUSE A N D ROCK SPARROWS
67
# 1 indicw (1938).
D
m
]2 parkini (1 939).
3 bacrrianw (1939a).
GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps in pairs when breeding, otherwise in noisy flocks.
Usually found in or near human habitations, but in winter often collects in large
flocks-sometimes mixed with migratory subspecies and of enormous ' pest '
proportions-feeding in the countryside, in standing crops or in open scrub jungle.
Generally gleans on the ground, hopping about stiffly, or plucks grain from the
ear clinging to the panicles. Also feeds in fruiting trees or pilfers grain and seeds
from dealers' shops in bazaars; occasionally catches termites and large insects
on the wing. Birds nesting within houses frequently observed capturing moths
and other insects coming to electric lights and feeding them to nestlings long
after nightfall and until the lights are turned off. With increasing electrification
in the country, this habit appears to be spreading; its impact on the local population
will need to be monitored. In the evenings large numbers collect to dust-bathe on
roadsides and village squares etc., and roost in favourite trees to the accompaniment of a great deal of bickering and noise before settling down.
Display. A cummunal display has been described, consisting of three or four
males courting a single female. The group suddenly bursts in from somewhere
amidst noisy twitterings and drops down to the ground. The suitors prance and
strut around the hen with puffed breast, drooping wings and cocked tail, she now
and again making sudden feints at one or the other, sometimes plucking out a
feather. See also Voice, below.
FWD. Mostly g~ass-and weed-seeds and cereal grains. Also fruit- and flowerbuds, tender shoots, kitchen scraps and insects. Nestlings are fed on soft-bodied
inwcts, caterpillars, etc., this diet gradually replaced by a vegetarian one including
PASSERINAE
68
flower-petals. Often does considerable damage to ripening cereal crops and in

kitchen gardens and orchards, but largely compensates for this by the destruction
of insect pests especially when rearing nest-young.
VOICEand CALLS. The all too familiar noisy chirruping. Breeding male has a
loud monotonous song cheer; cheer; cheer; etc. uttered from a perch sometimes
for fully ten minutes on end, as the bird fluffs out his plumage, arches his rump,
droops his wings and struts arrogantly, twitching his slightly cocked tail (SA).
BREEDING. Season, chiefly March to June in the north continuing till September
or October in central India; throughout the year in southern India. Nest, an untidy
bulky collection (domed whenever possible) of straw, fibres, cotton strings or
other rubbish, lined with feathers and placed in almost any kind of hole: hollows
in buildings and masonry wells are most commonly used. Also holes in trees,
earthbanks, and even cliffs (Quetta). Nests of swifts and swallows in occupied or
deserted buildings often usurped and furbished to taste. Nesting has also been
recorded in many other sites such as the angle behind a framed picture hung on a
wall, the globes of lamps, inverted glass bell-jars in mosques, temples, etc. Will
often attempt, with dogged persistence, to build in the most impossible places,
especially within houses. The material drops down as soon as it is deposited on
the site, and every evening a basketful of grass and rubbish may have to be swept
off the floor below. But it takes the sparrow a long time to admit defeat!
Occasionally builds a globular nest in the branches of trees. Eggs, 3 to 6, usually
4, very pale greenish white blotched and spotted with brown and ashy grey.
Average size of 120 eggs 20.6 x 14.9 mm (Baker). Building of nest by both
sexes. Female does all the incubation but male may sometimes take a turn for a
minute or two; incubation period 14 days. Care of young by both parents. Several
successive broods are reared.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Key to the Subspecies. Postnuptial moult complete, no spring
moult. Postjuvenal moult complete. Young males begin to breed soon after assuming
adult plumage, even before their skulls are perfectly ossified (SA, JBNHS 36: 903).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
??
70-82
70-80
Bill
(from skull)
13-15
13-15
Tarsus
Tail
18-20
18-20
49-61 run
51-57 mm
(SA. BB, HW)
Weight 3 d d 22-33; 2 9 9 21.21 g (BB). 2 d d 22.5,23.5 g (SDR).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill: d dark brown, black in breeding plumage; 9
pale brown. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
1939. Passer domesticus parkini

Whistler
Passer domesricus parkini Whistler, 1921). Bull. Brit. Om.CI. 41 : 1 3
(Srinagar, Cashmere)
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
69
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1938, q.v.
STATUS,
Common resident, subject to vertical movements; also partial migrant. The Himalayas from Baltistan, Kashmir and Ladakh
east to Sikkim, breeding mostly above c. 2000 m. [Population of Nepal Valley
somewhat intermediate between parkini and indicus but closer to the former
(BB).] In Ladakh breeds' up to c. 4000 m, even 4500 m or wherever there is
permanent cultivation. In winter moves to lower altitudes and to the plains as far
south at least as Bahawalpur, Sind and Rajasthan. [Wintering population in the
plains mixed with bactbnus, and subspecies often equivocal.] Qpically shuns
vicinty of villages, foraging and roosting in scrub jungle and crop land.
As in 1938. Keeps in large mixed flocks in
winter feeding in cereal cultivation and causing considerable damage to the crop;
roosting in enormous congregations among thorn thickets, swarm after swam
flying in at sunset.
Season, April to August in Kashmir, June to August in Ladakh.
BREEDING.
Nest, as in 1938, placed in holes in earth-cliffs in loose colonies; often high up in
poplar trees (in this case bulky globular grass structures sometimes several in the
same tree). Eggs, 3 to 7, normally 5 or 6, similar to those of indicus. Average size
of 78 eggs 2 1.7 x 15.4 mm (Osmaston).
SIZE.Bulbul-;
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from indicus (1938) in being larger, with larger bill.
Chestnut of male deeper, black of breast more extensive. Female darker, more smoky
grey below.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(BB. HW)
Weight I5 d Q (Apr.-May, Kashmir) 24-30 (av. 26.5) g - 4 A .
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown to grey-brown. Bill: upper mandible pale brown,
darker at tip; lower mandible fleshy, dusky at tip. Bill of male black from mid April. Legs
and feet pale brown.
1939a. Passer domesticus bactrianus

Zarudny & Kudashev'
Passer domesticus bactrianus Zarudny & Kudashev, 1916, Nasha Okhota: 37
(Tashkent)
Not in Baker, FBI
None recorded.
SIZE. BuIbuI-;
LOCAI. NAMES.
' Some authors consider this subspecies synonymous with both parkini and griseigularis.
However. Paxser domestic^^] griseigularis Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 3 13 (Kandahar)
is currently considered unidentifiable as to subspecies.
PASSERINAE
70
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Winter visitor to Rajasthan and Pakistan

STATUS,
(Roberts).
Extralimital. Breeds from Russian Turkestan and northern Afghanistan west
to the Caspian Sea.
MIGRATION. Inclusion in Indian list made possbile by ringing data. Six examples
recently ringed at a mixed roost in Rajasthan (Bharatpur, 27'14' N., 77'28'E.) in
winter as 'parkini ' were later recovered on their breeding grounds chiefly in the
Tadjik SSR of Kazakhstan between 37'30' and 42'30' N., and 69'20' andc. 76'E.,
their subspecific identity confirmed as bactrianus by E. I. Gavrilov. Straight-line
map distance between places of ringing and recovery c. 1500-2000 krn (over the
Karakorams).
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD and vorm. As in 1938 and 1939. Keeps to the countryside
often in vast mixed s w m s with Spanish Sparrows (1940) ravaging cereal crops,
and roosting communally in thorn thickets.
BREEDING. Extralimital.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
Differs from parkini in being paler. Wing averages longer than
in indicus but shorter than in parkini.
Wing d d 75-81; 9 9 72-78 mm. Weight 46 d d 21-28; 36 9 9 21-28 g (Paludan,
Afghanistan).
AS in 1939.
1940. Spanish Sparrow. Passer hispaniolensis transcarpicus Tschusi

Passer hispaniolensis transcupicus Tschusi, 1902, Om. Monatsb. 10: 96
('Transcaucasia' = lolotan, Transcaspia)
Plate 101, fig. 3
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S .M a I e. Above, crown and nape chestnut. Back chestnut with
blackish streaks. Wings pale brown. Below, cheeks white. Throat and breast black.
Rest of underparts whitish becoming more heavily streaked with black with onset
of spring due to feather wear.
Chestnut crown and conspicuously streaked flanks distinguish the male from
the House Sparrow; black of breast more extensive on sides.
F e m a I e has faint streaking on breast but not distinguishable from House
Sparrow unless in the hand, and then not always with certainty.
STATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT.
Winter visitor, locally abundant and passage
migrant. From Kohat east through the plains of Punjab and Haryana to Ambala
(an old record from Mirzapur, U.P.), north to Tikse, Ladakh (Williams & Delany,
1986, OBC Bull. 3: 11-16), south to northeastern Rajasthan (Bharatpur, Sambhar
Lake) and Bahawalpur, on passage in northern Baluchstan (Chaman, Murghab
and Quetta); winter visitor to desert areas of lower Sind; Nepal (Kosi Barrage), a
flock of c. 50 on 16.ii.1981 (T. P. & C. Inskipp, JBNHS 8 1: 705); (Kosi Tappu),
L ~ A NAMES.
L
71
three on 20.i.1994 (G. Thompson et al., OBC Bull. 19: 66). Affects cultivation
and semi-desert.
Passer hispaniolensis
Winter range of rranscaspicus (1 940).
Extralimital. Breeds from Tien Shan and Tarim Basin west to the Caucasus
and south to Afghanistan and Iran. Nominate subspecies in the Mediterranean
countries.
MIGRATION. Passes through N.W.F.P. and northern Baluchistan in very large
flocks between August and November and from the middle of March to the middle
of May. On passage often associated with Stumus mseus. Rare transient in Gilgit.
Six examples ringed in the winter quarters in Bharatpur (27'14'N., 77'32'h.)
recovered on the breeding grounds in Kazakhstan between 42'31' and 46'49'N.
and 70'31' and 79"33'E., and one bird vice versa. These data establish the
provenance of at least a part of our wintering population and also that both this
species and f! d. bactrianus, usually seen together in mixed flocks, derive from
a common area in Russian Turkestan (cf. 1939a).
GENERAL HABITS. A very gregarious species usually seen in large foraging flocks
and enormous roosting congregations (once estimated at a million birds or more
in Bharatpur, March-April-SA); often in mixed company with migratory House
Sparrows, chiefly f? d. bactrianus (1939a).
FOOD. Chiefly grain and seeds, also insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Similar to those of the House Sparrow.
RREEDING. Extralimital. For details on breeding biology in Kazakhstan see
Gavrilov, E. I., 1963, JBNHS 60: 301-17.
MIJSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters and Key to the Species. Bill rather hawfinch-
72
PASSERINAE
like in profile. broad and flat-convex dorsally near forehead. Tarsus stouter than in i? d.
parkini or bacrrianus.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
73-87
73-82
19-20
57-62 mm
(one) 14
(Baker, SA. MD)

Weight. India: 100 d d (March-April) 20-28 (av. 24.9); 100 9 9 (March-April) 1828 (av. 23.49) g. d d (Oct.) 29-33 g-SA. Seistan: d d (March-April) 23-31; 9 9
(March-April) 27-3 1 g-Paludan. Kazakhstan: d d (April-Aug.) 28.5-29.3; 9 9 (MayAug.) 26.7-29.8 g--Gavrilov.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris dark brown. Bill horny brown, yellowish below and at
base (d black in summer). Legs and feet horny brown.
LONGEVITY. A first-year d ringed Bharatpur, February 1962, recovered almost
exactly 9 years later-February 1971-in Pakistan (c. 33"N., 73"E.), presumably
on northward passage and apparently perfectly hale and hearty.
PASSER
MONTANUS (Linnaeus): TREESPARROW
Much paler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? m. dilutus
B
Darker
1
Larger on average; rump greyish brown. . . . . . . . . . .F! m. tibetanus
2
Smaller
a Paler; rump fawn-brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? m. malaccensis
b Darkest; rump dark rich brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i? m. hepaticus
Page
72
75
73
75
1941. Passer montanus dilutus Richmond

Parser montanus dilutw Richmond, 1896, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus. (1 895) 18: 575
(Kashgar, Eastern Turkestan)
None recorded.
SIZE.House Sparrow-; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELDC H A R A ~ RAS
S .in 1942 but paler.
Common resident in the northwest, subject
STATUS,
to seasonal movements. In Baluchistan [Chaman and Quetta district south at
least to Kalat (Tcehurst, JBNHS 31: 866) and Chagai (Christison, Ibis 1941:
538)] and N.W.F.P.
to Chitral; east to Chashma in northwest Gilgit (Roberts,
1992); a small flock seen at Sakesar, in Salt Range on 21.x.1973 ( A . Vittery,
1993, Forktail 9: 146). Breeds between c. 450 and 2200 m. In winter reaches the
Makran coast in small numbers. Population of Chaman and Quetta augmented
by migrants. Affects human settlements (while the House Sparrow is here found
mostly in the countryside).
LOCAL NAMES.
3 tiberanus (1943),
73
4 hepaticus (1944).
Extralimital. Ranges from eastern Iran to Manchuria and China south to

Sichuan and Guangdong. The species ranges from the European Atlantic coast to
the Sea of Okhotsk, Taiwan and the Sunda Islands. Has been introduced into
Australia and North America (where, unlike domesticus, it has not spread).
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING.
Season, April to August. Nest and eggs, as in 1942. Average size of
40 eggs 19.8 x 14.1 mm (Baker).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
Differs from both malaccensis and tibetanus in being much paler.
MEASUREMENTS
O 78-83;
tarsus 18-19; tail 50-55 mrn (Baker).

AS in 1942.
Wing d
1942. Passer montanus malaccensis Dubois

Passer malaccensis Dubois, 1885, Faune Ill. Vert. Belg., Ois. 1: 572
(Malacca)
Baker, FBI No. 1 102, Vol. 3: 1 77
Plate 101, fig. 7
Chhbti gouriyd (Hindi); KonchikcS.(Assam); Sendung (Manipur).
SIZE. House Sparrow-;
HELD C H A R A ~ RAbove,
S.
crown and nape chocolate-brown. Sides of head
LOCAL NAMES.
74
PASSERINAE
white with a black patch on ear-coverts. Rest of upperparts brown streaked with
black on back. Below, chin and centre of throat black. Rest of underparts greyish
white. Sexes alike.
STXTUS,DlsTRleunoN and HABITAT.
Common resident. The lower Himalayas from
western Nepal and probably Naini Tall [where Whymper obtained nests and eggs
at 2700 m (Baker. Nidification 3: 79); also C. Hudson, JBNHS 34: 8251 east
through Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan; Assam, the Cachar, Khasi and Garo
hills, and adjacent tracts of Bangladesh. Occurs up to c. 2000 m in Nepal, 2700 m
in Sikkim (SA) and 1800 m in Bhutan, in the latter country intergrading with
tibetanus at the higher levels. A small breeding population found at Lammasinghi,
Vishakapatnarn dist.,Andhra Pradesh in March-April 1972 (Trevor Price, JBNHS
70: 557; 76: 419-20), was absent in the locality in March 1985 (SDR, ibid. 85:
104). Affects villages and fields.
Extralimital. The Indochinese countries and Sunda Islands to Bali. Introduced
in the Philippines, south Celebes, Lombok and Ambon. For range of the species
see 1941.
GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, otherwise in flocks.
Takes the place of the House Sparrow in villages and surrounding fields.
FOOD.Grain, seeds, insects and kitchen scraps.
VOICE and CALLS.A harsh chirp and chissip (Lekagul & Round. Birds o f
Thailand, p. 382). Chirping notes like House Sparrow's but more musical.
Season, March to August; two broods are reared. Nest, an untidy
BREEDING.
collection of straw, lined with feathers, placed under eaves, in the thatching of
roofs or in holes in trees, walls or banks. Nesting in holes in walls of monasteries
and dzongs in Bhutan side by side with f? rutilans. Eggs, 4 to 6, similar to those
of the House Sparrow, with the same variations. Average size of 100 eggs 19.2 x
14.2 mm (Baker). Building of nest by both sexes. Incubation (by both?) period
13 days. Care of young by both parents.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from tibetanus in being smaller, paler, and with a fawnbrown rump. Postnuptial and postjuvenal moults complete.
MEASUREMEKTS
Wing
dd
??
67-76
6674
Bill
(from skull)
11-14
(mostly 12-1 3:.
Tarsus
Tail
52-57 mm
5 6 5 6 mm
(BB. Rand & Fleming. SA)
Weight 2 d d 20.3, 20.5; 2 9 9 20.5, 21.3 g (GD, BB). 1 d (March) 20; 13 ? ?
(March) 18-24 (av. 20.1) g-SA. May include some intergrades with tibetanus. 1 d
22g-SDR.
m u ~ OPs BARE mms. Iris dark brown. Bill blackish in the breeding season, otherwise
brown with yellowish on base and gape. Legs and feet fleshy brown.
15-19
' This record and other reports from the western Himalayas need confirmation, i.e. Chamba
(Marshall, Ibis 1884: 419, listed without comment) and Sutlej Valley near Chini (Stoliczka,
JASB 37. ' only rarely seen ').
H O U S E AND ROCK S P A R R O W S
1943. Passer montanus tibetanus Baker
Passer montanw tibetanus Baker, 1925, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 45: 92
(Khurnbajong, Tibet)
Passer montanus marimus Schafer, 1938, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 89: 385
(Jyekundo, southern Tsinghai)
NAMES.Kang-che (' house bird ', Tibetan).
FLELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1942, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to short seasonal
movements. Tibet and the Tibetan facies of northern Nepal (Manangbhot,
c. 3900 m-Lowndes, JBNHS 53: 34, as malaccensis), Sikkim, Bhutan and
Aruna-chal. In Nepal its range is not contiguous with that of rnalaccensis, being
separated by a humid forest zone; in eastern Nepal does not occur south of the
passes (GD); in Bhutan intergrades with maloccensis between 1800 and 2700 m.
In winter may descend the main valleys to c. 2800 m (Rand & Fleming, westcentral Nepal). Affects villages and fields.
Extralimital. Ranges north to Qinghai, Kansu and western Sichuan.
GENERAL HABITS.
Collects in large flocks in autumn, roaming in barley fields,
where they consume a considerable amount of grain. Generally keeps to the
neighbourhood of houses and monasteries in winter, but may wander far afield in
summer.
BREEDING. Season, April to July. Nest and eggs as in 1942. Clutch size 3 to 5.
Average size.of 19 eggs 20.7 x 14.7 mm (Ludlow), of 50 eggs 20.8 x 15.1 mm
(Baker).
Differs from malaccensis in being larger, darker, and with a
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
greyish brown rump.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tail
(from skull)
d?
72-82
1617
61-63 mrn
(NBK, Baker)
AS in 1942.
1944. Passer montanus hepaticus Ripley

Passer montunus hepaficusRipley, 1948, Roc. Biol. Soc. Washington 61: 106
(Tezu,Mishmi Hills, NE.Assam)
LOCAL NAMBS.
None recorded.
SEE. House Sparrow-;
FIELDCHARACIERS.
AS in 1942, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT. Common resident. Arunachal foothills and
plains of Lakhimpur and Dibrugarb south to Manipur. Affects villages and gardens.
76
PASSERINAE
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD
and VOICE. As in 1942.

MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from mnhccensis in being darker; head purplish brown,
almost liver-coloured; back rump and borders of wing-feathers dark rich brown, wing
margins rather rufous; underparts with a distinct brownish wash. Differs from tibetanus
by darker colour and smaller size.
MEASuREhlEKIS
Wing 68-71; tail 5&54 mm (SDR).

AS in 1942.
COWURS OF BARE PARTS.
1945. Sind Jungle Sparrow. Parser pyrrhonotus Blyth

Parser pyrrhonotus Blyth, 1844, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 946
(Buhawalpore, Scinde)
Plate 101, fig. 5
None recorded.
SIZE.House Sparrow-; length c. 12 cm (5 in.).
HELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e, very similar to House Sparrow but smaller; black
restricted to chin and throat, not extending to breast. Rest of underparts pale
ashy.
F e m a l e, not distinguishable from House Sparrow, though the creamy
supercilium is generally broader and brighter than in House Sparrow.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. An endemic species. Resident, common but
STATUS,
very locally distributed. The plains of the Indus from Nowshera (c. 34"N.), the
Jhelum district, Gurdaspur, Ferozepore and Ludhiana (Whistler, JBNHS 20: 1151)
south to Thatta dist. in Sind'. For details of recorded distribution up to 1925 see
Whistler, ibid. 30: 413. Essentially a riverain sparrow: affects tamarisk and acacia
jungle mixed with tall grass along rivers and around jheels and swamps. Has
spread and increased with the development of major irrigation canals, being
widespread along canalside tree plantations throughout Sind and Punjab (Roberts).
Migrants (?) noted along Kesri river, Bhuj, Kutch, in January and early August
1991 (Bapat, JBNHS 89: 378).
GENERAL HABITS.
Usually seen in flocks of 5 to 20 birds, occasionally as part of
immense foraging flocks of Passer domesticus. Co-exists with f? domesticus
where human habitations lie near riverain forest and tamarisk jungle (Holmes &
Wright, JBNHS 66: 27). ' Behaviour of flock reminiscent of Siskins or Redpolls,
merely flying a few yards when approached, and then continuing their busy search
for food ' (Whistler, JBNHS 20: 1151). Feeds on the flats along rivers; also in
bushes and trees or on the flowering heads of tall grasses. Roosts in parties in
thorn thickets, or tamarisk bushes standing in water.
FOOD.Chiefly grass and weed seeds (Polygonum plebeja particularized by
T. R. Bell, MS. notes); also insects.
LOCAL NAMES.
' Older reports of this species from Iranian Baluchistan (Ticehurst., JBNHS 31: 8%)
never been confirmed (Roberts. 1992. p. 478).
have

Passer pyrrhonotus and l? rutilans
I P pyrrhonotur (1945).
ml
2 I? r einnamomeus (1946).
3 I? r intcnsior (1947).
VOICE and CALLS. Very like House Sparrow's, but slightly higher pitched and
more staccato, readily distinguishable with experience. Song consists of the usual
sparrow chirrups interspersed with rapid grating t-r-r-r-r-t's and some short
warbling twitters and shorter whistles, being more complicated than that of the
House Sparrow (Roberts, 1992).
BREEDING. Season, end of February to September; apparently two broods are
reared. Nest, an untidy globular mass of tamarisk twigs, grass and roots, with the
entrance near the top, lined with feathers; usually placed in the tops of tamarisk
trees but most typically suspended from finer twigs at the end of long branches
hanging over water, from two to five metres above the ground. Has been observed
to breed in old Baya nests (Jones, JBNHS 21 : 1073).Nests in small loose colonies.
Eggs, 3 or 4, similar to those of the House Sparrow. Average size of 100 eggs
17.8 x 13.1 mm (Baker). Building of nest and incubation by both sexes.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Key to the Species. Pattern similar to that of the House
Sparrow but band behind eye a redder chestnut; ear-coverts ashy grey; lower back tinged
with chestnut. Black of throat narrower and does not spread out on breast. Outer webs of
greater coverts and primary-coverts less rufous-chestnut. Female like a small House
Sparrow but spot behind eye darker and ear-coverts more ashy. Postjuvenal moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
16-17
Tail
49-55
mrn
48-49 mrn
(CBT, HW)
c o m u ~ OFBAREPARTS.
s
Iris brown. Bill dark brown above, yellow brown below (d
black in summer). Legs and feet brownish.
PASSERINAE
TREESPARROW
PASSERRUTILANS Temminck: CINNAMON

Paler above and below; suffused with yellow in fresh plumage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F!
.
r: cinnamomeus
Darker above and below; not much suffused with yellow. . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .r:. .intensior
.....
1946. Passer rutiltrns cinnamomeus

(Gould)
Pyrgita cinnumomea Gould, 1835, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 185
(' apud montes Himalayenses ', restricted to NW. Himalayas
by Tcehurst, 1927 JBNHS 32: 347)
Passer rutilans debilis Hartert, 1904, Vog. pal. Fauna 1: 162
(Sind-Tal in Kaschrnir)
Passer rutilans scheferi Stresemann, 1939, Om. Monatsb. 47: 176
(SQd-Tibet:Schigatse)
Plate 101, fig. 6
L i l gouriyi (Hindi); Kang-che-go-ma ('red-headed house bird',
LOCAL NAMES.
Tibetan); Pichi (Dafla).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, bright rufous-chestnut streaked with black
on back. A broad and a narrow white wing-bar. Below, chin and centre of throat
black, sides of throat pale yellow. Breast and flanks yellowish grey; centre of
belly pale yellow.
F e m a I e. Above, brown streaked with dark brown on back. A conspicuous
whitish supercilium and white wing-bars. Below, pale yellowish ashy.
Common resident, subject to vertical moveSTATUS,
ments. The Himalayas from Chitral and Kashmir (not recorded in Ladakh) east
throughArunacha1 and southernTibet. In the western Himalayas (Chitral to Simla)
breeds between 1800 and 2400 m, in Kashmir up to 2700 m, in Kulu and Kangra
down to 1200 m. In western and central Nepal (where apparently scarce) noted
between 1800 and 2400 m and found breeding as low as 370 m (Fleming &
Taylor, 1968). No records from the eastern half of Nepal. Status poorly known in
Sikkim. In Bhutan breeds above 1800 m, and up to 4200 in southeastern Tibet.
Observed in winter between 500 and 1500 m in the western Himalayas, regularly
down in the adjacent plains (Potahar and Margallas in Pakistan and Chandigarh
in India), below c. 1000 m in Sikkim and in the plains of Jalpaiguri district
(JBNHS 26: 995), in the Bhutan and Arunachal foothills and adjacent plains
(Stevens, JBNHS 23: 264). Affects light forest of oak, rhododendron, alder, etc..
terraced cultivation in the vicinity of hill villages and human habitations, taking
the place of the House Sparrow where the latter does not occur. In winter also
noted in grassland (Lakhimpur) and in barley fields.
79
Extralimital. Breeds in southern Tibet (where migratory, arriving in April) as

far west as Goara, western 'libet (Stoliczka). The species ranges north to Kansu,
Shensi, Korea and Sakhalin, east to Japan, Taiwan and Laos; also Kafiristan
(eastern Afghanistan).
GENERAL HABITS. Usually keeps in flocks outside the breeding season. Gleans
grain and grass seeds on the ground as well as plucks them from growing stalks.
Is fond of perching in exposed situations such as the top branches of dead trees,
telephone wires in hill-stations, etc.
FOOD. Chiefly grain and seeds; also berries and insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note chilp . . . chip similar to House S p m w ' s but softer,
more musical. Also swee. . . swee like an Indian Robin's notes (SA). Song a
stridentchreet-chreet-chreet,interspersed with bi-syllabic sibilant chu-swik similar
to White Wagtail's call (Roberts, 1992).
BREEDING. Season, April to August, chiefly May and June. Double-brooded.
Nest, a pad of dry grass, pine needles, etc. lined with hair and feathers, placed in
holes in trees (up to 9 metres above the ground), in the thatching of huts and
under the eaves of houses, often completing with and ousting tits from holes in
walls of hill-station bungalows. In Bhutan nests freely in holes in outer walls of
inhabited dzongs and monasteries side by side with R montanus. In Tibet where
trees are scarce, hollows in banks or old mud chortens, between stones in bridges
or other similar situations are patronized. Eggs, usually 4, sometimes 5, generally
more heavily marked than those of I! domesticus. Average size of 40 eggs 19.1 x
13.9 mm (BBO),of 60 eggs 18.9 x 13.9 mm (Baker). Building of nest and
incubation by both sexes.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS. See Field Characters and Key to the Species.
Y o u n g male, like adult male but crown brown; chestnut of upperparts duller.
Underparts greyish white, whiter on cheeks and belly; a dusky throat-patch.Young

female, like adult female but paler above; underparts creamy white. Postjuvenal
moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
68-82
Bill
(from skull)
12-14
Tarsus
1 7-2 1
Tail
4656 m
6 5 3 mm
(NBK, MD, SA)
Weight I d (Sept.) 21 g (SDR). 1 d (March) 21; 2 Q 9 (March) 21.21; 4d 9 (Apr.-May) 176&78
19 g - 4 A .
(a,
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown or reddish brown. Bill black

brown (winkr d
and 9);legs and feet fleshy brown, very pale brown or dark reddish brown.
1947. Passer rulilans intenswr

Rothschild
Passer r u r i h inremior Rothschild, 1922, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 43: 11
(Mekong Valley)
80
PASSERINAE
Passer rutiluns yun~nensisLa Touche, 1923, Bull. Brit. Om. C1.43: 120
(Lotukow, S. Yunnan)
Passer rutilans lisanun Stresemann, 1940, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 24: 172
(Mt Victoria)
Passer rutilans onnectans Koelz, 1952, Jour. Zool. Soc. India 4: 154
(Mawryngkneng, Khasi Hills)
NAMES. Inkurui (Kacha Naga); Sendang (Manipur).
=ATUS,DISTRIBU~ON and HABITAT. Common resident. Nagaland, Manipur and
in the Cachar, Khasi and Mizo hills. Breeds from c. 1400 m upwards in Manipur,
and down to the base of the hills. Affects forest, jungle, gardens and cultivation
near villages.
Extralimitol. Ranges east to Yunnan, northern Vietnam and Laos.
GENERAL HABITS,
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from cinnamomeus in being darker; underparts greyer.
M E A S ~ M E ~ AS
S . in 1946.
Weight 1 d 19.5 g (SDR).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill black, base of lower mandible yellowish brown.
Legs and feet brown.
LOCAL
1947a. Scrub Sparrow. Passer rnoabiticus yah'i Sharpe

Passer yatii Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 322
(Dedadi, Seistan, western Afghanistan)
Not in Baker, FBI
Plate 101, fig. 4
SIZE. House Sparrow-; length c. 12 cm (5 in.).
FIELDCHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, crown and upper back grey. Rest of
upperparts sandy brown streaked with dark brown on centre of back. A long,
conspicuous whitish supercilium, buff behind eye. Ear-coverts grey. Shoulder
black; a rufous-chestnut wing-patch with two buff bars. Rest of wing and tail
blackish brown margined with buff. Below, chin and centre of throat black bordered
by white malar streaks. A yellow patch on sides of throat. Breast and flanks very
pale yellowish brown, belly pale yellow. In winter grey of crown tipped with
sandy brown and black of throat tipped with white.
F e m a 1 e. Above, sandy brown streaked with darker brown on back. A whitish
superciliuni and two whitish wing-bars. Below, pale sandy brown with yellow
throat-patch and streaked with pale yellow on belly. Female lacks rufous on
wing and black on wing and throat.
LOCAL
81
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common winter visitor to extreme northeast
Chagai, in Baluchistan (Christison, A. F. P., 1941, Ibis: 538). Affects scrub of
Prosopis, Rubus, Tamarix, etc.
Extralimital. Breeds in eastern Iran (Seistan) and western Afghanistan. Range
of species disjunct, nominate subspecies occurring in the lower Tigris delta and
along the Jordan river.
GENERAL HABITS. Generally seer] in small flocks, sometimes up to 50 individuals,
occasionally in company with R domesticus or R hispaniolensis. Has been observed searching the leaves of bushes for insects.
FOOD. Seeds and insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call a chef-chef-chef-chef, sometimes harsh or slurred; also
a liquid chrelp. Song chillung-chillung-chillung,far-carrying and rhythmic.
BREEDING.
Extralimital.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
)
62-64
62-68
Bill
Tarsus
(from skull)
c. I2
c. 17
Tail
c. 50 mrn
c. 48 mrn
(Paludan, MD)
Weight 10 d d (March) 14-17; 6 9 Q (March) 14-17 g (Paludan).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Unrecorded.
GENUSP E T R O N I A
Kaup
Petmnia Kaup, 1829, Skizz. Entwick. Nat. Syst.: 158.
5 p e , by tautonymy, Fringilla Perronia Linnaeus
Gymnorhis 'Hodgson' = Blyth, 1844, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 948.
vpe, by monotypy, Fringilla xanrhocollis Burton, new name for
Fringilla flavicollis Franklin
Bill broad at base, rather pointed. Wing long, almost reaching end of tail. Tail relatively
rather short.
Key to the Species
Rectrices with white terminal spot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f? petmnia

Rectrices without white. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f? xanrhocollis
PETRONIA
XANTHOCOLLIS (Burton): YELLOWTHROATED
SPARROW
Darker; more grey-brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? x. xanthocollis

Paler; more sandy brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f? x. transfuga
Page
84
81
PASSERINAE
1948. Petronia xanthocollis transfuga

(Hartert)
Gymnorhisflavicollis transfuga Hartert, 1904, V6g. pal. Fauna 1 : 145
(Bagu Kelat, Baluchistan)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD CHARACERS.AS in 1949, q.v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident or short-range migrant, locally common. Pakistan and northwestern India from Kohat, Hazara, the Salt Range, Punjab
and both Haryana and Murree foothills up to c. 1200 m (summer visitor only in
LOCAL NAMES.
Petronia xanthocollis
1 xanthocollis (1949). 2 transfuga (1948).
3 African subspecies.
the preceding localities-March to October) south through central Rajasthan

and Gujarat to Kutch, the plains of the Indus. Small numbers are resident in
southern Sind and Baluchistan.Affects dry forest, scrub and cultivation; in Chagai
also oases with date palms.
Extralirnital. Ranges west to southern Iraq.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDmG. Season, April to end of July. Nest and eggs, as in 1949. Average
size of 26 eggs 18 x 12.6 mm (Baker).
DIAGNOSIS.
MUSEUM
Differs from the nominate race (1949) in being paler, more sandy,
less earth-brown above.
83
MEASUREMENTS
d?
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
80-86
(from skull)
15-16
c. I5
Tail
47-53 mm
(SA. MD)
Weight 2 d d (April) 18.20 g (Paludan).
1949. Petronia xanthocollis xanthocollis (Burton)

Fringilla xanthocollis Burton, 1838, Cat. Bds. Mus. Fort Pitt! Chatham: 23,
new name for Fringilla flavicollis Franklin, 1831. nec E flavicollis
Gmelin, 1789
(Ganges between Calcutta and Benares)
Plate 101, fig. 9
NAMES.R@, Ja'ngli-chirici (Hindi); B&-ch"rcii (Bengali); Mahomi, Daidem

(Chota Nagpur); Adavi-pichike, Cheruka-pichike (Telugu); Manjatali (Malayalam).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . Above, grey-brown, wings and tail darker, with a chestnut
shoulder-patch and two whitish wing-bars (upper
broader and more prominent). Below, pale greybrown with a yellow throat-patch; chin and belly
whitish. Tail slightly but distinctly forked. Sexes
more or less alike; throat-patch in female much
paler, and shoulder-patch rufous not chestnut.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. C0mm0n
,< C . I
resident and marked local migrant. The whole
Indian Peninsula east of the range of transfuga
(Kutch to Punjab, where intergrades are found) north to the foothills of Uttar
Pradesh and Nepal, east to the eastern terai, Bihar and lower Bengal and south to
Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin). A summer visitor in the Himalayan foothills, up
to c. 750 m (Dehra Dun). In parts of central India (Mhow, Sehore, Gwalior,
Betul) disappears during the rainy (post-breeding) season; common as a winter
visitor appearing irregularly between September and November. Noted as mostly
a winter visitor in Delhi,Tamil Nadu and Coorg, and a local migrant in Karnataka,
Kerala, the Deccan plateau, etc. Movements apparently governed by rain. In
Kerala occurs mostly in the low country but locally up to c. 1000 m (Maraiyur);
in the Nilgiris up to c. 1200 m. A rare vagrant to Sri Lanka (a flock met with in
October-Legge). Affects open dry-deciduous forest and thorn jungle, groves,
hedges and trees near villages and cultivation.
GENERAL HABITS.
Collects in flocks after breeding, sometimes in considerable
numbers (' 100 + ', SA), often mixed with House Sparrows or Blackheaded
Buntings, roosting with them communally imthorn thickets and shrubbery. During
the heat of the day flocks congregate in leafy trees and spend the hours in noisy
chirruping. Flocks break up in February-March, re-forming after May-June. Feeds
mostly on the ground.
LOCAL
FOOD.Grain (of rice and other cereals), seeds of grass and weeds, vegetable
matter, lantana berries, and ripe mulberries, ants, caterpillars, beetles and other
insects. Among insect items specifically recorded in the stomach contents in an
intensively cultivated area in Bihar are weevils (Myllocerus discolor; Tanymecus
hyspida), scarab beetle (Onthophagus spinifer), ant (Oecophylla srnaragdina)
and Geometrid larvae (Mason & Lefroy, 1912). Also takes regularly the nectar
of Capparis, Salmalia, Erythrina, Bassia, etc.; ' in quest of this the forehead
becomes golden with adhering pollen and gives to the birds an unusually
distinguished and intriguing appearance in the distance ' (SA).
VOICE and CALLS. Call-notes resemble those of the House Sparrow but are
mellower in tone. Song, a pleasant but monotonous chilp-chulp uttered for long
periods from a perch in vicinity of nest.
BREEDING.
Season, end of February to end of May (dry season), later in the
extreme north. Nest--often in a loose colony-a small pad of hair, feathers and
grass placed in holes usually between one and six metres above the ground in a
variety of situations: hollows and cracks in tree-trunks, old woodpecker or barbet
holes, in roofs of bungalows, nest-boxes, disused street lamps, vent pipes; once
under the roof of a church 15 metres high; and in disused (or dispossessed?) nest
of Hirundo daurica (927). Site often given away by male who spends the greater
part of the day sitting nearby, chirruping loudly and monotonously. Eggs, 3 or 4,
white generally tinted with brown or sometimes pale greenish, with smudges,
smears, streaks and blotches varying from grey-brown to dark sooty brown.
Average size of 100 eggs 19 x 13.9 mm (Baker). Female does all the building,
the male merely accompanying her (but according to Gill, both birds assist).
Incubation by female only; period undetermined. Care of young by both parents.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.Differs from transfuga in being greyer brown, less sandy.
Postnuptial moult complete; no spring moult. Postjuvenal moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(HW, SA, Roonwal)
Weight 9 d d 15-20 (av. 18);9 P ? 14-20 (av. 18) g-<A. 5 d d (Feb.-April) 17-20; 1 9
(March) 18.5 g--GD, Roonwal.
CoLoURs OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill: i n female and non-breeding male, upper
mandible pale brown, lower pinkish brown; in breeding male black. Legs and feet greyish
brown or brownish flesh.
1950. Rwk Sparrow. Petronicl petroniu intermedia Hartert

Petmnia petmnia intermedia Hartert, 1901, Novit. Zool. 8: 324
(Gilgit)
Baker. FBI No. 1109. Vo1. 3: 184
Plate 101, fig. 8
House Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).

FIELD CHARACTERS. Above, pale brown streaked with darker brown. Sides of
crown and a streak behind eye dark brown; a
broad, pale supercilium. Tail tipped with
white spots. Below, brownish white with
darker streaks; a yellow patch on centre of
throat. Sexes alike.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Winter
STATUS,
visitor to Gilgit (common around c. 1200 m),
N.W.F.P. (Attock, Kohat), south to Mianwali
and Quetta (Baluchistan, straggler). Affects
s C. I
stony or rocky ground.
Extralimital. Breeds from Sinkiang west to the Caspian Sea and south to
northern Afghanistan and Iran. The species extends from the Mediterranean
'countries to Transbaicalia and northern China.
MIGRATION.
Occurs in winter quarters from the third week of November to the
end of March (latest 2 April).
GENERAL HABITS. Gregaious in winter; usually met with in small flocks or
scattered individuals with Emberiza sp. Prefers stony desolate places and often
feeds in stubble fields. Rather shy.
FOOD. Seeds; freshly sown wheat recorded.
VOICE and CALLS.A harsh sparrow-like chirp.
BREEDING. Extralimital. in holes and fissures in rock scarps.
SIZE.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
d?
98-104
Bill
(from skull)
c. 18
Tarsus
Tail
57-60 rnm
(Baker. MD)
Weight 5 d d 32-37;4 Q 9 30-32 g (Paludan).

comuw OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill brown above, yellowish below. Legs and feet
pale brownish flesh.
Genus M O N T I F R I N G I LBrehm
LA
Montifingilla Brehm, 1828, Isis, col. 1277.
5 p e . by subsequent designation (Grey, 1840). Fringilla nivalis Linnaeus
Wing longer than in Petmnia. Bill longer, more slender. Tail square. Claws somewhat
lengthened. Wings and tail with a large amount of white. Sexes alike.
Key to the Species

Page
A
Throat black
1
Greater wing-coverts largely white
a Lesser and median wing-coverts all white. . . . . . . . . . . . .M. nivalis
b Lesser and median wing-coverts all brown or tipped with white. . . .
............................................
M. adomsi
86
PASSERINAE
Greater wing-coverts brown

c Forehead white with a black horn-like mark. ....... M. blunfordi
d Forehead wholly black.. ......................M. davidiana
B
Throat white
3 Rump white.. .............................. M. taczanowskii
4
Rump fulvous-brown ............................ M. ruficollis
2
89
90
87
88
[I95 1. Snow Finch. Montifiingilfu nivalis alpicoh (Pallas)

fusser alpicolo Pallas, 1811, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. 2: 20 (Caucasus)
Plate 102, fig. 13
May occur in the Safed Koh but confirmation required. Whitehead's sight record
in the Safed Koh is entered under M. & m i (JBNHS 20: 790). M. nivalis is
known to occur in Afghanistan only in the ranges of the Hindu Kush. The two
species are not separable in the field. See Key to the Species.]
1952. Tibet Snow Finch. Montiingillo d m s i adamsi Adams
Montrfnngilla A h i Adams, 1859, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1858),
p. 482, ex Moore ms. (Ladakh)
Plate 102, fig. 12
Richi-kyQ-shok, Abe je (Tibetan).
SIZE. Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
FTELD C H A R A ~ RAbove,
S.
grey-brown with darker streaks on back. Wing dark
brown with large white patches on shoulder and tertials. Central rectrices dark
brown, next white tipped with dark brown. Below, cream colour with a blackish
throat-patch. Sexes alike.
STATUS,
Fairly common resident, subject to vertical
movements. Breeds in Ladakh, Spiti and Nepal (J. Martens, pers. com.) between
3600 and 4500 m, and in northern Sikkim at c. 4900 m (Schfifer, in SAlim Ali
Birds of Sikkim: 365). Obtained in winter in Kulu and the upper Sutlej Valley.
Affects high stony plateaux, boulder-strewn hillsides and scree fans, and
neighbourhood of upland villages, etc.
Extralimital. Tibet north to Tsinghai and east to Sichuan.
GENERAL HABITS. Usually very wild; sometimes amazingly tame and fearless.
Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, in small flocks thereafter, and in huge
flocks up to 2000 or 3000 birds in winter. Feeds on the ground commonly on
edges of melting snow patches, running like a lark, not hopping. Flight very
undulating, more buoyant than in other snow finches.
Display. Every now and then, during the breeding season, the male (?) launches
himself in the air from some hill slope and with wings upstretched like the letter
V, white tail-feathers outspread like a fan, hovers for a while, and then gently
descends to earth, uttering a short, plaintive little song (Ludlow, Ibis 1928: 67).
Also displays on the ground, loosely waving extended wings and jerking outspread
tail.
LOCAL NAMES.
87
H O U S E A N D ROCK SPARROWS
FOOD. Insects and seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note a chaffinch-like
pink pink and a soft mew (HW);

flocks twitter continuously. Song a monotonous but fairly distinctive single note,
uttered from a rock or in display flight (see above).
BREEDING. Season, May to August, chiefly June and July. Nest, a collection of
grass lined with wool, feathers, and hair (of yak, marmot, etc.) placed deep down
in holes in cliffs or ' man6 ' walls, burrows of mouse-hares (Ochotona), or more
frequently under a fair-sized rock. Eggs, 4, white. Average size of 21 eggs 22.9 x
16.9 mm (Osmaston). Incubation probably by both sexes. Care of young by both
parents.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Species.
Y o u n g, marked as adult but chin and throat white, the feathers dusky at
base. Mantle browner. Primary-coverts brown with only a little white at base.
White parts of coverts and tail tinged rusty. Tertials edged rufous-brown.
Postjuvenal moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
,COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill black (d),horny brown, yellowish, at base,
black at tip (9).Legs and feet black.
1953. Mandelli's Snow Finch. Montifnngilh taczanowskii (Przevalski)

Onychospiza Taczanowskii Przevalski, 1876, Mongol. Strana Tangut 2: 81, pl. 11
(Tetunga and Kuku Nor Steppe)
Baker, FBI No. 11 12, Vol. 3: 188
Plate 102, fig. 14
LWAL NAMES.
Go-pang (Tbetan).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . Above. Forehead and supercilium whitish; lores black. Back
ashy brown streaked with darker brown; rump white. Wings brown with broad
ashy white outer edges and white wing-patch. Tail dark brown tipped white.
Below, ashy white. Sexes alike.
Recorded in northern Sikkim (SeptemberSTATUS,
October, Mandelli, S F 8: 503); a specimen from northern Sikkim (October) in
Inglis's Collection (HW, MS.). Possibly also Ladakh (Ward, JBNHS 17: 458).
Affects Tibetan steppe.
Extralimital. Tibet north to Qinghai, west to Gartok on the Indus in western
Tibet (Ludlow).
GENERAL HABITS.Occurs wherever the ground is riddled with holes of mousehare colonies (Ochotona) on the dry fringes of bogs etc., in whose burrows it
roosts and breeds. Has a habit of bobbing and bowing when it alights.
Displayflight. While the female remains on the ground the male rises steeply
PASSERINAE
88
in the air for some 10 or 15 m on outspread fluttering wings, like a lark, then
suddenly nose-dives perpendicularly with a loud swishing of the wings, alighting
close to the female to resume his courtship on the ground. His body is held
horizontal, neck stretched in front, throat puffed and head bowed low as he circles
round her with outspread tail (Schafer).
FOOD. Insects, probably also seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note a sharp, resounding duid duid; song a short, loud
duid ai duid, duid, duid, ai. Alarm, a nasal finch-like note (Schafer).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Species.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Tarsus
Tail
68-73 mrn
(Baker)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris yellowish brown. Bill pale horn, tip darker. Legs and feet
black.
d9
101-109
Bill
(from skull)
c. 14-15
c. 22
1954. Rednecked Snow Finch. Montifn'ngilla rufuollis Blanford

Monrifnngilla ruficollis Blanford, 1871, Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal: 227
(Lachen Valley, N. Sikkim)
Baker, FBI No. 11 13, Vol. 3: 189
Plate 102, fig. 16
NAMES. Abye', Rib-che-kar-po (Tibetan).
SIZE.Sparrow + ; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
n E L D C H A R A ~ RAbove,
S.
forehead and supercilium dingy white. A dark band
through eye. Back of crown, ear-coverts and sides of neck rufous. Back pale
brown with darker streaks. Wings brown with a white shoulder-patch and largely
white secondaries. Central rectrices dark brown, outer rectrices grey, all with a
broad white subterminal band and dark brown tips. Below, throat white, sides of
lower throat rufous. A dark malar streak. Rest of underparts creamy white. Sexes
alike.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Recorded in northern Sikkim in October and
December at c. 4 2 0 0 4 8 0 0 m (Mandelli, Meinertzhagen). A sight record in
October near Darjeeling (JBNHS 60: 689). Affects open gravel plains, grassy
plateaux and banks of streams.
Extralirnital. Tibet north to Qinghai and Sinluang.
GENERAL HABITS.Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, otherwise in small
flocks, sometimes with other species. Lives in company with mouse-hares
(Ochotom) feeding around the mouths of their burrows. Has a display flight
rather similar b that of Mandelli's Snow Finch (1953).
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note dUuid and a magpie-like alarm-note, softer than
that of M. a h m i (Schafer).
LOCAL
H O U S E AND R O C K S P A R R O W S
Extralimital.
See Field Characters and Key to the Species.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
BREEDING.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
91-101
d9
Bill
(from feathers)
10-11
Tarsus
19-20
Tail
55-58 mm
(Baker)
Bill from skull (one) 16 mm (MD)
comu~sOF BARE PARTS.Iris orange-red. Bill dark bluish horny in winter, black in
summer. Legs and feet black.
1955. Blanford's Snow Finch. Montifn'ngilhz bbbnfordi bbbnfordi Hume

Montifiingilla Blanfordi Hume, 1876, Stray Feathers 4: 487
(borders of Tibet to the north of native Sikkim)
Baker FBI No. 1114, Vol. 3: 190
Plate 102, fig. 10
LOCAL NAMES.
A byt-po
(Tibetan).
SUE. Sparrow
; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. Above, forehead white with a black horn-like mark; lores
and a line through eye black. A white supercilium. Ear-coverts white. Crown
ashy white changing to rufous on nape and sides of neck. Rest of upperparts
fulvous brown. Wing as in ruficollis but without white shoulder-patch. Central
rectrices brown, outer grey at base, then white with sub-terminal brown band
and fulvous tips. Below, throat black, sides of breast rufous. Rest of underparts
creamy white. Sexes alike.
Distinguished from nrflcollis by black markings on face, white ear-coverts,
unstreaked upperparts, lack of white shoulder-patch, and black throat.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTIONand HABITAT. Recorded in northern Sikkim in September,
October and December at c. 4200 m (Mandelli, Meinertzhagen), and ' near
Darjiling ' (Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 264). Also Ladakh, at Gya (3 on 18.xi.1981;
D. P. Mallon, 1987, Forktail 3: 37); breeding at 4500 m at Taglang La (30.6.93;
N. Redman, R. de la Moussaye, 1993, OBC Bull. 1%:67). Affects Tibetan steppe
country and cultivation near villages.
Extralimital. Tibet from the northern Himalayan ranges north to ninghai,
west to north of Karakoram Pass.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, in large flocks in winter.
Associates with mouse-hares (Ochotona). In winter feeds with sparrows near
houses.
FOOD. Seeds and insects
VOICE and CALLS. A rapid, twittering song uttered during display flight. Other
notes unrecorded.
BREEDING. Extralimi tal.
MUSEUM
DIAONOSIS.
90
PASSERINAE
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
90-97
d9
Bill
(from feathers)
c. 10-11
Tarsus
c. 19-20
Tail
5 6 5 6 mm
(Baker)
COLOUR OF BARE PARTS. Iris reddish brown. Bill blackish slaty. Legs and feet black.
1956. Pere David's Snow Finch. Montifn'ngilkr davidiana potanini

(Sushkin)
Pyrgilauda davidiana potanini Sushkin, 1925, Roc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist.
38: 20 (Khara-djamaty, basin of Kobdo)
Not in Baker, FBI
Plate 102, fig. 11
SIZE.Sparrow ; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
~ E L D
C H A R A ~ RAbove,
S.
forehead and lores black. Crown and back fulvousbrown with darker streaks on back. Wing brown with a white patch visible in
flight. Tail dark brown with white subterminal band and black tips. Below, throat
black. Rest of underparts fulvous-white. Sexes alike.
DISTRIBUTION and H A B ~ A T . Accidental. One record in northern Sikkim
STATUS,
in March (Meinertzhagen, JBNHS 51: 273). Affects open desert country.
Extralirnital. From northern Tibet to the Altai, Mongolia and western
Manchuria.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. In pairs, small groups, or in large flocks
(sometimes with other species) in winter, at which time it wanders and descends
to lower elevations. Uses burrows of small rodents and Ochotona spp. for shelter.
May be found around human habitation where it can be tame. Feeds on insects
and seeds.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
d9
84-85
c. 12
c.
17
c. 43
mm
(Hartert)
COLOURS OF BARE
PARTS.Unrecorded.
Subfamily P L o c E I N A E : Weaver Birds, Bayas

For description see Moreau, R. E., 1964,Article ' Weaver ';Cain, A. J., 1964, article
' Weaver-Finch ' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.), A New Dictionary of Birds, London and
New York.
Genus PLOCEUS
Cuvier
Ploceus Cuvier, 18 16, Regne Anim. 1: 383.
vpe, by subsequent designation, Loria Philippina Linnaeus
Bill thick, culmen curved, longer than depth at base. First primary (as.) large, about
WEAVER BIRDS, BAYAS

equal in length to tarsus.Tai1 short, slightly rounded, of twelve rectrices. Tarsus strong,
claws rather long.
Key to the Species
Breeding Males
Page
A
Crown yellow
1 Breast yellow or fulvous, unstreaked
. philippinus
a Throat dark brown.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I?
b Throat yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. megarhynchus
2 Breast blackish brown or brown with fulvous fringes. . I? benghalensis
3 Breast fulvous streaked with black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? manyar
Males in winter and Females
Crown brown
4 Lower plumage pale fulvous
c Smaller; wing generally under 76 m m . . . . . . . . . . . . . P philippinus
d Larger; wing over 76 mtn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? megarhynchus
5 Breast black or fringed with fulvous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I? benghulensis
6 Breast fulvous streaked with black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I? manyar
PLOCEINAE
PLOCEUSPHILIPPINUS (Linnaeus): BAYA

Breast fulvous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F! p. burmanicus
B Breast yellow
1 Darker and browner above. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .R p. travancoreensis
2 Paler.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I?p. philippinus
Page
97
1957. Ploceus philippinus philippinus (Linnaeus)

Loxia Philippina Linnaeus, 1766,Syst. Nat., ed. 12.1:305 (Philippines,ermre = Ceylon)
PI. (oceus) baya Blyth, 1844,Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 945 (India)
Ploceus passerinus Reichenow. 1886, ex Hodgson, Zool. Jahrb. 1 : 156 (Nepal), nec
Ploceus passerinus Gray, 1846.Cat. Bds. Mamms. Nepal: 105,synonym of R flaviceps
Swainson
Ploceus arrigula Sharpe, 1890,ex Hodgson, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 13:491 (Nepal)
Ploceus philippinw sardarpateli Koelz, 1952,Jour. Zool. Soc. India 4: 43 (Ratnapur,
Bhabanagar [sic = Bhavnagar], Saurashtra)
Baker, FBI No. l@8 (part), Vol. 3: 67
Plate 101, fig. 13
LOCAL NAMES.
Baya, S6n-chiri (Hindi); Bijra (Hoshiarpur); Sugha'ri (Gujarat); Suyiim
(Chota Nagpur); Babui (Bengali); Parsupu pitta (Telugu); Thonga-nathan (Tamil);
Thukanan-kiiruvi, Manja-kuriivi (Tamil in Ceylon); Wadu-kurulla, Tatteh-kurulla, Goiyankurulla (Sinhala).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e (breeding). Above, crown yellow. Rest of upperparts
dark brown streaked with yellow on back. Below,
throat and ear-coverts dark brown. Breast yellow.
Rest of underparts cream-buff.
F e m a 1 e. Above, crown and back yellowish
buff streaked with dark brown. Supercilium and
sides of neck yellowish buff. Below, throat white,
tinged with yellow. Breast yellowish buff with
brown streaks on sides. Belly cream-buff.
x C. I
M a l e (non-breeding). Similar to female but
darker, more boldly streaked above; supercilium and breast very pale yellow
rather than buff yellow.
Common resident, subject to seasonal moveSTATUS,
ments. Pakistan in Sind and Punjab east of the Jhelum river, and the whole of
India (except for the range of travancoreensis) east to eastern Bihar and
Bangladesh (K. 2. Husain & S. U. Sarker, 1972, BBOC 1972: 42) (here
intergrading with b u m n i c u s ) ; also Sri Lanka in all zones. In the Himalayas up
to c. 1200 m (Kangra), 1400 m (Nepal Valley). In Sri Lanka up to c. 900 m but
mainly in dry zone. Affects open cultivation, often near paddyfields, grassland
and secondary scrub dotted with babool trees and date and palmyra palms.
WEAVER BIRDS, B A Y A S
93
Ploceus philippinus
1 philippinw (1957).
3 burmanicus (1959).
2 rravancoreensis (1958).
In the Himalayas most migrate to lower levels in winter. Noted as

absent from the plains of Madhya Pradesh in the non-breeding season. In northern
Gujarat, Jodhpur and near Bombay it is common in the breeding season but
scarce (apparently) in winter. Has straggled to Quetta in summer. Movements
largely controlled by rain and the incidence of rice cultivation.
GENERAL HABITS. Highly gregarious, keeping in flocks the year round and breeding in colonies. Flocking instinct so strong that at the end of the breeding season
in almost every large nest colony may be found incubated eggs or even a
mummified brood of nestlings abandoned in the parents' hurry to leave the colony
with the rest of the community. Gleans grass- and weed seeds on scanty grassland
and fallows, and on dusty cart tracks, harvested fields, etc. hopping like sparrow.
Also raids ripening crops of jowar, maize, rice and other cereals and sunflower
(Helianthus sp.) plantations, often causing considerable damage. However, this
largely mitigated by its destruction of vast quantities of insect pests especially
during the period of nest feeding. Roosts in swarms in swampy reed-beds and
sugarcane fields etc. in company with mynas, and other birds-in winter
commonly with wagtails and swallows. During breeding season nest-building
males indulge in noisy singing choruses and lively wing-beating displays, thus
advertising the colonies to the females from a@.
FOOD. Chiefly grass- and weed seeds (Panicakeae), cereal grains (rice, jowar,
bajra, etc.), insects [grasshoppers (Orthoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), moths
(Heterocera)], caterpillars and spiders; flower-nectar (e.g. of Salmalia, Erythrina,
MIGRATION.
PLOCEINAE
Capparis, etc.) whenever available. Nestlings fed mainly on caterpillars, moths,

grasshoppers, spiders and triturated tender paddy grains. (For further particulars
of food and feeding habits see D. N. Mathew, 1971, Ph.D. thesis, Bombay
University.)
VOICE and CALLS. Alarm-notes, a sparrow-like chit-chit-chit varying in tempo
and vehemence with the occasion. Song, in breeding season, a softer chit chit
chit followed by a long-drawn wheezy whistle chee-ee-ee uttered in chorus by
males working in a nest colony. A less intense version of the same also given in
non-breeding season by a group of males resting in shrubbery during the midday
heat. (For further details see SA and Crook in references cited below.)
BREEDING. Season, overall April to October depending mainly on the SW. and
NE.monsoon rains. Building activities commence with the first monsoon showers
and the peak nesting periods vary in different parts of the country; in Sri Lanka
over most of the year (Henry, 1978). Often two broods reared. Nest, pensile,
retort-shaped, with a long down-hanging entrance tube measuring between c. 40
and 65 cm in length (once 90 cm +). Composed of finely woven strips of leaves
of rice, sugarcane or coarse grass (sometimes of date or coconut), unlined, or
only occasionally so with a few feathers or scanty vegetable down. Blobs of mud
almost invariably stuck inside the ' dome ', presumably for strengthening the
fabric but whose real purpose remains equivocal. Nests grouped in colonies of
maybe from a half dozen to over 200 on a
'
single tree-+ommonly a palm (date, palmyra,
coconut or other) and trees such as sheesham
(Dalbergia), babool (Acacia), kandi
(Prosopis), karanj (Pongamia) and others.
Nests suspended from pinnae of palm fronds
or tips of pliant branches usually over waterpool, tank, canal, or village well; frequently
on plants growing from sides of old wellsthus often from below ground level and up to
maybe over 30 metres above it. Nests hung
along tele-phone wires or from the palm-leaf
thatching of tenanted village huts are not
uncommon in some parts of the country. A
colony usually contains nests in all stages of
construction, from the initial attachment or
' wad ' through the various half-finished
x C. 'Ilo
' bell ' or ' helmet ' stages up to complete
retorts with long entrance-tubes. Old nest colonies sometimes constitute a minor
fire hazard in the dry season. During a forest fire the suspensions get quickly
burnt through. In a strong wind the burning nests are liable to get blown away
hundreds of metres across cleared firelines etc., like incendiary balloons, and
spread the conflagration to otherwise safe parts of the forest. Eggs, usually 3,
less often 2 and rarely 4; white, unmarked. Average size of 100 eggs 20.3 x
14.5 mm (Baker). Incubation by female alone; period 14 to 15 days. Feeding of
chicks by female though male occasionally helps. Chicks fly in 15-17 days.
WEAVER BIRDS, BAYAS
95
First-year females mate and breed successfully, while first-year males do not
assume nuptial plumage or breed till their second year. They may build nests in
their first year in sites segregated from those of the adults; often these nests are
somewhat aberrant or amateurish in form. The builders sing and advertise, but
the nests are never accepted by females although they may occasionally be visited
and inspected by them.
Highlights of the unique breeding biology of the Baya may be summarized as
follows: The male practises successive polygyny. He alone builds the nest; the
female takes no part in the work except in scantily lining the egg chamber after
she has accepted the nest. In the early stages of a nesting colony the females are
completely absent. When some of the nests have reached the ' helmet ' stage
(half-built) a party of females visits the colony to prospect for suitable nests. The
birds hop from one ' helmet ' to another perching on the initial ring or ' chin
strap ', pulling a strip here and another there, obviously examining the structure
critically. All the while they are engaged in the scrutiny the owner males flutter
excitedly, clinging outside the nest giving their wing-beating displays and warding
off competing males. Some nests are approved by females, others rejected. Those
that fail to find tenants are often cut down by the builders themselves, and successful nests, even when containing eggs, often by disgruntled rivals. Once a nest is
approved by her, the female softens to the owner's advances and permits, and
even invites, copulation by the impetuous suitor. The act takes place on the chin
strap and seals the pair bond as it were. The male thereafter hurries to complete
the egg chamber and complete the nest for her occupation. As soon as she is
settled on the eggs he commences to build a second nest close by. This passes
through the same vicissitudes and a second female may be duly installed. The
male may ihen proceed to build a third nest, and in rare cases maybe a fourth
(once even a fifth observed). In this way a single male may have two or three,
and sometimes four, wives and families all more or less concurrently. For fuller
accounts of breeding biology, feeding habits and general behaviour see Ali, Shlim,
1931, JBNHS 34: 947-64; 1957, ibid. 54: 491-502; Ali, Shlim & Ambedkar, V.
C., 1956, ibid. 53: 381-9;Ambedkar, V. C., 1958, ibid. 55: 100-106; 1964, Some
Indian Weaver Birds, Bombay University; Crook, J. H., 1960, JBNHS 57: 1 4 4 ;
1963, ibid. 60: 1 4 8 ; Davis, T. A., 1966, Indian Statistical Inst., Calcutta, Tech.
Report No. Nut. 4/66: 1-28; Phillips, W.W. A., 1948, Ceylon Jour: Sci. 23(3):
175-180; Mathew, D. N., 1971, Ph.D. thesis Bombay University; Wood, Casey
A., 1926, The Auk 43: 295-302.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS. See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies. Post-nuptial
moult complete. A partial spring moult to breeding plumage.
MeASUREMENTs
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(HW, SA, BB)

Weight 7 d d 21-28 (av. 24.3); 10 9 9 18-25 (av. 21.3) @A.
COLOURS OF BAREPMTS.
Iris brown. Bill in breading male very dark horny, in others
96'
PLOCEINAE
horny brown with yellow on base and underside of lower mandible. Legs and feet horny
brown, paler in female; claws light horny.
Bayas are popular with bird fanciers and with itinerant enterMISCELLANEOUS.
tainers at country fairs etc. They readily learn to perform a variety of clever
tricks such as retrieving a ring thrown into a well before it touches water, threading
tiny beads with a needle, plucking and bringing back leaves from a chosen tree
to their master, and picking up the correct numbered card from among several
spread before them. Many of the tricks require much skill and seeming
intelligence, and the birds quite obviously enjoy performing them.
1958. Ploceus philippinus travancoreensis Whistler

Ploceus philippinur travancoreensis Whistler, 1936, J . Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 38: 504
(Kottayarn, Travancore)
LOCAL NAMES.AttakkurCvi
(Malayalam).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1957, q.v.
STATUS,
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABKAT. Common resident, subject to local movements. Southwestern India from about Goa (c. 16"N.) south through Kerala in
the coastal low country, locally up to c. 1000 m. Affects open country in the
neighbourhood of paddy cultivation.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING.
Season, mainly May to September during the SW. monsoon, but in
some years when there is a good autumnal northeast monsoon a recrudescence of
breeding activity takes place in October-November (Betts, JBNHS 50: 57). Season
much prolonged in the coastal backwaters area of Kerala where breeding colonies
have been found as early as February to April. Rice cultivation here is not wholly
dependent on the monsoon and two or three successive crops are raised annually,
providing an extension of the requisite conditions for the Baya's breeding. Nest,
eggs and breeding biology as in 1957 (q.v.).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from the nominate race (1957) in having the upper
plumage darker and browner. Breast and flanks have a more pronounced brown wash, the
shaft-streaks being more defined and broader at the base than in the nominate form.
Specimens of breeding males collected in Kerala suggest that in this race, as in bunnanicus
(1959), the normal breeding plumage is largely suppressed; further investigation is
necessary.
MEASClREMEKlS
Wing
dd
Q
70-75
73
Bill
(from skull)
18-20
20
Tarsus
2&2 1
20
Tail
4 1 4 8 mm
- mrn
(HW)
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS.Iris hazel brown. Bill horny brown, yellowish at chin and gape;
mouth pink. Legs, feet and claws brownish flesh.
W E A V E R BIRDS, B A Y A S
97
1959. Pbceus phikippinus burmanicus Ticehurst

Ploceus inforfunatus burmanicus licehurst, 1932, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 52: 105
(Akyab)

Plate 101, fig. 14
LOCAL
NAMES.
Tookra, Baya-sorai (Assam); Duo-tin-bhai (Cachar).
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1957 but male lacks yellow on breast and mantle.
DISTRIBUTION and HABKAT. Common resident, subject to local moveSTATUS,
ments. Eastern Nepal terai (Fleming & Traylor, 1968), Bhutan, eastern Bihar,
Bengal and east through Bangladesh and NE.India, in the plains and foothills up
to c. 900 m. Affects open country near cultivation.
Extralimital. Burma. The species extends to the Indochinese Peninsula and
Sumatra.
GENERAL HABITS,
Season, May to August. Nest and eggs, as in 1957. Average size of
BREEDING.
100 eggs 21.6 x 14.7 mrn (Baker).
SIZE.
Spmow-;
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from the nominate race (1957) in the total or almost
total absence of yellow on breast and no yellow on mantle. Throat variable; may be
whitish to almost as dark brown as in philippinus. It is also more richly and darker
coloured both above and below, and has a noticeably longer bill (Fleming & Traylor).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
72-78
70-76
Bill
(from skull)
18-20
17-19
Tail
49-53 nun
4 4 4 9 mm
(HW)
Weight 13 d d 27-32 (av. 29); 10 Q Q 24-29 (av. 27.1) g--SA. Cf. 1957.
c o m u ~ OF
s BARE PARTS. AS in 1957.
PLOCEUS
MEGARHYNCHUS Hume: FINN'SBAYA
Under tail-coverts white ......................................... P m. megarhynchus
Under tail-coverts yellow............................................... P m. sa'limalii
1960. Ploceus megarhynchus megarhynchus Hume
Ploceus megarhynchus Hume, 1869, Ibis: 356

(terai = Kaladoongi [sometimes Kaladhungi], below Naini Tal, U.P.)
Ploceus mtledgii Finn, 1899, Roc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal: 78
(Naini Tal)
Cf. Ali, Stilim & Crook, J. H., 1959, JBNHS 56: 457-83.
Plate 101, fig. 11
NAMES.
L
None recorded.
PLOCEINAE
98
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e (adult) breeding. Above, head and nape bright yellow
with contrasting dark brown ear-coverts. Back and upperparts dark brown, broadly
streaked. Rump yellow. Below, from chin to vent, including flanks, bright golden
yellow (richer and deeper than in the Baya). Beginnings of a dark brown pectoral
collar or broken breast-band on sides of neck. Brown breast-band in some examples
complete and well defined.
F i r s t-y e a r male in breeding season exactly like female. The latter can be
distinguished in the hand by smaller overall proportions, and slenderer bill and
tarsus.
F e m a l e (adult) breeding. Above, head and nape pale canary yellow, or
brownish heavily suffused with yellow. Rest of upperparts rich brown, streaked
darker. Below, pale canary yellow or yellowish- or fulvous white.
F e m a 1 e, like male, is seasonally dimorphic and acquires a distinct yellow
breeding dress, but which is less bright than male's.
In non-breeding plumage male and female are alike (without yellow) and
separable from Ploceus philippinus only by their somewhat larger size, darker
coloration and larger bill. Definite field identification, however, is not always
possible.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, very locally distributed. The
Kumaon terai below Naini Tal (cf. Ali & Crook, loc. cit., and Ambedkar, JBNHS
65: 596607). n o males (race not specified) found at nests at Okhla, Delhi, on
l.vi.1993 (C. Inskipp et al., OBC Bull. 18-67); it is not known if these were
escapees or this was a natural occurrence. Affects pure terai country in which
marshes and extensive stands of sarpat (Imperata arundinacea) and moonj
(Sacchrum spontaneum) are sparsely dotted with isolated trees, particularly
Salmalia malabarica, and occasionally interspersed with patches of rice or
sugarcane cultivation.
GENERAL HAB~TS.
Gregarious at all times, moving in flocks about the grassland.
Gleans in ploughed fields and along roadsides; roosts in tall grass and sugarcane
stands. Walks well on the ground but hops when moving fast. For study of
behaviour etc. see Crook, J. H., JBNHS 60: 1-48.
FOOD. Rice grains, hemp and other small seeds, and insects. Nestlings appear
to be fed mostly on insects.
VOICEand CALLS. Louder and harsher than that of F? philippinus. The following
calls have been noted: A harsh twit twit in flight (Ambedkar). A twittering call
given on take-off or alighting. A loud skeer skeer (or tseer tseer) mobbing call
while making flying feints on intruders. A high-pitched alarm-note. Male's song
may be rendered as: twit-twit-tit-t-t-t-t--trrrrrwheeze whee wee we. Occasionally
a high-pitched seep seep either follows the song or occurs during wing-beating
display. The birds often sing in chorus (Ali & Crook).
~~.xNG
Season,
.
very early in the rainy season, probably from the end of
May, continuing through August. Probably has two broods. Nest, built in colonies
in tree-tops about 9 or 10 metres from the ground early in the season, or in
marshy reed-beds (7jpha and Phragmites) later, after the rains have inundated
SIZE.
Sparrow-;
99
the depressions. Salmalia malabarica, Dalbergia sissoo, Butea monosperma and

~ a n ~ i f eindica
r a are the trees most commonly patronized. The birds ship off all
the Gives around the nests so that the upperpart of the canopy is normally
completely denuded and the colonies (clusters of nests) thus stand outprominently
against the sky, looking in the distance rather
/like the carton nests of wasps. Unlike those of
other Indian weavers, the nest is supported,
not suspended. It is a large globular structure,
untidily but firmly woven with long strips of
coarse grass, with entrance at one side near
the top. Often a porch-likd projection s m u n d s
the entrance. The structure is usually f m l y
knotted to upright twigs (or reed stems in the
case of reed-bed colonies) which are often
worked into the fabric and also support the
body of the nest from below. Many of the nests
form composite units, being linked together
by connecting walls or flanges of material, or
by long separate strands bound in firmly at
each end to different individual nests. Usually
these shapeless composite structures (2 or 4
nests) belong to a single male. For details on
x c. 'It,
reed-bed nests see Ambedkar, V. C., JBNHS
65: 596-607. Eggs, 2 or 3, white. Average size 20.9 x 15.2 mm (Ali & Crook).
Nests built by the males only but females may be observed ' titivating ' and
shaping very actively during their inspection visits to the colony. After egglaying, females may bring soft grass-heads or bulrush fluff to line the iliterior.
Breeding biology very similar to that of Baya, q.v. Male poly&ynous;sex ratio
estimated at 2 to 4 females to one male. Females first visit a colony when the
nests are at an early stage of construction. They arrive singly or in small groups.
The male responds by an elaborate wing-beating display, arching his back,
spreading his tail, while the females hop about among the nests, inspecting and
titivating. Some nests are approved and appropriated, others passed by. Incubation
by female alone; period 14-15 days. Both sexes feed the young but female more
active. Young fly in c. 15 days. Male spends much time near nest, singing and
driving off females other than his own. For details on breeding biology see Ali &
Crook, loc. cit., and Ambedkar, V. C., loc. cit.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
For distinction from s6limalii see 1960a under Museum
Diagnosis.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
?Q
69-80
66-74
Bill
(from skull)
22-23
21
Weight 3 d d 3440;7 9 O 3040 g (Ambedkar).
Tarsus
Tail
25
56-60 mrn
24
54 mm
(Ali & Crook. Ambedkar)
100
PLOCEINAE
cotou~sOF BARE PARTS. M a 1 e. Iris orange-brown. Bill blackish horn, paler at base.
Legs and feet brownish flesh.
F e m a 1 e and f i r s t-y e a r m a 1 e. Iris hazellorange-brown.Bill horny brown,
paler at base on chin. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
1960a. Ploceus megarhynchus sa'limcrlii Abdulali

Ploceus megarhynchus salimalii Abdulali, 1960, Jour. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 57: 660
(Bhutan Duars)
LOCAL NAMES.None
recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
STATUS,
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Resident, very locally distributed. Hasimara
in Jalpaiguri district, northern Bengal, near the Bhutan border (O'Donel, JBNHS
24: 821; Inglis, ibid. 26: 994--nest described; cf. also Abdulali, ibid. 51: 2 W
204); Agia near Goalpara in western Assarn (specimens obtained by Koelz fide
Abdulali, loc. cit.); Salt Lake near Calcutta-breeding (Saha, S. S., 1967, Pmc.
2001. Soc., Calcutta 20: 181-5). Affects grassland mixed with scrub and trees.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDMG.
AS in 1960.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Key to the Species. Differs from nominate megarhynchus
(1 960) as follows:
M a 1 e, yellow of forehead about 26 mm or less in extent, average 20 mm (M 26 to
29 mm, average 27 mm, in nominate); colour of head a purer yellow; rump shows less
yellow; under tail-coverts and sometimes lower belly white (v. yellow in nominate).
F e m a l e entirely yellow from chin to under tail-coverts (v. chin to upper belly in
nominate form).
MEASUREMEKlS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
dd
Q?
80-82
77-76
21-22
c. 20
23-26
23-24
57-59 TITI
c. 55 mm
(Abdulali)
cotou~sOF BARE PARTS.AS in 1960.
1961. Blackthroated Weaver Bird. Pbceus benghaknsis (Linnaeus)

h x i a benghalensis Limaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 175
(Benghala)
Plate 101, fig. 10
NAMFS.Sarbo baiya (Hindi); Shot btfya, Ka'nta'walti ba'ya (Bengali).

FIELD C H A R A ~M
R Sa .l e (breeding). Above, crown golden yellow, surrounded
LOCAL
101
by a black band or circlet. Rest of upperparts dark brown, except for throat, with
pale edges. Below, whitish with a broad dark brown band across breast.
F e m a l e. Above, dark brown with fulvous streaks on back. A distinct
supercilium, yellow in front, buff behind eye. Ear-coverts brown. A yellow patch
on each side of neck. Below, chin and upper throat pale yellow with a dark brown
malar streak. Breast buff with a variable amount of blackish brown. Rest of
underparts buff.
M a l e (non-breeding), similar to female but with more blackish brown on
breast.
Dark breast-band with whitish throat identifies the species. Females with buff
breast distinguished from female Baya by brown and yellow pattern on sides of
head.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. An endemic species. Resident, subject to
STATUS,
local movements; common but locally and capriciously distributed. Pakistan and
northern India from N.W.F.P. (Thal) east through Punjab (Kasur dist.), the Gangetic
Plain, Bangladesh,Assam and Manipur; also Sind (Larkana, Hyderabad, Shikarpur
Ploceus benghalensis
and Thatta), Rajasthan (JBNHS 83: 21&1 I), Kutch (vagrant), Gujarat (Deesa,
Baroda and Kaira districts), Andhra Pradesh (ibid. 82: 207), and Bhandup near
Bombay; one record from Bastar, south-eastern M.P. (SF 5: 4 1 0 and a scarce
resident in the western Nepal terai (Fleming et al., 1984; Inskipp. C. & T., 1991).
Breeds in the duns of Uttar Pradesh and in Sikkim up to 1200 m (Baker, Nidificalion 3: 7), otherwise essentially a bird of the terai and plains. Affects reed swamps
and grassy plains liable to monsoon flooding.
GENERAL HABITS.
More or less as of Baya (1957) q.v. Keeps in flocks outside
the breeding season.
PLOCEINAE
102
VOICE and CALLS.
Soft chit-chit calls given by birds flying into the colony. Song,
a soft. barely audible tsi tsi tsisik tsisik tsik tsik like the chirping of a cricket (or
' short, subdued squeaks as of an unoiled bicycle wheel '-SA)
given during
wing-beating display while male approaches female closely; also when sitting
solitarily within his territory. Its function appears to be courtship rather than
advertisement, although there may be some advertisement significance when the
male sings by himself (Crook). The typical song ends in a lower-pitched. more
buzzing zwee-e-e-h than is characteristic of F? rnanyar (Roberts, 1992).
BREEDING. Season, June to September, starting with the onset of the SW. monsoon. Nest, similar to Baya's (1957) but non-pensile, somewhat smaller, and
with a shorter entrance-tube-seldom as long as 25 or 30 cm. Built in groups of
twos and threes in a widely scattered colony among dense stands of grasses,
especially moonj or kans (Saccharum
spontaneum), bordering ponds, canals,
flooded ditches and borrow-pits, etc. in
low-lying swamy country. Some of the
growing stems are incorporated directly
into the flat ' dome ' or top of the structure
and support it in position. At the ' helmet '
stage of the construction a quantity of wet
mud or cowdung (in one case human
excreta-SA) is daubed thickly along the
edge of the helmet-analogous to the nape
portion-into which bright-coloured
scarlet or orange flowers or flower-petals
(Lantana, Lagerstmemia) are implanted.
Observations suggest that this is part of the
courtship rituals in the present species and
>. I-. ',',,,
P manyar which may exercise a direct
influence on the reactions of the visiting female. However, though frequent
enough, this does not appear to be a universal habit. A common form of display
consists of the male alighting a few centimetres from the female on a more or
less horizontal arching reed stem. bowing his head low so that his bluish bill
points groundwards and his golden crown-is presented at her, while he flaps his
outspread wings deliberately but unhurriedly and moves closer. (For details on
ecology, display, reproductive behaviour, etc., see Crook, J. H., JBNHS 60: 148; Ambedkar. V. C., ibid. 69: 268-82.)
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(SA)
Weight 8 d d 18-22 (av. 20); 8
9 9 18-2 1 (av. 19.5) g - 4 A .
WEAVER BIRDS, BAYAS
103
PARTS.Iris light brown to bright hazel. Bill pearly white or pale bluish
plumbeous. Legs and feet pale flesh or yellowish flesh.
COLOURS OF BARE
PLOCEUS
MANYAR (Horsfield): STREAKED
WEAVER
BIRD
Paler, less rufous above. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F! m. jlaviceps
Darker, more rufous above. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I?m. peguertsis
1962. Ploceus manyar flaviceps Lesson
Ploceus flaviceps Lesson, 183 1, Trait6 dlOm.: 435 (PondichCry)
Euplectes striatus Blyth, 1842, Jour. Asrat. Soc. Bengal 1 1 : 873 (Sind)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1013, 1014, Vol. 3: 73, 74
Plate 101, fig. 12
NAMES.Telia bdya (UP,);7ite-babui (Bengali);Bdm&i bcija (Hindi in Deccan);
Attakkuruvi, Kavatatta (Malayalam);Thukamin kuruvi, Manja kuruvi (Tamil in Sri Lanka);
Wadu kurulli (Sinhala).
SIZE.Sparrow-; length c. 15 cm ( 6 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a l e (breeding). Above, crown golden yellow. Sides of
head dark brown. Rest of upperparts dark brown streaked with fulvous. Below,
throat brown. Rest of underparts buff streaked with dark brown, especially on
breast.
F e m a l e and non-breeding male. Above, dark brown with fulvous streaks. A
conspicuous yellowish supercilium. Ear-coverts dark brown. A yellow patch on
sides of neck. Below, throat and belly whitish. Breast and flanks buff streaked
with dark brown. Confusingly like female benghalensis, but primrose yellow
supercilium continued as a loop round brownish ear-coverts into a short collar on
sides of neck usually diagonistic.
The boldly streaked breast identifies the species. Some lightly streaked nonbreeding .males very similar to the Baya but distinguished by yellow patch on
sides of neck.
STATUS,
DlsTRleunoN and HABITAT.
Resident, widespread but locally distributed;
common in suitable localities. Pakistan from Punjab and Sind, where more abudant
than P philippinus, east and south throughout the Indian Peninsula to Kerala and
Sri Lanka, east to eastern Bihar and Bengal.Affects flat, swampy and rain-flooded
land and riverbeds, especially bulrushes and reeds standing in water [while F?
benghalensis tends to occupy grassland (' seas of thatching grass ') and adjacent
flooded ground].
GENERAL HABITS.
Similar to those of the Baya. For details on behaviour, see
Crook, J. H., JBNHS 60: 1 4 8 .
FOOD.Grass- and weed-seeds and cereal grains (including rice), and insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Birds approaching the colony emit loud chirt chirt chirt calls
continually. Displaying males call tre tre cherrer cherrer repeatedly when
performing in unison with other males. song, a soft continuous trill see-see-seesee-see-see (usually repeated about six times) culminating in a joyous longdrawn
0-cheeee or o-wheeeet. Given by males individually (not in chorus) while perched
LOCAL
PLOCEINAE
104
Ploceus manyar
I f i v i c e p s ( 1962).
2 peguensis ( 1963).
3 extralim~talsubspecies.
on dome of nest or nearby, with neck fully upstretched and without any wingflapping. Of same pattern as the Baya's song but softer and more musical. A
different song-a pleasant more spirited jingle tililileekitee, tililileekitee . . .
given when a female is sighted in the vicinity of his half-built nest. The working
male flies excitedly from reed to reed in (or over) his territory with slow deliberate
(hovering) wing-flaps, legs dangling below, singing lustily in an obvious effort
to entice her. If she flies off he gives chase for a few metres in the same hovering
manner but soon loops back to his nest-the action reminiscent of a flycatcher's
sortie after a gnat. He continues to sing upon regaining his perch to the
accompaniment of vigorous wing-beating (SA).
B R E E D ~ G . Season, early July to September in the Peninsula; from February on
in Kerala; February to April and June to October in Sri Lanka. Nest, a rather
loosely woven structure of coarse grass strips like the Baya's, but smaller, rounder,
comparatively roughly finished, and without the pensile suspension or the
elongated entrance-tube (only occasionally up to 15 or 20 cm long). Attached
directly to tips of several inwardly arching flags of bulrush (cat-tail) or coarse
grass blades pulled in by the bird towards the ' wa.d ' or point of suspension of
the nest (something like the ribs of an open umbrella meeting at the centre) and
worked into its dome and walls. Individual nests usually dispersed 2 or 3 metres
apart over a wide area in small scattered colonies (v. clusters of 3 or 4 nests in
benghalensis) among beds of bulrushes (Qpha) and sarpat grass (Phragmites)
standing in water, the colonies often mixed with Blackthroated Weavers. Sometimes built at end of thin pliant branches of bushes and small trees overhanging
AVADAVAT, M U N I A S
105
streams or ponds. At the ' helmet ' stage of the construction the interior of the
nest (along the edge of the ' nape ' portion, above the egg-chamber to be) is
often plastered with blobs of wet mud or cowdung into which bright-coloured
flowers (e.g. Lantana and babool) or
petals are commonly impressed; cf.
Blackthroated Weaver (196 1). Eggs,
usually 3, sometimes 2 or 4, white.
Average size of 50 eggs 20.3 x
14.3 mm (Baker). Incubation mainly
by female, but male takes greater part
in this chore than do others of the
genus. Incubation period 14-1 7 days;
care of young by both sexes; young
fly in 17-18 days. As in the genus,
male polygynous, but occasional
monogyny has been observed, and
x c. '110
also promiscuity in both sexes (SA).
For other details on ecology, behaviour and breeding biology see Crook, J. H.,
JBNHS 60: 1 4 8 ; Ambedkar, V. C., ibid., 69 (2): 268-82; Phillips, W. W. A.
Ceylon Jour: Sci. 23: 178-80.
See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
d?
66-72
Bill
(from skull)
c. 18
Tail
Tarsus
2 1-22
4 1 4 4 mm
mm
(Baker, HW)
COLOURS OFBARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill brownish horn paler at commissures. Legs
and feet brownish pink; claws dusky.
1963. Ploceus nurnyar peguensis Baker

Ploceus manyar peguensis Baker, 1925, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 45: 58 (Pegu)
LOCAL NAMES.
SIZE.
Telia biya, E l c h t a (Bengali); Bawoyi (Rangpur).
Sparrow-;
and H A B ~ AResident,
T.
locally common. Eastern Bihar and
Bengal (where intergrading with flaviceps), east through NE. India and
Bangladesh. Affects reed swamps and tall grass.
Extralimital. Burma. Other subspecies in the Indochinese Peninsula, Java and
Bali.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING.
Season, May to September. Nests, eggs and breeding biology as in
1962. Average size of 100 eggs 20.6 x 14.9 mm (Baker).
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION
PLOCEINAE
106
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from fZaviceps (1962) in being darker, more richly
coloured. Edges of feathers on upperparts more rufous. Below, more fulvous and more
heavily streaked.
MEASUREMENTS and c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS.AS in 1962.
Subfamily E s T R I L D I N A E : Avadavat, Munias
For description see references under Ploceinae, p. 87.
Genus E s T R I L D A Swainson
Estrilda Swainson, 1827, Zool. Jour. 3: 349.
vpe,by original designation, Loxia astrild Linnaeus
Amandava Blyth, 1836, in White's Nat. Hist. S~lborne:44.
vpe,by tautonymy, Fringilla amandava Linnaeus
Stictospiza Sharpe, 1890, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 13: xii, 287.
Q p e by monotypy, Fringilla formosa Latham
Bill moderate or short; culmen slightly curved. W ~ n gmoderately rounded. First
primary (as.) minute, third and fourth longest.
Key to the Species
Upperparts olive.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. formosa

Upperparts brown or red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..E. amandava
1964. Red Munia or Avadavat. Estrilda amandava amandava (Linnaeus)

Fn'ngilla Amandova Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 180 (eastern India, restricted
to Calcutta, West Bengal, by Baker, 1921, JBNHS 27: 725. Whistler & Kinnear, 1933,
JBNHS 36: 837, designate northern Gujarat, apparently unaware of the earlier restriction)
Plate 99, fig. 9
Ldl or Liil m i h h (Hindi, Bengali); Torra-jinuwayi (Telugu).

SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a I e (breeding). Above, brown to crimson. Wings dark
brown with a few small white spots. Tail dark brown finely tipped with whitish.
Below, cnmson, flanks spotted with white; lower belly dark brown.
F e m a I e. Above, brown, a few white spots on wing. Lores black. Upper tailcoverts crimson spotted with white. Below, throat and breast greyish buff; belly
saffron-yellow.
M a l e (non-breeding) like female but throat and breast greyer. Young male
like female but belly buff.
ATUS US, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, fairly common but locally distributed. Pakistan (Peshawar, Thal, Quetta, Thatta dist.) eastwards throughout the
Indian Peninsi~la,south to Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and Wynaad, Kerala (V.J.
Zacharias & A. J. Gaston, 1993. Forktail 8: 22) and east through Bangladesh and
NE.India to Burma. In Jammu and Garhwal (Dehra Dun) occurs only at the base
of the hills. In Nepal found in the terai and duns (Fleming & Traylor, 1968); in
NE.India up to c. 1200 m. In the hills of southern India up to 1800 m. locally to
LOCAL NAMES.
107
2100 m. Has a preference for swampy grassland and sugarcane fields. Affects
reeds and tall grass near marshes, jheels and canals, mixed grass and dwarf
Zizyphus or tamarisk scrub near cultivation, etc.; in NE.India also villages, gardens
and cultivation.
Extralimital. The species extends to Yunnan, the Indochinese countries, and
the Lesser Sunda islands. Introduced in Sumatra, Singapore, Manila, Mauritius
and RCunion islands.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks up to 30 birds, often with other
munias, feeding on grass heads or on the ground and roosting communally in
reed-beds and sugarcane fields.
FOOD. Chiefly grass seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. A series of high-pitched chirps uttered in flight (Fleming)
and a ' husky squeak '. Call a shrill thin pseep (Lekagul & Round, Birds of
Thailand, p. 389). Song, a high-pitched but soft continuous twittering, interspersed
with fluting phrases alternatively on rising and falling scale (Roberts), given by
male from the tip of reed stalks; sometimes also in flight.
BREEDING. Season, in Assam mostly June to August, in northern India mostly
July to October, in Pakistan mostly after the rains, September to December. Nests
have also been found in May, January and February. Nest, a ball of grass with
lateral entrance-hole-sometimes in the fonn of a short tube of flowering grasses.
Lined with finer grass, floss from bulrush heads, etc. and occasionally a few
feathers. Placed low down in a thorny bush often near ponds, streams and canals,
occasionally in rushes standing in Water. Eggs, 6 to 10, white. Average size of
100 eggs 14.4 x 11.2 mm (Baker). Building of nest by both sexes, the male often
adding to the nest while the female is incubating.
ESTRILDINAE
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. A complete .moult to breeding plumage in
May-July. Postjuvenal moult complete, about April.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
9-1 1
12-13
3 5 4 0 mm
34-39 rnrn
(HW, SA)
hazel brown or brownish orange. Bill blackish brown in

very young birds, changing to reddish brown; in adults or nearly grown birds bright
coral-red, blackish on culmen; mouth in immature bird pale yellow with tiny slate coloured
spots. Legs and feet brownish flesh or pinkish flesh colour; claws brown.
Miscellaneous. The Avadavat is a favourite cage bird, widely exported.
Numbers appear to have declined drastically in Pakistan as a result of the aviary
trade (Roberts). Its name is believed to be a corruption of Ahmedabad (now the
capital of Gujarat State), whence more than 200 years ago examples were brought
to the English factory in Surat (JBNHS 36: 837).
1965. Green Munia. Estri&iz formosa (Latharn)
Fringilla formosa Latham, 1790, Index Om. 1: 441 (India)
Plate 99, fig. 13
LOCAL NAMES.
Hciri lal, Hciri miinia (Hindi); Lili miinia (Gujarati).

FIELD C H A R A ~ RM
S .a l e. Above, olive-green. Tail blackish brown. Below,
throat pale yellow; breast, centre of belly and under tailcoverts bright yellow. Flanks barred with olive-brown
and white.
F e m a l e similar to male but browner above, duller
and paler below, flanks with fewer and obsolete bars.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. An endemic species.
Resident, very locally and unevenly distributed; on the
whole rather scarce. Mainly central India from Mt Abu,
Gwalior, Jhansi, Surguja south to Mahableshwar, Utnur
(Adilabad dist., ~ n d h r a and
) Vishakhapatnam Hills and
7.~11,; C. I
the E. Ghats. Also recorded in 1880s from Lucknow
(Reid, SF 10: 56), in 1910 from Lahore (Currie, JBNHS 24: 566 and 594) although
Pakistan records may pertain to escaped cage birds (Roberts, 1992, p. 503) and
in 1978 from Delhi (Gaston & Mackrel, JBNHS 77: 144); specimens from ' Bihar '
(Hodgson) in the British Museum. Affects grass and low bushes, tall grassland,
sugarcane fields, and boulder-strewn scrub jungle.
GENERAL HABITS. Feeds on the ground and flies up into grass and low bushes
when disturbed. In the non-breeding season callects in closely knit flocks of up
to 30 or 5 0 birds.
VOICE and CALLS. Keeps up a distinctive conversational swee swee . . . reminiscent of the squeaks of Tudoides subrufus (1 259) only much feebler. Also feeble
cheeps like Red Munia's (SA). Song, louder cheep or chirp notes, often ending
=m
with a long trill.
AVADAVAT. M U N I A S
109
Estrildo formosa
F l
Isolated pockets
BREEDING. Season: breeding recorded in May and January. Nest, a large globular
structure made exteriorly of coarse grass, lined with finer grass, and attached to
sugarcane leaves. Breeds in small colonies. Eggs, 5 or 6, white. Average size of
16 eggs 17.2 x 1 1.9 mm (Baker).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
Iris brown. Bill red. Legs and feet slaty brown to fleshy brown.
Genus L o N c H u R A Sykes
Lonchura Sykes, 1832, Roc. Zool. Soc. London: 94.
Qpe, by original designation, Fringilla nisoria Temrninck = Loxia punctulata
Linnaeus
Munia Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 153.
>pe, by original designation, M. Rubmniger Hodgson = b n ' a atricapilla Vieillot
Umloncha Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1 : 173, new name for Lonchura Sykes
Wing rather pointed. Tail short or moderate. Bill stout, swollen at base. Legs rather
s h o r t , toes long.
ESTRILDINAE
Key to the Species

Page
A
1
2
B
3
4
Rump white
Throat brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.
. striata
Throat buff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.
. malabarica
Rump not white
Crown black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.
. malacca
Crown brown
a Centre of belly creamy white.. ............... .L punctulata
b Centre of belly spotted.. ...................... .L kelaurti
112
110
122
119
116
1966. Whitethroated Munia. Lonchura maltrbarica malabarica
(Linnaeus)
Loxia malabarica Li~aeus,1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 175 (India)
Plate 99, fig. 17
Pcivai mbia (Gujarati);Chhhdra,
Chtirgd, ChtiraW, Piddi (Hindi);
Pidiiri, Sar mbia (Bengali); 7inuwayi (Telugu); Vayalatta (Malayalam); Nelll-klriivi
(Tamil in Sri Lanka); Wee-kurulla (Sinhala).
~ E L D
C H A R A ~ R S . A plain earthy brown thick-billed little bird with a pointed
blackish tail, whitish underparts and a white rump. Above, brown. Rump white;
wings and tail dark brown, the latter pointed. Below, creamy white; flanks brownish
buff. Sexes alike.
STATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Common and widespread resident. Pakistan
from Chitral, Baluchistan and Karachi east and south throughout India to
Bangladesh (Dacca); also Sri Lanka in the low-country Dry zone. In Chitral
(where it is a summer visitor), in Punjab and at Mussooree occurs up toc. 1200 m;
in Nepal throughout the terai; in India restricted to the low country up to 600 m.
Affects cultivation, grassland, babool jungle, sparsely scrubbed country and light
secondary jungle. Prefers drier country than other munias.
Extralimital. Ranges west to southern Arabia. Other subspecies in Africa south
to Tanzania.
GENERAL HABITS.
Those of the genus. Usually in flocks, up to 60 birds. Feeds
on the ground, often by hedges and along cross-country cart tracks. Drinks by
rapid 'sip and swallow ' action at the rate of about two per second. Roosts in
family parties oi 5 or 6 huddled together in old nests.
FOOD. Seeds of grass such as Pennisetum, sorghum, Saccharurn, sedges, etc.;
also ants, beetles and other small insects. Occasionally flower-nectar (ErythrinuP
SA.
VOICE and CALLS. ' A twittering cheeping, a plaintive little whistle, a sharp
chip and a triple chirp ' (Nichols). Song, a rambling, twittering series of cheep or
chirp notes.
LOCAL NAMES.
111
Distributional range.
BREEDING. Season,
chiefly July to December in Punjab, January to March in

central India, September to November about Hyderabad, December to May in
Kerala, December to March in Sri Lanka. Nest, an untidy ball of grass with a
lateral entrance-hole distinctively fringed, like a short tube, with feathery flowering
grasses and woven from inside by female with stems brought by male. Similar to
nest of Striated Munia but with fine twigs on the exterior; often lined with a
variety of feathers (egret, parakeet, roller, etc.) and in cotton-growing areas with
cotton wool filched from the fields. In one case many bits of newspaper were
used on the outside. Nest placed in some thorny bush (Zizyphus,Acacia, Capparis,
Euphorbia, etc.) usually about two or three metres above the ground. Nests have
frequently been found within the pile of sticks forming the nest of a vulture or
eagle, even an occupied one, and in the thatch of houses. Disused Baya nests are
often appropriated; the birds may often be seen haunting Baya nest-colonies
even while the legitimate owners are still in occupation, entering the hanging
tubes as opportunity offers. Although the munia's eggs have never been found in
occupied Baya nests, it has been suggested that this behaviour may show how
parasitism originated among some of the African Ploceinae. On one occasion,
however, munias' eggs were found in a House Sparrow's nest in addition to the
sparrow's own. Eggs, 4 to 8, white; as many as 25 have been found in a single
nest, the product of several females. Average size of 100 eggs 15.7 x 11.7 mm
(Baker). Incubation probably by both sexes; both owners occupy the nest at night
while incubating or brooding. Self-built as well as appropriated Baya nests are
habitually used as dormitories when breeding is over.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. Young like adult but upper tail-coverts
and rump mottled with brown; central rectrices not elongated.
112
ESTRILDINAE
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Tarsus
Bill
(from skull)
Tail
(HW, SA)
Weight 13 d 9 10-14 (av. 12) g-SA.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brownish black. Bill slaty blue or greyish black. Legs,
feet and claws pale brownish or greyish pink.
LONCHURA
~ I A
T A
(Linnaeus):
W H ~ B A C KMUNIA
ED

A Abdomen streaked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L.
. s. acuticauda
B Abdomen not streaked

1 Upperparts distinctly streaked, breast without pale fringes L s. striata
2 Upperparts unstreaked or very faintly so
a Breast-feathers with pale fringes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. s. semistriata
b Breast-feathers with only an indidation of pale fringes . .Ls. fwnigata
Page
112
113
115
115
1967. Lonchura striata acuticaudtr (Hodgson)

M. (unia)Acuticauda Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 153 (Nepal)
LOCAL NAMES. ShaXaji mlnia, Kltis (Hindi, Bengali); Samprek-pho (Lepcha);
Namprrk (Bhutanese); Duo-mwi (Cachari).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1968 but belly greyish white, finely streaked.
Resident, subject to seasonal movement; unSTATUS,
common except in Assam where locally abundant. The Himalayan foothills from
Garhwal east through Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, Bhutan,
Amnachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Bangladesh. From the base
of the hills up to c. 1500 m, locally 1800 m (Sikkim), 2100 m (Nepal); in Assam
most numerous between 400 and 1 0 0 m. Recorded breeding in the 24-Parganas,
Bengal (Chattopadhaya, JBNHS 77: 337-8). A summer visitor to the Pokhara
and Kathmandu valleys in Nepal. Occurs to c. 1200 m in winter. Affects open
country, light scrub-jungle and secondary growth.
Extralimital. Ranges east to Burma and northernThailand. The species ektends
through the Indochinese countries and southern China toTaiwan, south to Sumatra.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. As in 1968. Call a tinkling metallic prrrit
(Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 389).
BREEDING. Season, chiefly from mid May to end August, but eggs may be
found in almost every month. Nest and eggs as in 1968. Nest often placed close
to the nest of the tree-ant (Crematoguster mgenhoferi). For details see Nidification
3: 19. Average size of 100 eggs 15.3 x 10.9 mm (Baker).
Lonchura striafa
2 striata (1968).
1 acuticauh (1967).
r---~
L---I
3 fimigata
(1969),
4 sernistriata (1970).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from striata (1968) in having the belly finely streaked.
For details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
Bill
(from skull)
49-55
Tarsus
14-15
51-54
Tail
3 8 4 6 mm
c. 40 mm
(SA, BB)
Weight 1 d I2 g (SDR).
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris reddish brown. Bill: upper mandible black, lower bluish
grey. Legs and feet dark grey.
1968. Lonchura stria& stricrta
(Linnaeus)
Loxio striota Limaeus, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1: 306
(Isle of Bourbon, ermre = Ceylon)
Lonchura striata estriata Koelz, 1939, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 52: 73
(Jagalbed, Bombay Presidency)
Plate 99, fig. 19
NAMES. Attok&irWpo"n (Malayalam); Nellii kiiriivi, 'linayan, 7inai-kiiriivi(Tamil
in Sri Lanka); Wee-kutulla (Sinhala).
LWAL
am @mw-; l~ngthC. 10 crn (4 inJ.

Fdh;) ~ - ' " . ' '
I
~ghdZ*~S-rf;i;
bill and pdnted
]Tail, x c. 1
-31-SB-f
fields, etc.
FWD. Seeds of glarr,baanboa, etc. 'Insectsam fed to a dIngs. lkep@
feeding
tihie
w*~
4RmPm)ir
I
VOICEand CALLS. A quiet WWng varying in pkWi did modulation, given in
groups. A plaintive psap@cdl.
befound in d m ~ ~ t
rwsnsra. #amtm, m d y M s g obaPm&bt
*;on* .&
C
w m h w Nm&Fiwt
WW
in-bat;
in the d a o n~ ~ u p ka ~&
byb b ,bWl'Dda&
efbsP the -.
Nest, a
0s h b bvw, bed with
,m
wd
t h s o n ~ ~ ~ a r r h a a
outer hvlrgl,Bst#rerr&tmtlCBBdxm
3 to 8, most often 3, w h l A
~v(Baker). 'Rao krsarlsr
hj~
i$ fb
488
1%3 x 10.7
s b of lQ0
.* a d it is common to ad two
. .
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Tarsus
Bill
Tail
(from skull)
(SA, HW, Koelz)

Weight 1 0 d 9 9.5-13 (av. 12.3) g-4A; 2 d d 12 (2). lo? 10 g--SDR.
comu~sOF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill: upper mandible horny black, lower bluish
grey; mouth pinkish grey. Legs, feet and claws slate or slaty brown.
1969. b n c h u m striuta firmigcrtrz

(Walden)
Muniafumigata Walden, 1873, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 12: 488
(South Andamans)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1968, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident on South and Middle
Andarnans. Affects open country, gardens and edges of forest.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and vora. As in 1968.
BREEDING. Season, February, June and July as recorded heretofore. Nest and
eggs as in 1968.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from striata (1968) in having no streaks on upper plumage
and in having the throat paler with indications of pale edgings at the sides.
LWAL NAMES.
MEASUREMENTS
d?
Wing
48-5 1
Tarsus
13-14
Tail
4245 mm
(Baker)
comu~sOF BARB PARTS.AS in 1968.
1970. Lonchum slricrh semistriata

(Hume)
Munia semistriata Hume, 1874, Stray Feathers 2: 257 (Nicobars)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
F I E L D C H A R A ~ . AS in 1968, q.v.
STATUS,
D I S ~ V T I O Nand HABITAT. Common resident on Central Nicobars and
Car Nicobar. Affects open grassland.
GENERAL HABITS,
BRmINo. Unrecorded.
LOCAL NAMES.
116
ESTRILDINAE
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Similar to striata (1968) but streaks on upperparts fainter and
breast-feathers with pale edges. Pale-tipped feathers of breast similar to immature of
Andaman race.
MEASUREMm
d?
W~ng
Tarsus
48-5 1
13-14
Tail
38-40 mm
(Baker)
LONCHURA
K E L A A R ~(Jerdon): RUFOUSBELLIED
MUNIA
Rump spotted with white.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. k kelaarti
Rump not spotted.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. k. jerdoni
1971, 1972. Lonchum keltrcuti jerdoni
(Hume)
Munio Jerdoni Hume, 1873, Nests and Eggs Indian Birds 2: 448
WYnaad)
Umloncha kelaarti vernayi Whistler & Kinnear, 1933,
Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 36: 835 (Sankrametta [Eastern Ghats])'
Plate 99, fig. 15
LOCAL NAMES.
Tottakaran (Malayalam).
FIELDCHARACTERS.
Above, forehead, wings and tail dark chocolate-brown. Back
brown with pale shaft-streaks; rump dark chocolate-brown; upper tail-coverts
fulvous. Below, cheeks, throat and breast blackish brown. Rest of underparts
pinlush brown. Sexes alike.
~ OHAB~AT.
N
Fairly common resident, subject to local
STATUS,D I S ~ ~ and
movements. Eastern Ghats in the Vishakhapatnam district (Andhra Pradesh).
The hills of southwestern .India from Coorg and southern Karnataka
(Biligirirangans) south through Kerala and western Tamil Nadu to the Ashambu
Hills. In the north possibly as far as Be!gaum (SF 9: 415). Occurs from the
foothills up to 2100 m. (A summer visitor at higher levels in the Nilgiris.)Affe~ts
scrub, grassland, fallow fields in forest clearings, neighbourhood of settlements
and cultivation. Prefers higher and wetter country than L. striata; does not occur
in the dry scrub zone.
GENERAL H A B ~ Those
.
of the genus. Frequently consorts in mixed flocks with
L. striata.
FOOD. Mainly grass- and weed-seeds, and rice.
VOICE and CALLS.
A high-pitched nasal squeak. Calls, a high-pitched nasal tW
and typical Lonchura chirps. Song, a very soft five-note series.
' Described from three specimens of jerdoni
in immature plumage,
117
jerdoni (1971).
kelaarti (1973).
BREEDING.Season, April to August. Nest, indistinguishable from that of L.striata

and built in similar situations; also placed in the eaves of thatched houses, or in
recesses or large cavities in tree-trunks. Eggs, 6 to 8, white. Average size of 36
eggs 16 x 11.5 mm (Baker). Nests are apparently sometimes built for roosting
purposes as groups of eight to ten birds have been flushed out of nests which
showed no sign of having been used for breeding. For further details see 1973.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS. Adult summer plumage differs from keluurti as follows: rump
similar to back, upper tail-coverts less black, more approaching the colour of rump, the
markings pinkish and nearly obsolete. Underparts below black gular patch pinkish buff
with pale shaft-streaks, the markings confined to a small area on the vent; under tailcoverts with pinkish buff shaft-streaks.
Immature plumage differs from corresponding stage of kelaarti in that the

chin and throat lack the black and white spangles and resemble the remainder of
the lower plumage, which lacks the dark broken cross-barring of kelaarti.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW.SA)
Weight 15 d 9 9.5-17 (av. 14.1) g - 4 A . 2 dd 13, 14 g--SDR.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill dark horny brown, bluish at chin and base of
lower mandible; mouth slate with pale yellow crescent and patches on palate. Legs and
feet greenish plumbeous; claws horny brown.
118
ESTRILDINAE
1973. Lonchura kelacrrti kelaarti (Jerdon)

M. (unia) Kelaarti ' Blyth ' = Jerdon ex Blyth MS., 1863, Bds. India 2: 356 (Ceylon)
Plate 99, fig. 16
L ~ A NAMES.
L
Wee kPnilla (Sinhala); Nellu kPrPvi (Tamil in Sri Lanka).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD CHARACTERS. Above, forehead, wings and tail blackish brown. Back brown
with pale shaft-streaks. Rump dark brown with white spots. Below, throat and
upper breast blackish brown. Sides of breast and neck pinkish fawn. Rest of
underparts spangled white and dark brown. Sexes alike.
Y o u n g. Above, dark brown without shaft-streaks. Below, throat finely barred
white and dark brown. Rest of underparts rufous brown spotted with buff.
STATUS, DISTRIBU~ONand H A B ~ A T . Common resident. Sri Lanka in the hills from
c. 600 m to over 2100 m, occasionally down to c. 200 m in the Wet zone. Affects
tea plantations, gardens, forest, and grass and lantana scrub.
GENERAL HABITS.
Usually in pairs or small family parties, travelling about more
than other munias, often flying at considerable heights. Often seen in company
with L striata or L punctulata.
FOOD. Grass- and weed-seeds and grain.
VOICE and CALLS. ' The call-note is the usual munia type of reedy chirp, but a
funny little song of five notes is uttered at times ' audible only at short range
(Henry).
BREEDING. Seaon, starts in February as soon as the northeast monsoon slackens,
reaches its peak in April and May; by June most young have flown. Nestbuilding recommences early in August after the winds and rains of the southwest
monsoon have abated; peak of autumn breeding is in September. But nests have
been found every month. Nest, a spherical or elliptical ball of green moss,
maidenhair fern, fine grass or other material; often smaller, more compact and
better finished than that of either the Spotted or the Whitebacked Munia. Placed
in saplings, bushes, clumps of Loranthus, occasionally in large holes or recesses
in trunks of dead or semi-decayed trees; generally between two and five metres
above the ground, sometimes lower or as high as 18 metres. Eggs, 3 to 7, usually
5, white. Average size of 60 eggs 15.8 x 11.3 mm (Baker). Both birds build the
nest, often one sits in the nest, receiving the materials and placing them in position
while the other, generally the male, collects and brings them in with great rapidity.
Building takes about six days. Incubation by both sexes; period 16 days from
laying of last egg. Care of nestlings by both parents. Young leave nest between
the 15th and 17th day after hatching; thereafter, the whole family return to the
nest for several weeks to roost at night (Phillips, Ceylon Jour: Sci. 23: 1846).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Subspecies and Field Characters.
MEASUREMENT3
Wing
dd
??
5458)
5 4 58
Bill
(from skull)
c.14
Tarsus
c. 14
Tail
3 8 4 2 mm
3642
(SDR. HW)
Weight I
d I2 g (SDR).
119
Adult. Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible black, lower dark
grey, bluish grey or grey, silvery grey at base. Legs and feet dull plumbeous, dark grey or
olivaceous slate. Young. Bill black; gape yellow. Legs and feet yellowish grey-brown.
LONCHURA
P U N ~ L A T A(Linnaeus) S m m MUNU
~
Under tail-coverts fulvous ........................ L p. punctulata
Under taildcoverts almost white ...................Lp. subundulata
1974. Lonchum p u n c t u k punctuloto (Linnaeus)

Loxia punctulatu Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 173
(Asia = Calcutta)
M. (unia) Lirreoventer Hodgson, 183'6, Asiat. Res. 19: 154 (Nepal)
Plate 99, fig. 14
Tilii miiniti, Seendbdz (Hindi);Siniwciz (Bihar Mirshikars); 7iley m h i i
LOCAL NAMES.
(Bengali);Kakkara jinuwayi (Telugu);Chuttititta (Malayalam);Nellu-kinivi, Tinna-k&-vi
(Tamil in Sri Lanka); Wee-kiinilli (Sinhala).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELDCHARACIERS.
Adult (breeding). Above, chocolate-brown with faint pale
shaft-streaks. Upper tail-coverts and tail tawny-olive (or golden fulvous); rump
barred with white. Below, sides of head, neck and lower throat chestnut, chin and
throat much darker. Breast and flanks speckled black and white; belly white.
Sexes alike.
J u v e n i l e s (or first winter birds). Plain brown above, fulvous below,
unspeckled.
DISTRIBCTTIONand HABITAT. Common and widespread resident, but in
STATUS,
Pakistan confined to a narrow foothill zone and adjacent plains from Swat in the
west to Lahore (Roberts, 1992). The whole of India east of a line roughly
Madhupur-Ludhiana-Sambar Lake-Mt Abu-southern Kathiawar (Gir,
Dharmakumarsinhji, Birds of Saurashtra), eastwards along the lower Himalayas
to Bhutan and Bangladesh (where intergrading with subundulata), and south to
Kanyakumari and Sri Lanka. In the Himalayas occurs generally up to c. 1800 m,
occasionally higher (2400 m in Simla, 2300 m in Bhutan); common all year in
Nepal Valley. Tbo records from Kashmir (Holmes & P m , JBNHS 85: 472; Akhtar,
A. et al., ibid. 89: 129). In southern India does not usually ascend the hills (Sglim
Ali, JBNHS 38: 508) but in the Nilgiris occurs up to c. 2100 m from June to
October, leaving the higher levels in the cold weather. In Sri Lanka occurs up to
c. 1500 m. Affects open country with scrub and trees, bush-clad hillsides,
secondary jungle with patches of grassland, gardens and cultivation.
GENERAL HABITS.
Those of the genus. In the non-breeding season usually in
flocks, sometimes up to 100 birds or more. Feeds on the ground or the stems of
rice or grass; when disturbed flies up into trees or bushes uttering feeble twittering
chimps. The flocks fly in loose undulating rabbles. Large congregations roost in
lantana thickets, sugarcane fields, etc. in company with other munias and weaver
birds.
120
ESTRILDINAE
Grass seeds, rice, lantana berries, etc.

VOICE and CAU.
Call-notes rendered as a petulant kitty-kitty-kitty and a short,
rather husky whistle. Song, ' a remarkable performance: raising its head-feathers
and standing very erect, it [the male] pours out its soul in ecstatic melody, with
quivering throat and oscillating beak; but, to human ears at least, not a sound is
audible! ' (Henry).
BREEDING. Searon, chiefly during the monsoon, May to September, beginning
earlier in the south; odd nests may be found in any month. In the hills of Sri
Lanka breeds in January-February until May with a peak period in March, and
from July to December with a peak in October-November. In the Dry zone nesting
very irregular: mostly April-May and again October to January. Several broods
are reared (Phillips). E:est, globular, with a lateral entrance-hole; rather large for
the size of the bird, made mostly of coarse gras; and lined with finer grass and
feathers. Generally placed in thorny bushes or saplings between two and five
metres above the ground; in certain areas commonly among the bases of palmyra
(Borassus) fronds up to maybe 20 metres. Creepers growing on the trellis-work
of verandas of upcountry bungalows is a favourite site. Eggs 4 to 10, usually 5 to
7 (in Sri Lanka normally 5), white. Average size of 100 eggs 16.4 x 11.6 mm
(Baker). Building of nest by both sexes. Both birds incubate and roost in the nest
at night; incubation period about 16 days. Care of young by both parents. For
details of breeding see Phillips, 1948, Ceylon Jour: Sci. 23: 188-90.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies. In the cold
weather juveniles predominate and most birds are in plain brown dress. Moult into spcclded
FOOD.
121
plumage commences about March. By July-August, when the breeding season is at its
peak, the majority of adults have attained the chestnut and speckled phase. Postjuvenal
moult complete.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(BB. HW, SA. Koelz)

Weight 13 d 9 12-15 (av. 13.6) g-SA. 3 d d (Sept.-Oct.) 14-14.3 g (GD, SDR).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Adult. Iris orange-brown or reddish brown. Bill slaty-black;
mouth slaty with prominent cream-coloured crescent on palate. Legs, feet and claws
slaty. I m m a t u re. Iris brown. Bill horny brown, paler on lower mandible; gape pale
yellow; mouth pale yellow with slate-coloured crescent on palate. Legs and feet bluish
grey; claws duskier.
1975. Lonchura punctuhta subunduhta

(Godwin-Austen)
Munia subwdulata Godwin-Austen, 1872, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 48

(Munipur Valley)
Lonchura punctulata catervaria Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst.
Regional Exploration, No. 1: 19 (Mawphlang, Khasi Hills)
LOCAL NAMES.
Sha'bz minii (Bengali).
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident. NE.India and Bangladesh
(intergrading with punctulata in western Bhutan) in the plains and hills up to
c. 1800 m. Habitat as in 1974.
Extralimital. Burma. The species extends through southern China to Taiwan,
the Philippines, Celebes and Sunda Islands. Introduced in Australia, Mauritius,
Rtunion. Seychelles, and Kauai (Hawaii).
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. As in 1974. Call a piping ki-dee (Lekagul &
Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 389).
BREEDING.
Season, chiefly May to September. Nest and eggs, as in 1974.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Lake punctulata (1974) but rump more olive-grey, less barred;
upper tail-coverts not so bright, more olive. Upperparts browner, not so rufous. White on
underparts less pure so that scalloping is less well defined. Under tail-coverts often more
mottled.
M E A S U R E M ~ ~and
S c o ~ o u OF
Weight 1 d,2 9 Q 12-1 3 g (SDR). 1 d (Nov.) 14 g - 4 A .
SIZE.
Sparrow-;
ESTRILDINAE
LONCHURA
MALACCA (Linnaeus): BLACKHEADED
MUNIA
Upper belly and sides white.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. m. malacca
A
Upper belly and sides chestnut
B
1
Upper tail-coverts golden yellow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. m. atricapilla
2
Upper tail-coverts maroon.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. m. rubroniger
Page
1 24
123
122
1976. Lonchura malacca rubroniger (Hodgson)

M. (unia) Rubroniger Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 153 (Nepal)
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1977,q.v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, locally distributed. The Himalayan
duns and terai, and plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from about Jagadhri
SIZE.
Sparrow-;
Lonchura malacca
m]1 d m n i g e r (1976).
3 molucca (1978).
2 arn'capilh (1 977),
4 Extralimital subspecies.
(c. 30N.,77"E.,Ambala dist.) east to eastern Nepal, south to Lucknow and

Patna. In Nepal up to the Kathmandu Valley. Affects cultivation, tall grass and
swampy ground.
GENERAL HABTTS, FOOD and VOICE. AS in 1978.
123
BREEDmG. Season, July to September. Nest and eggs, undescribed; doubtless

as in 1978.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Subspecies. Differs from atricapilla (1977) in
having the upper tail-coverts and edges of rectrices rich maroon, differing little on the
rump, whereas in atricapilla these feathers are golden yellow to orange; rectrices deep
reddish brown; upperparts slightly paler. Does not differ from atricapilla in wing-length
or colour of underparts. (Cf. Parkes, K. C., 1958, Proc. U.S.Nut. Mus. 108: 279-93.)
MEASUREMENTS
and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 1977.
1977. Lonchura mahcca atricapilh
'
(Vieillot)
Loxia arricapilla Vieillot, 1807, Hist. nat. ois. chanteurs: 84, pl. 53
(' Les Grandes-Indes ', restricted to Lower Bengal by Robinson & Kloss, 1924,
Jour. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam 5: 362)

Baker, FBI No. 1020 (part), Vol. 3: 8 1
Plate 99, fig. 11
NAMES. Nah71iur (Benagli); Ushuk (Manipur).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . Above, head black; rest of upperparts rufous-chestnut, rump
darker chestnut. Below, throat and breast black. Upper belly and sides chestnut;
LOCAL
centre of belly and under tail-coverts black. Sexes alike.

DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, locally common. Assam, Manipur
STATUS,
and Bangladesh west to eastern Nepal, intergrading here with rubroniger (cf.
Fleming & Traylor, 1964: 551 and 1968: 188), eastern and southern Bihar
(Lohardaga-Ball, SF 7: 222) and northern Orissa (Sambalpur-Hume collection). Affects cultivation, swamps and grass fields.
Extralimital. Extends to northwestern Yunnan. The species ranges east through
southern China to Taiwan and the Philippines, and south through Indonesia.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING. Season, May to November, mostly June to September. Nest and
eggs, as in 1978. Average size of 60 eggs 16.3 x 11.5 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from rubroniger (1976), in having the upper tail-coverts
and rump golden yellow to orange, and from malacca (1978) in having the upper belly
and flanks chestnut (v. white).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d 9 53-59 mm (Baker).

c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill pale bluish plumbeous. Legs and feet
darker plumbeous.
' The species and races of the Blackheaded Munia, namely ssp? in Delhi Ridge in 1972
(Gaston, JBNHS 75: 124). M. m. mulacca in Durgapur in 1970 (Gauntlett, ibid. 82: 534) and
Jasdan in Gujarat in 1983 (Shivrajkumar, ibid. 82: 208) are believed to refer to escapees of
caged birds.
1 24
ESTRILDINAE
1978. Lonchura malacca malacca (Linnaeus)
Loxia malacca Linnaeus, 1766, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1: 302

and Malacca ' errore = Belgaurn, restricted by Baker, 1926, Fauna Brit.
India 3: 78)
Munia malacca orientalis Baker, 1925, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 45: 58 (Madras)
Lonchura ferruginosa bakeri Delacour. 1943, Zoologica (New York) 28: 84. New name
for Munia malacca orientalis Baker, 1925, preoccupied by Lonchura malabarica
orientalis (Lorenz & Hellrnayr), 1901;
also by Loxia orientalis Forster, 1795 = bnchura p. punctulata (Linnaeus)
Baker, FBI Nos. 1017 and 1018, Vol. 3: 78, 79
Plate 99, fig. 12
(' China, Java
NAMES. Nakalnol; Tilia minia, Sing-biz, Pora miinia, Nukroul (Hindi); Nalla
jinuwayi (Telugu); Attachemban (Malayalam); Thinai kuruvi (Tamil, Madurai);
Nellukitnivi (Tamil, Sri Lanka); Wee-kitnilla (Sinhala).
FIELD CHARACERS.
Above, head black. Rest of upperparts rufous-chestnut, rump
darker. Below, throat, breast, centre of belly, under tail-coverts and thighs black.
Rest of underparts white. Sexes alike.
LOCAL
Tail. > r . I
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident; locally common, with some
monsoon-dependent local movements. The Indian peninsula from Raipur',
Pachmarhi and Bombay (JBNHS 62: 559-60) south to Kanyakumari and Sri
Lanka, in the plains and lower hills up to c. 2100 m (southern India) or 1800 m
(Sri Lanka). Affects marshland, reed-beds, grass fields and neighbourhood of
flooded paddy cultivation in forest clearings.
GENERAL HABITS.Essentially a marshland-haunting munia and a frequent
associate of Ploceus manyar in the breeding season in south India. ' As soon as
the weavers arrive and start breeding, one or two pairs of munias take to haunting
each group of nests, hopping about among their larger relatives and even settling
on the nests themselves. As the weavers increase in numbers so do the munias.
' No intergrades seem to be known between this subspecies and atricapilla which occurs as
far south as Sambalpur (c. 2130'N.)some 250 km east of Raipur (see map p. 122). Further
investigalion in this area would be desirable. Osmaston's 1906 record at Port Blair (JBNHS 17:
160) presumably refers to escapes or introduced birds. No subsequent record from the Andamam.
125
However, they do not associate with the weavers while feeding ' (Betts). In the
non-breeding season keeps in flocks of up to 100 or more individuals, sometimes
in company with the Spotted Munia. Feeds on the ground, flying in undulating
rabbles up into tree-tops when disturbed, soon descending again in twos and
threes to resume feeding.
FOOD. Grass seeds and rice.
VOICE and CALLS. Flight-call a triple chirp; another note is ' a mild plaintive
little ink ' (Nichols).
BREEDING. Season, chiefly in the rains, June to September; in south India nests
may be found until December and in March, April and May. In Sri Lanka, season
ill-defined: in the hills mostly May and August, in the low country almost any
month. Nest, a large loose ball of coarse grass or cat's-tail leaves lined with fine
grass: flowering grass-heads project in a short trumpet-like tube all round the
lateral entrance. Generally built in reeds or cat's-tails, standing in water, bushes
in marshy areas, or sugarcane, within a couple of metres of the ground or water,
usually rather low down. Breeds in small colonies, often with the Streaked Weaver
Bird, though nests are usually scattered over a wider area (Betts). Eggs, 5 or
sometimes 6, white. Average size of 5 0 eggs 16.3 x 11.5 mm (Baker). Building,
incubation and care of young by both parents.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Key to the Subspecies. Young has the lower parts pale buff
and rest of plumage rufous-brown.
MEASWENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW)
Weight 13 d 9 10-15 (av. 13.3) g--SA.
comuw OF BARB PARTS. Iris brown. Bill pale bluish grey, dusky on culmen; mouth
cream-colour with slaty crescent and blotches. Legs and feet slate; claws horny brown.
Genus P A D D A Reichenbach
Padda Reichenbach, 1850, Av. Syst. Nat., pl. 76, fig. 6.
Qpe, by monotypy, Loxia orytivora Linnaeus
Bill large, both mandibles slightly convex. Legs strong. Wing rather pointed. First
primary (as.) minute. Tail rounded.
WAL
SIZE.
1978a. Java Sparrow. P u d h oryzivom (Linnaeus)

Loxia oryzivoro Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 173 (Java)
Not in Baker, FBI
Plate 99, fig. 18
Spamow-; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
126
FRINGILLINAE
FIELDC H A R A ~ R S . An unmistakable large-billed grey bird with black crown
and white cheeks. Above, crown black, sides of head white; back ashy grey; tail
black. Below, upper throat black; breast ashy; belly vinaceous; under tail-coverts
white. Massive pink bill. Sexes alike.
Y o u n g. Above, mouse-grey, wings and tail darker. Below, buffish, greyer on
breast.
DISTRIBUTION
and HABITAT. Introduced; resident. A colony established in
STATUS,
Colombo before 1870, still surviving (Phillips, 1966). Also found around Calcutta
where a colony was recorded in 1931 (Law, S. C., 1932, JBNHS 35: 683-5).
' Appears to be acclimatized near Madras ' (Wait, 1931). Affects paddyfields,
gardens and reed-beds. Uncommon and very local. Apparently not spreading
significantly.
Extralimital. Java and Bali. A favourite cage-bird introduced or escaped in
many areas.
GENERAL HABITS. ' Very recently I had under observation a colony of these
munias whose favourite resort is a shrubby situation composed of two or three
trees embracing each other and overhanging the paddy stacks put up in the
compound of some villagers. Their feeding ground in the early morning is the
surrounding paddy-fields, where flocks of considerable size will feed on fallen
paddy. They feed here till about 8 o'clock when they retire to their cover and
roost, returning towards afternoon ' (Law, 1932).
FOOD. Rice and other seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call, a soft tup in flight (Lekagul & Round, Birds of
Thailand, p. 389). Utters constant chimps.
BREEDING. Not described in our temtory. In Java nests under roofs of buildings
or high up in trees or palms. Eggs white.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS. See Field Characters.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
d0
Bill
(from skull)
17-18
Tarsus
Tail
46-47 mm
(Law)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.M a l e, adult: Iris reddish; orbital skin pink. Bill wine-red at
base, pinkish white at tip. Legs and feet pinkish flesh. Young male: Iris brownish grey;
orbital skin greyish pink. Bill fleshy pink washed with dusky. Legs and feet greyish flesh.
66-69
18-19
Family F R I N G I L L I D A E : Finches
For description see Van m e , A. J. & Berger, A. J., 1959: 552; Thornson, A. L.
(ed.), 1964, A New Dictionary of Birds,London and New York (article ' Fringillidae '1.
Subfamily F R I N G I L L I N A E : Chaffinches
Cf.Tordoff, H. B., 1954. Misc. Pub. Mus. Zool. Michigan, No. 8 1: 7-39 (~natomical
study of finches).
Mayr, E., Andrew, R. J., & Hinde, R. A., 1956. lour. f. Om. 97: 258-73 (Position of
Fringilla and Carduelinae in Fringillidae).
CHAFFINCHES
127
For description see Vaurie, Charles, 1964: article ' Finch ' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.),
A New Dictionary of Birdr, London and New York.
Genus F R I N G I L L A Linnaeus
Fringilla L i ~ a e u s 1758,
,
Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 179. vpe, by tautonymy,
' Fringilla ' = Fringilla coelebs Limaeus
Bill long and straight, fairly stout. Tail slightly forked. Wings long, second and
third primaries (as.) longest.
Key to the Species
Rump greenish. ................................. E coelebs
Rump white.. ............................. E montifringilla
1979. Chaffiich. Fringilla coelebs coekbs Linnaeus

Fringilla coelebs Limaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 179
(Europa = Sweden)
Plate 103, fig. 1
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD CHARACERS.
M a l e. Above, forehead black; crown and nape blue-grey.
Back brown; rump greenish. Tail blackish with white outer rectrices. l k o broad
white wing-bars. Below, pinkish brown. Male in winter is duller above, grey of
crown obscured by brown margins to the feathers.
F e m a 1 e. Above, brown. T h o broad white wing-bars. Sides of head to breast
pale brown grading to whitish on belly.
Easily distinguished from Brambling (1980), in somewhat similar winter
plumage, by greenish rump (v. white).
Irregular winter visitor in the extreme western
hilly tracts of Pakistan from November to March: Baluchistan, Punjab Salt Range
(where rare), Kohat (Whitehead, 1909, Ibis: 231 and JBNHS 18: 190); also in
adjacent parts ofAfghanistan (JBNHS 42: 439); east to Gilgit, 1500 m (Mountfort,
1971, Ibis: 109); Corbet National Park, Uttar Pradesh (S. C. Madge, JBNHS 8 1:
702-3) and NW. Nepal (Jumla and Mugu districts) and the Kali Gandaki Valley
(Fleming et al., 1984). Affects roadside verges, stubbles etc.
Extralimital. Ranges from western Siberia (c. 85"E.) to western Europe with
subspecies in Atlantic and Mediterranean islands, northwestern Africa, northern
Iran and Transcaspia. Partly migratory.
GENERAL HABITS.
In winter usually seen in flock, sometimes in company with
other finches or buntings. Feeds on the ground in the vicinity of trees.
FOOD. In winter chiefly seeds.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note, a metallic pink or chink, often uttered in flight; in
spring a loud wheet or tsirrup and a thin, high, wheezy eeese; in flight a soft
chap. Song a descending musical rattle with a rapid ending.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit.
LOCAL NAMES.
128
CARDUELINAE
MEASWENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
87-92
13-14
17-19
Tail
63-68 nun
(Witherby)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris hazel. Bill fleshy brown or fleshy grey to slaty blue. Legs
and feet fleshy brown, pale horny brown to brown (Baker).
dd
1980. Brambling. FringiUu m o n t i i n g i l h Linnaeus

Fringilla Monr~fnngillaLinnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 179
(Europa = Sweden)
Plate 103, fig. 2
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e (winter). Above, mottled rufous-brown and black,
with conspicuous white rump. Rufous wing-bars. Below, throat and breast rufous;
flanks rufous with dark spots; belly white. Male in summer has distinctive black
head and back.
F e m a l e. Above, mottled dark brown with white rump and some rufous and
white on wings. Below, like male but duller.
Both sexes easily identified by white rump.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Winter visitor and passage migrant, fairly
STATUS,
common locally: northern Baluchistan, N.W.F.P., Murree hills, Gilgit and Kashmir,
straggling east to Simla and Mussooree (JBNHS 32: 727), NW. Nepal (sightFleming, et al., 1984), and Ygyencholing, East Bhutan (2900 m, on 6.v.90; F. A.
Clements, 1992, Forktail 7: 64) from November to March or May. Affects
gardens and orchards.
Extralimital. Breeds in northern Eurasia from Scandinavia to Kamchatka,
south to central Russia, the Altai and Transbaicalia. In winter south to the
Mediterranean, Iran, Turkestan, Yunnan, Fujian and Taiwan.
GENERAL H A B ~ S
In. winter usually keeps in large flocks, often in company with
other finches and buntings. Feeds on the ground in the vicinity of trees. Flight
undulating.
FOOD. In winter mostly seeds.
VOICEand CALLS. Common call-note, a long (c. 0.5 second) wheezy, rather
metallic whistle sweech, or beeez (reminiscent of goldfinch's) repeated
monotonously at 3 to 5 seconds' intervals, in flight or from perch (SA).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For details of plumage see Baker. loc. tit.
MEASUREMENTS
d?
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
89-94
(from feathers)
12-13
18-19
Bill from skull c. 16 mm.
Tail
63-66 mm
(Baker)
GOLDFINCHES AND ALLIES
129
Iris hazel. Bill light grey, dusky at tip (winter), black (summer).
Legs and feet fleshy brown.
Subfamily C A R D u E L L I N A E : Goldfinches and Allies

For description see Vaurie, C., 1964, Article ' Finch ' in Thomson, A. L. (ed.),
A New Dictionary of Birds, London and New York.
ES
Genus C O C C O T H R A U S TBrisson
Coccothraustes Brisson, 1760, Om. 1: 36.
Type, by subsequent designation and tautonyrny, Loxia coccothraustes Linnaeus
Mycembas Cabanis, 1847, Archiv. f. Naturg. 13(1): 350.
Type, by subsequent designation (Gray, 1855), Coccothraustes melanomthos
Hodgson.
Perissospiza Oberholser, 1900, Proc. U.S.Nat. Mus. 22: 227, new name for
Pycnorhamphus Hume, 1874, Nests, Eggs Ind. Bds. 2: 469.
Type, by monotypy, Coccothraustes icterioides Vigors. (Under the present form of the
International Rules for Zoological Nomenclature,
Copenhagen Decisions, 1953, Pycaorhamphus Hume is available and Oberholser's
renaming is needless.).
Cf. Paynter, R. A,, 1968, in Peters's Check-list 14: 299
(Mycembas considered a subgenus of Coccothrawtes).
Bill massive, conical, culmen nearly straight, tomium of upper mandible curved
near gape. Nostrils partly concealed by hairy feathers. Tail short and square. Wing
pointed, innermost primaries and outer secondaries with sinuous square tips. Tarsus
short and strong.
Key to the species
Page
A A white shoulder patch and wing patch, the latter seen only in flight. ...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C.
. coccothraustes d 9
B A white patch on wing
1 Throat black
a Rump yellowish olive.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. camipes d
b Rump black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. melanozanthos d
2 Throat not black
c Throat grey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,C. carnipes 9
d Throat yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. melanozanthos 9
C No white patch on wing
3 Throat black
e Thigh feathers dark brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. icterioides d
f Thigh feathers yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. afinis d
4 Throat grey
g Belly yellowish green.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. aftfnis 9
h Belly buff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. icterioides 9
CARDUELINAE
198 1 . Hawflnch. Coccotlrrrrustes coccothraustes humii Sharpe

Coccothraustes hwnii Sharpe, 1886, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 97
(Attock, NW. Punjab)
Plate 104, fig. 8
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow + ; length c. 18 cm (7 in.).
FIELDCHARACIERS. Above, head and back tawny brown, with a broad ashy collar
on hindneck. Lores and a narrow band at base of bill black. Wings black with a
large white shoulder-patch and a concealed white patch ihowing in flight. TIPS
LOCAL NAMES.
of secondaries purple-black with a peculiar sinuous shape. Upper tail-coverts

fulvous buff. Tail blackish with wide white terminal band. Below, throat black
with narrow white surrounding line. Breast and flanks tawny brown, paler than
back; centre of belly white. Sexes more or less alike; female's head more ashy.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Uncommon and local winter visitor in
STATUS,
irregular numbers'. Western Himalayas in N.W.F.P. (Chitral on passage, Kohat)
east to Abbottabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum Salt Range, and south to northern
Baluchistan (Zhob, Chaman and Quetta), mostly in the foothills. Dome1
(Kashrmr-A.E. Ward specimen in USNM). Affects groves, orchards, gardens
and wooded hills.
Extralimital. Breeds in eastern Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, Tadzhikistan and
western Afghanistan (Peters's Check-list). The species ranges west to Morocco
and the British Isles, and east to the Ussuri region and Japan.
MIGRATION. Arrives in winter quarters in October-December, remains till the
middle of April. Some birds recorded as late & 5 May in Kohat, c. 2700 m
(Whitehead, Ibis 1909: 227) and in the second week of May in Chitral (Fulton,
JBNHS 16: 52).
GENERAL HABTTS. Usually seen in small scattered flocks of three to six individuals
but sometimes up to 30 birds. Remains in flocks till the end of May. Feeds on the
ground.
FOOD. Berries, seed, kernels of fruit stones. Particularly attracted to tracts of
wild olive (Olea ferruginea) whose hard pits it splits open (Roberts).
' There are no breeding records nor any observations later than May.
131
and CALLS. A rather prolonged zitt or a shrill tee uttered in flight.

Another note is rendered as pittzwee (Jones).
BREEDING. Extralimital. Season, June and July in Turkestan. Nest, placed in
trees, 2-6 metres above ground.
VOICE
MEASUREMWS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(HW)
Weight 1 d (July) 49 g (Paludan).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris dirty white. Bill pale bluish flesh. Legs flesh.
1982. Black-and-Yellow Grosbeak. Coccothruustes icterioides Vigors
Coccothraustes icterioides Vigors, 1831, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 8
(Himalayan Mountains = Simla-Almora area)
~ake;,FBI No. 1039, Vol. 3: 102
Plate 104, fig. 9
w e t tuni (Kashrnir, all grosbeaks).
SUE. Myna-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ S . A large black-and-yellow massive-billed finch.
M a 1 e. Above, head, wings and tail dull black. Broad collar, centre of back
and rump lemon-yellow. Below, sides of head and throat, and thighs, dull black.
Rest of underparts lemon-yellow.
Colour pattern of male almost identical with that of C. afinis, but thighs dull
black v. yellow, and lacking the darker orange-chrome collar at the top of the
mantle, typical of C. afinis. Yellow is paler and black duller, but differences not
appreciable in the field. Better identified by voice, q.v.
F e m a I e. Above, grey with pinkish buff rump and blackish wings and tail.
Below, throat and breast grey-brown; belly pinkish fulvous.
Female quite different from that of afinis and easily recognized by buff rump
and belly.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Fairly common resident, subject to vertical
STATUS,
movements. The western Himalayas from N.W.F.P. (Safed Koh and Chitral) east
through Astor and Kashmir to central Nepal (Gandak-Kosi watershed 1-1 Proud,
JBNHS 51: 667). Breeds mostly between c. 1800 and 3000 m, up to 3300 m (up
to limit of tree line) in the Safed Koh and to 3500 m in Astor. Commonly occurs
down to c. 1500 m in winter, occasionally as low as c. 750 m; mpy be seen at
these low levels until June after cold spells. Affects pine, silver fir and deodar
forest; in winter also oak woods.
Extralimital. Northeastern Afghanistan.
GENERAL HABITS. Found in pairs or small scattered flocks. Usually frequents
the tops of high trees but freely descends to feed in low undergrowth or on the
ground, where it progresses in hops like a sparrow. Has been observed collecting
to roost in dense bushes.
LOCAL NAMES.
132
CARDUELINAE
Coccothraustes icterioides and C. as(inis
~istributionalranges
F
l C. icterioides (1982).
[IIIID
C. a m i s (1983).
range overlap
Berries and small fruits taken in shrubs or undergrowth, pine and crab
apple seeds, kernels of yew (Taxus baccata) and fresh pine shoots. Insects,
part~cularlyin breeding season; once observed eating a ' fair-sized slug '; also
cicadas and moths (Roberts, 1992).
VOICE and c ~ u s .A conversational chuck uttered by both sexes while feeding.
Normal call (male only?) a high-pitched rapid pir-riu, pir-riu, pir-riu . . .,
reminiscent of a railway guard's whistle (the kind with a pea in it), given in
short, somewhat subdued blasts (SA); syllabified by Magrath as twenty-huo or
keeky-too. Song of male, a rich, clear and pleasing prr-tmweet-6-tmweet (SA).
BREEDING. Season, April to July, chiefly May and June; a female collected in
September had an incubation patch and a well-developed egg in ovary. Nest, a
rather large cup of fine twigs, grass, moss and lichen, lined with fine grass and
rootlets. Placed between 3 and 18 metres above the ground, generally close to
the trunk of a conifer. Eggs, 2 or 3, greenish white spots, scrolls and lines with
secondary markings of very fine pale brown and lavender-grey lines and specks;
marlungs usually confined to large end where forming a broad ring. Average size
of 40 eggs 28.3 x 19.9 mm (Baker). Building by both sexes; other details
unrecorded.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characten.
Young f e m a 1 e like adult female but upperparts more brownish. Rump brighter
buff. Throat and breast ashy mottled with brownish. Rest of underparts paler.
Young m a I e differs from young female in having the rump pale yellow. Postjuvenal moult of body, lesser median and ? greater coverts.
FOOD.

MEASUREMEPITS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
88-97 rnm
(Wing and tail, Baker; bill and tarsus. MD)

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill green in summer (Abbott), wax-yellow
in winter. Legs and feet pale flesh or brownish flesh.
1983. Allied Grosbeak. Coccothraustes aflnis (Blyth)

Hesperiphona affinis Blyth, 1855, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 24: 179
(Alpine Punjab, restricted to Hazara by Whistler, 1925. JBNHS 30: 700)
Plate 104, fig. 10
LOCAL
NAMES. q e t font (Kashmir).
SIZE.Myna-;

FIELD CHARAC~ERS. A large black-and-yellow, massive-billed finch.
M a 1 e. Above, head, wings and tail deep black. An ochraceous yellow hindcollar. Centre of back and rump yellow. Below, throat black, rest of underparts
yellow.
Colour pattern almost identical with that of C. icterioides q.v., but thighs yellow
v. dull black. Better identified by voice.
F e m a l e. Above, head dark grey. Rest of upperparts olive-green, more
yellowish on collar and rump. W~ngsand tail blackish. Below, throat grey. Rest
of underparts yellowish olive.
Rather similar to C. carnipes female but lacking white wing-patch and with
the grey restricted to throat. For differences from female C. icterioides see 1982,
under Field Characters.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements,
locally common. The Himalayas from Dharamsala' east to Bhutan andArunacha1
Pradesh. Breeds in a higher zone than C. icterioides, from c. 2700 m, mostly
above 3000 m, up to tree-line (c. 3600 m in Garhwal, 3900 m in Nepal, 4000 m
in Sikkim, Bhutan and southeasternTibet), wandering above tree-line toc. 4200 m
after the breeding season and occasionally descending in winter to c. 1800 m.
Affects forests of oak, rhododendron or mixed conifer and broad-leaved trees,
occasionally wandering into dwarf rhododendron and juniper scrub above treeline.
Extralimital. Extends to northern Yunnan, and Sichuan southern Kansu.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks according to season. Frequents
the tops of high trees, freely descending to the ground for feeding purposes.
FOOD. Seeds, kernels, fruits, insects, caterpillars (once a snail).
' Robens (1992) doubts the occurrence of this species as far west as Hazara, and suggests
Dharamsala as its actual western limit. F m h a evidence is needed on its occurrence in Pakistan,
which is based on one untraceable rpecirnen and m uncorroborated sight record.
CARDUELINAE
134
and CALLS. Song, a fine loud musical whistle of five to seven notes, the
first six falling into two series of three ascending notes each, the seventh note
pitched much lower: ti-di-li-ti-di-li-urn, emphasis on first and fourth syllables;
also rendered as hi-diddle-diddle-the-fiddle. Alarm, a double note somewhat
resembling the striking together of two stones, and might be written as kurr (A.
E. Osmaston). A loud creaky song lasting about 30 seconds, punctuated by musical
bulbul-like notes, and constantly repeated, has also been described (SBlim Ali,
1962). Call a mellow, rapid pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-ugh.
BREEDING. Season, on circumstantial evidence, May and June. Nest and eggs
unknown.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Male distinguished from C.icterioides by its yellow thighs (v.
dark brown); black parts are deeper black with a slight purple gloss; yellow parts are
more orange and the hind-collar ochraceous yellow.
Young m a 1 e like adult male but yellow of upperparts duller and paler, that of underparts
dingy oil-yellow. Black of crown duller. Sides of head, chin and throat blackish with faint
brown centres and fringes.
Young f e m a 1 e like adult female but hind neck and mantle a little duller. Rump
suffused with yellow. Throat buffy white in centre. Rest of underparts dull greyish olive
tinged with yellow.
VOICE
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
26
26
83
87
(from skull)
2
2
dd
99
123. 126
121, 132
27
27
mm
mm
(MD, Stevens)
Weight 3 d d (May) 69-72; 1 9 (May) 83 g (GD).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Female, winter: Iris brown. Bill greenish blue. Legs and feet
fleshy.
COCCOTHRAUSTES
CARNIPES Hodgson: WHITEWINGED
GROSBEAK
Darker.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C . c. carnipes
Paler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C . c. specufigerus
1984. Coccothraustes carnipes speculigerus
Brandt
Coccothrausres speculigerus Brandt, 1841, Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci.
St. Petersb. 9, col. 11 (N. Persia)
LOCALNAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Myna-;
FIELD CHARACIERS.
AS in 1985, q.v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABTTAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements,
locally common. Pakistan from Kalat north to the Safed Koh. Breeds between

Coccothraustes carnipes
speculigenu (1 984).
[mm
carnipes (1985).
c. 3000 and 4200 m, descending to lower levels in winter. Affects juniper forest
and sub-alpine dwarf juniper scrub.
Extralimitat. Afghanistan and the mountains of northwestern Iran and
Transcaspia.
GENERAL HABITS, r n and
~ vora. As in 1985.
BREEDING. Season, June, July and presumably later. Nest and eggs, as in 1985.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from carnipes (1985) in being paler and smaller: male
less black above, more slaty; female paler above and below.
MEASUREMENT'S
Wing d d 114-120 mm (Vaurie); 9 Q 1 16-123 mm (CBT).

comms OF BARE PARTS. AS in 1985.
1985. Coccothmustes carnipes camipes
Coc.
Hodgson
(cothraustes) Carnipes Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 151 (Nepal)
Baker, FBI No. 1041 (part), h l . 3: 104
Plate 104, fig. 13
NAMBS.
L
w e t ront (Kashmir); Devi h r (Lahul).
SIZE. Myna-;
~ L D C H A R A ~ SA. large, dark finch with massive bill, and white wingpatches particularly conspicuous in flight.
M a 1 e. Above, greyish black with a white wing-patch, yellowish olive rump
and a few spots of same colour on secondaries. Below, throat and breast black;
belly wax-yellow.
~
136
CARDUELINAE
Distinguished from C. melanozanthos (1986) by yellowish olive rump (v.

blackish) and much more extensive black on underparts.
F e m a 1 e. Above, head and back grey. Rump wax-yellow. Wing grey-brown
with a white patch, yellowish bar, and pale yellow and whitish pattern on
secondaries. Below, sides of head, throat and breast grey lightly mottled with
buff. Flanks and lower belly wax-yellow.
Female distinguished from those of afinis and icterioides by white wing-patch.
STATUS, DISTIUBV~ON and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from Gilgit and Hazara east to Arunachal Pradesh. Breeds
between 3000 and 3600 m in western Himalayas and up to 4200 m from Garhwal
eastwards. Affects dwarf juniper forest above timber-line, and mixed juniper and
fu near timber-line; at lower elevations mixed fir, rhododendron, juniper, or fir
forest with bamboo undergrowth, or pine woods, especially in the west. Descends
to c. 2700 m in winter, sometimes down to 1500 m, but does not entirely leave
the higher levels and has been recorded as high as 4200 m in that season.
Extralimital. Ranges west to lbrkestan (Tarbagatai and 'lien Shan) and east
to southeastern 'Iibet, northern Yunnan, Sichuan, southern Kansu and Qinghai.
GENERAL HABITS. AS a rule less shy than other grosbeaks. Keeps in pairs or
small flocks according to season. Very noisy while feeding, the characteristic
cracking sound of stones of juniper and other h i t s being audible 20 or 30 metres
away. If a l m e d will sit silent and motionless in the foliage; if hunted out the
party will scatter in all directions with clumsy whimng, dipping flight as of a
woodpecker, the individuals continuing their rasping alarm-note till reunited.
FOOD. Juniper seeds apparently the staple food: ' The bird thrusts its beak into
the meat and with the sharp edge of the "jaws ", simultaneously assisted by the
very peculiar spoonlike tongue, very quickly cleans the stone from meat and
shell which fall on the ground ' (Dolgushin et al., 1968).Also other seeds, kernels
and berries, e.g. Randia tetrasperma and dogwood in Nepal (strawberries and
seeds of Rumex among others have been noted). Young fed on juniper seeds and
insects.
VOICE and CALLS.' Frequently seen perched in some prominent position uttering its familiar notes wil-ye-go-ameor cmuk-et-et' (Whitehead), the fust rendition
apparently the song (seldom heard), the second a call-note; song also described
as dja-dji-dji-dju (MD). Calls, a soft, nasal shwenk, also a squawking wit, sometimes extended into a song, add-a-dit, un-di-di-di-dit.
BREEDING. Searon, June to August in the western Himalayas; in eastern Nepal
females not in breeding condition until July (Inskbp, C. & J. 1991). Prolonged
nesting period apparently due to different local climatic conditions (Dolgushin
et al.). Nest, a deep cup of twigs, weed-stems and occasionally some moss or dry
leaves with an inner layer of juniper bark fibre. Placed in junipers within a couple
of metres from the ground or in spruce or other trees, sometimes as high as 20
metres. Eggs, normally 3, sometimes 2, pale greenish grey spotted and scrawled
with purple-black and with pale purple markings. Average size of ten eggs 27 x
19.1 mrn (Baker). Building of nest by female alone, male only accompanies her.
Incubation by both sexes, chiefly by female; period 15 or 16 days. Care of young
137
by both parents; nestling period about 20 days. For further details on biology
(including moult) in Kazakhstan1 see Dolgushin, I.A., et al., 1968, JBNHS 65:
105-10.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For distinction from speculigencs see 1984,
Museum Diagnosis. Complete postnuptial moult August to October.
Yo u n g. Above, olive-brown with subterminal tiny pale markings and darker tips;
rump as in adult. Wing-coverts dark brown, lesser and median with greenish yellow tips,
greater with greenish yellow tips to outer webs. Below, ashy brown with pale shaft lines.
Immature male (first-year) similar to old female; may occasionally breed in this dress.
Adult plumage assumed after first year, in July-October.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d (Himalayas) 115-1 26 mm (Vaurie)

9 9 (Himalayas) 116-123 mm (CBT)
d 9 (Sikkim) 103-1 23 mm (Meinertzhagen)
Bill
Tarsus
(from skull)
Tail
(Bill MD, rest Baker)

Weight 5 d d (June-Aug.) 56.142 g; 4 9 9 (June-Aug.) 54.7-59.2 g (Nepal, GD). 1 d
(Sept.) 66 g (Bhutan, SDR).
c o ~ o u OFBARE
~s
PARTS. Iris brown. Bill brownish horn, livid flesh at basal half of
lower mandible. Legs and feet pale flesh-brown (HW). Bill dark horn-brown blackening
at tip; lower mandible pale at base (Abbott).
1986. Spottedwinged Gmbeak. Coccothruurtes melanozonthos Hodgson
Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 150

(Nepal)
Mycembas melanozunthw ossifragus Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration,
No. 1: 19 (Kohima, Naga Hills)
Mycembas rnelanomthus pmgpui Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration,
No. 1: 20 (Sangau, Lushai Hills)
Baker, FBI No. 1042, k 1 . 3: 105
Plate 104, fig. 11
LOCAL NAMES.
Wyet-tont (Kashmir); Maltum-pho (Lepcha).
SIZE. Myna-;
FIELDCHARACTERS. A large black-and-yellow finch with massive bill and
prominent white spots on closed wings.
M a 1 e. Above, entirely blackish with whitish spots on secondaries and a white
wing-patch (concealed when wing folded). Below, throat and upper breast blackish.
Rest of underparts deep yellow.
Distinguished from C. carnipes by blackish rump (v. yellowish olive), less
extensive black below and much brighter yellow belly.
Coc. (cothraustes)Melanomthos
' Of the Ten Shan population called C. c. merzbucdn' Schalow.
CARDUELINAE
F e m a 1 e. Above, like male but crown, nape and back streaked with yellow;
yellow streaks forming a distinct supercilium. Below, yellow boldly streaked
with blackish, this character easilv
identifying female.
Rather uncommon resident, subject
to vertical movements. The Himalayas from the Murree hill range east
through Arunachal Pradesh, thence
south through the Patkai Range,
Nagaland, north Cachar and Mizo
Hills (Koelz, loc. cit.), Khasi Hills
(Baker) and Manipur (Hume).
Altitudinal distribution imperfectly known. Recorded nesting at c. 2400 m in the
western Himalayas and in summer between 3000 and 3600 m in Bhutan. On Mt
Mctoria between 2000-2500 m. In winter descends to c. 1200 m, occasionally
900 m in the west, and down to 600 m in the Bhutan foothills. Affects mixed
conifer and broad-leaved forest.
Coccothraustes melanozanthos
Extralimital. Extends to southeastern Tibet, Sichuan, Burma (Mt Victoria,
Myitkyina dist., southern Shan States), Yunnan and northern Thailand.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs of flocks according to season; flocks usually
small but sometimes up to c. 50 birds, or more. Frequents and often feeds in the
tops of tall trees. When disturbed usually flies high in the air. Becomes quite
noisy after the breeding season when i t collects in large flocks. A feeding
congregation keeps up a running chorus of a peculiar cackling reminiscent of the
139
cacophony of Garrular leucolophus (1283). This, augmented by the sound of

cracking cherry stones and the constant patter of discarded shells on the dry litter
under the tree, usually announces the presence of the birds a long way off. Also
feeds on the ground.
FOOD. Kernels of wild cherry (Prunus), Myrica, etc.; berries of bfburnum; also
seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. A variety of calls, the most familiar being a rattling note rendered as krrrr to ch"rrclhik, somewhat similar to the distant call of a magpie,
usually uttered in flight but also during feeding-likened in the distance also to
the shaking of an ordinary match-box containing only a few matches! Also some
mellow and somewhat oriole-like whistles tyop-tiu or typo-tio and a variety of
parrot-like notes; a remarkably human note like the exclamation a h pronounced
with an ascending inflection (Magrath). Flocks keep up a cackling chorus.
BREEDING. Seuson, May to July. Nest, a cup of twigs, grass and moss lined
with rootlets and maidenhair stems, placed in trees about four metres or higher
above the ground. Eggs, 2 or 3, pale green marked with streaks and blotches,
similar to eggs of C. icterioides but markings decidedly more reddish brown.
Measurements, 2 eggs 30 x 20.6 mm (Baker), 3 eggs 26.6 x 20.5 mm (Skinner,
JBNHS 18: 907).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters; for details of plumages Whistler, JBNHS
29: 152-3. A complete prenuptial moult ending about April (Biswas, 1963, JBNHS 60:
200) [no spring moult according to HW who recorded a specimen moulting remiges in
November]. First-winter plumage like adult female's but yellow replaced by creamy
white.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
dd
122- 135
9?
119-135
(from skull)
2 4 32
28-3 1
22-25
22-24
Depth of bill at base 3 d d 21-22 mm (SA)
Tail
71-83 mm
73-77 mrn
(HW,SA)
Weight 1 d (March) 74 g (SA). 1 9 ? (Sept.) 50 g (SDR).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown, orbital skin plumbeous. Bill bluish grey
culrnen, tip, and cornrnissures blackish grey; mouth blackish slate. Legs and feet dull
bluish slate; claws dusky.
Genus C A R D u E L I s Brisson
Carduelis Brisson, 1760, Om. I: 36, 3: 53.
Type, by tautonyrny, ' Carduelis ' = Fringilla carduelis Linnaeus
Spinus Koch, 18 16, Syst. Baier. Zool.: 232.
Type, by tautonymy, Fringilla spinus Linnaeus
Hypocanthis Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 161.
Type, by rnonotypy, Carduelis spinoides Vigors
Clirysomitris Boie, 1828, Isis, Col. 322.
5 p e , by rnonotypy, Fringilla spinus Limaeus
Bill almost wedge-shaped, short and thick or pointed and thinner, always thick at
base. Nostrils round, covered with plumelets. Wing long and rather pointed, first
primary (as.) minute. Tail slightly forked. Tarsus short and strong.
140
CARDUELINAE
Key to the Speciw

A
B
Bill fine .........................................

C. spinus
Bill heavy
Forehead red. ............................... ..C. canfuelis
1
Forehead yellow. .............................C. spinoides
2
Page
146
140
143
CARDUEUS
CARDUWS (Linnaeus): GOLDFINCH
A
B

Crown black.. .................................C. c. m j o r
No black on crown
Paler.. ....................................C. c. subulata
1
Darker.. ..................................C. c. caniceps
2
140
141
141
1987. Carduelis carduelis mrrjor Taczanowski

Carduelis major Taczanowski, 1879, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 672 mrkestan)
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.

FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 1989 but hindcrown and band reaching sides of neck
black.
STATUS, D I S T I U B ~ O Nand msrrm. Rare winter vagrant. A specimen collected
at Quetta in February from a flock of grey-headed birds (Meinertzhagen, Ibis
1920: 138).
SIZE.
n Distributional ranges
3 major (1987).
1 caniceps (1989).
3 subulata (1988),
4 poropanisi (RE),
5 other extralimital subspecies.
G O L D F I N C H E S AND A L L I E S
141
Extralimital. Breeds in western Siberia from the Urals to the Yenisey and
western Altai, south to Semipalatinsk. In winter normally reaches Tbrkmenia
and Turkestan.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and vora. As in 1989.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Distinguished from caniceps chiefly by black hindcrown,
extending in a band to sides of neck; also by somewhat larger size and heavier bill. For
details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 85-89 mm; 9 9 77-85 mm (Dementiev)
comu~sOF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill pinkish horn with dark tip. Legs and feet pale
horn brown.
1988. Carduelis carduelis s u b u k (Gloger)
Fringilla subulata Glogcr, 1833, Abiindem V6g.: 153 (Yenisei)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
length c.' 14 cm (5.5 in.).
FELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1989, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Rare winter vagrant. n o specimes collected
by Meinertzhagen near Quetta in December and March (CBT, JBNHS 3 1: 364).
Extralimital. Breeds in south-central Siberia from the Yenisey to southern
Altai. In winter south to nrkestan.
GENERAL H A B ~ Sr, n and
~ vora. As in 1989.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from caniceps (1989) in being distinctly paler both above
and below. Rump more widely white; flanks whiter, less grey.
LOCAL NAMES.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing dd 81-85; 9 9 8&81 mm

Weight 4 d d 19-22.2; 2 9 ? 20.20 g (Dementiev)
comu~sOF BARE PARTS. AS in 1987 and 1989.

1989. Carduelis carduelis caniceps Vigors
Carduelis caniceps Vigors, 1831;Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 23
Plate 103, fig. 10
LOCAL NAMBS.
Shaira or Sehora (Kashmir).
SIZE. Sparrow-; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . Above, forehead crimson; lores black. Crown and back pale
grey-brown; rump white. Wings black with a large
conspicuous bright yellow patch. Tail black and white.
Below, chin and area around bill crimson bordered with
whitish buff. Breast pale grey-brown; belly whitish.
Sexes nearly alike.
In flight, a yellowish band across wings, bordered
x
c. 1
142
CARDUELINAE
with brown in front and behind, conspicuous white rump and white-and-black
tail diagnostic.
STATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements northern Baluchistan where mainly a winter visitor, only a few remaining
to breed (Williams, JBNHS 33: 605; Christison, JBNHS 43: 482), N.W.F.P. north
to Chitral, thence east through Gilgit, Baltistan, Ladakh, Hazara, Kashmir and
along the Himalayas to central Nepal (Lowndes, 1955, JBNHS 53: 34; Fleming
& Traylor, 1968). Breeds from c. 2400 m up to 3900 m. Occasionally breeds as
low as c. 1500 m (Rawalpindi, Thandiani, Vale of Kashmir, Quetta Valley). Near
Mussooree, according to Osmaston (JBNHS 31: 9 9 3 , ' begins nesting towards
the end of May between 1500 and 2100 m. After rearing the first brood at this
comparatively low altitude, they leave early in July for higher altitudes and have
second nests at from 2800 to 3300 m '. Affects orchards near upland villages,
bare stony hillsides, open pine and fir forest, fields and scrub and willows, juniper
or other scrub above timber-line. Withdraws from the upper levels in winter and
descends to the valleys and foothills, occasionally into the adjacent plains.
(Ambala, Rawalpindi).
Extralimital. The species ranges from Central Asia west to the British Isles,
the Mediterranean countries and the ~ z o r e s .
GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps in pairs when breeding but small flocks may also be
seen throughout the breeding season; in winter usually in larger flocks. Feeds on
the ground hopping about, or from flower heads-fluttering and clinging to them
and plucking the seeds. Flight slightly undulating, typically sparrow-like.
FOOD. Flower seeds, especially of thistles (Carduus spp.) and dandelions
(Tararacum sp.); of sunflower (Helianthus) and zinnia in hill-station, gardens.
Also seeds of the chenar tree (Platanus orientalis) in Kashrnir in January-February.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note a characteristic deedelit or chirik. Song, a liquid
twittering reminiscent of a canary's; in spring often delivered by several birds in
chorus from in among trees.
BREEDING. Season varies according to altitude:April to July at lower ekvations,
July and August in the high country. See also observation by Osmaston (above)
under Status etc. Nest, a neat cup of dry grass, moss, lichen or other material,
lined with vegetable down and a few hain. Placed on branches of pine, fir, fruit
trees, willows or junipers, generally between two and nine metres above the
ground, sometimes as high as 20 metres; usually towards the end of a branch.
Eggs, 4 or 5, pale blue with fine blotches of dark brown and rusty red mostly at
the larger end; nearly white unmarked eggs are occasionally found. Average size
of 38 eggs 18 x 13.2 rnm (Osmaston), of 60 eggs 18.5 x 13.2 mm (Baker).
Incubation by female, fed on nest by male. Feeding of young by both parents, by
regurgitation. See also Bates, 1960, JBNHS 57: 3 3 9 4 7 for further details.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Key to the Subspecies.
F e m a l e differs from male only in the smaller extent of crimson about base of bill.
Y 0 u n g, without crimson or black on the face. Upperparts, sides of head, throat and
breast pale grey-brown with faint darker tips on the rump mixed with buffy white; upper
143
tail-coverts white with rusty tips and more or less dark central streaks. Underparts whitish
sullied with brown on the flanks; lesser, median and greater coverts black with pale buffy
brownish tips, heavy on last, faint elsewhere; oval spots on tertials and tips to central tail
dull buffy white. Postjuvenal moult of body, lesser, median and greater coverts. Firstyear birds distinguished by buffy white (v. white) oval spots on tertials.
MEASUREMEKlS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
14-15
48-51
(from skull)
d?
79-87
16-17
mrn
(HW)
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill flesh-white, usually tipped with horn-brown.
Legs and feet flesh-brown.
CARDUELIS
SPINOIDES Vigors: HIMALAYAN
GREENFINCH
A Head black, no supercilium.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. s. taylori
B A yellow supercilium
1 Cheek separated from malar streak by yellow area.. . . . C. s. spinoides
2 Cheek not sepawted from malar streak.. . . . . . . . . . . . . C. s. heinrichi
Page
145
143
146
1990. Carduelis spinoides spinoides Vigors

Carduelis spinoides Vigors, 1831, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 44
(Himalayas = Sirnla)
Plate 103, fig. 6
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
HELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, crown, ear-coverts, a malar streak and back
blackish brown. Forehead, supercilium and sides of neck yellow forming an
indistinct collar below the nape. Rump yellow. Wings dark brown with a large
yellow patch; inner secondaries edged with white. Tail dark brown; basal half of
outer rectrices yellow. Below, yellow.
F e m a 1 e like male but duller, more washed with green above.
Immature birds heavily streaked.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Mostly a summer (breeding) visitor to the
STATUS,
Himalayas from Hazara and Murree east toArunachal Pradesh. In Kashmir breeds
commonly between 2000 and 2400 m, occasionally up to 3300 m. From Kulu to
Simla breeds between 1800 and 2700 m, possibly as low as 1100 m (Kangra) or
1200 m (Simla). In western and central Nepal from 1800 to 3700 m, while in
eastern Nepal breeds between 2800 and up to 4400 m in scrub above timber-line
(Diesselhorst). In Sikkim breeds between 2100 and 3000 m, locally up to 3800 m.
In Bhutan very common between 1800 and 3100 m. In winterr occurs mostly in
the foothills below c. 1300 m in the west, 900 m in Nepal, and in adjacent
LOCAL NAMES.
CARDUELINAE
144
Carduelis spinoides
m
u 1 spinoides
(1990)
3 hcinrichi (1992).
2 roylori (1991).
plains; in Sikkim observed up to 2700 m in winter (ShlimAli). Affects cultivation,

open slopes and edges of forest, and open pine or deodar forest; freely enters
hill-station gardens and compounds. In eastern Nepal also recorded in open forest
at timber-line and in pure scrub growth above it (Diesselhorst).
MIGRATION. Generally arrives on breeding grounds in June, staying till the end
of October. May be seen in winter quarters fiom October to the end of May.
GENERAL H A B ~ S . Keeps in pairs or parties according to season, in winter
collecting in flocks of 10 to 20 birds or more. Feeds much more in bushes and
trees than on the ground, and often feeds on flowerheads in the manner of a
goldfinch. Display said to be similar to that of the European Greenfinch, Carduelis
chlons, namely a song-flight in which ' the male circles round with peculiar
erratic bat-like flight with slowly flapping wings ' (Witherby).
FOOD. Seeds of many kinds, very fond of wild hemp (Cannabis sativa), sunflower, Calliopsis millet, buckwheat, rice, etc. Also berries and insects.
VOICE and CAW.
Call-note described as similar to that of European Greenfinch,
a light twittering followed by a characteristic, far-carrying beez, shorter and more
melodious or metallic, and the drawn-out sweee-tu-tu is more sparrow-like,
dropping slightly at the end. Song, shorter than Goldfinch's with twittering trill
ending in beeez, uttered from the tops of trees or in the song-flight (above).
Some soft, twittering call-notes uttered in flight, similar to Greenfinch's but higher.
BREEDING. Season, quite late, beginning towards the end of June or early July,
lasting till October at higher altitudes, with a peak in August. Nest, a compact,
145
neat cup of grass stalks and rootlets and moss, lined with fine rootlets, hair and a
few feathers; well concealed on the upper surface of a horizontal branch, generally
towards the extremity, preferably in deodars (Cedrus) or pines, from 2 to 20
metres above ground level, average about 9 metres. Eggs, 3 to 5, normally 4,
slightly greenish white usually with an irregular ring of minute blackish brown
spots round the large end and a few similar specks scattered here and there.
Average size of 80 eggs 18.7 x 13.7 mm (Baker). Building of nest by female
only, accompanied by male. Incubation by female only, fed on nest by male;
period about 13 days. Care of young by both parents. See Dodsworth, JBNHS
21: 1074-80 for further details.
See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies. Sexes can be
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
distinguished by wing-coverts: in the male, the lesser and median coverts are completely
yellow, in the female dark brown.
Y o u n g similar to female. For details of plumages see Whistler, Ibis 1940: 15 1-3.
Adult bird has one complete moult a year, in May and June. Juvenal plumage retained
throughout winter and moulted into adult plumage in complete prenuptial moult.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
-I}
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
14-16
14-16
Tail
{ 43-51
mrn
4 6 5 0 mrn
(BB, Stres., SA)
Weight 2 d d (Aug.) 18.5,20.8;1 07 (Aug.) 18.7 g 4 D . 1 d,1 9 (May) 19, 18.5 g-BB.
6 d d (0ct.-Dec.) 17-20;5 9 9 (0ct.-Dec.) 16-18.5 g--SA, BB.
72-80
comu~sOF BARE PARTS.Iris brown to dark brown. Bill: upper mzuldible brownish flesh,
darker on base and tip; lower mandible fleshy with dusky tip. Legs and feet brownish
flesh to pale horny.
199 1. Carduelis spinoides taylori (Kinnear)

Hypacanthis spinoides taylori Kinnear, 1939, Ibis: 752
(Lilung, nangpo Valley, SE. Tibet)
Not in Baker, FBI
Palte 103, fig. 7
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 1990 but whole head nearly black.
-ATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. Southeastern =bet and adjacent parts of Arunachal Pradesh (common at
Wallong, at 1300 m, in scrubland-P. Singh, 1994, Forktail 10: 71, 99). Affects
cultivation, open fields, meadows and edges of forest near cultivation at c. 28003100 m.
Extralimital. Extends to Sichuan. Other subspecies in northern Burma, Yunnan
and Vietnam.
LOCAL NAMES.
146
CARDUELINAE
and VOICE. As in 1900. Voice a wheezy, rising w e e ;

call usually given in flight a repeated thin, high-pitched metallic twitter tit-it-itit; song like that of Greenfinch but with more metallic notes, high shrill trills,
and a dry screee or treee-tertrah.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Distinguished from both spinoidcs and heinrichi in having the
whole head nearly black, the back very dark olive and the underparts darker, more olive;
belly dirty greyish white.
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD
MEAS-
Wing d d 79-83 rnm; 9 9 78-80 mm (NBK)

Unrecorded.
1992. Carduelis spinoides heinrichi Stresemann

Carduelis spinoides heinrichi Stresemann, 1940, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin
24: 153, 170 (Mt Victoria)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subjekt to vertical movements; app
arently uncommon. The hills of Nagaland (Baker, JBNHS 9: 143), Manipur
(Ripley, JBNHS 50: 512; Hume, SF 11: 28) and adjacent hills of Burma south to
Mt Victoria at c. 230-2400 m in summer, descending to at least 1400 m in
winter. Affects trees in clearings and neighbourhood of cultivation.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREED~NG.
Season, about June (by gonadal evidence). Nest and eggs undescribed, probably as in 1990.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from taylori chiefly in having a yellow supercilium and
from spinoides in being much darker, the crown and cheeks black, the latter not separated
from malar streak by a yellow area.
WAL NAMES.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 72-77; 9 Q 70-74 mrn (SDR.Stres.)

Weight 1 d 16; 2 subadult d d 15, 15.5; 3 9 9 15. 15, 15 g (SDR).
AS in 1990.
1992a. Eurasian Siskin. Carduelis spinus (Linnaeus)

Fringilla spinus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., 10 ed., 1758: 181. (Sweden).
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow ; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S
Adult
.
male green above, greenish yellow below, shading to
whitish on belly. A small black bib on chin, and a black crown; wings black with
two yellow bars, black streaks on flanks. Female similar to male, but brownish
above, paler below, lacks black bib and crown; streaks on flanks and sides of
breast paler brown. Juvenile like 9 but duller with more prominent streaks.
147
srms, D I S T I U B ~ O Nand HABRAT. Accidental. A flock of 2 1 individuals at

c. 2600 m on 25.i.1980 in Solan Nalla in Himachal Pradesh (Gaston &
Chattopadhya, JBNHS 78: 356); also sighted at c. 1500 m in Nagarjung,
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, 7.iv. 1982 (T. & RC.Inskipp, ibid. 81: 705). Affects
forests, secondary growth, groves, orchards and parks.
Extralimital. Boreal regions of Ewope and the U.S.S.R. as far east as 75"E. A
disjunct population in the Amw Valley, Sakhalin and Japan. Vagrants in SE. Asia
and Afghanistan.
GENELU
HABTZS. An arboreal bird with undulating flight. Forage actively,
swinging on thin twigs at extremities of branches, often hanging upside down;
maintain a continuous low twitter while feeding.
p o o ~and VOICE. Seed of Alder (Alnus sp.). Call, a dry twittering trill, less
liquid than the Goldfinches*(Gaston & Chattopadhya, ibid. 78: 356).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from Serinus thibct~us(1993) in having yellow band
in wing and yellow wedge on sides of the base of the tail as in greenfinch (but paler and
narrower); from greenfinches in having olive-green upperparts with black cap, yellowish
rump and narrow black streaks on back and two yellowish wing bars. Females and juveniles
white-grey and greenish.
MEASUREMENIS
Wing
dd
Bill
Tail
68-74.5
(ev. 70.9)
99
65.5-74.5
(av. 69.5)
(Dementiev er al.)
Weight d 9 12-14 g @emcntiev er d.)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill bright yellowish horn in male, darker
brown horn in female. Legs dark brown.
~
shifted to p. 153 as Serinur thibetanus
[No. 1993. 'libetanSiskin. Carduelk l 7 1 i b e r a now
(H-).J
Genus A c A N T H I s Borkhausen
Acunthis Borkhausen, 1797, Deutsche Fauna 1: 248. 'I)pe, by subsequent designation
(Stejncgcr, 1884). Fringilh Linanb Linnaeus
Bill short, straight and pointed. Wlng long.

Key to the Speclea
Throat streaked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A. cannabina
Throat unstreaked ...........................A. flavimsrris
LOCAL
1994. Linnet Acmthb cmncrbina b e h (Brehm)

Fringilkr bella Brehm, 1845, Isis, col. 348 (Beyrouth)
h o t a fingillimstris Bonaparte & Schlegel, 1850, Monogr. Loxiens:
45, pl. 49 (Kashrnir)
Plate 103, flg. 8
NAMES.
None recorded.
CARDUELINAE
148
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1e. Above, forehead pinkish red. Nape and sides of neck
grey, crown streaked with dark brown. Back and wing-coverts brown, rump paler.
Tail black and white. Below, throat whitish with brown streaks. Breast pinkish
red. Flanks rufous-brown. Centre of belly white.
F e m a 1e, similar to male but without red; breast fulvous white streaked with
dark brown.
STATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand H A B T T ~ Irregular
.
winter visitor to Gilgit, Baltistan,
Rawalpindi and Jhelum districts, Salt Range and northern Baluchistan (Quetta
dist.); two recent records for Ladakh (Williams & Delany, 1986, OBC Bull. 3:
13). In some years quite common (flocks of 30+ in the Punjab Salt Range) but in
other years entirely absent (Roberts). NW. Nepal (Jumla dist.), where scarce.
(Fleming et al., 1984). Affects open country, grassy meadows, cultivation, and
stony slopes at base of hills; in Baltistan up to 2400 m.
Extralimital. Breeds from northern Afghanistan north to the Altai and west to
lbrkey and the Caucasus. The species extends to Morocco, the Canary Islands,
the British Isles and southern Scandinavia.
MIGRATION. Recorded in winter quarters from October to early April.
GENERAL H A B ~ .A rather shy but sprightly bird usually met with in small flocks
of 4 or 5 individuals. Often settles on tops of trees and bushes. Feeds on the
ground, or from flowerheads.
FOOD. Seeds; particularly fond of wild hemp (Cannabis sp.).
vorm and CALLS. A twittering note continually uttered in flight. A lively
musical song may be heard in February-March.
SIZE. Spmw-;

MEASIJREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(Dementiev. Baker. MD)

Weight 2 d d 18.9.20.4 g (Dementiev).
Ins brown. Bill: upper mandible pale horn brown, lower pale
plurnbeous, yellowish at gonys. Legs and feet dark brownish flesh.
COLOURS OF BAW PARTS.
ACANTHIS
n A v l R o s m l s (Linnaeus): Twm
Paler; more sandy above, more buffy white below. . . . . . . . A. f. monlonella
Darker; more mfescent above, more fulvous below. . . . . . A. f. rufostrigata

1995. Acanthis flrrvirostris montanelh (Hume)
Linota montanella Hume, 1873, Lahore to Yarkand: 261, pl. 26
(Arpalak River, Yarkand)
Acanthis flavimsfiis baltistanicu R. & A. Meinertzhagen, 1926,
Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 46: 97 (Sanpur, near Skardu)
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
STATUS,
~ ~ s m s v and
n o HABITAT.
~
Resident, subject to limi<ed vertical movements. In Chitral (Fulton, JBNHS 16: 53), Gilgit (Ludlow, Ibis 1933: 664) and
Baltistan (Meinertzhagen, Ibis 1927: 378 and 379)'. Breeds mostly between 3000
and 4200 m, occasionally lower, descending sometimes in winter to c. 1500 m in
Gilgit. Affects stony and grassy slopes.
LOCAL NAMES.
Acanthis j h v i r o s M
1 montanella (1995),
2 rufostrigata (1996),
Extralimital. Extends north to the Parnirs and east along the Kun Lun to the
Nan Shan.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE.
As in 1996.
' Birds collected in August can hardly be migrants as many birds nest until September and the
species does not seem to wander far from its breeding grounds. This docs not exclude the possibility that birds from the Parnirs may occur in winter within our limits. We follow Ludlow (loc.
cit.1 and Hellmayr (1929, FicldMur. Not. Hist. 2001. 17:45) in considering these populations as
montanello. the apparent variations probably being evidence of intergradation with rufostrigata.
150
CARDUELINAE
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from rufosmgaa in being paler, greyish sandy, with the
streaks more diffused or less sharply marked. Bill thinner.
MEASUREMENIS and COLOURS OF BARB PARTS. AS in 1996.
1996. Acanthis fkrvirostrir rufosb'lgata (Walton)
Linota rufoshiguta Walton, 1905, Bull. Brit. Om. Cl. 15: 93
(Kharnba Jong, 'llbet)
Acanthis jhvimshis h a h e ~ ~R~ &
i s A. Meinertzhagen, 1926,
Bull. Brit. Om. Cl. 46: 96 (Leh)
Balrer, FBI No. 1087, Vol. 3: 157
Plate 103, fig. 9
LOCAL NAMES.
PL-che [= . mustard bird], Deng-deng-ma (Tibetan); Pegam-bejke
(Gyangtse).
SIZE. Sparrow-;
FIELDC H A R A ~ R S . A small brown finch with pink rump and distinctly forked
tail.
M a 1 e. Above, fulvous brown streaked with dark brown. l b o buffish wingbars and prominent buff superciliurn. Rump greyish pink. Tail dark brown with
white outer edge. Below, fulvours brown, breast and flanks streaked with dark
brown. Belly cream-buff.
F e m a 1 el similar to male but no pink on rump.
ments. Ladakh, Spiti and east along southern Tibet (SiUim Ali, JBNHS 46: 300;
Kinnear, Ibis 1922: 520), north-central Nepal (in June--Desfayes, Ibis 1965:
400; Fleming et al., 1984) and northern Sikkim (at least in winter). Breeds between
3600 and 4800 m, seldom down to 3400 m; optimum zone 40004500 m. Does
not seem to descend much in winter, the lowest records being about 3000 m.
Affects screes and stony hillsides with Tibetan fune (Caragam) usually in arid
country, or boulder-strewn alpine meadows; also cultivation and HippopAac scrub,
especially in winter.
Extralimital. Southern 'libet east to Rong Chakar (Ludlow). The species has a
discontinuous range in central Asia, the Middle East, Scandinavia and the British
Isles.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks according to season, often
collecting in large flocks in winter. Feeds on the ground, running among stones
like Calandnlla larks; also in low bushes or on thistle-heads.
FOOD.Seeds.
vorm and CALLS. Call-note uttered in flight, a double mite-mite (SA) or a
triple dje-dje-djet (MD). Song undescribed.
BREED~NG.
Season, May to end of August Nest, a compact cup of dry grass
thickly lined with wool or hair, placed low down in furze bushes etc. usually
within 60 cm from the ground, sometimes up to 2 or 3 metres in dwarf willows,
or on the ground among sedges. Eggs, 3 to 5, very pale blue marked with pink to
151
reddish brown spots, chiefly in a zone at the large end. Average size of 46 eggs
18 x 13.2 mm (Osmaston), of 30 eggs 18 x 13 mm (Ludlow). Considerably
variable in shape, some eggs being very dumpy, others very elongate: maximum
20 x 13.4 and 19 x 13.5 mm, minimum 16.5 x 12 mm (Ludlow). Nest building
and incubation by female alone (Roberts).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from montanella (1995) in being darker, more heavily
streaked, in having a richer, redder tone on upperparts, and in being more buff to clay
colour rather than buffy white on underparts. Bill thicker.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
. .
(Vaurie, RM, MD)

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill horny white to pale fleshy with pink tinge.
Legs and feet dark brown or blackish brown.
[No. 1997, Redbrowed Finch Callacmthis burroni (Could) now shifted to p. 1621
Genus S E R I N u s Koch
Serinw Koch, 1816, Syst. Baier. Zool.: 228, pl. 6A, fig. 50.
5 p e , by monotypy, Serinus hortulanw Koch = Fringilla serinw Linnaeus
Metaponia Bonaparte, 1853, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris 37: 917, 918
5 p e , by monotypy, Passer pusillus Pallas
Chrysomitris Boie, 1828, Isis von Oken, col. 322.
v p e , by monotypy, Fringilla spinw Linnaeus
Bill small but thick, culmen curved. Wing long; tail forked.
Key to the Species
Yellowish buff streaked with dark brown or black.. . . . . . . . . .S. pusillus

Greenish brown with face, eyebrow and throat yellow . . . . . .S. thibetanus
Page
151
153
1998. Goldfmnted Finch. Serinus pusilfus (Pallas)

Passer pwillus Pallas, 1811, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. 2: 28, pl. 43, fig. 1
(Caucasus)
Plate 103, fig. 3
Tiok (ad.), Taer (juv.) [Kashmir].
I.OCAL NAMES.
HELD CHARACERS.
C.
A small dark finch with blackish head and orange forehead.

Above, forehead scarlet-orange; crown dark brown; nape
grey. Back yellowish buff streaked with dark brown; lower
rump yellow. Shoulder and edge of wing yellow with two
white bars. Tail dark brown with whitish edges. Below,
throat, sides of head and upper breast sooty brown, the
feathers broadly fringed with grey. Belly and flanks pale
CARDUELINAE
152
yellow with dark brown streaks. Sexes alike. Juveniles lock red forecrown and
are paler and more brown-streaked.
Common resident, subject to vertical moveSTATUS,
ments. From northern Baluchistan north to Chitral, thence east through Gilgit,
Baltistan, Ladakh, northern Kashmir, Lahul, Spiti, Garhwal and N. and C. Nepal
Serinus pusillus
mI] Distributional range

(Fleming el al., 1984; Melville & Hamilton, JBNHS 80: 222-3). Breeds between
2400 and 3000 m (Baluchistan) and between 3000 and 4000 m in the Himalayas,
locally down to 2400 m or up to 4700 m (Hunza, Ladakh, Spiti, Garhwal). In
summer frequents dwarf junipers at and above timber-line, shingle screes and
rocky hillsides with stunted bushes, birches and willows near cultivation. Winters
(November to March) between 3300 and 1500 m, occasionally down to c. 750 m
(Simla), seldom lower (Sukkur in Sind). In this season affects open hillsides and
stony ground with bushes and coarse herbage.
Exrralimital. Southern Tibet (SBlim Ali, JBNHS 46: 300; Lavkumar, ibid. 53:
325), north in Turkestan to the Tarbagatai and west to Turkey.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in restless flocks in the non-breeding season-small
flocks in autumn, large ones in winter-ver
on the move. Feeds mostly on the
ground; also from low bushes and weeds often springing up 30 cm or so and
fluttering against the flowerheads to pluck the seeds. When disturbed the flock
flies up to the bare tops of nearby trees or bushes, all the birds alighting simultaneously in a distinctive way. They are avid drinkers and may be seen drinking and
bathing at all times of day at any available water.
153
FOOD.Seeds of thistles (Carduus), Artemisia, Plectranthus, Sisymbrium, and

other weeds and grass; mulberries.
VOICE and CALLS. A constant, feeble but sharp tree, tree rapidly repeated twice
and a musical chiririri (SA). Song described as a soft, pleasant, rippling twittera more sustained version of the call-note (HW).
BREEDWG.
Season, June to August, mainly in the last two months. Nest, a cup
of grass, strips of bark and rootlets thickly lined with wool, hair or vegetable
down, plastered externally with spider-web; placed in rose bushes, junipers or
briars between one and six metres above the ground; one nest observed in a cleft
in a cliff two metres above the ground. Eggs, 4 or 5, pale bluish green marked
with rusty red and dark brown, occasionally unspotted. Average size of 85 eggs
16.7 x 12.6 mm (Osmaston).
MUSEUM
Y o u n g. Upperparts, lesser and median coverts light rufous brown streaked with dark
brown. Tertials and greater coverts black with broad pale rufous brown tips and edges.
Rest of wing and tail as in adult. Sides of head, chin and throat plain rufous brown. Rest
of underparts light rufous brown with dark streaks on breast and flanks. Postjuvenal
moult of body-feathers, lesser, median and greater coverts, tertials and central rectrices.
F i r s t-y e a r male and female like adult but whole crown and sides of head brown.
Chin and upper throat dull yellowish white or rufous white. Tertials margined with fulvous
white. Prenuptial moult of head, chin and throat, thus acquiring the red forecrown and
blackish parts of the adult.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW, Vaurie)
Weight 4 d d 10.5-12.7; 1 Q 10.5 g (Dementiev).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill blackish. Legs and feet black.
1993. Tibetan Siskin. Serinus thibetanus (Hume)

Chrysornirris rhiberann Hume, 1872, Ibis: 107 (borders of Sikkim and Thiber)
Raker. FBI No. 109 1. Vol. 3: 162
Plate 103, fig. 4
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow-;
I:IELD CHARACTERS.
A small yellow-green and brownish finch with a small,
pointed bill and slightly forked tail.
M a l e. Above, olive-yellow, mantlc faintly strcakcd with dark brown, rump
brighter yellow. An ill-defined supercilium and collar bright ycllow. A yellow
wing-bar. Tail-feathers dark brown edgcd with ycllow. Below, dccp yellow washed
with olive on sides of neck and flanks.
I.CK'AL NAMES.
154
CARDUELINAE
F e m a I e, like male but duller and streaked with dark brown above and below
excepting throat and upper breast.
I m m a t u r e, like female but more heavily streaked and with abdomen whitish.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Mostly a winter visitor to the eastern Himalayas, from central Nepal (Proud, JBNHS 51: 737, 53: 66; Rand & Fleming,
Fieldiana 41: 202; Fleming et al., 1984) east through Sikkim (Siilim Ali. 1962;
Meinertzhagen, 1927), Bhutan (SA) and Arunachal Pradesh between 1000 and
Serinus thibetanus
m
u Breeding or summer,
winter.
3000 m (in Burma as low as 600 m). Presumably breeds in northern Arunachal as
birds have been recorded in summer in Tibet near or on the border (Lusha La)
between long. 93" and 94"E. (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 356); possibly breeds farther
west (loc. cit.: 357). Observed in summer between 2800 and 3800 m in hemlock
(Tsuga), birch and mixed fir and birch forest near tree-limit. In winter, known to
frequent alders and Tsuga.
Extralimital. Breeds in southeastern Tibet, and western Sichuan. Winters to
northern Burma and northern Yunnan.
MIGRATION. Recorded in winter quarters from 20 December to 8 March.
GENERAL HABITS. Found in pairs in the breeding season (May-June) otherwise
in flocks of 10 to 50, sometimes up to several hundred birds (' literally swarms 'Proud). Feeds largely among the tops of alders, birch, etc.; also on the ground
under conifers, sometimes in thick undergrowth.
FOOD.Seeds of alders (Alnus), birch (Betula) and conifers.
VOICE and CALLS.When in flocks in trees ' keeps up a continual hard tremulous
twittering, at times quite defeating-sounding in the distance like starlings going
155
to roost. Never silent for a minute '. Song, heard in March, a nasal buzzing twoto-three-note zeezle-eezle-eeze with many trills. When taking wing, utters a series
of finch-like notes (Ludlow).
BREEDING. Season, birds have been observed keeping paired in May and June.
Nest and eggs unknown. Cf. Ludlow & Kinnear, Ibis 1944: 357.
MUSEUM
F i r s t-y e a r male and female like adult but paler yellow on underparts; flanks more
streaked. Greater coverts and tertials yellowish white instead of olive-green.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
68-72
64-70
9?
Bill
(from skull)
12-13
11-14}
Tarsus
Tail
14-15
40-43 nun
(onePl2)
42-45 mm
(SA, Rand & Fleming)
Weight 5 d d (Nov.) 10-1 1; 1 9 (Nov.) 11 g--SA.

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill pinkish grey. Legs and feet fleshy grey.
Genus L E u c o s T I c T E Swainson
Leucosricre Swainson, 1832, in Swainson & Richardson, Fauna Boreali-Americana,
Bds. 2: 265. v p e , by monotypy, Linariu (Leucosricte) rephrocoris Swainson
Fringilanda [sic], corrected to Fringilauda Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 158.
Q p e , by monotypy, E (ringilauda) Nemoricola Hodgson
Bill sparrow-like but slender and more pointed. Nostrils covered with bristles. Wing
long. Tail forked.
Key to the Species'
Some pink on rump. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L brandti
No pink on rump.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L nemoricola
LEUCOSTICE
NEM0RlCOL.A
Page
158
155
(Hodgson): MOUNTAIN
FINCH

Axillaries pale ashy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L.. n. altaica
. n. nemoricola
Axillaries pale yellow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L.
1999. Lcucostiete nemoricola a l k r h (Eversmann)
Fringilla altaica Eversmann, 1848, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou 21: 223
(Uimon, Altai)
Baker. FBI No. 11 16. Vol. 3: 192
Kib-che (= ' hill bird ', Tibetan).
SIZE. Sparrow; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
LOCAL NAMFS.
' Lrucosticte rillemi, n. sp., was described from two old museum skins (C. S. Roselaar, 1992,
BBOC 112: 225-3 1). The validity of this species is not beyond question, as the species was
described from poor specimens.
CARDUELINAE
156
Resembles a dark slim female House Sparrow, with a somewhat finer bill and distinctly forked tail.Above, brown streaked with darker brown.
An indistinct pale supercilium. W~ngsdark brown with a buff bar and buff edges
to tertials. Rump grey, upper tail-coverts with broad white tips. Tail dark brown.
Below, pale grey-brown, sides of breast and flanks streaked with dark brown.
Sexes alike. Sub-adults have distinctive ochre buff crown and cheeks.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to erratic vertical
STATUS,
movements. The western Himalayas from Chitral east through Gilgit, Ladakh
and Kashmir to Kumaon. Breeds above timber-line (c. 3300 m in Kashmir),
mostly above 3600 m and up to 4200 m (Chitral) or 4800 m (Ladakh, Spiti).
nELD CHARACTERS.
1 altaica (1999),
2 nemoricola (2000).
Affects screes and stony grassy slopes in desolate country. Descends in winter
(October to early April) to c. 1500 m, occasionally 1000 m (Kangra) but does not
entirely leave the higher levels. In this season frequents cultivation about villages,
terraced fields and open hillsides but apparently shuns the more sunny sides of
hills.
Extralimital. Western Tibet and northern Afghanistan north to the Altai and
the Sayans.
GENERAL HABITS. A highly gregarious species congregating in huge flocks, often
of 200 or more birds, up to 3000 in a flock in winter (Naltar Valley, Gilgit);
keeping in smaller flocks even in summer. Feeds on the ground among stones
and boulders, often on the edges of melting snow, flying up into bare tree-tops
when disturbed. Behaviour when feeding very reminiscent of sparrow, this likeness
enhanced by sparrow-like dress. Immature birds apparently descend lower in
winter than adults, which remain at higher altitudes.
157
Display. Male extends wings to their full length and raises them above the
back by way of courting; often strong winds blow the courting male off balance
(HW).
Chiefly small seeds; also insects.
VOICE and CALLS. A soft, lively sparrow-like twitter. Song consists of rapid
trills of Goldfinch-like twitters, more prolonged than flight call, and interspersed
with short, sweet warbling notes (Roberts, 1992). Frequently repeated from the
top of some rock or stone (Brooks).
Season, July and August. Nest, a shallow cup of dry grass lined with
BREEDING.
wool and hair placed under a rock or a large flat stone, or inside a burrow 15 cm
or so from the entrance, on steep slopes. Marmot burrows frequently used, bird
and mammal living peacefully together. Nest also placed in holes in stone walls
or heaps of stones; occasionally on a sheltered ledge of rock. Eggs, 3 or 4, white.
Average size of 25 eggs 20.5 x 15.1 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
For distinction from nemoricola see 2000 under Museum
Diagnosis.
Y o u n g, like adult but whole crown uniform warmer rufous; upperparts with warmer
rufous margins. Underparts uniform pale rufous. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers,
lesser, median and greater coverts.
FOOD.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 93-1 00; ? 9 90-95 rnrn (Paludan);rest as in 2000.

Weight 3 d d (June-July) 20-21; 3 9 9 (June-July) 19-21 g (Paludan).
COLOURS OFBARE PARTS.Iris orange-brown (adult male), light brown (female and
immature). Bill dark brown, lower mandible paler (yellowish) at base. Legs and feet dark
brown; soles (with wart-like pads below joints of toes) primrose yellow.
2000. Leucosticte nemoricola nemoricola (Hodgson)

E (ringilaudu) Nemoricola Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 158 (Nepal)
Plate 102, fig. 15
NAMES.Kib-che (= ' hill bird ', Tibetan).

FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS in 1999, q.v.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common
rcsident, subject to vertical movements: Nepal,
Sikkim, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh (?). Breeds
between c. 4200 and 5300 m, winters between 1500
and 4500 m, mostly above 2000 m. Affects alpine
x C. 1
meadows, boulder fields, screes, moraines and dwarf
scrub well above tree-line; also cultivation and villages. In winter also frequents
open forest slopes and fallow fields.
Extra1imi:al. S. Tibet. N. Yunnan north and east to Kansu, Sichuan and Shaanxi.
GENERAL HABITS. AS in 1999. Usually very wild and restless in winter, the birds
flying around incessantly i n scattered undulating rabbles over a wide area,
LOCAL
158
CARDUELINAE
alighting on the ground in a dense mass from time to time and taking off again
almost immediately to resume the wheeling, without apparent cause.
Display. Male displays in a peculiar manner with tail erect, not fanned, wings
hanging and dragged on the ground, head held high with the bill pressed on the
chin, and thus running here and there behind the female (Schafer).
FOOD. Chiefly seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. A sharp twitter sounding like rick pi vitt or dui dip dip dip
(Schafer).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Like altaica but upperparts a little deeper rufous and underparts
a little darker. mps to median and greater coverts white, Axillaries pale yellow (v. ashy
white).
MWSUREMEKlS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(SA, Stres.. NBK)

Weight lOd d (July-Aug.) 19.8-25.5; 9 9 Q (July-Aug.) 20-25.6; 5 juv. (Aug.) 16.624.4 g
(GD).
AS in 1999.
L ~ u c o s n mBRAND^ Bonaparte: BRANDT'

s MOUNTAMFINCH
Page
A
I
2
B
3
4
Some pink on wing-coverts

Paler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..L. b. brandti
Darker, more heavily streaked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. b. pmirensis
No pink on wing-coverts
Paler.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L. b. pallidior
Darker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L. b. haematopygia
158
159
161
160
2001. Leucosticte brandti brandti Bonaparte

Leucosticre brandti Bonaparte, 1850, Consp. Gen. Avium 1: 537 (Siberia,
errore = Turketan, restricted to Zailiski Ala Tau by Vaurie, 1959,
Bds. Pal. Fauna 2: 62 1
Baker, FBI No. I I17 (part), Vol. 3: 193
Plate 102, fig. 17
None recorded.
SIZE. Sparrow + ; length c. 18 cm (7 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS in 2003, q.v.
STATUS,
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Straggler to Gilgit (Ibis 188 1 : 88).
Extralimital. Breeds inTurkestan from westernTien Shan to western Sinkiang.
GENERAL HABITS, FOOD and VOICE.As in 2003.
L ~ A NAMES.
L
GOLDFINCHES A N D ALLIES
kucosticte brandti
1 brundti (2001).
2 pamirensis (2002).
3 haematopygia (2003, 2004), 4 pallidior (2005), 5 extralimtal subspecies.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 112-1 19; 9 9 103-1 16 mm (Dementiev).

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 2003.
2002. Leucosticte brandti pamirensis Severtzov

Leucosticte pamiwnsis Severtzov, 1883. Ibis: 58
(Pamir, restricted to Tien Shan by Hartert, 1910)
Baker, FBI No. 11 17 (part), Vol. 3: 193
FIELD C H A R A n E R S . AS in 2003, q.V.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Winter visitor to Gilgit and surrounding
region.
Extralimital. Northern Afghanistan to south-central Kirghizistan.
GENERAL, HABITS,
Paler than haematopygia and like it has pink margins to rump,
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
but also has narrow pink edges to lesser coverts. Darker than brandti and more heavily
streaked on mantle.
LOCAL
MEASIJREMENTS
Wing d 'r' 1 1 1 - 12 1 mm (Dementiev).
coLorrRs OF BARE PARTS.
AS in 2003.
CARDUELINAE
160
2003, 2004. Leucosticte brandti haematopygia

(Gould)
Montifringilla haematopygia Gould, 1853, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1851): 115
(Thibet, restricted Tso Morari Lake, Ladakh, by Kinnear, 1922, Ibis: 519)
Leucosticte brandti audreyana Stresemann, 1939, Om. Monatsb. 47: 177
(Sikkim: Yabuk at Zemu Glacier)'
None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS. Adark-coloured finch with rosy rump and forked tail.Above,
forehead, ' face ' and crown dark brown. Rest of upperparts paler brown scalloped
with sandy, with a large whitish patch on wing and pale shoulders; rump rosy
pink. Outer edge of tail white. Below, drab grey. Sexes alike.
ments. From Chitral (Fulton, JBNHS 16: 55) east along the Karakoram and
northern Himalayas through Baltistan, Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti, Nepal (Biswas,
JBNHS 60: 194; Diesselhorst, 1968) and Sikkim (Siilim Ali, 1962). Breeds above
c. 4200 m, locally down to c. 3900 m (Chitral, Spiti), and up to 5400 m, generally
in a higher zone than L. nemoricola. In winter some birds descend to the valleys
even down to 1500 m in Gilgit, 3600 m in Sikkim. Most birds apparently remain
at very high altitudes even in winter. Affects desolate stony hillsides, scree fans,
moraines and alpine meadows.
Extralimital. Adjacent parts of southern Tibet (Sillem, Ludlow, Siilim Ali,
Lav kumar).
GENERAL HABITS.Keeps in pairs or flocks up to 50 birds in summer, in larger
flocks in winter. Flies in compact flocks capable of remarkable aerial evolutions,
now circling above cliffs in undecided flight, now plunging towards the ground
at tremendous speed only to rise again and wheel about while noisily utterintg
their loud calls (Schafer). Fond of feeding along the edge of melting snow, on
shingle banks of streams or on lake shores, running along the waterline like
stints, picking seeds etc. washed up by ripples.
Display. Male wheels and stoops at female and alights on rocks by her side
where he stands with outstretched quivering wings like young bird begging for
food. Also displays with his tail held high and wings raised at a steep angle,
uttering a melodic pink, pink (Schafer); also withswings spread but drooped and
tail cocked. uttering a rapid, weak tri-tri-tri (Roberts, 1992).
FOOD. Seeds-(Artemisia etc.) and vegetable matter (young shoots of Sedum)
have been rccorded. Also some insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Alarm-note, a harsh, distinctive churr rather reminiscent of
the note of a grosbeak or stonechat (HW). Loud call-notes given in flight huitt,
hvitt, etc. (Schafcr). Song undescribed.
LOCAL NAMES.
' Cf
Peters's C/icc.k-li.cr 14: 259.
161
Season, June to August. Nest, a rough cup of grass lined with hair
or feathers, placed in a hole under a boulder or in heap of stones. Eggs, 3 or 4,
white. Average size of 6 eggs 22.1 x 16.1 mm (Baker).
BREEDING.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.NO rosy edges on upper wing-coverts but broad ones on rump.
Y o u n g. Crown, sides of head and neck greyish brown. Rest of upperparts

like adult but paler, fringes of feathers more tawny. No pink on rump. Upperparts
like adult but with a slight tawny wash.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW, Stres.)
Weight 5 d d (July-Aug.) 26.4-28.9; 5 9 9 (July-Aug.) 26-28.3 g (GD).
Iris brown. Bill, legs and feet black (summer); bill brown in
winter.
2005. Leucosticte brandti pallidior Bianchi

L.(eucosticre) haematopygia pallidior Bianchi, 1909, Ann. Mus. Pktersb.
13: 38, 45, 55
(Karasai, Nan Shan)
Not in Baker FBI
SIZE. Sparrow- + ; length c. 18 cm (7 in.).
LOCAL
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in
2003, q.v.
Straggler to Sikkim, one record in March
(Meinertzhagen, JBNHS 51: 273). Habitat as in 2003.
Extralimital. Tibet from the northern Karakoram region (Lodlow, Ibis 1933:
669; Sillem, 1935, p. 463) east along the Kun Lun to the Nan Shan.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Like haematopygia (2003) with pink lacking on wing but present
on rump but paler.
MEASUREMENTS and c o ~ o u OF
[No. 2006 and 2007 are now shifted under genus Carpodacus
at pp. 168 and 170 respectively.]
Bonaparte
IS
Genus C A L L A C A N T H
Callacanthis ' Reichenb.' Bonaparte, 1850, Consp. Gen. Av. I: 407.
Q p e , by rnonotypy, Carduelis Rurtoni Gould
Rhodopechys Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 157.
Q p e , by original designation, Fringilla sanguinea Gould
Bill like that of Carduelis but much stouter and both wide and deep at base.
long. Sexes not alike.
Cf. Desfayes, M., 1969. L'Oiseau 39: 21-7 for affinities.
162
CARDUELINAE
Key to the Species
Forehead, supercilium and around eye crimson (male) or yellow (female) . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. . burtoni
Crimson around eye only (male) or lacking (female, supercilium buff. .....
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.
. sanguinea
Page
162
163
1997. Redbrowed Finch Calkanthis burtoni (Gould)

Carduelis Burtoni Gould, 1838, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1837): 90
(Himalaya = Srinagar)
Plate 104, fig. 3
LWAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Spamow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ RM
S .a l e. Above, forehead, supercilium and round eye
crimson; crown black; back brown. Wings
black spotted with white; tail black, outer
rectrices and tip white. Below, chin and throat
pinkish red; sides of throat and cheeks black.
Rest of underparts fulvous brown washed with
pinkish red.
F e m a l e. Above, forehead, supercilium
and round eye ochre-yellow; crown dark
:.: C . I
brown. Rest of upperparts as in male. Below,
ochraceous brown.
The white-spotted wings and wide crimson or yellow ring round the eye identify
both sexes respectively.
Resident, subject to vertical movements, locSTATUS,
ally common (very local east of Kumaon). The Himalayas from Safed Koh (Whitehead, Ibis 1909: 230) and Chitral (Fulton, JBNHS 16: 53) east through Hazara,
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal (Proud, JBNHS 58: 804;
Fleming et al., 1984; Inskipp, C. & T., 1991) and Sikkim (Stenvens, JBNHS 30:
37 1 , only record). Breeds between 2400 and 3000 m (Safed Koh, Chitral), 2400 m
to tree-line in Kashmir, optimum zone 2700-3000 m. In winter (November to
April) occurs down to c. 1800 m, occasionally 800 m; Sikkim record in winter at
c. 3000 m. Affects fairly open forest of fir, pine or deodar, occasionally birch.
GENERAL HABITS.
Usually a remarkably tame and confiding species. Keeps in
pairs in the breeding season, otherwise in small flocks of 6 to 12. occasionally up
to 30 individuals. Feeds mostly on the ground, hopping about in undergrowth,
flying up into nearby bushes and trees when disturbed, uttering soft tews. Descends
in ones and twos to resume feeding immediately the disturbance has passed.
Display. Male vibrates his drooping wings like a sparrow, uttering a little
trill. Display also said to remind one of a Goldfinch's.
FOOD. Seeds (of deodar, mountain ash, etc.); also Viburnum berries and buds.
VOICE and CALLS. Ordinary call-note, a loud and clear whistle, higher in lone
but not unlike ordinary call of bullfinch (BBO), ' pwee often followed by notes
163
likepweu, pweuweu or chipeweu (eu like the French), all plaintive and melodious '
(Magrath)-usually
given from high up on a bare branch. Alarm-note, a double
iih-eh or mee-yeh, the second note a half-tone higher. Song consists of a long
sequence of drawn-out whistles, mostly downward inflected and uttered at spaced
intervals (Roberts, pers. corn.).
BREEDING. Season, May to July. Nest, a rather massive cup of moss, lichen,
grass stalks, twigs, fern stems or pine needles, thickly lined with goat-, cattle- or
even human hair and some feathers; placed in conifers from 3 to 21 metres above
the ground. One site has been described as a semi-open forest interspersed with
small meadows. Eggs, apparently 3, greenish blue, sparingly spotted with blackish
brown or black at the large end. Average size of 3 eggs 24.3 x 16.4 mm. Building
by both sexes; part of the material appears to be collected on trees; the birds do
not fly directly to the nest but alight some distance below it and work their way
up. Male seen feeding sitting female by regurgitation. For notes on breeding see
JBNHS 46: 721; Bates & Lowther, 1952: 163-5.
Waters, H.P.E.,
MUSEUM
Y o u n g. Head uniform brown without coloured supercilium (for details of plumage
see Richmond, 1894, Proc. U.S. Nut. Mu. 17: 461).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
c.18
Tarsus
Tail
63-65 mm
??
97- 100
c.61 mm
(MD, Hartert, Vaurie)
COLOURS OFBAREPARTS.
Iris hazel. Bill dull yellow, with dark tip. Legs and feet
brownish flesh.
dd
961M)
c.
19
2009. Crimsonwinged Desert Finch. Callacanthis sariguinea sanguinea

(Gould)
Fringilla sanguinea Gould, 1838 (1 837), Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 127 (Erzerum)
(Cf. Desfayes, M., 1969, L'Oiseau 39: 21-7 for affinities)
Plate 103, fig. 12
SIZE.Bulbul; length c. 18 cm (7 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ E R
ASbrown
.
finch with pink wings and large yellowish bill.
M a I e. Above, crown blackish. Area around eye crimson; a broad buff supercilium. A tawny collar on upper back and sides of neck. Back rufous-brown
streaked with darker brown; lower rump pink. Wings largely pink with dark
brown tip and a narrow white band at tip of secondaries. Tail dark brown with
outer edge. Below, ear-coverts and throat tawny brown streaked with dark brown
and a pale band across brcast. Centre of belly pinkish white.
F e m a I e , similar to male but practically no black on crown and without pink
on rump. Pink colour much reduccd on wings, and other colours paler.
STATUS, I)ISTRIBUTIONand HABITAT.
Status unknown. Two records: Chitral, c.
3000 m apparently in July (Fulton. JBNHS 16: 53) and Ladakh, c. 3600 m on
LWAL
CARDUELINAE
164
27 April (Meinertzhagen, Ibis 1927: 381). Affects semi-desert, rocky and scrubby
hillsides.
1 sanguinea (2009).
2 aliena (RE).
Extralimital. Semi-desert mountain ranges from Turkestan to Turkey and

Lebanon. An isolated population (aliena) in the Atlas Mts. Recently recorded in
southern Spain.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in small flocks of 3-5 birds outside the breeding season.
The birds from Ladakh (above) were in company with a flock of R. mongolica
feeding in stubbles near a village.
FOOD. Mostly seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note uttered in flight chilip. A quiet grating song
tchwili...tchwilichip, reminiscent of the notes of a sparrow, given from bushes or
tussocks (Lehmann & Mertens, Oologists' Rec. 43: 1-16).
BREEDING.Season, May to July. Nest, placed in hollows under a stone or plant
on steep slopes. For details see The Oologists' Record 43: 1-16, 1969, and Der
Falke 13: 48-53, 1966.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(MD. Vaurie. Paludan)

Weight 2 d d (June) 34.44: 2 9 9 (June) 32. 33 g (Paludan).
CoLorlRs OF R A R E PARTS.
Iris dark brown. Rill dull yellow, dusky at tip. Legs and feet
dark brown: soles yellowish.

A
Genus R H O D O S P I Z Sharpe
Rhodospiza Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 282.
Qpe, by monotypy, Fringilla obsoleta Lichtenstein.
Bill stout, strong and rather short. Nostrils covered with short bristles. Wing long.
2008. Lichtenstein's Desert Finch. Rhodospiza obsoleta (Lichtenstein)

Fringilla obsoleta Lichtenstein, 1823, in Eversmann, Reise von Oren. n. Buchara: 132
(Buchara)
Plate 103, fig. 11
NAMES.Kabul gulabi (Lahore, Rawalpindi).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
A pale sandy brown finch with pink and black wings.Above,
pale brown; lores or ' mask ' black. Wings blackish brown with a large pink
patch, white outer edge and tips, and buff edges to tertials. Tail dark brown with
whitish outer edge and tips. Below,throat and breast fulvous brown. Belly white.
Sexes nearly alike but female without black mask. Male has a black bill in the
breeding season.
Resident, subject to local movements; locally
STATUS,
common. Pakistan from central Baluchistan to Chitral, in the plains and foothills
up to c. 1400 m. Known to breed only in the Quetta district, elsewhere recorded
in winter only. Occur on breeding ground from March.to.Septemberthough small
numbers may also be seen in winter. Affects orchards, fallow fields, weedovergrown patches, etc.
LOCAL
Rhodospiza obsoleta
CARDUELINAE
166
Extralimital. Ranges west to Israel, north to the Ala Tau and east to central
Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and northern Tsinghai.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks up to 20 or so according to
season. Feeds mostly on the ground; perches freely on bushes, trees and telegraph
and railing wires.
FOOD. Chiefly seeds and flower buds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note prruii-prruii reminiscent of a Goldfinch; also
described as a cheery pink?, pink?, pink?. Song, a little melody comprising
repetitions of the call-note, nasal and grating trills and rolls interspersed with
short twittering trills and drawn-out beeze calls, reminiscent of the Trumpeterand Mongolian Desert Finches (Roberts, 1992), and especially the Greenfinch
(Erard & Etchecopar, 1970). Song period begins in early March.
BREEDING. Season, April (sometimes as early as the first week of March) to
July; double-brooded. Nest, a compact cup of twigs, plant stems and grass well
lined with vegetable down, wool, hair or feathers, placed in trees, vines, rose
bushes, fruit trees, between one and five metres above the ground. Eggs, 5 or 6,
sometimes 4 or 7, very pale blue-green to nearly white, marked at the large end
with brownish black dots and scrolls, sometimes very sparsely. Average size of
100eggs 18.9 x 14.2 mm (Baker); of 50 eggs 19.2 x 14.4 rnm (Williams). Building
of nest by female, accompanied by singing male. A case of brood parasitism by
Cuculus canorus recorded.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Y o u n g. Whole upperparts, sides of head, lesser and median wing-coverts pale sandy
brown. Greater coverts brown with pale sandy outer edges and tips. Tertials brown washed
with pale sandy on both webs; rest of wing and tail as adult. Below, dirty white tinged
with sandy brown. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers. tertials and all coverts except
primary series (HW).
MEASUREMBHTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW, Vaurie)
Weight 1 d (July) 25; 1 9 (July, laying) 26 g (Paludan).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill blackish brown (male breeding) or yellowish
brown to brown (non-breeding and female). Legs and feet brownish flesh.
Genus C A R P o D A c u s Kaup
Clorpodocw Kaup, 1829, Skizz. Entwick. Gesch. Eur. Thierw.: 161.
Q p e , by subsequent designation, Fnngilla msea Pallas
Pmcarduclis Blyth, 1843, lour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 12: 985.
Type, by monotypy, Carduelis Nipalensis Hodgson
Propasser Hodgson. 1844. in Gray's Zool. Misc.: 84.
Q p e , by rnonotypy, Fnngilla mdopepla Vigors
167
Pyrrhospiza ' Hodgson ' = Blyth, 1844, or 1845, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 953.
5 p e . by monotypy, I? punicea ' Hodgson ' = Blyth
Bucanetes Cabanis, 1851, Mus. Hein. 1: 164.
5 p e , by monotypy, Fringilla githaginea Lichtenstein
Bill shorter than head, conical, thick at base. Culmen curved or nearly straight.
Wing rather long, first three primaries (as.) longest. Tail slightly forked. Male with
some red in plumage, female brown and streaked.
Key to the Species
Adult males
Page
I Much pink or red in plumage

A Some white or pink on tertials
1 Belly white.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. trifasciatus
2 Belly pink, red, or buffy
a Back dark crimson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. vinaceus
b Back brown or buffy
i Back with pink streaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. rhodopeplus
ii Back unstreaked or with brown streaks
a' Wide buffy margins to tehials . . . . . . . . . . . .C. mongolicus
b' Narrow buffy margins to tertials . . . . . . . . . .C. githagineus
B No white or pink or tertials
3 Size large. wing over 100 mm
c Plumage scarlet, belly grey-brown.. ............ C. puniceus
d Plumage rosy red, lower belly pink or whitish
iii Back pale brown, indistinctly streaked; whie on outer rectrices
covering most of outer web ................. .C. rubicilla
iv Back grey-brown heavily streaked with dark brown; white on
outer web of outer rectrices very narrow. .. .C. rubicilloides
4 Size smaller, wing under 100 mm
e End of supercilium white.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. thura
f No white at end of supercilium
v A distinct, wide, dark crimson band across breast . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A.
. nipalensis
vi No band across breast
c' Under tail-coverts creamy white . . . . . . . . . . . C. erythrinus
d' Under tail-coverts brown with broad whitish edges. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. rubescens
e' Under tail-coverts pink
o Underparts with dark shaft-streaks . . . . . . .C. edwardsii
oo Underparts plain pink
a" Larger, wing over 80 m m . . . . . . . . .C. rhodochlamys
b" Smaller, wing under 80 mm
o' Crown dull crimson with dark shaft-streaks . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. rhodochmus
o" Crown with broad, dark brown streaks.. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. pulcherrimus
168
CARDUELINAE
Females and first year males
Page
I1 Little or no pink or red in plumage

C Plumage pale buff overall, nearly unstreaked
5 Wings blackish, tertials broadly edged buff. . . . . . . . .C. mongolicus
6 Tertials narrowly fringed buff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C. githagineus
D Size large, wing over 95 mm
7 Lower rump yellowish olive.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. puniceus
8 No yellow on rump
a Upperparts pale sandy brown with faint darker streaks.. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C.rubicilla
b Upperparts grey-brown with dark brown streaks.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C.
. rubicilloides
E Size smaller, wing under 95 mm
9 Breast ochraceous yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. trifasciatus
10 Lower rump ochraceous yellow to orange, heavily streaked. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C.thura
.
11 No pure yellow in plumage
c Underparts not streaked
i Belly grey; edges of under tail-coverts whitish; rump olive
to rusty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. rubescens
ii Belly tawny brown; edges of under tail-coverts buff, rump
. nipalensis
dark brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C.
d Underparts streaked
iii Underparts tawny-olive, faintly streaked
a' Throat and forehead obscurely streaked . . . . . . . ..C. vinaceus
b' Throat and forehead strongly streaked . . . . . . . . .C. edwardsii
iv Underparts buff to whitish, heavily streaked
c' Belly whitish, unstreaked; flanks faintly streaked. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C.erythrinus
.
d' Belly and flanks more or less streaked
o Supercilium streaked, indistinct, underparts whitish-buff
a" Bill from skull over 16 m m . . . . . . . . . C. rhodochlumys
b" Bill from skull under 16 mm . . . . . . . . .C. pulche~mus
oo Supercilium unstreaked, prominent; underparts fulvous buff
c" Throat heavily streaked . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. rhodopeplus
d" Throat whitish with little or no streaking. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.rhodochmus
.
2006. 'Iturnpeter Bullfinch. Carpodacus githagineus crassirostris Blyth

Carpodacus crassimstns Blyth, 1847, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 16: 476
(Afghanistan)
Baker, FBI No! 1972, Vol. 3: 141
Plate 103, fig. 13
I-OCAI. NAMES.
None recorded.
~
L CH
D A R A ~ R S . A pale pinkish brown finch with a heavy orange bill.
169
M a 1 e. Above, crown ashy; back greyish brown washed with pink in breeding
season. Wings and lower rump pink; tail dark brown
with pale margins. Below, pale greyish buff, washed
with pink in breeding season.'
F e m a l e similar to male but without pink tinge
in winter and only a faint pink flush below in summer
DIsTRlBunoN and HABITAT. Unc~mmonand
STATUS,
x c. 1
local resident, subject to nomadic movements according to local rainfall patterns. Throughout in Baluchistan, hilly tracts of Sind and
N.W.F.P., north to Chitral and Gilgit where rare. Summer records from Thal,
Saraman, Kalat, Hab Valley, Pishin Valley, Quetta and Chitral. Apparently found
mostly in the foothills, but in Chitral recorded as high as 3000 m (Fulton) and
Carpodocus githagineus
crassimstris (2006)
said to be ' not so common as nwngolica ' (Perreau). More widespread in winter
when fairly common in the low hills of Sind and reaching the Makran coast,
Rajasthan (Jaisalmer, Jodhpur), Gujarat, the Salt Range (uncommon) and Punjab
(Gurgaon).Affects bare hills and stony semi-desert. Plumage perfectly obliterative
in its accustomed habitat.
Extralimital. Extends north to Uzbekistan and west to Israel and central
Arabia. Other subspecies in North Africa to Sudan, southern Sahara and Morocco;
Canary Islands.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks according to season. Feeds on
the ground, perches on rocks or stones. Avoids perching on bushes. Flight rapid,
slightly undulating.
FOOD. Mainly seeds and wind-borne detritus.
170
CARDUELINAE
VOICE and CALLS.
An incessant twittering when in flocks in winter. Call-note a

short rapidly repeated buzzing. Song lasting 2 to 3 minutes, comprises a unique
series of spaced buzzes (toy trumpet-like), followed by longer, squeaky beeps,
then higher-pitched shoiter squeaks followed by 3 or 4 repeated tuneful whistles
succeeded by more buzzes etc. (Roberts, 1992).
BREEDING. Little known. Season, April to June. Nest, a framework of sticks
and twigs lined with wool and hair placed in holes in rocks or walls of ruined
buildings. Eggs, 4, very pale to deep blue with a few dark spots or a well-defined
ring of reddish Freckles at the large end. Average size of 14 eggs 18.4 x 14.7 mm
(Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Bill short and very tumid with lower
mandible as much curved as upper. Wings long, reaching beyond middle of tail.
Y o u n g. Whole upperparts light brown, a little paler on rump and some darker indistinct
streaks on mantle. Wings and tail as in adult female but edges and tips of lesser, median
and greater coverts yellowish tawny. Centre of breast, belly, vent and under tail-coverts
white. Rest as in adult female but suffused with light tawny on sides of body. Postjuvenal
moult of body-feathers and apparently all wing-coverts except primary (HW).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(CBT, Baker)
Weight 1 d juv. (July) 19 g (Paludan).
cotou~sOF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill of male: scarlet or orange (breeding), dull
orange-yellow (winter); female dull yellow. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
2007. Mongdian Desert Finch Cqodrrcus mongolicus Swinhoe

Carpodcrcus mongolicus Swinhoe, 1870, Roc. 2001. SOC.London: 447
(Nankow Pass)
Plate 103, fig. 14
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ S . Above, sandy brown with a more or less pink supercilium,
wing and lower rump in breeding plumage. Tail dark brown with whitish outer
edge. Below, greyish brown more or less tinged with pink on chin, throat, breast
and flanks in breeding season; centre of belly whitish. Sexes practically alike,
female differing only in having less pink in plumage.
Both sexes rather similar to female C. githugineus but distinguished by sueaked
crown. Bill of male brownish yellow, not becoming orange or scarlet in summer.
and HABTTAT. Fairly common resident, and locally nomadic
STATUS,D I S T R J B ~ O N
descending to lower main valleys in winter in Ladakh, Gilgit, Hunza, Baltism,
UKUNAMBS.
171
Chitral and Quetta (where less common), between c. 1500and 3000 m. Presumably
breeds at higher elevations but no actual records. Summer data: Chitral 3000 m
in July; Gilgit 2700 and 3000 m in June; Astor 3300 m in June; Ladakh, several
Carpoducus mongolicus
records, June-August; Leh, a juvenile obtained in September; birds observed in
Ladakh from 3000 to 3900 m in May but still in flocks. Affects dry stony or
rocky slopes and steep ravines.
Extralimital. Extends west to Transcaucasia, north to the Altai and east to
Chihli in western China.
GENERAL HABITS. In winter usually seen in flocks of 20 to 30 birds. Very twitelike in habits, crowding together on bushes or on the ground and keeping up a
constant twittering the while (Ludlow). Feeds on the ground. Flocks flight
regularly morning and evening to drink at desert springs.
FOOD. Seeds of grass etc.
VOICE and CALLS. A constant twittering while in flocks rendered as tyuk-tyuk
etc. Call-notes given as djii-vild alternating with djudjuvii (Paludan). Song more
varied and tuneful than that of C. githagineus, including rising and falling whistles,
followed by shorter chirps. Prized as a cage bird in Kashgaria because of its
singing prowess (Roberts).
BREEDMG. Not recorded within our limits. Season, apparently June to August.
Nest, placed in little hollows on steep ground or under stones.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Distinguished from githagineus in being browner above with
less or no pink tinge; feathers of crown and back with dark centres, base of crownfeathers brown not ashy. Bill less heavy and swollen. For other differences see Vaurie,
1949, Amer Mus. Novif., No. 1424: 34.
CARDUELINAE
172
Yo u n g. like adult but upperparts paler sandy brown. Wing-coverts with pale sandy
margins. Underparts without pink, sides of body and breast suffused with tawny.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(Dementiev. MD, Vaurie)

Weight 16 d CT 18-24; 10 9 9 19-23 g (Paludan).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill dull yellow, brownish above. Legs and feet
yellowish flesh, pale brown; orange in a male and a female in September (Abbott).
CARPODACUS
ERYTHRINUS (Pallas): COMMON
ROSEFINCH
(Summer plumage)
Page
A
Palest; general tone rosy

1 Less rosy; pigment less extensive below . . . . . . . . . ..C. e. erythrinus
2 More rosy; pigment reaching farther down below . . .C. e. kubanensis
B Darker; general tone scarlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C. e. ferghanensis
C Darkest; general tone deep carmine or purplish; female more heavily
streaked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. e. mseatus
176
175
172
174
20 10. Carpodacus erythrinus ferghanensis (Kozlova)

E. (rythrina) e. ( r y t h r i ~ferghanensis
)
Kozlova, 1939, Bull. Soc. Nat. Moscou 48: 63
(Shah-dara, Tadzhik S.S.R.)
Baker, FBI No. 1068, vol. 3: 136
NAMES. Gulcib tsur (Kashmir, all rosefinches); Tuti, Ldl tuti (Hindi).
SIZE.Sparrow; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a l e, adult. Above, crown crimson lacking any paler
eyebrow stripe. A darker stripe behind eye; sides of neck and nape crimsonbrown. Back and wings crimson and brown. Rump dark crimson. Bclow, cheeks
pink; chin, throat and breast crimson becoming paler on flanks and belly, whitish
buff on vent. Tail forked.
F e m a I e. A sparrow-like bird, olive-brown above with two pale wing-bars.
Below, throat whitish with brown streaks; breast heavily streaked with brown;
belly whitish. Tail forked.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common summer (breeding) visitor. The hills
of Pakistan from northern Baluchistan (Christison, JBNHS 43: 481) to Chitral
and east along the Himalayas through Gilgit, Ladakh, Kashmir, Lahul and Spiti.
Breeds between c. 2700 and 4000 m: in Baluchistan down to c. 2100 m, in the
Safed Koh to 2000 m, in Ladakh and Spiti up to 3900 m; recorded in Ladakh
LOCAL
173
(Khardong) at c. 4200 m in July. Affects willow groves and tamarisks along river
beds, patches of bushes on the edge of cultivation, orchards, scattered scrub on
stony plains, and slopes with junipers, briar and rose bushes or other thorny
Carpodacus erythrinus
Distributional range of the species
[mm
Breeding
[,,,,1 Winter
3 kubanensis (2012),
1 ferghanensis (2010). 2 rosearus (201I),
4 erythrinus (2013), 5 grebnitzkii (RE).
scrub. Winters from c. 1500 m down to the foothills and in the plains of Pakistan
south to Sind (rare) and northwestern India south to Londa [Koelz, JBNHS 43:
33 (recorded as kubanensis but said to be similar to specimens from the western
Himalayas)]. Recorded on passage as high as 5000 metres. Habitat in winter as
in 201 1 .
Extralimital. Ranges north to the Tarbagatai and west to northern Iran.
MIGRATION.
Recorded on summer grounds from May to September.
GENERAL HABITS and FOOD.As in 201 1.
VOICE and CALLS. A short cheery song of five to eight inflected whistles like
twee-wee-twceoil or t w a y - ~ U U - t u - U - oeach
o h ; individual has its own combination
of notes which is invariable, often shared by other birds of its immediate vicinity,
but differing considerably in other localities. These various songs do not differ
however in character and are always recognizable as belonging to this species
(Osmaston). Call-note, a canary-like, interrogative w e e - e e ? or too-ee?.
BREEDING.
Season, June to September. Nest, a cup of grass lined with rootlets,
.juniper bark fibre and a few hairs, placed in low bushes of Lonicera, briar, rose
174
CARDUELINAE
or willow within a couple of metres from the ground. Eggs, usually 4, sometimes
3, rarely 5, deep blue sparsely blotched with dark brown and black chiefly at the
large end, occasionally spotless or with minute specks. Average size of 200 eggs
20.8 x 14.9 mm (Osmaston). Feeding of young by both parents, by regurgitation.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.M a l e differs from that of erythrinus (2013) in being brighter,
more scarlet; female darker and more heavily streaked.
Y o u n g, like female but edges of feathers on upperparts more ochraceous, giving a
more streaked appearance. Wing-bars yellowish white. Streaks on underparts heavier.
Postjuvenal moult includes body-feathers and all coverts except primary. Many males
breed in brown plumage. Whether all males moult into brown plumage at this moult or
whether some moult to red dress is uncertain (HW).
Complete postnuptial moult performed mostly after arrival in the plains in SeptemberOctober. No prenuptial moult.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 78-87 mm; Q 9 78-84 mrn (Dementiev).

Weight 13 d d (June-July) 2C22; 5 9 9 (June) 21-26 g (Paludan).
AS in 201 1.
20 1 1. Carpodacus erythrinus roseatus (Blyth)

Pyrrhula mseata 'Tickell' = Blyth, 1842, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 11: 461
('sold . . . in Calcutta')
LOCAL NAMES. Tuti, Ldl titi, Surkhur tuti (Hindi); Guldbi tiiti, L.til tub (Bengali);
Amonga tuti (Nepal); Chhota tuti (Sylhet); Yedru-pichike, Yedru-jinowayi (Telugu);
Rosakkunivi (Malayalarn); Phulin-pho (Lepcha); Do-di-ma-mo (Tibetan); Daogajavioba
(Cachari); Inginu' (Naga).
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 2010, q.V.
STATUS. D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Common summer (breeding) visitor to the
Himalayas from Garhwal east through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan (spec. SDR coil.,
Oct.) and Arunachal Pradesh (?). Breeds at c. 39004000 m in Garhwal, 2 7 W
4 2 0 0 m in western Nepal (Lowndes), 3700-4000 m in eastern Nepal
(Diesselhorst). Affects willows along streams (Garhwal), rock and scrub,
sometimes open coniferous forest (western Nepal), bush-covered slopes with
isolated birches and firs (eastern Nepal). Winters from c. 1500 m down to the
foothills into Assam, Bangladesh and most of the Indian Peninsula.' In winter
affects openly wooded country, cultivation, scrub and bushes; in southern India
up to the highest summits.
Extralimital. Southeastern Tibet and western China, wintering south to the
Indoc hinese coun tr~es.
' Previous to 1939, most winter records from the Peninsula were given as mseatw but many
presumably pertained to eyrhrinus andlor ,fephanensis or kubanensis since winter specimens
are not identifiable as to the subspecies. Cf. Whistler. I b i . ~1939: 158-9, Vaurie, Amcr:
Novit.. NO. 1424: 43 and Fleming & Traylor, Fieldiann 35: 484.
175
Arrives in winter quarters in mid September (northern India),

October (Maharashtra), c. mid October-November (Madhya Pradesh, KanhaNewton, JBNHS 83: 494); c. third week November (Andhra Pradesh, E. GhatsTrevor Price, ibid. 76: 420); 9 collected at Pt. Calimere, Tamil Nadu, 24.i (ibid.
79: 569); November or even December (Kerala). On passage in late AugustSeptember, late March to early May at medium elevations in Punjab, Nepal,
Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Arrives very late on high breeding
grounds, e.g. in eastern Nepal where not observed before August (GD).
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or in flocks according to season. In the
Peninsula often large flocks in company with Blackheaded Buntings. In Punjab
commonly in flocks (up to 100), while on migration (Roberts).A rather confiding
species in the breeding season.
FOOD. Mostly seeds (of weeds, millet, wheat, linseed, vetch, Polygonurn, bamboo, etc.), flower buds, fruits and berries (mulberry, raspberries, wild cherries,
banyan and pipal figs,Lantana, Maesa, Trema).Also nectar of Erythrina, Salmalia,
Butea, Woodfordia and other blossoms, the forehead- and throat-feathers of the
birds often becoming thickly coated with pollen in the quest. Insects recorded
once.
VOICEand CALLS. AS in 2010.
BREEDING. Season, June to August, mostly July. Nest and eggs, as in 2010.
MIGRATION.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.The darkest race. Male deep carmine or purplish in breeding
dress attained as the result of wearing off of the paler feather-edges of the postnuptial
moult. Female heavily streaked and very dark.
MEASUREMEWS (of winter specimens from the Penisnsula, thus including erythrinus and
possibly the two other subspecies)
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
Weight 2 d d (Sept.) 24,24; 1 ? (Sept.) 24 g (SDR); 8 dd(June-Sept.) 21-28; 2 9 9 (Sept.)

23.9, 25.3 g (GD); 7 d d (winter) 22-30 (av. 24.3); 5 ? 9 (winter) 21-26 (av. 23.6) g - 4 A .
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible homy, lower silvery
grey. Legs and feet dark homy brown; soles dirty white.
20 1 2. Carpodacus erythrinus kubanensis Laubmann

Carpodacus erythrinus kubanensis Laubmann, 1915, Verh. Om. Ges. Bayem 12: 93
(Kuban dist.. Caucasus)
None recorded.
Sparrow; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
I-OCAL NAMES.
SIZE.
FIELA)CHARACTERS.
AS in 201 0, q.v.
CARDUELINAE
176
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. A wintering form identified from Nepal (Ripley,

STATUS,
JBNHS 49: 412), probably occurring in mixed wintering flocks of rosefinches in
India.
Extralimital. Western Iran to the Caucasus and Turkey.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE.As in 201 1.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Similar to erythrinus (2013) but somewhat more rosy throughout
in males, the pigment usually reaching farther down below and on flanks. A poorly
differentiated race (Vaurie). Cf. also licehurst, JBNHS 32: 345; Whistler, JBNHS 36:
837.
MEASUREMENTS and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.AS in 2010.
20 13. Carpodacus erythrinus erythrinus (Pallas)

Loxia erythrina Pallas, 1770, Nov. Comm. Acad. Sci. St. Petersb. 14: 587, pl. 23, fig. 1
(Volga, south Russia)
Plate 105, fig. 3
NAMES.Titi, Ldl titi (Hindi).
FIELD CHARACTERS. AS in 20 10, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Wlnter visitor to the Indian Peninsula and the
western Himalayan foothills east to Nepal. Cf. Whistler, Ibis 1939: 158-9 and
JBNHS 4 1: 101;Ripley, 1950, JBNHS 49: 4 12; Rand & Fleming, 1957, Fieldiana
41: 203; Biswas, 1963, JBNHS 60: 194; also footnote to C. e. roseatus above
(p. 165). Affects cultivation, scrub jungle and open forest, in the Himalayas
generally up to c. 1500 m, occasionally 2400 m (Nepal).
Extralimital. From the Baltic Sea to central Siberia, another subspecies ranging
thence east to the Sea of Okhotsk.
MIGRATION. ' Vast numbers pour through northwestern India to winter in the
Peninsula ' (HW). Also recorded on passage in northern Baluchistan. Autumn
passage begins in August, lasts through September-October; spring passage in
April-May. A bird ringed on 18.iii.1969 near Bharatpur, 27"14'N., 77'28'E.
(Rajasthan) was recovered on 16.vi.1969 in the Ulyanovsk region of U.S.S.R. at
53'50'N., 46'2 1'E.
GENERAL HABITS,
FOOD and VOICE. As in 20 11.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.The palest race, general colour rosy.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(BB. Rand & Fleming, MD)

PARTS.Iris brown to dark brown. Bill: upper mandible horny or
brownish horny, darker on culmen; lower mandible pale horny, darker at tip, greyish on
base. Legs and feet horny brown; claws horny.
COLOURS OF BARE

CARPODACUS
NIPALENSIS (Hodgson): NEPAL
ROSEFINCH
Males
Paler, less rich in tint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. n. kangrae
Darker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C. n. nipalensis
20 14. Carpodacus nipalensis kangrae (Whistler)
Procarduelis nipalensis kangrae Whistler, 1939. Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 60: 16
(Dharmsala, Kangra Dist., NW. Himalayas)
None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS in 2013, q.v.
Altitudinal migrant, uncommon. The western
Himalayas in Kashmir (Sind Valley, Kistwar), Dharmsala, Kangra, Garhwal and
Kumaon. Affects open forests of oak and rhododendron, bushes and stony pastures
LOCAL NAMES.
Carpodacus nipalensis
I kangrae (2014).
3 inlensior (RE).
2 nipalensis (20 15 ) .
near timber-line generally between 3000 and 3600 m, in Garhwal above 3600 m.
Obtained in winter at c. 1800 m (Naini Tal), 1500 and 1200 m (lower Dharmsala)
after heavy snow-falls.
GENERAL H A B ~FOOD
S , and VOICE.As in 2015.
178
CARDUELINAE
Little known. The only nest found was said to have been taken in
ringal bamboo jungle at c. 4200 m in the second week of August. The three eggs
were white, blotched and spotted with rich red-brown with secondary markings
of pinkish lavender. They measured: 22.9 x 15.1, 22.2 x 15.3 and 22.3 x 15.3
mm (cf. Baker. Nidification 3: 60).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Like nipalensis but upperparts browner, less rich in tint. However
see Vaurie. Amer: Mus. Novit., No. 1424: 45.
MEASUREMENTS and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.AS in 2015.
BREEDING.
20 1 5. Carpodacus nipalensis nipalensis (Hodgson)

C. (arduelis) Nipalensis Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 157
(Nepal, central and northern regions)
Plate 105, fig. 2
NAMES. Ka-biya (Lepcha).

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, forehead, forecrown and supercilium vinaceous crims0n.A wide band through eye and rest of upperparts dark brown washed
with crimson. Below, throat vinaceous pink; a
wide maroon band across breast. Flanks dark
crimson-brown, belly vinaceous pink; under tailcoverts edged with pale pink.
Distinguished from C. erythrinus and C.
rubescens by absence of red on rump; from all
other rosefinches by the darker, maroon band
x C. I
across breast.
F e m a I e. Above, dark olive-brown with darker streaks on back and two tawny
olive wing-bars. Below, plain olive-brown.
Female distinguished from all rosefinches except C. rubescens by unstreaked
olive-brown underparts. The very similar rubescens is greyer on belly, has
whitish under tail-coverts and some crimson or olive on lower rump.
STATUS,
DrsTRlBunoN and HABITAT.
Fairly common altitudinal migrant. The
Himalayas from western Nepal east through Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal
Pradesh (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 354). Occurs in summer between 3000 and 3900 m
In western and central Nepal, 3900-4000 m in eastern Nepal, 34004200 m in
Sikkim, 3OOWl200 m in Bhutan and 36004l00 m in Arunachal. Winters mostly
between c. 2700 and I800 m, occasionally down to 1400 m (Nepal, Sikkim). In
summer affects rhododendron and silver fir forest, grassy slopes with stunted
bushes and weeds, rocks and boulders well above the forest zone. In winter affects
forest clearings, bushes and cultivation.
Extralimital. Southeastern Tibet. The species extends to Sichuan.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks. Feeds in bushes or On the
ground. Often perches on tops of trees or boulders.
LOCAL
179
FOOD.Chiefly seeds and berries. Also nectar of rhododendrons (throat and

forehead often coated with pollen).
VOICE and CALLS. A rather wailing, plaintive double whistle, very characteristic
(Proud). A single repeated chaar and a sparrow-like twitter (Fleming).
BREEDING. Season, apparently about July-August . Nest and eggs unknown.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies. For distinction
from C. rubescens female, see 2016 under Museum Diagnosis.
Y o u n g hardly distinguishable from female in autumn; dark parts of feathers on
mantle more spots than streaks; indistinct dark subtenninal bars to crown- and rumpfeathers.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
99
81-95
74-90
Bill
Tarsus
(from skull)
13-16
20-23
Tail
{ 553-66
658
mm
nun
(SA, NBK, Rand & Fleming. BE)
Weight 2 9 Q (Juns-July) 22.7,23.5 g (GD); 4 d d (Fcb.-Mar.) 22-23; 1 9 (Feb.) 20 g--SA.

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill horny brown, paler on lower mandible. Legs,
feet and claws horny brown.
2016. Blanford's Rosefinch. Curpodcrcus rubescens (Blanford)
Procarduclis rubescens Blanford, 1872 (1871), h.
Zool. Soc. London: 694, pl. 74
(Sikkim)
Pmcarduelis rubescens saturatior Rothschild, 1922, Bull. Brit. Om. Cl. 43: 12
(Schweli-Salween Divide, Yunnan)
Baker, FBI No.'l078, k 1 . 3: 148
Plate 105, tlg. 1
LCCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS. Male. Above, crimson-brown, brighter crimson on head and
rump. A double crimson wing-bar. Below, rosy red, grey on vent; under tailcoverts edged with white.
Very similar to C.erythrinus but showing a distinct darker eye-streak which C.
erythrinus lacks. Breast and belly uniformly pinkish red, whereas in C. erythnitus
the upper breast is darker red and lower belly paler pink.
F e m a 1 e. Above, olive-brown, with a varying amount of crimson or olive on
rwnp. ROfaint wing-bars. Below, throat and breast olive-brown, unstreaked;
belly grey; under tail-coverts edged with white.
Differs from all female rosefinches (except C. nipalensis 2015 q.v.) by
unstreaked underparts.
STATUS,
DlsTRrewnoN and HABITAT. Scarce resident, subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from central Nepal (Polunin, JBNHS 52: 893) east through
Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (plentiful both north and south of the
main range-Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 354). Recorded in summer between 3050 and
3900 m in Nepal (Inskipp, C. & T.. 1991). 3900 m in Sikkim, 3 1 W 3 7 0 0 m in
180
CARDUELINAE
Carpodrrcus rubescens
Bhutan, 3100-3600 m in Arunachal and southeastern Tibet. Affects conifer or

mixed conifer and birch forest. Observed in winter between 1300 and 1800 m in
Sikkim, in outskirts of conifer plantation and at c. 2500 m in southeastern Tibet.
Extralimital. Extends to northern Yunnan and southwestern Kansu (Cheng,
1958).
GENERAL H A B ~ S . Keeps in pairs in the breeding season', in flocks up to 30
individuals in winter. Feeds chiefly on the ground.
FOOD. Unrecorded.
VOICE and CALLS. A peculiar persistent clacking note which attracts attention
(Ludlow).
BREEDmG. Unknown. Season, apparently very early [young just out of nest
and adults in breeding condition obtained in mid April (Ludlow)].
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characten.
Y o u n g. like female but without red on rump; throat and breast darker.
Female distinguished from C. nipaknsis by unstreaked olive-brown back, greyer h l l ~ ,
and in having the rump washed with crimson or olive.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
(SA,
Tail
NBK,Stevens, MD)
COU)UM OP BARB PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill pale horny brown. Lower mandible paler
and yellowish. Legs and feet light brown.
181
20 17. Pinkbrowed Rosefinch. Cmpodacus rhodochrous (Vigors)

Fringilla rodochm [sic] Vigors, 1831 , Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 23
Plate 105, fig 4
LOCAL NAMES.
Gulab titi, GlliSb chiryia (Nepal).

FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . A smaller edition of the Redmantled Rosefinch (2018) sex
for sex.
M a l e. Above, crown and band behind eye crimson-brown. Forehead and
supercilium rose-pink. Back streaked with dark brown. Rump rose-pink. A pale
wing-bar. Below, entirely rose-pink.
Very similar to C.pulcherrimus which has the crown streaked with dark brown.
F e m a I e. Above, olive-brown streaked with dark brown. A conspicuous pale
supercilium. Below, ochraceous buff streaked with dark brown.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements;
STATUS,
commoner in the west but rare in Pakistan, scarcer in Nepal and Sikkim. The
Himalayas from Indus Kohistan and Kashmir east through Kulu, Lahul, Spiti,
Carpodacus rhodochrous
Garhwal, Nepal, Darjeeling and Sikkim. Breeds between 2800 and 3600 m in
the west, 3000 to 4200 m in Nepal. Affects open fir and birch forest, willow
bushes and dwarf junipers. Winters generally between 1200 and 2400 m, up to
3000 m in Nepal and Sikkim, and down occasionally to 900 m (Nepal) or 600 m
(Margala hills. in ' appreciable numbers '-Waite, JBNHS 59: 963). In this season
(November toApril) affects scrub jungle, open hillsides, grassy slopes and gardens.
In Garhwal freely enters upland villages, almost replacing the House Sparrow.
182
CARDUELINAE
Extralimital. Adjacent parts of Tibet (Siilim Ali, JBNHS 46: 300).

GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps in pairs or small flocks according to season. Feeds
chiefly on the ground with accentor-like movements.
FOOD.Seeds and berries.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, ' a canary-like sweet ' (Jones).A sweet lilting song,
very characteristic (Proud).
BREEDING.
Season, July to September. Nest, a solid cup of twigs, grass, moss
and papery birch bark, lined with finer grass and hair, placed in low bushes of
juniper, willow, Lonicera, etc. or in small firs, generally between 60 and 120 cm
above the ground. Eggs, 4 or 5 (Whymper), 5 or 6 (Osmaston), deep greenish
blue scantily spotted at the broad end with black spots. occasionally unmarked.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(Baker. MD, Vaurie)

Weight 8 d d (Apr.-May) 17-20: 9 ? Q 16-18 g-SA. 1 d 19.3; 1 9 18.5g (GD).
comu~sOF BARE PARTS.Iris dark brown or reddish brown. Bill dark brown. Legs and
feet light brown (in one Q fleshy).
20 17a. Vinaceous Rosefinch. Carpodacus vinaceus vinaceus Verreaux

Carpodacus vimceus Verreaux, 1871, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. 6 (1870). bull.: 39
(mountains of Chinese Tibet)
Plate 105, fig. 7
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
Spamow;
SIZE.
FIELD C H A R A ~ RMSa. I e. Above, deep crimson, brighter on crown, more rosy
on rump. A conspicuous pink supercilium. W~ngsdark brown with two white
spots on tertials. Tail dark brown. Below, deep crimson, brighter on belly.
White spots on wing identify the male.
F e m a l e. Above, olive-brown with indistinct darker streaks and three buff
spots on tertials. Below, ochraceous olive-brown with indistinct darker streaks.
Similar in coloration to C. edwardsii female but smaller, less distinctly streaked.
Buff spots on wing also identify female.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Probably a scarce resident. A pair observed
at Naini Tal, c. 2500 m, on 9 February 1925 (Meinertzhagen, Ibis 1927: 384);
one red male collected and several birds seen in November 1970 at Thakkhola,
eastern Dhaulagiri; Machapuchare. Milke Danda, Nepal. up to c. 3000 m (fide
Fleming); a laying female collected in Kali Gandak Valley, 3200 m, on 3 July
1973 (Jochen Martens, pen. comm.); one collected at Chadzien Khola and two
trapped at Chankeli, July 1979, in northern Nepal (Inskipp, C. & T. P., 1991).
Affects dense bushes and clearings in bamboo forest.
183
Extralimital. Mountains of western China and northwestern Burma. Another

subspecies in Taiwan.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks, frequenting bushes.
FOOD. Unrecorded.
VOICE and CALLS. A bunting-like zieh (Schafer).
BREEDING. See above.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
69-71
d?
Tarsus
c. 20
Tail
c. 58 mm
(Baker)
Iris brown. Bill brown, paler at base and on lower mandible.
Legs and feet brown.
20 18. Redmantled Rosefinch. Carpodacus rhodochlamys gtcmdis Blyth

Carpodacus grandis Blyth, 1849, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 18: 810
(Range beyond Simla)
Carpodacus rhodochlamys bendi Koelz, 1949, Auk 66: 209
(Burchao Pass, Bend-i-Turkestan Range, western Afghanistan)
Plate 105, fig. 13
None recorded.
SIZE. Bulbul
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e. Above, crown and band behind eye reddish brown.
A broad pale pink supercilium. Back pale brown with a pinkish tinge and dark
brown streaks. Rump pink. Wings and tail rosy brown. Below, throat and sides of
head pale pink like supercilium. Rest of underparts rosy red.
Differs from C. rhodochmus only by larger size. Male also breeds in brown
female-like pllumage.
F e m a l e. Above, ashy brown with darker streaks and a pale supercilium.
Below, whitish, boldly streaked with dark brown.
The large bill is a good field mark in both sexes.
STATUS, D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements,
locally common. From northern Baluchistan (Ziarat) north to Chitral, thence
east through Gilgit, Astor, Baltistan, Ladakh (not recorded in Kashmir proper),
Lahul, Spiti, Garhwal and Kumaon (specimen in Brit. Mus.). Breeds between
2400 and 3300 m (Baluchistan, N.W.F.P.), up to 3700 m (Gilgit, Baltistan) and
between 3400 and 3800 m in Ladakh and Lahul. Affects juniper, briar, rose bushes
and other shrubs in dry biotope. In winter (end of October to April) moves down
to the foothills, 300-2400 m (Quetta Valley, Kohat, Salt Range, Campbellpur
and Rawalpindi); in Dharmsala, Kangra and Simla recorded in wintcr between
2200 and 2600 m. In this season affects bushes, wild olive-trees, patches of thorny
scrub, gardens and cultivated spots.
Extralimital. Northern Afghanistan. The species ranges north to the Altai and
Mongolia.
LOCAL NAMES.
CARDUELINAE
184
2 grandis (2018),
Keeps in pairs in the breeding season, singly or in small parties

in winter. Feeds mostly on the ground, also on low bushes. In common with
other rosefinches has a habit of raising feathers of crown, then looking as if
crested.
FOOD. Seeds, hips of roses, juniper bemes, wild olive kernels and Sea Buckthorn
(Roberts, 1992).
VOICEand CALLS. Call-note a curious, plaintive rather wheezy kwee or sqwee.
Song poor and feeble compared with Common Rosefinch but includes squeaky
whistles interspersed with more grating shorter chirps and twits (Roberts).
BREEDING. Little known. Season, May to July. Nest, cup-shaped, made of grass
and bark, lined with fine fibres and a few hairs, placed in low bushes. Eggs,
normally 4, pale blue with a few evenly distributed brown spots (Meinertzhagen,
Ibis 1920: 139; Osmaston, JBNHS 34: 129).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Y o u n g (immature) of both sexes identical with adult female.
GENERAL HABITS.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW. Vaurie)
Weight 4 d d (May-July) 3 1-36; 3 ? ? (May-July) 3 1-35 g--(Paludan).

COL~URSOF BARE PARTS.
Iris brown. Bill brown above, pale horn below. Legs and feet
brownish flesh.
185
20 19. Spottedwinged Rosefmch. Carpodacus rhodopeplus

(Vigors)
Fringilla rodopepla [sic] Vigors. 1831. Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 23
(Himalayan Mountains, restricted to Simla-Alrnora area)
Plate 105, fig. 8
None recorded.
SIZE. Spamow; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, crown and band behind eye dark crimsonbrown. A shiny, pale pink supercilium. Back crimson-brown with dark brown
streaks and pale pink stripes on sides and lower back. Rump pink. %o pinkish
buff spotted wing-bars; tertials marked with pinkish white. Below, sides of head
and throat pale pink. Rest of underparts rosy red.
The pink stripes on back and conspicuous rosy white wing-bars identify the
male
F e m a 1 e. Above, ochraceous-brown streaked with dark brown.Aconspicuous
whitish supercilium. Two pale buffy wing-bars; tertials marked with whitish.
Below, ochraceous-buff streaked with dark brown.
Pale markings on tertials identify the female (in worn plumage these markings
almost disappear). In the distance could be mistaken for a bunting.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements. On
STATUS,
the whole a scarce bird and distribution little known. The Himalayas from the
hills north of Chakrata and Mussooree (specimens in Brit. Mus.) east through
Kumaon (Whymper in Baker's Nidification 3: 50),' Nepal (Polunin, JBNHS 52:
LOCAL NAMES.
Carpodacus rhodopeplus
'
Record not beyond doubt; whereabouts of specimens unknown.
186
CARDUELINAE
893; Proud, JBNHS 5 1: 667, ' very common at 3000-3300 m in May '; Rand &
Fleming, Fieldiana 41: 206; Diesselhorst, 1968: 387), Sikkim (Mandelli's
specimen). Common at Mayodia, Arunachal Pradesh, c. 2500 m in December
(P. Singh, 1994, Forktail 10: 97). Not recorded from Bhutan or southeastern
'Tibet. Breeding zone not known. Non-breeding birds recorded in March at 2200
m and in May at 3000 to 3300 m in central and eastern Nepal. In winter recorded
between 2100 and 3000 m; in this season affects grassy hillsides with bushes.
Extralimital. Another subspecies in Sichuan and northern Yunnan.
GENERAL H A B ~ .Feeds mostly on the ground. Often perches on top. of bushes.
FOOD. Seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. A sweet, far-carrying canary-like chirp (Proud).
BREEDING. Not authentically recorded. See Baker, Nidification 3: 50 for possible
record.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
UEAsu-s
W~ng
d?
82-90
Tarsus
c. 23
Tail
67-74
(Baker)
mm
Bill from skull 14-15 mrn

Weight 1 d (May) 23 g (GD).
co~ou~
OFsBARB PARTS.
Iris brown. Bill horn-brown. Legs and feet pale horn.
CARPODACUS
~
Bonaparte:
A
WH~TEBROWED
ROSEFINCH
Key to the Subspedes

A
B
C
Palest throughout in both sexes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. t. blythi

Darkest; throat and breast of female brownish. . . . . . . . . . .C. t. thura
Paler than B; female without brownish on throat and breast.. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C. t.femininur
Page
186
187
188
2020. Carpohus thum blythi (Biddulph)

Pmposser blythi Biddulph, 1882, Ibis: 283, pl. 9
(Gilgit, ' close to the Indus ')
mte 105, fig. 11
None recorded.
SEE. Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
PIEU) CHARACITRS.
AS in 202 1, q.v.
STAWS,D I S T R I B ~ O N and HAB~TAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements.The western Himalayas from N.W.F.P. (Safed Koh and Chitral) east through
Gilgit, Kagan Valley, northern Kashrnir, Chamba, Lahul (Amer: Mus. Novit., No.
1424: 49) and Garhwal. Breeds mostly between 3000 and 3600 m, in Garhwal to
3900 m (in the Liddar Valley, Kashrnir, obtained at 4200 m in August). Affects
dwarf juniper and other scrub near and above timber-line. Very few winter data:
Simla 2400 m and Kashmir 2 100 and 1800 m, in forest on the more open hillsides.
WCAL NAMES.
187
Camodcrcus thura
m]1 blythi (2020).
2 rhvm (2021).
3 fmininus (2022).
GENERAL HABITS and FOOD. As
in 2021.
VOICE and CALLS. A rather loud harsh whistle repeated from 6 to 8 times,
somewhat reminiscent of the call of the Whitefaced Nuthatch (BBO). Rendered
as pwit pwit . . . and likened somewhat to screech of Roseringed Parakeet
'especially when a party flies overhead and calls together' (Whitehead). A soft
conversational wid wid while feeding in company (Jones).
BREEDING.
Season, June (Whitehead, Ibis 1909: 228), mostly end of July and
August. Nest, a large cup of fine grass and moss, lined with hair or fur, placed in
low bushes or creeping juniper. Eggs, 3 or 4 , greenish blue sparingly spotted at
the large end with black. Average size of 16 eggs 22.1 x 16.1 mm (Baker).
Museu~DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Similar to thura (2021) but both sexes
distinctly paler throughout. Female less brownish on throat and breast.
MEASUREMENTS AND COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.AS in 2021.
202 1. C a r p k u s thum thum
Bonaparte & Schlegel
Carpodocus thura Bonaparte & Schlegel, 1850, Monogr. Loxiens: 21, pl. 23
(Himalayas = Sikkim)
Plate 105, fig. 10
LOCAL NAMES. None
recorded.
SIZE. S p m o w + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
188
CARDUELINAE
FIELD CHARACTERS.
Ma
1 e. Above, crown and back brown streaked with

blackish. Forehead pinkish white. Supercilium pink ending in white. Lores
crimson. Stripe behind eye dark brown. Rump rosy pink. Wing brown with a
pink bar and a finer white bar. Tail brown. Below, rosy pink, the throat paler and
streaked with silky white.
The glistening pink and white forehead, white end to broad pink supercilium
and double wing-bar identify the male.
F e m a 1 e. Above, brown streaked with darker brown. Broad supercilium
whitish. A fine whitish wing-bar. Rump golden yellow. Below, buffish streaked
with dark brown, darker (pale rufous) on throat.
Males often breed in the brown female-like plumage.
DISTRIBUTION and H A B ~ A T . Common resident, subject to vertical moveSTATUS,
ments.The Himalayas from western Nepal east to Bhutan. Breeds mostly between
3800 and 4200 m. A characteristic bird of the tree-line in light fir, juniper and
rhododendron forest or in dwarf rhododendron above timber-line. Winters from
at least 3900 m down to c. 2400 m, seldom lower (1900 m, Sikkim). In this
season affects open hillsides with barberry or other scrub.
GENERAL HABITS.Usually met with in small loose flocks comprising up to 20
or so individuals. Feeds on the ground, walking and hopping, near or under bushes,
sometimes in company with Coccothraustes carnipes or other species.
FOOD. Berries (Rubus etc.), grass- and weed-seeds, vegetable matter, grit.
VOICE and CALLS! A continual loud and rapid piping uttered while feeding on
the ground in small parties, rendered as pupupipipipi (Desfayes). Song, a linnetlike twitter (Schafer), seldom heard.
BREEDING. AS in 2020, Season, July-August.
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(SA, Rand & Fleming, Stevens)

Weight I4 d d (June-Sept.)W 3 5 . 6 ; 8 Q 9 (Junc-Sept.)3&36 g (GD, SDR).
m u n s OP BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill, legs and feet dark brown.
2022. C a r p h u s thura fernininus Rippon
Ccrrpodacur femininur Rippon, 1906, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 19: 31
(Yangtze River, W. Yunnan)
Carpodacur thura chamensis Kinnear, 1940, Bull. Brit. Om. Cl. 60: 56
(Kyimpu Le La between Chayul and Charme, 13,000 feet)
Pmparser thura chayufenris Kinnear, 1944, in Ludlow, F. & Kinnear, N.B., Ibis 86:
351 (Kyimpu)
Baker, FBI No. 1057, Vol. 3: 125 (= 'dubius ')
~
None recorded.
Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
A NAMES.
L
SIZE.
189

ments. SoutheasternTibet and northernArunacha1 Pradesh.Altitudina1 distribution
and habitat as in 2021.
Extralimital. Extends east to northern Yunnan and western Sichuan. The
species ranges north to Kansu and Ningsia.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING. Probably as in 2021.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Male and female paler than thura (2021) though rosy parts in
males sometimes slightly deeper in shade. Female very distinct, paler throughout but
more heavily streaked, particularly on throat and breast which moreover lacks the brown
of female thura.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Tail
83-88
82-85
75-78
73-76
nun
mrn
(NBK)
C A R ~ D A CPULCHERRIMUS
US
(Moore): B E A U T ~ROSEFINCH
~L
Darker; male more .vinaceous . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C. p. pulcherrimus

Paler; male less vinaceous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C. p. walroni
2023. Carpo&cus p ~ l c h e ~ m pukhenimus
us
(Moore)
Propasser pulcherrimrcs Moore, 1855, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 216 (Nepal)
Plate 105, fig. 5
SUE. Sparrow; length c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, crown and back ashy brown with dark brown
streaks. Stripe behind eye dark brown. A broad supercilium and rump rosy pink,
a paler tone than in other Rosefinches. ' h o indistinct pinkish wing-bars. Below,
entirely vinaceous pink or rosy.
Very similar to C. rhodochmus but crown streaked with brown.
F e m a l e. Above, streaked buff and dark brown. A pale, supercilium. Below,
buffish streaked with dark brown.
Male often breeds in the brown female-like plumage.
~ T A T U ~ ! D I S T R J B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from Garhwal' east to Bhutan. Breeds between c. 3600
and 4500 m, optimum zone 38004200 m. Affects rhododendron and other bushes
on steep hillsides near and above timber-line in fairly dry biotope, and in northern
and eastern Nepal, terraced cultivation and neighbouring bushes in high valleys.
Winters between at least 1830 m and 2745 m (Inskipp, C. & T., 1991), on open
scrub-covered hillsides.
' Specimens collected in Chitral by Pulton (JBNHS 16: 52). in BNHS collection, proved to be
C. rhodochlamys-(S. H. Rater in epist.
to H. Whistler).
CARDUELINAE
190
n Distributional ranges
1pulchem'mw (2023),
2 waltoni (2024),
3 extralirnital subspecies.
Extralimital. Adjacent parfs of Tibet.

GH A B ~ .Usually met with in small parties, feeding on the ground.
Easily overlooked owing to its habit of remaining quite still if disturbed. Takes
shelter from snow under ledges of rock or beneath eaves of rest-houses. Raises a
distinct crest when excited.
FOOD. Seeds and vegetable matter.
vorcE and CALLS. Call-note, a sparrow-like cheer-cheer (A. E. Osmaston).
' Harsh bleating notes ' (Smythies). Song undescribed, apparently seldom uttered
(cf. Diesselhorst, 1968: 39 1).
BREEDING. Season, July to September. Nest, a cup of grass, roots and fibres
lined with hair or wool, placed about 30 cm above the ground in low shrubs.
Eggs, generally 4, sometimes 5, deep blue-green scantily but boldly spotted with
black, rarely unspotted. Average size of 100 eggs 19.5 x 14.6 mm (Baker).
Incubation apparently by female only.
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For distinction from waltoni see 2024,
Museum Diagnosis.
MBASUReMGHTS
Wing
dd
99
7CB')
74-78
Bill
(fromskull)
Tarsus
c.13
c. 20
Tail
(Rand & Fleming. Strcs., NBK, MD)

Weight 13 d d (June-Aug.) 17.5-20.1; 5 Q Q ( J u n e A u g , ) 1 7 . 419.2 g (GD).
CotoURs OF BAR@ PARTS.
Iris brown. Bill dark horny brown, lower mandible paler. Legs
and feet pale fleshy brown.

2024. Carpodacus pulcherrimus w a b n i (Sharpe)
Pmpasser waltoni Sharpe, 1905, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 15: 95
(Gyantse, S. 'Ilbet)
LOCAL NAMES.
Do-di
c. 15 cm (6 in.).
FIELD CHARACIERS. AS in 2023, q.v.
STATUS,
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand H A B ~ A T . Common resident, subject to vertical movements. Arunachal Radesh between 3600 and 4500 m, descending to c. 2800 m in
winter. Affects rhododendron and other scrub on steep hillsides near or above
timber-line in summer, semi-dry hillsides covered with Quercus ilex in winter.
Extralimital. Southeastern 'Ilbet. The species ranges north to central Mongolia.
BREEDING. AS in 2023. Average size of 19 eggs 19 x 14 mm (Ludlow).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Both sexes paler than in pulcherrimus. In males the rosy of
underparts is purer and brighter, less vinaceous. Also somewhat larger in size.
SIZE. Sparrow; length
MEASUREMENTS
Wing d d 76-82 mm (NBK. Stres.)

AS in 2023.
2025. Large Rosefinch. Carpodacus e d w d i i rubicunda (Greenway)

Pmpasser saturatus Blanford, 1872, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 41: 168, pl. 8 (Sikkim)
nec Linota saturata Blyth, 1842, a synonym of Carpducus niplensis Hodgson
Erythrina edwardsii rubicunda Greenway, 1933, Bull. Mus. Comp. =I. Harvard 74:
163 (Su-Wa-Tong, Tibet, Salween-Irrawaddy Divide)
Caduelis edwatdrii tongluensis Wolters, 1953, Bonn. Zool. Beitr. 3: 279, new name
for Carpodocus edwardsii satumtus Blanford. preoccupied
Baker, FBI No. 1064, MI. 3: 131
Plate 105, fig. 6
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a I e. Above, crown and band through eye dull crimsonbrown. Forehead and supercilium pink. Back and rump brown washed with
crimson, the former broadly streaked with dark brown. A double pinkish wingbar. Below, throat pale rosy, breast and sides dark rosy, all with fine blackish
streaks; centre of belly pink.
The absence of pink on rump identifies the male.
F e m a l e. Above, fulvous-brown streaked with dark brown. A conspicuous
buff supercilium and a double wing-bar. Below, tawny olive, darker on breast,
brighter on lower vent, finely streaked with brown.
More finely streaked below than female rosefinches.
STATUS,
DamlemoN and HABITAT. Rather uncommon resident, subject to vertical movements. The Himalayas from western Nepal (in winter-Rand & Fleming,
LOCAL NAMES.
CARDUELINAE
192
Fieldiu~
41 :206) east through Sikkim, Darjeeling, Bhutan andArunachal Pradesh
(Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 352). Breeding zone apparently between c. 3400 and 3900 m,
in rhododendron and silver fir forest. Winters between c. 3700 and 2000 m,
Carpodacus edwardsii
rarely 1000 m (western Nepal). In this season frequents rather open forest of
rhododendron or birch, and open mountainsides with ringal bamboo, rose bushes,
barberry and other scrub.
Extralimital. Extends east to northern Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan, the
nominate subspecies ranging north to Kansu.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small parties of three or four individuals,
rarely more. Feeds on the ground or in low bushes. Seldom flies high into trees.
Keeps quite still in cover when disturbed.
FOOD. Mainly seeds (of grass, crab-apples, rice, etc.).
vorcE and CALLS. Alarm call a rasping che-wee (Fleming et al., 1984).
BREEDING. Not well authenticated.Altitudesof 14 and 15,000 ft (42004500 m)
given in Nid$cation 3: 51 seem somewhat too high for the species. See also
remark by Ludlow in Ibis 1937: 473.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
?9
79-85
77-82
>
Bill
(from skull)
I416
Tarsus
22-25
Tail
61-67 mm
5 9 6 6 nun
(SA, BB, HW, NBK)
Weight 1 Q (Nov.) 26.5 g-<A.

comuas OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown or dark orange-brown.
Bill horny brown. Legs,
feet and claws horny brown.
193
2026. Threebanded Rosefinch. Curpodacw tni~sciahcsVerreaux

Carpodacus trifasciafus Verreaux, 187 1 , Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris 6, Bull.: 39
(Mountains of Chinese Tibet, restricted to Paohing, eastern Sikang, by Vaurfe,
1959, Bds. Pal. Fn.: 637)
Not in Baker, FBI
Plate 105, fig. 9
None recorded.
SIZE. Bulbul; length c. 17 cm (7 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, crown crimson. Forehead and sides of head
streaked with silvery white; ear-coverts dark brown. Back crimson streaked with
grey. Wings brown with two pink bars and a large white patch on scapulars and
tertials. Tail blackish. Below, throat and sides of neck streaked with white. Breast
and flanks vinous red, belly white.
F e m a I e. Above, dark grey, back streaked with dark brown and olive-yellow;
rump olive-yellow. Wings dark brown with two yellow bars and a large white
patch on tertials. Below, throat buffish grey; breast ochre-yellow; lower flanks
grey with darkstreaks; centre of belly buffish.
Wing-pattern identifies both sexes.
STATUS, DlSTRlBUTlON and HABITAT. Winter visitor to southeastern Tibet and
Bhutan (three at Jakar on 13.iii.1986-F. A. Clements, 1992, Forktail 7: 64)
[and Arunachal Pradesh (?)I along the Tsangpo, between 2000 and 3000 metres,
locally very common. Affects orchards and hedges in cultivated fields.
Extralimital. Breeds in western China from northern Yunnan to southwestern
Kansu, in light conifer forest.
GENERAL HABITS. Little described. Feeds on trees and bushes. Rather confiding.
FOOD. Crab-apples and cotoneaster berries.
VOICE and CALLS. Unrecorded. A very silent bird in winter.
BREEDING. Unknown.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. First-winter male like adult male but red
parts replaced by orange-yellow.
LOCAL NAMES.
MEASUREMENT'S
Wing
4
dd
82-88
82
Bill
(from skull)
15-16
15
Tarsus
2 1-22
21
Tail
72-74 ITWI
71
mm
(MD)
brown. Bill, legs and feet brown.
2027. Great Rosefinch. Carpodacus rubicilla severtzovi Sharpe

Carpodacur severtzovi Sharpe, 1886, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 354
(Turkestan and Yarkand = Toghrasu near Shadulla, Karakoram)
Erythrina rubicilla eblis Koelz, 1939, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 52: 74
(Puga, Rupshu, Kashmir)
Carpodacur rubicilla nierhammeri Keve, 1943, Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien 80: 17
(Spiti to the Pamirs)
Plate 105, fig. 12
CARDUELINAE
194
Awal-luk-si (Tibetan).
SIZE. Bulbul + ; length c. 19 cm (7.5 in.).
FIELDCHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, forehead and crown bright red spotted with
white. Back pale brown lightly washed with pink, indistinctly streaked; rump
pink. Wings and tail dark brown, outer rectrices narrowly edged with white.
Below, throat rosy red spotted with white, fading to pink on belly and flanks, the
white spotting becoming less distinct.
F e m a I e. Above, pale brown streaked with darker brown. Below, whitish
with brown streaks.
Male often breeds in brown plumage similar to female's.
Very similar (sex for sex) to C. rubicilloides but much paler especially on back
which is less,heavily streaked. C. puniceus which occurs on the same ground is
scarlet rather than rosy red, has a wide brown post-ocular stripe and brown lower
flanks.
STATUS, DISTRlBUnON and HABITAT. Fairly common resident but locally distributed and parochial, subject to vertical movements. The northern Himalayas from
Chitral (Fulton, JBNHS 16: 53) east through Gilgit, Hunza, Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti,
Nepal (Diesselhorst, 1.968)and Sikkim (Birds of Sikkim, p. 376). Breeds between
c. 3300 and 4800 m, in eastern Nepal around 5000 m. Recorded in June and July
LOCAL NAMES.
Distributional ranges.
1 severtzovi (2027).
3 ncbicifla (RE).
2 kobdensis (RE).
at c. 3300 m in Ladakh. Winter data scanty: recorded as high as 4500 m (Tibet),

at 100-2600 m (Hunza and Baltistan), and exceptionally at 1500 m (Gilgit and
Sikkim) after cold spells. Affects boulder-strewn ground at the foot of mountains,
often near villages and fields (western Himalayas) and the highest part of the
195
alpine zone with boulders and sparse vegetation, in the same biotope as C. puniceus
(eastern Nepal); also frequents Caragana scrub, at least in the non-breeding
season, but prefers more desolate rocky country than that frequented by C.
rubicilloides.
Extralimital. The Tien Shan region in Russian and Chinese lbrkestan. Other
subspecies in the Caucasus and .the Russian and Mongolian Altai. For details see
Vaurie, 1959': 643.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks according to season; sometimes
in company with C. rubicilloides but more often seen in desolate rocky country
devoid of vegetation. Feeds mostly on the ground; in the non-breeding season
also on bushes. In flight silhouette very like Homed Lark (Emmophila).
FOOD. Chiefly berries and seeds (Caragana, Hippophae, green peas, cereals,
etc.) and some insects.
VOICE and CALLS. A loud distinctive call-note (HW) reminiscent of that of C.
rubicilloides (2028), q.v. Flight call a rapid twittering. Song feeble and short,
comprising 2 or 3 spaced whistles, some inflected interrogatively (Roberts).
Not satisfactorily described. Season, July and August. Nest, known
BREEDING.
with certainty to be placed in crevices of rock or under stones (Diesselhorst).
Nests in bushes described by Dresser (Ibis 1904: 109) possibly belonged to
C. rubicilloides as suggested by his own description of the bird. Other records
of breeding in bushes in Tibet (Baker, Nid8cation 3: 56) require confirmation.
Cf. also Hume, Nests and Eggs 2: 154: nest on the ground in furze bush; eggs
greenish with some dark brown spots.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. Postnuptial moult complete, in AugustSeptember.
Yo u n g, like adult female but streaks everywhere less defined and sparser. Breast
and belly dirty cream colour without streaks; under tail-coverts same colour with dark
shafts.
MEASUREMENTS
dd
99
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
22-23
11 1-121
(from skull)
18-20
19-20
Weight 1 d (Aug.) 43.2; 3 juv. 39.541.7 g (GD).

COLOURS OF BARE
Tail
8 6 9 1 mm
83-92 mrn
(HW. Koelz, NBK)
PARTS.Iris brown. Bill horny grey. Legs and feet deep chocolate-
brown or black.
2028. Eastern Great Rosefinch. Carpodacus rubicilloides lucver

R. & A. Meinertzhagen
Carpodacus rubicilloides lucifer R. & A. Meinertzhagen, 1926, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 46:
83 (Chusha, southern Tibet)
Carpodacus rubicilloides lapersonnei R. & A. Meinertzhagen, 1926, Bull. Brit. Om.
C1. 46: 83 (Shushal, eastern Ladak)
Plate 105, fig. 15
LOCAI.
NAMES.
Awal-luk-si (Tibet).
CARDUELINAE
196
SIZE.
Bulbul
* ; length c. 19 cm (7.5 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e. Above, forehead, crown and side of head carminered spotted with white. Rest of upperparts grey-brown washed with pink, streaked
with darker brown; rump pink. Below, carinine-red spotted with white on throat
and breast.
Very similar to C. rubicilla (2027) and not reliably distinguishable in the field,
but darker, with back distinctly streaked with dark brown. White outer edge of
tail very narrow, inconspicuous and often worn off. For distinction from
C. puniceus see 2027.
F e m a l e. Above, grey-brown streaked with dark brown. Below, buffish with
dark brown streaks.
Similar to female rubicilla but much darker brown, not sandy brown, above.
C. puniceus female is practically alike but has an olive-yellow rump.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Fairly common resident, subject to vertical
STATUS,
movements. A bird of the Tibetan plateau and northern Himalayas from Ladakh
Distributional range of lucqet (2028).

east to Bhutan. Breeds between c. 3700 and 4800 m, descending in winter to c.
2800 m (Nepal) or 2200 m (southeastern Tibet); in Sikkim observed at 4800 m.
Affects Caragana, willow and Hippophae scrub in arid country.
Extralimitol. The Tibetan plateau east to southeastern Sichuan. Another
subspecies from eastern Sichuan to Pinghai and Kansu.
GENERAL HABITS. Little recorded; apparently much as in C. rubicilla but prefers
a less desolate type of country. Large numbers (hundreds) observed roosting in
willow groves (Ladakh-Meinertzhagen).
FOOD.Chiefly seeds.
197
and CALLS. Call-note, a loud mink like the Chaffinch's. Song rendered
as tsee-soo-soo-soo or tsee-tsee-soo-soo-soo, the first note higher (Osmaston).
BREEDING. Season, June and July. Nest, a large massive cup of sticks and twigs
followed by a layer of roots and grass, lined with hair or wool, placed in willow
trees and furze ( C a r a g m ) bushes, etc. usually within c. 3 metres from the ground,
sometimes up to 4.5 m. Eggs, 4 or 5, occasionally 3, similar in colour and markings
to those of C. pulcherrimus, a deep blue sparingly marked with a few black
spots. Average size of 90 eggs 24.1 x 17.6 mm (Osmaston), of 30 eggs 23.6 x
16.7 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
VOICE
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(Ludlow, NBK. MD)

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill horny brown, culmen darker, base
yellowish. Legs and feet dark brown.
CARPODACUS
PUNICEUS (Blyth): REDBREASTED
ROSEFINCH
A
B
C
Palest; less heavily streaked. .................... C. p. kilianensis

Darker; more heavily streaked. ...................... C. p. hwnii
Darkest; most heavily streaked.. .................. C. p. puniceus
Page
197
198
199
2029. Carpodacus puniceus kilianensis Vaurie

Carpodocus puniceus kilianensis Vaurie, 1956, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1786: 20
(north side of the Kilian Pass at 15,000 ft, western Kun Lun, Sinkiang)
Not in Baker, FBI
SIZE.Bulbul i ; length c. 20 cm (8 in.).
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements. ExSTATUS,
treme northeastern Ladakh, near Sumdo at c. 3600 m. Habitat as in 2030.
Extralimital. Kirghizstan, Tadzhikstan and southwestern Sinkiang.
GENERAL HABITS,
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Paler than humii (2030), less heavily streaked and smaller. For
details of plumages see Vaurie, loc. cit.
MEASUREMEmS
Wing
Bill
(from feathers)
12-13
(Vaurie)
mrn
198
CARDUELINAE
Carpodacus puniceus
1 kilianensis (2029).
2 humii (2030),
3 puniceus (2031),
2030. Carpotkcus puniceus humii ( S harpe)

Pyrrhospizo hwnii Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 433
(Kotegarh, restricted by Vaurie, 1956, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1786: 18)
None recorded.
SIZE. Bulbul ; length c. 20 cm (8 in.).
FIELDC H A R A ~ R S . M a I e. Above, forehead and supercilium bright scarlet.
Crown and back grey-brown
streaked with
- darker brown. A brown post-ocular stripe.
Rump rosy red. Wings and tail brown. Below,
throat and breast scarlet mottled with white.
Rest of underparts grey-brown.
Distinguished from both C. mbicilla and
C.rubicilloides by scarlet-red, less distinctly
spotted with white, broad brown stripe
x r. 1
behind eye, and grey-brown lower belly.
F e m a l e. Above, grey-brown streaked with dark brown. Lower rump and
upper breast olive-yellow. Below, cream-buff boldly streaked with dark brown.
Many males breed in brown female-like plumage.
Very similar to female rubicilloides, distinguished only by yellowish lower
rump and upper breast.
LOCAL NAMES.
199
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. As in many other rosefinches, red males appear to be in a minority
everywhere. The western Himalayas from Gilgit and Kagan Valley where not
common, east through Baltistan, Ladakh south of the Karakoram, Kashmir
(Osmaston, JBNHS 29: 499), Charnba, Kulu, Lahul, Spiti, Garhwal and Kumaon.
Breeds well above tree-line between 3900 and 5100 m, mostly above 4200 m.
Descends in winter to tree-line, seldom down to 2700 or 2400 m (Kangra, Simla),
exceptionally to 1500 m (Gilgit) after cold spells. Affects steep rugged
mountainsides, often sharing its typical high-elevation habitat with Grandala
and Lerwa.
GENERAL HABITS. Usually met with in small parties of 3 or 4 individuals, feeding
among boulders on steep hillsides frequently amongst melting snow. Has a
remarkable habit of keeping under cover behind rocks with just its head exposed
to keep an eye on the intruder. Occasionally visits high camping grounds in
search of food.
FOOD. Chiefly seeds. In summer also buds and the petals of various flowers.
VOICE and CALLS. A metallic sparrow-like chirp uttered on the wing (Matthews),
loud and'distinctive. ' Call, a cheery bulbul-like are you quite rz?ady;male sings
short snatches of a soft erratic warbling song ' (Whitehead).
BREEDING.
Little known. Season, July and August. Nest, a cup of coarse grass
lined with hair, placed on a ledge of a cliff; perhaps also on the ground in Tibetan
furze (Stoliczka, JASB 37: 60; may be C. rubicilla, cf. Hume, Nests and Eggs 2:
154), or in stunted thorn bushes and juniper (Ward in Baker, Nidification 3: 43).
Eggs, deep blue very faintly tinged with green and with a few black spots at the
larger end (Ward's eggs). Average size of 7 eggs 24.6 x 17 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies.
Y o u n g, like female and first-winter male but streaking rather less definite. No greenish
yellow on rump. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers, lesser and median coverts.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
9
111-120
113
Bill
(from skull)
18-20
20
Tarsus
24-26
25
Tail
7 6 8 8 mm
81 mm
(HW. Vaurie)
AS in 203 1 .
203 1. Carpodacus puniceus puniceus (Blyth)

t?(yrrhospiuz)punicea ' Hodgson ' = Blyth, 1845 (1 844), Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal
13: 953 (Himalaya = Nepal vide Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 433)
Baker, F B I No. 1053, Vol. 3: 120
Plate 105, Kg. 16
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE.Bulbul
RELD CHARAmRS. AS in 2030, q.V.
200
CARDUELINAE
and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 350).
Breeds between c. 4200 m and 5200 m, in eastern Nepal mainly above c. 4900 m.
Noted in winter between 4800 and 2700 m. Affects steep rocky and boulderstrewn slopes in the alpine zone.
Extralimital. Southern Tibet. The species extends to Sichuan, Kansu and
Qinghai.
BREEDING. Unknown.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from Mi in being darker, more heavily streaked and
smaller.
STATUS, D l s T R l B u n o N
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(NBK, Stres.)
Weight 11 d d (July-Aug.) 42.8-51.2; 5 9 9 (July-Aug.) 43-50 g (GD).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill horny to dark brown. Legs and feet brown
with a fleshy tinge.
Genus L o x I A Linnaeus
b x i a Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 171.
v p e , by subsequent designation, Loxia Curvimstra Linnaeus
Tips of mandibles crossing each other. Nostrils covered by dense plumelets. Wing
very long reaching, when folded, to tip of tail.
2032. C m sbill. Loxia curvirostra himalayensis Bl yth
L ( o r b )himlayensis ' Hodgson ' = Blyth. 1845 (1844), Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13:
952 (Nepal)
Baker, FBI No. 1050, Vol. 3: 1 15
Plate 105, fig. 17
LOCAL
SIZE.

Distinguished by unique structure of bill with tips of the mandibles crossing each
other.
M a l e. Above, crown orange-red marked with
brown. Band through eye dark brown. Back mottled
brown and orange-red. Rump bright orange. Below,
s C. I
orange-red.
F e m a l e. Above, streaked dark brown with an olive-yellow wash. Rump
yellow. Below, greyish more or less washed with olive-yellow especially on breast.
Y o u n g buffish, heavily streaked with dark brown above and below. Rest of
underparts dull grey-brown washed with yellowish, especially on breast.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
20 1
STATUS,
D I S T R I B ~ O N and HABITAT. Imperfectly known. A very erratic species.
The Himalayas from Lahul and Kulu east throughhnachal Pradesh. Data scanty.
IIIIII] Distributional range of the species
1 himalayensis (2032).
Extralimital subspecies not numbered
Recorded between 2700 and 4000 m at all seasons exceptionally descending to

1500 m in winter (Sikkim). Affects conifer forest.
Extralimital. The mountains of western China north to Kansu and Tsinghai.
Nominate subspecies extends from eastern Siberia to Scandinavia and Spain.
Numerous subspecies in Algeria, Mediterranean islands, lhrkestan, Vietnam,
Philippines, Manchuria, Japan, North and Central America.
Usually seen in small restless flocks. Frequents the tops of
GENERAL HABITS.
conifers to extract seeds from the cones with its specially adapted bill, clinging
to them in all positions in the quest. Also reported to cut cones off and hold them
with one foot against its perch while attacking them. Bill also used like a parakeet's
for clambering on the cones. Descends to the ground for grit.
FOOD.Seeds of conifers (fir, spruce, larch, pine). Pips of apples also recorded.
VOICE and CALLS. Series of 3 to 5 kip-kip-kip-kip uttered in flight and when
feeding.
BREEDING. Little known for this subspecies. Presumably breeds any month of
the year as other subspecies do, depending on fructification of conifers; thus its
presence in the winter months in a locality does not necessarily mean it is a
winter visitor only. Specimens ' in breeding condition ' or with considerably
enlarged reproductive organs have been obtained in March (Sikkim) and in May,
June and October (southeastern Tibet). A single nest has been found (cf. Baker,
Nidification 3: 41), no date given. The five eggs measure 22.7 x 16.6 to 24 x
17 mm. Colour: pale grey-green with a few specks of biack sparsely scattered
about the larger end, forming a very indefinite ring.
202
CARDUELINAE
MUSEUM
Nestling has a normal finch bill, the peculiar curving of the tips of the mandibles
commencing about time of fledging.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
50-56 rnm
(Ludlow, NBK, Mayr, BB)

Weight 1 d (Nov.) 26.5; 1 9 (Nov.) 25.5 g-SA.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris dark brown. Bill, legs and feet brown.
Genus P R O P Y R R H U LHodgson
A
Propyrrhula Hodgson, 1844, in Gray's Zool. Misc.: 85.
Type, by subsequent designation, Corythus Subhimachalus Hodgson
Bill similar to that of Haematospiza, upper mandible flattened. Plumage of male
like that of Carpodacus, plumage of female like that of Haernatospiza.
2033. Redheaded Rosefinch. Propyrrhulrr su bhimachlrr (Hodgson)
Corythus ? Subhimachalus Hodgson, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 152
(Nepal; northern region; in winter found in the central region)
Propyrrhula subhimachala intensior Rothschild, 1922, Bull. Brit. Om. C1. 43: 12
(Lichiang Range, Yunnan)
Plate 105, fig. 14
SIZE.Bulbul; length c. 20 cm (8 in.).
FIELD C H A R A ~ RMS a. 1 e. Above, forehead and supercilium crimson. Crown,
nape. sides of neck, and back brown washed with dull crimson. Shoulder and
wing-bar reddish. Rump crimson. Beiocv, throat and breast crimson with whitish
spots. Rest of underparts grey.
F e m a I e. Above, forehead and supercilium orange-yellow. Crown and back
scalloped brown and olive. Nape and sides of neck olive. Rump yellowish olive.
Below, throat and breast yellow with dark mottling. Rest of underparts grey.
STATUS. DlsTRlBunoN and HABITAT.
rather uncommon. The Himalayas from Garhwal (Nandadevi-T. M. Reed,
JBNHS 76: 282), east through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh,
thence (winter only?) south in the eastern ranges to the Cachar and Khasi Hills
and Manipur. Occurs in summer between c. 3500 and 4200 m, in winter between
c. 180G m (rarely) and at least 3600 m. Affects thick rhododendron, juniper and
willow scrub near timber-line, and light forest with dense bush undergrowth.
Extralimital. Extends to northern Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan.
GENERAL HABITS. A quiet bird, rather confiding but easily overlooked. Forages
in low beny-laden bushes. Collects in small flocks in winter.
LOCAL
203
Propyrrhulo subhimachala
mIDistributional range
FOOD.
Seeds (of pine etc.), berries (of Viburnum, Berberis and others), crab-
apples and vegetable matter (probably buds).

v o r c E and CALLS. A sparrow-like chirruping note but quite melodious (Meinertzhagen). Subdued warbling notes something like a canary, terp, terp, tee
(Fleming).
Unknown.
MUSEUM
BREEDING.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(NBK, Rand & Fleming. SDR, MD. SA)

Weight 3 d d (Feb.) 4 4 4 8 ; 3 9 9 (Feb.) 44-50 g--SA. BB. 3 d d (July-Aug.) 42.548.2;
1 ? (Aug.) 48.8 g (GD).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris hazel brown. Bill: upper mandible blackish. lower pale
horny darker at tip. Legs and feet brownish horny.
Genus
H A E M A T O S P I ZBlyth
A
Hae~narospiiaBlyth, 1845 (1844), Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 950.

Qpe. by monorypy, H. boetonensis Blyth = Coryrhus Sipahi Hodgson
Wing long, rcaching beyond the middle of the tail which is rather short. Bill like
that of Propyrrl~ulabut largcr. Plumage o: male scarlet, of female olive and brown,
scalloped. Closcly allied to Propyrrhula and Pinicola.
CARDUELINAE
204
2034. Scarlet Finch. Haematospiza sipahi (Hodgson)

C.(oryrhus)Sipahi HodgSon, 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 151 (Nepal)
Plate 104, fig. 2
LOCAL NAMES.
SIZE.Bulbul
Phanying-pho-biu (Lepcha); Lobbia-mapho (Bhutia).

; length c. 18 cm (7.5 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a l e. Brilliant

scarlet overall with brown wings and tail
and a darker line through eye. Bill yellow.
F e m a 1 e. Above, dark brown scalloped
with yellowish olive. Rump bright yellow.
Below, dark brown scalloped with olive on
throat and with greyish on breast.
STATUS,D I S T R I B U T I O N and HABITAT.
x C. I
rather uncommon. The Himalayas from
Garhwal (Koelz coll.) Nepal (Biswas, JBNHS 60: 199; Fleming & Traylor,
Fieldiana 53: 190) east through Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal
Pradesh, thence south in the eastern ranges to Cachar, Khasi Hills and MtVictoria.
Breeding zone imperfectly known. Recorded at 2300-2400 m in summer in
Haematospiza sipahi
Distr~butionalrange
Bhutan, and in May in the Nepal duns; a flock of 12 feeding on grass at 2 100 m +
cnd of March, above Madi Kola, central Nepal (Roberts). In the Khasi Hills
breeds between c. 1600 and 2000 m; on Mt Victoria at 2500-3000 m in May.
Most records of thc bird are in the non-hrceding season when it has been ohserved
205
from 2400 m down to the Bhutan foothills and the Sikkim and Jalpaiguri duars,
C. 600 m. Affects open forest of pine and other conifers; in winter also oak forest.
Extralimital. Ranges east to northern Yunnan and south to southern Thailand.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps singly or in scattered flocks of up to 25 birds or more
often in mixed parties of small birds. Feeds in low berry-laden bushes as well as
high up in trees. Also searches for insects under moss covering the branches.
Flight finch-like, strong and dipping, with rapid wing-beats.
FOOD. Seeds, berries, flower buds and other vegetable matter, and some insects.
VOICE and CALLS. A pleasant too-eee reminiscent of the Large Cuckoo-Shrike
(Coracina), but rather softer and higher pitched (SA); a rather creaky kwee-i-u
not unlike the notes of a canary (Lister).
BREEDING. Little known. Season, in the Khasi i ills May and June. Nest, a
bulky cup of twigs and coarse roots, lined with finer rootlets, a little hair, wool or
dried moss; placed in forks in pine trees between c. 7 and 12 metres above ground
level. Eggs, not well authenticated, blue with small red-brown blotches forming
a ring or cap at the large end. Four eggs vary in size from 22.1 x 17.3 and 23.2 x
17 to 25.4 x 18 mm (cf. Baker, NidifScation 3: 41-2).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters. Body-feathers white at base (except on
lower back and lower belly) in both sexes. First-year male like female.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
98- 108
Bill
(from skull)
1620
??
95- 102
mostly 18-19
Tarsus
19-22
Tail
63-70 mm
6 0 4 6 mm
(SA, BB, Stevens)

Weight 2 oo? (Sept.-Oct.) 38,38 g (SDR).1 d (March) 42.5; 2 9 9 (March, Oct.) 39,40 gSA.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown or hazel brown. Bill d brownish yellow or brownish
flesh, with a pale crimson flush when fresh; 9 without flush. Legs, feet and claws horny
brown.
Fat of scarlet males noted by SA to be the same colour as
feathers, only somewhat less brilliant.
MISCELLANEOUS.
ES
Genus P Y R R H O P L E C THodgson
Pyrrhoplectes Hodgson, 1844, in Gray, Zool. Misc.: 85. Qpe, by monotypy,
Pyrrhula? Epauletta Hodgson
Bill reminiscent of Pyrrhula but less swollen, flatter than that of Carpodacus with
which ir generally corresponds. Second primary (as.) much shorter than third. Inner
webs of tertials white.
2035. Goldheaded Black Finch. Pyrrhoplectes epaulello (Hodgson)
Pyrrltrrla ? Epaulerra Hodgson. 1836. Asiat. Res. 19: 156
(Northern and central regions, Nepal)
Raker. FBI No. 1049. Vol. 3: 114
Plate 104, fig. 12
206
CARDUELINAE
15 cm (6 in.).
,FIELD CHARAC~ERS. M a 1e. Above, crown orange-yellow. Rest of upperparts
dull black with white on inner web of tertials showing as a distinctive white line
on wing. Below, dull black, centre of belly and axillaries ochraceous.
F e m a 1 e. Crown grey tinged with yellow; rest of upperparts brown. White
line on wing as in male. Below, paler brown, axillaries ochraceous buff.
STATUS,
DIS~UBUTION and HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements,
fairly common. The Himalayas from Simla (Cat. Bdr. Brit. Mus. 12: 386-7) east
through Nepal (Biswas, JBNHS 60: 198; Fleming & Traylor, Fiefdianu 35: 485),
Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 348).
SIZE. Sparrow; length c.
nDistributional range
Occurs in summer between c. 2800 and 3900 m, in winter (October to April)
between 1400 and 3600 m. Affects rhododendron and ringal bamboo undergrowth
in summer, most plentiful in the rhododendron zone. In winter frequents low
scrub, dense thickets and bushes in forest.
Extralirnital. Ranges east to northern Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan.
GENERAL HABITS.
In winter keeps in small flocks of three to six birds, sometimes
in company with rosefinches. Feeds on bushes or on the ground. Like bullfinches,
keeps very still and unobtrusive when feeding on bushes.
FOOD. Chiefly seeds and berries; also some insects.
VOICE and CAUS.
Call-note a high-pitched peeu peeu, very distinctive
(Smythies); also described as a squeaky whistle not unlike that of the Bullfinch,
Q h u l a pyrrhula (Meinertzhagen). Song (?), a low musical pipe (Ludlow).
BREELMNG. Unknown.
Mussm DIAGNOSIS.

MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(BB, SA)
Weight 2 d d (Feb.) 19.19 g (SA). 1 9 (March) 19 g (BE).
c o ~ o u OFBARE
~s
PARTS. Iris brown. Bill horny brown, darker on culmen. Legs and
feet brown.
Genus P Y R R H u L A Brisson
Pyrrhula Brisson, 1760, Om. 1: 36, 3: 308. 'Qpe, by tautonymy, 'pyrrhula '
Brisson = Loxia Pyrrhula Linnaeus
Cf. Vmus, K. H., 1949, Condor 51: 52-8; Vaurie, C., 1956, Amer: Mu. Novit., No.
1788: 1-5.
Bill short, very swollen. Rump white.
Key to the Species
Page
Central pair of rectrices less than 10 mm shorter than outermost. . . . .
...............................................
aurantiaca
B
Central pair of rectrices more than 10 mm shorter than outermost
1 Feathers round base of bill velvety black
a Crown grey.. ................................ f? erythaca
b Crown greenish to red.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I? erythmcephala
2 Feathers round base of bill brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .f? nipalensis
A
PYRRHULA NIPALENSIS Hodgson:
212
209
21 1
207
BROWNBULLFINCH

Paler; crown less scaly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I? n. nipalensis
Darker; crown more scaly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..I? n. rickctti
2036. Pyrrhukr nipalensis nipalensis Hodgson
I? (yrrhula) Nipalensis Hodgson. 1836, Asiat. Res. 19: 155
(Northern and central regions, Nepal)
Plate 104, fig. 4
None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above. Adark brown band round base of bill. Crown
scaly ashy brown. Back, wing-coverts and sides of neck brown. A white spot
under eye. Rump purplish black, lower part with a narrow white band. Wings
and tail glossy purplish black with velvety black tips to the feathers, a white spot
at tip of primary coverts and a very thin crimson streak on innermost tertials.
Below, throat, breast and flanks pale brown, centre of abdomen white.
F e m a l e, similar to male but streak on tertials yellow.
LOCAL
NAMES.
208
CARDUELINAE
STATUS,
DISTRIBU~ONand HABITAT. Resident, subject to vertical movements, fairly
common locally. The Himalayas from Dharmsala (c. 76'30'E.) east to Arunachal
Pradesh. Occurs in summer between c. 2100 and 3000 m, locally down to 1800 m
Pyrrhuh nipalensis
- ----- - -- - -- -
1 nipalensis (2036).
2 ricketti (2037),
(Bhutan), exceptionally up to 3900 m in Sikkim (Schafer in Sdim Ali, 1962).

Descends to c. 1500 m in winter. Affects dense fir, oak and rhododendron forest.
GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps in pairs or small flocks of six to twelve birds according
to season. Arboreal; forages rather high up in trees. Flight swift and direct.
FOOD. Presumably as in other bullfinches, qq.v. Nectar of rhododendron flowers,
and berries recorded (SA).
vorm and CALLS. Call-note, a mellow pearl-lee, more melodious than that of
Redheaded Bullfinch. A continuous soft whistling twitter while feeding (Proud).
For description of song see 2037.
BREEDING. Unknown (records not well authenticated, cf. Baker, Nidification
3: 40).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters and Key to the Subspecies.
Y o u n g, like female but head not scaly. Upper tail-coverts not glossy, and tipped with
brown. Back, throat and breast more tawny.
MBAS-S
Wing
dd
99
80-87
Bill
(from skull)
11-14
Tarsus
c. 17
Tail
7&80 mm
c. 70 nun
(BB, SA, Rand & Fleming)
209
Weight 1 9 (Sept.) 24 g-SDR. I o? (Nov.) 27.5 g--SA. 3 d d (Jan.) 26-29; 1 o? (April)

23 g-B B .
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Bill greenish horn with black tip. Legs and feet fleshy brown.
2037. Pyrrhula nipalensis ricketti La Touche
Pyrrhula rickerti La Touche, 1905, Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 16: 21
(Mountains of northwest Fokien, south-east China)
Pyrrhula victoriae Rippon, 1906, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 17: 47
(Mt Victoria, S. Chin Hills)
AS in 2036, q .v.
FTELD CHARACTERS.
STATUS,
Resident, subject to vertical movements.
Arunachal Pradesh (where intergrading withnipalensis) [Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 2081,
Nagaland, Manipur. For altitudinal distribution and habitat see 2036.
Extralimital. Southeastern Tibet, southwestern Sichuan, northern Burma, Chin
Hills, Yunnan, northern Vietnam (Tonkin) and Fujian. Other subspecies in Malaya
and Taiwan.
GENERAL HABITS and FOOD.As in 2036.
VOICE and CALLS. A twitterlng song quite unlike that of the European Bullfinch
and even unlike that of any other finch (Heinrich).
BREEDING. Unknown.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Similar to nipalensis (2036) but crown distinctly darker and more
scaly; white spot below eye obsolete or smaller and much duller white; general coloration
darker.
MEASUREMENTS and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS in 2036.
LOCAL
2038. Beavan's Bullfinch. fyrrhula erythaca erythaca Blyth

Pyrrhula erythaca Blyth, 1862, Ibis: 389 (Sikkim)
Baker, FBI No. 1045. Vol. 3: 11 1
Plate 104, fig. 7
Kobyu (Lepcha)
SIZI;.. Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
FIELD CHARACI-ERS.
M a I e. Above, area round base of bill, lores and round eye
black; forecrown and spot below eye white. Crown and back grey; rump white.
A black shoulder-patch and a paler grey wing-patch; rest of wing and tail glossy
purple-black. Below, chin black; throat grey; breast, upper belly and flanks orangered to red; lower belly ashy; under tail-coverts white.
F c m a l e. Above, like male but back brown. Below, wholly brown, under tailcoverts white.
White forecrown distinguishes female from P nipalensis.
STmus, DISTRIBUTION and HARTTAT.
locally common. Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh (Ludlow,
1-OCAL
NAMES.
210
CARDUELINAE
Ibis, 1944: 206). Occurs in summer between c. 2500 and 3800 m, in winter
between c. 2000 and at least 3200 m, occasionally down to c. 1700m (Darjeeling,
SF 2: 455). Affects conifer and rhododendron forest, also willow and buckthorn
thickets.
Pyrrhula erythuca
.......
.....
15
lmfl
1 rrythaca (2038),
Extrdimital. Extends east to Yunnan, north to Kansu and Shaanxi; other

subspecies to Hupeh and in Taiwan.
GENERAL HABITS. Similar to other bullfinches. Keeps in pairs or small flocks
according to season. Feeds among bushes or on the ground.
FOOD. Seeds, buds (of willow, buckthorn, juniper, etc.), insects and pupae.
Nectar of rhododendron flowers (SA).
VOICE and CALLS. ' A triple whistle ' (Stanford). Other notes undescribed.
BREEDING. Little known. One nest described as ' the usual frail bullfinch type
about twelve feet [3.6 m] from the ground on top of a young pine tree. It contained
young birds about a week old ' on 19 July (Ludlow).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Y o u n g, much as female but crown suffused with olive. Greater coverts with
comparatively narrow ashy white tips. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers and all coverts
except primary series.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
Bill
(from skull)
11-13
??
Weight 1 d imm. (Feb.) 18; 1 ? (Feb.)20 g-SA.
Tarsus
16-1 8
Tail
67-73 mm
66-74 mm
(NBK,Mayr, MD, SA)
21 1
brown to dark brown. Bill black (6);

dark brown (9).
Legs and feet fleshy brown to horny brown.
COLOUM OF BARB P ~ S . Iris
2039. Redheaded Bullfinch. pUrrhulrr erythrocephula Vigors

Pyrrhula erythmephala Vigors, 1832, Proc. 2001. Soc. London: 174
(Himalayan Mountains = Sirnla-Almora area)
Baker, FBI No. 1044, h 1 . 3: 110
Plate 104, fig. 6
~ ~ N A M B S Kobyu
.
(Lepcha).
FIEU) C H A R A ~ S . M a 1 e. Above, area around base of bill and eye black.
Crown red; back grey; rump white. Wings glossy
purplish black with a large ashy patch. Tail
(noticeably forked) glossy purplish black. Below,
chin black; throat, breast and flanks dull rusty red.
Lower belly ashy; under tail-coverts white.
F e m a 1e, like male but crown yellowish olive.
Back and underparts brown.
x C. 1
STATUS,DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Resident,
subject to vertical movements, fairly common. The Himalayas from Kashrnir
(rare) east at least to eastern Bhutan (Ludlow, Ibis 1944: 206). Breeds between
c. 2400 and 3300 m in the western part of its range, 2700-3600 m (Garhwal),
34004200 m (central and eastern Nepal), 3300-3900 m (Sikkim) and 27003800 m (Bhutan). Descends in winter regularly to c. 1500 m; occasionally 1200 m
CARDUELINAE
212
(Chamba) or 1000 m (Sikkim); in Nepal not recorded below 2100 m. Does not
entirely leave the higher zone: has been recorded in December as high as 3900 m
(Nepal, Sikkim). A bird of the deciduous forest, especially birch; also found in
willow and rhododendron forest. In winter frequents mostly rhododendron either
in pure stands or in oak or conifer forest; also willows along banks of streams.
Extralimital. Adjacent parts of southeastern Tibet.
GENERAL HABITS.Usually seen in small flocks of five to seven birds, feeding
mostly among bushes, sometimes on the ground.
FOOD.Chiefly seeds (of birch, Rumex, etc.). Also leaf buds, willow catkins,
and various berries [blackberries (Rubus), strawberries]. Nectar of flowers, e.g.
rhododendron.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note a soft plaintive whistle phew-phew, indistinguishable from that of the European bullfinch (various observers). Also a faint, mellow
call (song?) cher-peri (Fleming).
BREEDING. Season, mainly August. Nest, a cup of twigs, beard-moss (Usnea)
lined with roots, placed in small t w s three metres or so above ground level.
Eggs. 3 or 4, dull grey-white faintl) tinged with green, marked with brown or
red-brown specks and small blotchek with secondary similar marks of dark grey
and pale lavender; markings distributed as a ring round the large end and sparsely
scattered over rest of surface. Average size of 13 eggs 20.8 x 14.7 mm (Baker).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
Yo u n g. Above, pale rufous-brown, brighter on crown, tinged grey on back. Lesser
and median coverts grey tipped with rufous; greater coverts black tipped with rufousgrey. Below, belly greyish; under tail-coverts white; rest of underparts warm brown. Rest
of wing and tail as in adult. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers, lesser, median and greater
coverts.
MEASUREMENTS
Bill
(from skull)
Wing
Tarsus
Tail
(Rand & Fleming, Stres., SA)

Weight 8 d d (March) :8-22; 5 9 Q (March) 19-20 g-SA. 6 d d (July-Sept.) 19.5-22.5; 6
5) 9 (July-Sept .) 18-2 1 : 1 T (laying) 27.6 g--GD.
co~.ou~s
or: BARE PARTS.
Iris brolvn. Bill black. Legs and feet light brown.
2040. Orange Bullfinch. Pyrrhula aurantiaca Goule

P ~ r r l ~ u auronlraca
la
Could. 1858 ( 1857), Proc. Zool. Soc. Lcndon: 222
(Western Himalayas. restricted to Kashmir by Baker, 1926, FBI 3: 109)
Raker. FRI No. 1043. Vol. 3: 109
Plate 104, fig. 5
(Kashmir).
SIZE. Sparrow 2 ; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS. M a I e. Above, forehead, lores and area round base of bill
and eye black. Crown and back ochraceous orange-yellow, back with an olive
t l n g e ; rump white. Wings black with a whitish buff patch. Tail black, slightly
forked. Relob*: ochraceous orange-yellow (or saffron yellow).
LWAL NAMES.
Smna sonalser
213
F e m a 1 e, like male but crown, nape and ear-coverts grey. Back and breast
yellowish brown. Belly dull yellow.
ments. The western Himalayas from Chitral, Astor, Gilgit in forested areas only,
east through Kashrnir (very common) to Simla. Winter visitor to Munee hills
(TJR).Breeds between c. 2700 and 3300 m (timber-line), -in open fir, birch and
Pyrrhula aurantiaca
mixed forest.' Descends in winter to c. 1600 m.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or in small flocks comprising up to ten birds or
so. An unobtrusive species but often revealed by their Frequent calls. Feeds in
bushes or on the ground.
FOOD. Seeds, berries and buds (of willow, cherry, etc.).
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, a soft, clear low-pitched few which first betrays
thcir presence in a locality. Song, very distinctive: commencing with a loud
melodious tenv ' followed by a rapidly repeated metallic trisyllabic note like
Qitlinki-!link& (Magrath).
RREEDING. Season, June lo August. Nest, a cup of fine twigs and rootlets, lined
with moss, rootlcts and a fcw hairs, placed in saplings or in the lower branches of
large trccs. Eggs, 3 or 4, white blotched with dark reddish brown mostly at the
large cnd. Avcragc sizc o i 13 cggs 21.3 x 15 mm (Baker). Building of nest by
female, accompnn~edhy malc.
' Nests S B I ~to have hccn found on the Kolahoi Mtn.. Kashmir. ' hctween 12,000 and 13.000
feet ' (Wiirtl. JRNtlS 18: 402); these altitudes arc much too high as they seem to be well above
limhcr-linc hcyond which this hullrinch is not known lo occur. The nests had been obtained by
native collectors C f , also JHNtlS 21: 1307.
214
EMBERIZIDAE
MUSEUM
Y o u n g , like female but crown and forehead duller tawny brown, sides of head paler
tawny. Lesser wing-coverts tipped olive. Chin dusky; rest of underparts as in female but
centre of belly and under tail-coverts creamy white.
MBASURtiMENTS
d?
Wing
8&83
Tarsus
c. 18
Tail
57-58 mm
(Baker)
Bill from skull 13 mm

Weight 5 d d (Apr.-May) 17-21 ;6 9 9 (Apr.-May) 18-22 g--SA.
COLOURSOF eARs PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill black. Legs and feet dark brown to fleshy
brown.
Family E M B E R I z I D A E : Buntings
For description see Vaurie, Charles, 1964, article ' Bunting ' in Thomson, A. L.
(ed.), A New D i c t i o ~ r yof Birds, London and New York.
Key to the Genera
No crest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emberiza
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Melophus
A well-developed crest
Page
214
243
Genus E M B E R I z A Linnaeus
Emberiza Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 176.
Type, by subsequent designation, Emberiza Citrinella Linnaeus
Bill conical, sharply pointed; culmen straight or nearly so. Edges of mandibles not
in contact throughout their length, but showing a gap about midway between gape
and tip.
Key to the Species '*
Page
A Tail only slightly shorter than wing
a A large white patch on the outermost tail-feathers
a' Sides of body streaked or differing in colour from abdomen
a" No trace of yellow on lower plumage
a' Chin and throat black
. schoeniclirs d
a4 Breast white . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E.
b4 Breast chestnut.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. stewarti d
b' Chin and throat chestnut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. leitcocephalos d
c 3 Chin and throat white or pale fulvous, with or without streaks
c4 Ear-coverts chestnut
a' A chestnut pcctoral b a n d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..E. fucata
241
227
216
236
' Emheriza rusrica has been sight-recorded on three occasions in Nepal (Del-Nevo& Ewins~
JBNHS 80: 41 71, but the records should be examined critically owing to similarity toE. trislram;
(F. M. Gauntlett. JBNHS 83: 212).
' Emberim citrinello has been sight-recordedseveral times in Nepal and Ladakh, but specimens
are not available. so subspecies is uncertain (Inskipp. C. & T.. 1991).
BUNTINGS
b5 No pectoral band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..E. pusilla
d4 Ear-coverts fulvous or brown
cS Rump, tail-coverts and back concolorous . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. schoeniclus 9
dS Rump chestnut contrasting with back
a-ing
over 87 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. leucocephalos 9
b-~ng
under 86 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. stewarti 9
b" Lower plumage largely yellow
d3 Crown chestnut, or brown broadly streaked.. . . . . E. aureola
e3 Crown green, with obsolete shaft-streaks . . . E. spodocephala
P Crown yellow, or yellow mixed with green. . . . . E. cirrinella
b' Sides of body unstreaked and concolorous with abdomen
c" Throat and breast bluish g r e y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. cia
d" Throat and breast rufous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. buchanani
e" Throat and breast yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. hortulana
b No distinct patches of white on outermost tail-feathers
c' Sides of body unstreaked
f" No streaks whatever on lower plumage
g3 Crown black.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. melanocephala d
e4 Crown golden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. bruniceps d
h3 Crown streaked with brown
f4 Wing over 90 mm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. melanocepala 9
g4 Wing under 90 m m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..E. bruniceps 9
g" Throat and foreneck streaked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. srriolata
d' Sides of body streaked.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. rurila
B Tail decidedly longer than wing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. calandra
215
Page
238
204 1. Corn Bunting. Emberiza calandra Linnaeus

Emberiza Calandra Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1: 176 (Sweden)
Embcriza calandra bltrrcrlini Johansen, 1907, Om, Jahrb.: 202
(Kastek, Semirechia)
Baker, FBI No. 1 137, Vol. 3: 2 18
Plate 106, fig. 1
LWAL NAMES.
None recorded.
SIZE. Bulbul; length c. 18 c m (7 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
Reminiscent of female House Sparrow, but larger and
dumpier. Above, greyish brown streaked with dark brown. Below, sides of neck
and throat cream coloured becoming greyish white on belly, streaked with dark
brown, more heavily so on breast. Sexes alike.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Winter vagrant, recorded once in Jhang
district, Pakistan, in November and Decembcr 1917 (Whistler, JBNHS 25: 742).
Affects waste ground and arable land.
Extralimital. Ranges from Turkestan and Afghanistan to the British Isles and
Morocco.
216
EMBERIZIDAE
In small flocks in winter, hopping and feeding on ground,

perching on bushes, telegraph wires, etc. Undulating sparrow-like flight.
FOOD. Seeds, rice grains, etc. and insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note a distinctive tsik.
BREEDING. Ex tralimi tal.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters and Key to the Species; for details of
plumages (and bionomics), Witherby, 1938, 1 : 112.
GENERAL HABITS.
MEASUREMENT'S
dQ
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
89-101
12-15
24-27
Tail
67-76 mm
(Witherby)
Bill from skull c. 17 mm (MD).

Weight 1 9 (Nov.) 1.38 oz. (39 g)-HW.
dark brown. Bill yellow, dark horn on culmen. Legs and
feet straw-yellow.
2042. Pine Bunting. Emberizu leucocephalos leucocephalos C. G. Gmelin'
Emberiza leucocephalos S. G . Gmelin, 1771, Nov. Comm. Sci. Petropol.
15: 480, pl. 23, fig. 3 (Astrakhan)

Plate 106, fig. 3
None recorded.
SUE. Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, centre of crown white; forehead and sides
of crown blackish; a broad chestnut supercilium; cheeks white. Back rufousbrown streaked with dark brown; rump rufous. B o pale wing-bars. Tail dark
brown with white outer rectrices. Below, chin and upper throat chestnut; lower
throat white, this colour extending as a narrow collar to sides of neck. Breast and
flanks rufous, lightly streaked; centre of belly whitish.
In winter centre of crown ashy instead of white, and chestnut parts largely with
white margins to the feathers.
F e m a 1 e, lacks chestnut on face. Above, crown and sides of head brown with
dark streaks. Cheeks whitish, a narrow black streak below. Rest of upperparts as
in male. Below, breast and flanks rufescent with dark streaks, rest white.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABKAT. Uncommon winter visitor to Pakistan and
NW. India, from central Baluchistan and north through N.W.F.P., east through
the Punjab Salt Range; Gilgit, Kashmir and the foothills to Nepal (Pokhara,
c. 84"E.-Proud, JBNHS 58: 278; Kathmandu Valley-Fleming, et al., 1984).
Affects bush-covered grassy slopes and cultivation, especially fallow and stubble
fields; in the hills normally up to c. 1500 m, occasionally to nearly 2700 m
(Simla).
Extralimital. Breeds in Siberia from the Ob river east to the Lena river and
LOCAL NAMES.
' A hybrid leucocephalos x cirrinella has been obtained at Urak, northern Baluchistan, in
April 1924 (Ticehurst. JBNHS 3 1 : 867).
BUNTINGS
217
Sakhalin Island. A subspecies in Qinghai and eastern Kansu. Winters to China

and Iran.
Arrives mostly in November, remains until March, sometimes
MIGRATION.
April. Recorded on passage on Burzil Pass in November.
GENERAL HABITS. In winter keeps in flocks, often with E. cia, sometimes with
finch-larks, Eremopterix grisea (8 18). Feeds on the ground, perches in trees.
FOOD.Grass seeds, grain (mostly rice when opportunity offers); insects.
VOICE and CALLS.Call-note a single sharp zit? orpit; easily distinguishable from
that of E. cia stracheyi (2052). ' Exactly like Yellow Bunting [E. citrinella] ' (A.
E . Jones).
BREEDING.
Extralimi tal.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
d9
88-96
Bill
(from skull)
12-14
Tarsus
c.
20
Tail
78-82 mrn
(Baker; bill by MD)

Weight 1 ? (March) 27 g-Paludan. 4 d 9 (April) 27-29 g-SA.
comu~sOF BARE PARTS.Iris browh. Bill: upper mandible dark horny brown, lower
plumbeous (Abbott), bluish horny or yellowish horny (Hume). Legs and feet brownish
flesh.
2043. Blackheaded Bunting. Emberiza melanocephalu Scopoli
Emberiza melanocephala Scopoli, 1769, Annus I, Hist. Nat.: 142 (Camiola)
Plate 106, fig. 12
(Hindi); Zdrden driishk (Baluchi); Boome (Sindhi = ' deaf ',

as no amount of shouting will scare them from the crops!).
FIELD C H A R A ~ RMS a. l e. Above, crown and sides of head black; back and
rump rufous. A whitish double wing-bar. Below, lemon-yellow, sides of breast
rufous.
F e m a I e. Above, fulvous-brown, with dark streaks. Below, buffish white with
traces of yellow; sides pale brown, under tail-coverts yellow. Difficult to
distinguish from ? bruniceps unless in the hand. See Museum Diagnosis.
Abundant winter visitor to western and
STATUS,
central India in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh (east to Saugor, once to
Lohardaga in Bihar), Maharashtra (east to Nagpur and Nander), Goa and Karnataka
(south to Hiriyur). Recorded on migration occasionally in Punjab, Kangra, Gilgit,
Peshawar and in large numbers in Sind and Baluchistan. Several reports from
central and eastern Nepal (Inskipp. C. &T. 1991, p. 375). Affects cereal cultivation.
Extralimital. Breeds in Iran, the Middle-East, Caucasus, southern Russia and
the Balkans.
MIGRATION.
Found in winter quarters from September to early April. Autumn
passage August-September (earliest 2 August); spring passage March-April
(earliest 2 April). In spring males tend to migrate in almost pure flocks passing
LOCAL NAMES.Gdnddm
through earlier, the females apparently passing through later and quicker and
thus tending to escape notice. Direction of migration northwest-south-east; a
bird ringed in Kutch (c. 23"N., 69"E.) on 26.ix.1959 was recovered on 26.v.1961
in Krasnodar dist. (c. 4S0N., 40E.-USSR) c. 3700 km NW.Another ringed in
Kathiawar (c. 22"N.. 7 1"E.) on 22.ix. 1964 was recovered on 16.v.1965 in Cyprus
(c. 3S0N.. 34"E.) c. 4500 km in the same general trend.
The extreme known distance between the breeding grounds and the winter
quarters of this bunting, vide Stresemann (1944, Om. Monatsb. 52: 85-92), is
c. 7000 krn. A ringed bird has been ascertained to have flown c. 1000 krn in
7 days. Thus, hypothetically, such an extreme migrant would spend about 48 days
on passage each way (total 96 days). About 90 days are normally spent on the
breeding grounds, and the remaining half-year-180 days-in winter quarters in
India! On migration forms exclusive species flocks, passing along a more southerly
route through Pakistan than the Redheaded Bunting (Roberts).
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in flocks in its winter grounds, often huge mixed s w m s
with Red-headed Buntings, feeding along cross-country cart tracks and grain
fields, sometimes causing serious damage to standing crops. On disturbance by
the cultivator's frantic shouts and scaring slings the swann merely flies onto the
surrounding trees, looking in the distance like a flush of bright yellow blossoms.
The birds return almost immediately to resume their depredation. In such flocks
a very large preponderance of yellow males has been noted. Large numbers also
flock to feed from ricks of paddy, bajra, etc. stacked in fields after harvesting.
Enormous concentrations roost in thorn scrub and thickets in company with House
and Yellowthroated Sparrows.
BUNTINGS
219
Chiefly grass seeds and cereal grains-rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, etc.
VOICE and CALLS. Only call-note in winter a musical tweet. Loud, pleasant
whistling song of male sometimes heard before departure in spring.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Female differs from 9 bruniceps in being
FOOD.
larger (cf. Measurements) and in the rump being tinged with rufous (v. yellow).
This species, like E. bruniceps, has two moults each year; unlike other Emberiza (and
all other oscines) the flight-feathers are renewed during winter moult into breeding
plumage; in adult female, moult is less extensive. Postnuptial moult interrupted by autumn
migration. Young have a ' soft nestling plumage ' followed by a moult shortly after leaving
nest into a juvenal plumage, and then by a moult in the wintering area into adult plumage
(Stresemann, E. & V., 1969, ' Die Mauser einiger Emberiza-Arten ', J. Om. 1 10: 29 1313; also Ticehurst, C. B., Ibis 1940: 523-5).
First-winter m a I e. Upperparts and sides of neck fulvous brown obsoletely streaked
with dark brown, and tinged with olive-yellow on the rump. Underparts dull white. tinged
with buff on the breast and with pale yellow on belly, the breast finely striated with dark
brown; under tail-coverts pale yellow. Wings and tail as juvenile, the edges and tips of
tertials and coverts now faded to creamy white and later fading to white; those median
coverts which have been renewed have fulvous white tips.
First-winter f e m a 1 e, liked, but no yellow on belly, and sides of breast tinged brown.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
92- 100
85-92
99
Bill
(from skull)
15-17
1 6 17
Tarsus
20-23
2 1-22
Tail
68-78 rnm
65-71 rnm
(SA)
Weight 3 d d 29-32 g (Dementiev). 7 d d (Oct.) 30-35 (av. 30.1); 6 ? 9 (Oct.) 27-31

(av. 29) g-4A.
Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible horny brown; lower
COLOURS OF BAREPARTS.
mandible yellowish horny. Legs and feet fleshy brown.
2044. Redheaded Bunting. Embe*
bruniceps Brandt
Emberiza bruniceps Brandt, 1841, Bull. Sci. Acad. Imp. St. Petersb. 9, col. 12
(nrkmenia)
Emberiza icterica Eversmann. 1842, Add. Pallas Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. 2: 10
(Transcaspia)
Baker, FBI No. 11 34. Vol. 3: 21 5
Plate 106, fig. 16
LOCAL NAMFS.
Gdnddm (Hindi); Dalchidi (Sind); Pacha jinuwaji (Telugu).
Sparrow + ; length c. 17 cm (6.5 in.).

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, crown rufous washed with yellow (golden
brown). Upper back yellow; centre of back yellowish olive with blackish streaks;
SIZE.
220
EMBERIZIDAE
rump bright yellow. A whitish double wing-bar. Below, throat and sides of head
cinnamon; sides of neck and rest of underparts yellow.
F e m a l e. Above, brown streaked with darker brown. Below, buffish washed
with yellow; under tail-coverts yellow.
Confusingly like 9 Blackheaded. For distinguishing in the hand see 2043
(Museum Diagnosis).
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Mostly a winter visitor, common and wideSTATUS,
spread. Breeds occasionally in northern Baluchistan (Kalat, Quetta, Ziarat)
between c. 1600 and 2400 m where summer visitor only. W~ntersin most of the
Indian Peninsula plains from Haryana (Ambala), Rajasthan and Gujarat east and
south to northeastern Bangladesh (Rashid), eastern Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra

(Bombay, March 1980-JBNHS 78: 606-7; Chanda), western Andhra Pradesh
(Cuddapah), southern Karnataka and westernTamil Nadu (Coimbatore). Migrates
through Punjab, N.W.EP., occasionally northern Sind, Gilgit and the Himalayan
foothills in Kashmir, Kangra, Lahul and Spiti. Has been recorded on passage
once at c. 3000 m and once at c. 4600 m. Has strayed to Nepal in April (Inskipp
& Inskipp, 1991, p. 375) and southeastern Tibet in September (Ibis 1944: 361).
Affects cultivation, especially grain fields.
Extralimital. Ranges from Afghanistan north to the Altai, the northern Caspian
region and northern Iran (where it hybridizes with E. melanocephala).
MIGRATION. Autumn passage mostly in the second half of August and first half
of September (earliest 22 July). Spring passage, March to early May (latest 9
June in Gilgit).
GENERAL HABITS. Very similar to those of E. melanocephala with which it often
consorts in enormous numbers in winter to ravage cereal crops.
22 1
BUNTINGS
FOOD. AS in
2043.
vorm and CALLS. Song sweet-toned, lasting 3 or 4 seconds, comprising two

opening short trit-trit phrases followed by a rapid twittering strophe; the whole
song is repeated every 2 to 3 seconds (Roberts, 1992). In breeding season male
usually sings in vicinity of nest.
BREEDING. Season, May and June. Nest, a cup of weed-stalks and fibres lined
with hair, well concealed ir; garden hedges, rose bushes, vines and peach trees,
usually within a metre or so from the ground. Eggs, normally 5, very pale green,
finely freckled all over with pale sepia and yellowish brown, more at the larger
end. There is no scrawling as on most other buntings' eggs. Measurements: 21.5
x 15.5 to 22.5 x 15.5 and 22.5 x 16 m m (Ticehurst).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Moults as in E. melanocephala (2043) q.v.,
with which it is often considered conspecific. The breeding ranges of the two are
complementary and hybrids are found at points of contact. Winter ranges practically the
same for both.
Y o u n g (juvenile). Upperparts with dark brown centres and ochraceous buff edges;
underparts fulvous white with a variable amount of spotting on throat, breast, and flanks;
under tail-coverts yellowish white; wing-coverts and tertials brown with fulvous white
edges and tips, broad on both webs of the tertials; flight-feathers brown, with pale outer
edges; tail brown, the outer edges and outer pair of rectrices lighter.
Postjuvenal moult of body, odd lesser- and odd median-coverts in July.
F i r s t-w i n t e r. Upperparts with heavy streaks of dark brown and with fulvous-brown
or fulvous-grey edges, the streaks fine on rump and upper tail-coverts; underparts white
tinged with buff, and with dark brown streaks on breast and flanks and occasionally on
breast, streaking very variable and absent in some; under tail-coverts pale yellow; belly
and rump tinged yellow in d,not in 9 ; wings as juvenile, but the fulvous white edges
faded to creamy white or white; new median-coverts tipped mfous-white. Birds arrive in
winter quarters in this dress in August and undergo a complete moult in October and
November.
First-spring m a I e. Like adult, but less yellow on mantle; chestnut on crown less
extensive, fringes long and often streaked with black. The breeding dress is acquired by
abrasion of the brownish edges.
First-spring f e m a I e. Like adult; possibly those with little or no yellow on rump and
less yellow on underparts are characteristic of first-year birds, but this uncertain for lack
of moulting material.
After breeding there is an irregular moult of some of the feathers of the crown and
body, and sometimes of part of the tail. Birds arrive in winter quarters in this mixture of
worn breeding dress with a few just-moulted feathers, and perform a complete moult in
October and November to spring dress (Ticehurst, C. B., Ibis 1940: 523-5).
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
85-90
16-17
82-85
15-16
Tarsus
Tail
222
EMBERIZIDAE
Weight 11 d d (April-t.)
22-27; 4 9 9 (July) 22-25 g (Paludan). 3 9 9 (Oct.)
2&22 g (SA).
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill dark brown above, plumbeous horn below.
Legs and feet pale brown.
2045. Chestnut Bunting. Emberizlr rutila Pallas
Emberiza rutila Pallas, 1776, Reise Russ. Reichs 3: 698
(Onon R., SE. Transbaicalia)
Plate 106, fig. 13
(Hindi).
SIZE. Sparrow
; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).
FIELDC H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e. Above, entirely chestnut. Below, throat chestnut,
rest of underparts sulphur-yellow.
F e m a 1 e. Above, crown ashy brown with dark steaks. A wide brown band on
sides of crown, bufish post-ocular streak and dark ear-coverts. Back ashy brown
with blackish streaks; rump chestnut. Below, throat buffish with dark malar stripes.
Breast yellowish olive finely streaked; rest of underparts yellow, flanks streaked
with dark brown.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Scarce winter visitor to Manipur, North
Cachar and the Jalpaiguri durars (one record). Obtained in Sikkiim in MarchApril and in Nepal in January 1954 (once at Godaveri, Kathmandu Valley, possibly vagrant-Fleming et al., 1984; Fieldiana, 1957). Has straggled to Chitral,
LOCAL NAMES.
LCjl g&u%
[IIIID
Breeding
n Winter
223
BUNTINGS
2100 m, in April (Fulton, JBNHS 16: 55) and to Ladakh (Tsokar Lake, c. 4500
m) on 10 June (Osmaston, JBNHS 3 1: 999 and Ibis 1925: 698). Affects rice
stubbles, bushes in cultivation and forest clearings.
Extralirnital. Breeds in southeastern Siberia from' Lake Baikal to Amurland
and Manchuria. Winters in Burma, southern China and northern Indochinese
Countries.
GENERAL HABITS. Usually in flocks in winter. Feeds on the ground, flies up into
trees or bushes when disturbed.
FOOD. Seeds (of grasses, bamboo, etc.).
VOICE and CALLS. A thin high teseep when disturbed (Smythies).
MUSEUM
Y o u n g. Crown, mantle and scapulars streaked black and edged yellowish tawny; a
tinge of chestnut on crown. Rump and upper tail-coverts chestnut with fine black streaks.
Indistinct supercilium dull b'uffish white. Ear-coverts brown, centre paler. Lesser-coverts
brown tinged chestnut. Greater- and median-coverts dark brown with ochraceous tips
and edges. Chin and throat dull white more or less streaked with blackish, forming a
moustache. Postjuvenal moult of body-feathers, lesser-, median- and greater-coverts.
First-year m a l e like adult female but chin and throat whitish tinged chestnut. Breast
chestnut fringed whitish. A brown moustachial streak. Crown chestnut streaked with
black, tips whitish. Chestnut of adult assumed by spring moult of head and throat.
First-year f e m a l e has no chestnut on crown and breast; throat and upper breast
sordid white finely streaked with dark brown. Sides of head mottled fulvous, brown and
white.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
d?
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
56-59 mrn
(Baker; bill by MD)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris hazel to dark brown. Bill: upper mandible dark horny.
lower mandible and gape yellowish horny. Legs and feet pale yellowish brown.
74-77
c. 14
19-20
2046. Yellowbreasted Bunting. Emberizrr aureolrr aureofu Pallas

Emberiza Aureola Pallas, 1773, Reise Russ. Reichs 2: 71 1
(Irtysh River, Siberia)
Baker,FBI No. 1131,Vol. 3: 210
Plate 106, fig. 11
None recorded.
LOCAL NAMES.
SIZE.
M a I e (summer). Above, forehead and sides of head

blackish brown. Crown, nape, sides of neck, back and rump deep chestnut. A
large white shoulder-patch and a narrow white wing-bar. Tail dark brown with
FIELDCHARACTERS.
224
EMBERIZIDAE
outer rectrices largely white. Below. chin and upper throat blackish brown; throat
yellow, this colour extending to sides of neck; a chestnut collar on upper breast;
rest of underparts yellow, flanks streaked with
blackish brown.
M a I e in winter lacks the black mask but has
dark ear-coverts and a conspicuous yellowish
supercilium. Rest of plumage similar but dulled by
pale brown fringes.
F e m a 1 e. Above, brown streaked with dark
x C. 1
brown; some chestnut on rump. A buff supercilium
and dark ear-coverts. Wing-pattern as in male but white replaced by buff. Tail as
in male. Below, yellow, brighter on belly and sullied with brown on breast. Flanks
streaked with dark brown.
D I S ~ B U ~ Oand
N HABITAT. Winter visitor, common and abundant in the
STATUS,
easternmost parts, scarce elsewhere: Manipur, Meghalaya, Bangladesh (all partsRashid), the plains of the Brahmaputra, Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan (?), northern
Bengal, Sikkim and Nepal, rarely west to Ambala (JBNHS 31 : 1003 and 39: 86).
One record from the Baluchistan coast (JBNHS 3 1 : 868) and one from the Nice
bars, out of a flock of about 20 (SF 1: 258). Affects cultivation and grassland,
hedgerows, gardens and sometimes threshing floors and market-places in and
around hamlets; in the hills up to c. 1500 m.
Extralimital. Breeds from Finland to eastern Siberia. A subspecies in
Kamchatka. Sakhalin, Hokkaido andAmurland south to Korea. W~ntersin Burma,
southern China and the Indochinese countries.
BUNTINGS
225
Occurs in winter quarters from October (earliest 7 Oct.) to the end

of April. Passage recorded in southeastern Tibet, 2800 m in May, and in Nepal
Valley.
GENERAL HABITS. In winter usually keeps in flocks, sometimes numbering up
to 700 individuals (Kosi Tappu, SE. Nepal-Inskipp, C. & T., 1991), commonly
in association with Spotted and other munias. Feeds on the ground, flies up into
trees when disturbed. Roosts communally in bushes.
FOOD. Seeds (grass, bamboo, rice, etc.); occasionally insects. Recorded hawking
flying insects from bushes (Stanford, JBNHS 37: 872).
VOICE and CALLS. Call-notes, a short zipp and a soft trilling note trssit
(Smythes). A sweet chirping song may be heard in winter quarters in March and
April before departure; uttered from bare tops of small trees.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Postnuptial moult completed before arrival.
Spring moult of face and part of throat in winter quarters.
Yo u n g. Above, nearly like female. Below, pale yellowish heavily streaked with brown
on breast and flanks.
MIGRATION.
MEASUREMENT'S
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(HW)
Weight 1 d (spring) 21.7 g (GD).
c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill blackish brown above and at tip, brownish
flesh below. Legs and feet brown.
2047. Blackfaced Bunting. Emberiza spodocephala sordido Blyth

E.(mberiza) sordida ' Hodgson ' = Blyth, 1845 (1844), Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal
13: 958 (Nepal)
E.(mberiza) melanops Blyth, 1845, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 14: 554 (Tipperah)
Plate 106, fig. 14
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S .Male. Above, base of bill, lores and round eye black. Head
and nape olive-grey. Back brown with blackish streaks. A whitish and a buff
wing-bar. Outer rectrices white conspicuous in flight. Below, chin black, Throat
and breast olive-grey. Belly very pale yellow.
' Most conspicuous field character: black patch on lores showing up against
dark greenish head and neck ' (Stanford).
F e m a 1 e. Above, crown rufous-brown streaked with dark brown like back. A
pale supercilium and dark ear-coverts. Tail as in male. Below, pale yellow with
dark moustachial streak, breast and flanks streaked with dark brown.
LOCAL NAMES.
EMBERIZIDAE
226
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION
and HABIT^.
Common winter visitor to Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Bangladesh (all parts) and the plains of the Brahmaputra; less
common in the Jalpaiguri and Sikkim duars and Bhutan (30.i~.1993, Inskipp, C.
& T., Forktail 9: 130). west to Nepal, but mainly in the terai (Inskipp, C. & T.,
n sordida (2047), winter
1991). Affects high grass, bamboo and scrub jungle, hedgerows in village
compounds, margins of ricefields and marshes, usually in the vicinity of water;
in the hills up to c. 1000 m.
Extralimital. Western China from northern Yunnan and northern Hupeh to
Kansu and Qinghai. Other subspecies in Japan, Sakhalin and west in Siberia to
Yakutia and the Altai. The species winters in southern China, NE.Burma, and
the Indochinese countries.
MIGRATION.
Occurs in winter quarters from October (earliest 24 Oct.) to April
(latest 7 Apr.). Recorded on passage at c. 2700 m in Sikkim on 19 December.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small flocks of four to six birds; usually in
cover and near water. Feeds on the ground in damp paddy stubbles or on moist
edges of jheels and tanks. Also on ripening paddy in the ear. Flight of flock
disorderly and undulating, reminiscent of a flock of munias.
FOOD. Rice and other seeds.
VOICE and CAW.
A sharp metallic tzik (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand,
p. 396).
MUSEUMDIAGNOSIS.
First-year m a I e, like adult but chin and throat more suffused with yellow and
with arrow-shaped streaks.
BUNTINGS
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
(3s'
74-79
Bill
(from skull)
1615
Tarsus
c. 19
Tail
60-64 rnrn
(Baker; bill by MD)

Weight 1 d 18 g (SDR).
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.lris brown. Bill: upper mandible black, tomia and lower
mandible whitish horn, tip dark horn. Legs and feet pale brownish flesh.
stew& (Bly th)

2048. Whitecapped Bunting. Ernbe*
Euspiza Steworti Blyth, 1854, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 23: 215
(Landour and Dehra Dun)
Plate 106, fig. 5
None recorded.
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . M a 1 e. Above, crown grey; a broad black eye-stripe from
lores to nape; cheeks whitish, chin and throat black. Back and rump chestnut;
tail brown, outer rectrics white. Below, breast white; lower breast chestnut. Rest
of underparts fulvous white, flanks streakd with chestnut. Colour pattern obscured
by pale fulvous edges after postnuptial moult.
Crown becomes nearly white (by abrasion) before spring emigration.
F e m a l e. Above, head greyish brown; lores and round the eye fulvous; earcoverts and sides of neck brown. Back streaked with dark brown; rump rufouschestnut. Outer rectrices white. Below, throat fulvous-buff with dark moustachial
streak. Upper breast with dark chestnut bands in pectoral region and streaks; rest
of underparts fulvous with dark streaks along flanks.
Common summer (breeding) visitor and
STATUS,
short-range migrant. Breeds from Baluchistan north to Chitral, Gilgit, Astor and
Baltistan, and along the Himalayan foot-hills through Murree and Kashmir to
Garhwal. Breeds between c. 2200 and 2700 m in the Quetta and Chagai districts,
between 1500 and 2300 m, locally 2700 m in Gilgit, Baltistan and Kashmir, up
to 3000 m in the Kurram Valley, to 3300 m in Gilgit, 3600 m in Chitral (Fulton),
and between 1200 and 1800 m in Chamba, Kangra and Kulu (Whistler); scanty
data from farther east but apparently between c. 1500 and 2400 m in Garhwal
(Nidification 3: 93). Affects grassy and rocky hillsides with or without bushes
typically associated with the sub-tropical pine zone (Pinus mxburghii). Usually
avoids cultivation, but in Gilgit freely nests in gardens. Prefers bare rocky slopes
whereas E. fucata frequents bush and scrub. Ranges of E. stewarti and E. cia do
not appear to overlap, the former replacing cia at lower levels on more open arid
ground; both species may occasionally be seen side by side. In northern
Baluchistan found in juniper and edible seed pine forest. Winters in the foothills
from N.W.F.P. and the better wooded parts of the Punjab, east to west-central
Nepal (Rand & Fleming, Fieldiana 41 : 210), and in the plains of Punjab, Haryana,
western Uttar Pradesh (to Etawah), Rajasthan [Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Bharatpur
LOCAL NAMES.
EMBERIZIDAE
228
(once)], Madhya Pradesh (common in the northern part), northeastern Maharashtra

(Nagpur-DIAbreu) and Gujarat [twice in Jasdan (JBNHS 59: 956; 85: 195)], in
Delhi (JBNHS 75: 124). There are no winter data from either Baluchistan or
Breeding
winter
Sind, except for odd records from Quetta and the Khirthar Range in December.
Affects grassy scrub-jungle and olive-groves etc. In the Himalayan foothills occurs
commonly between c. 200 and 1400 m, in smaller numbers up to 1800 m, seldom
2500 m (Simla).
Extralimital. Afghanistan, eastern Iran and north to southeastern Kazakhstan.
MIGRATION. Occurs on summer grounds from April to September, post-breeding
dispersal beginning in August. Autumn passage mostly in September, spring
passage March to mid April. Abundant passage noted in Chagai (Baluchistan),
Kashmir, Simla and Dehra Dun.
GENERAL HABITS. Gregarious in winter when usually found in small flocks,
sometimes in company with other buntings. Feeds on the ground; tends to sit
about stolidly on bushes or leafless branches of trees when not feeding, often
with ' crest ' partially raised.
FOOD. Mainly seeds of grass etc.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, a sharp tit reminiscent of that of Cettia bmnnifmns
(HW).Song rendered as a monotonous zwig-zwig-zwig (Bates & Lowther);
resembles that of the Yellow Bunting (E. citrinella) minus the last long-drawn
note (BBO). Sings from exposed branches or top of boulders.
BREEDtNG. Season, mid April to July. Nest, a cup of grass bents and fibres lined
with hair or wool. placed on the ground under a bush, tuft of grass, or boulder on
BUNTINGS
229
steep slopes, sometimes in crevices in rocks. Eggs, 3 to 5, usually 4, dull white

mottled and blotched with dark brown and pale purplish grey with sometimes a
few streaks. Average size of 98 eggs 19.5 x 14.6 mm (Osmaston), of 100 eggs
19.7 x 14.7 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. Freshly moulted plumage (in autumn)
dulled by pale fulvous edges. There is no spring moult; breeding plumage results from
abrasion of fulvous edges. Patterm of plumage somewhat inconstant. In the male a black
throat-patch may be present or absent and amount of chestnut on wing-coverts variable.
Y o u n g, similar to adult 9 except that absence of fulvous fringes to feathers makes
streaking appear more sharply defined; no trace of chestnut on breast.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
W 7 0 mm
(MD. Rand & Fleming)
Weight 13dd(April-June) 12.9-17; 5 9 9 (April-June) 13-16.7 g (Paludan). 6 dd(Mar.Apr.) 16-18 (av. 17);.11 9 9 (Mar.-Apr.) 13-1 7 (av. 15) g--SA.
Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible dark brown, lower
plumbeous; mouth fleshy. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
18-19
2049. Ortolan Bunting. Emberizu hortulam Linnaeus

Emberiza H o r l u l a ~L i ~ a e u s ,1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1 : 177
(Europa = Sweden)
Plate 106, fig. 7
LOCAL NAMES. None
recorded.
M a 1 e. Above, head olive indistinctly streaked, with a
~ L CHARACTERS.
D
conspicuous pale yellow eye-ring. Back brown with blackish streaks. Outer
rectrices white. Below, throat pale yellow with distinct dark moustachial streaks,
and dark fleckings on sides and lower part. Rest of underparts buffish rufous.
F e m a 1 e. Above, brown with dark streaks; a noticeable eye-ring. Below, creambuff with dark moustachial streaks and heavy streaks on breast and flanks. Outer
rectrices white.
Yellow throat distinguishes the male and streaked crown distinguishes the female
from E. buchamni males and females.
Vagrant; on spring migration obtained twice
STATUS,
in Gilgit (Ibis 1881: 80 and 574) and once in Kashmir (JBNHS 18: 463). Sight
recorded at Delhi, 18-19 April 1970 (P. Jackson & A. J. Gaston, JBNHS 69 (3):
654-5). Sight record from Kutch 1976, in a party of Greynecked Buntings
(Dharmakumar Singhji, 1977). Affects orchards or grassy slopes with bushes.
Extralimital. Breeds in the western Palaearctic from the Altai and Iran west to
Scandinavia and Spain. Winters from the Mediterranean to Senegal and Somalia,
Arabia and Iran.
230
EMBERIZIDAE
Seeds and insects.

VOICEand CALLS. Call-note on migration and in winter quarters, a sharp twick.
When disturbed, a soft pt-pt or ti-ti-ti-ti- (Jackson). Song similar to that of E.
citrinella and E. stewarti (TJR).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit.
FOOD.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
(Dementiev. MD)
Weight d d 21-22 g (Dementiev).
COL~URSOF BARE PARTS. Iris dark brown. Bill, legs and feet reddish brown.
2050. Greynecked Bunting. Emberiza buchanani Blyth
E.(mberim) BuchoMni Blyth, 1845 (1844), Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 13: 957
(Indian Peninsula)
Eu.(spiza) Hurroni Blyth, 1849, Jour. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 18: 811
(Afghanistan)
Plate 106, fig. 4
LOCAL NAMES.
Jamjohiiri (Hindi).
Spasrow; length c. 15 (6 in.).

~ L CHARACERS.
D
M a l e. Above, head grey with a conspicuous whitish eyering. Rest of upperparts brown slightly tinged with rufous and with darker streaks
on back. Tail brown, distinctly forked; outer rectrices white. Below, throat more
or less mottled rufous and whitish; an indistinct dark moustachial streak. Breast
rufous-chestnut, in fresh (autumn) plumage dulled by pale fringes.
F e m a l e similar to male but a little duller; moustachial streak somewhat
more noticeable.
Whitish eye-ring a very conspicuous feature in both sexes.
STATUS,D I S T R J B ~ O Nand HABITAT.
Mostly winter visitor to western and central
India, from northern Gujarat (including the Kathiawar Peninsula and Kutch) east
and south to central Uttar Radesh (Lucknow), eastern Maharashtra (Nagpurl,
northern Andhra Pradesh (Asifabad, c 80E.) and central Karnataka (Marikanive,
c. 14"N., JBNHS 43: 583); also in hilly tracts of Sind (flock of c. 50 in Makli
hills southern Sind, Uxii) but more numerous on autumn and spring passage
(TJR). Affects stony, sparsely scrubbed country, euphorbia-covered broken hillsides, etc.-typical Perdicula argoondah facies sometimes stubble fields.
An irregular summer (breeding) visitor to northern Baluchistan (Quetta) between
c. 1650 and 2400 m (Meinertzhagen, Ibis 1920: 142; Roberts, 1992). Record4
on 8 August in the upper Yassin Valley, Gilgit, c. 3100 m (Biddulph, lbis 1882:
271 ;early migrant ?). Also breeds in Afghan Safed Koh and Tera Kotal Valley. In
summer affects dry stony foothills with sparse bushes.
SIZE.
BUNTINGS
b u c h i breeding,
x
23 1
nb u c h i winter
Isolated record.
Extralimital. Adjacent parts of Afghanistan (Chaman, Gardez, Safed Koh)

and northern Afghanistan. The species ranges north to the Altai and west to
Armenia.'
MIGRATION. Breeders arrive in Baluchistan in March, depart in September.
Abundant passage through Kutch in September and March. Recorded in winter
quarters from October (earliest 8 October) to April (latest 18 April in Andhra, 29
April in Gujarat). Spring passage mostly in April, autumn passage mostly in
September; Delhi, numerous on spring passage, scarce on autumn (Gaston, JBNHS
75: 124). Migrates through Sind, Baluchistan (from the Makran Coast to Chagai),
N.W.F.P.,Gilgit, Kashmir (rare), Punjab, Haryana and the foothills east to Dhunda,
N. of Mussooree c. 78'30'E. (in the last locality as late as 25 May).
GENERAL HABITS. Gregarious in winter when usually met with in small scattered
flocks of 8 to 20 birds, sometimes in larger flocks in company with other buntings.
During spring migration apparently keeps isolated or in pairs. Feeds on the ground.
Flight, gait on ground, and general behaviour very pipit-like.
FOOD.Chiefly seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, in winter, a subdued click. Song brief and stereotyped lasting just over one second a metallic jingle tswee-tswee-tswee tswee-e-h,
ending with dzwe-ee-dul (TJR).
' The winter range of the northern and western populations (neobscura
and ceruttii) is
apparently unknown. It is probable that the whole species winters in India as is the case with E.
bruniceps, melanocephala and stewarti; strong passage in Baluchistan also indicates that more
than the Afghan population is involved. Subspecies of E. buchanani apparently not identifiable
in winter plumage.
232
EMBERIZIDAE
Season, May and June. Nest, a cup of coarse grass and fibres lined
with finer grass stems, placed on the ground under a stone or a tuft of grass.
Eggs, 4, white, blotched, spotted and hair-streaked with deep reddish brown.
They measure from 19 x 14.9 to 20.3 x 15.9 mm (Baker).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.See Field Characters. For details of plumage see Baker, loc. cit.
BREEDING.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
85-93
81-88
(from skull)
13-15
12-15
19-22
19-20
Tail
69-79 mm
67-72 mm
(HW, SA, CBT)
Weight 10d d (May-July) 18-26; 7 Q Q (May-July) 19-24 g (Paludan). 8 d d (Oct.) 17-22
(av. 20.1)); 10 9 9 (Oct.) 20-22 (av. 20.9) g--$A.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris brown. Bill pale brownish yellow or brownish orangeyellow; mouth yellowish flesh. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
dd
99
EMBERIZA
CIA Linnaeus: ROCKBUNTING
Page
Crown-stripes black
Paler, less rufous above, belly buffish rufous . . . . . . . . . . . E. c. par
Darker, more rufous above, belly chestnut. . . . . . . . . E. c. strachyi
B
Crown-stripes deep chestnut
. c. khamensis
3
Paler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E.
Darker, more richly coloured . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. c. yunnanensis
4
1
2
232
234
235
235
205 1 Emberiza cia par Hartert

Emberiza cia par Hartert, 1904, Vog. pal. Fauna 1: 184
(Gudan, Transcaspia)
Plate 106, fig. 6
FIELD C H A R A ~ R S . AS in 2052.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Summer (breeding) visitor to N.W.F.P. south
to Waziristan and possibly northern Baluchistan (cf. JBNHS 3 1: 867), and east in
Hazara. Hunza, Gilgit, Astor, Baltistan, Ladakh, Suru Valley, Lahul and Spit].
Specimens from the following localities are intermediate between par and
stracheyi : Kagan Valley, Chitral, Hunza, Gilgit, Astor, Baltistan, Baltal, Lolab,
Suru. Dras and Sind valleys, Lahul and Spiti.
Breeds from c. 2700 m up to 3300 m (Safed Koh) and up to 4200 m from
Chitral to Lahul. Winters below c. 2800 m in Baltistan, Gilgit and Chitral, in
N.W.F.P. south to Quetta (rare), in the Punjab foothills (below c. 600 m) and in
the south plains south to Rahimyarkhan, Bahawalpur, Haryana to Ambala and
Delhi. Dehra Dun, central Nepal (varying between par and stracheyi fide Rand
LOCAL
23 3
BUNTINGS
& Fleming, 1957: 210); sight records from near Pune (S. Ingalhalikar, JBNHS
80: 223). A specimen from Varanasi (Benares), Brit. Mus. Affects dry rocky
hillsides with grass and bushes. In the plains frequents semi-desert, neighbourhood
of canal cultivation, cotton fields and pampas grass.
Emberiza cia
[IIIID
2 strucheyi (2052).
3 khamensis (2053).
yunnanensis (2054),
winter extension of 1,
Isolated records.
1 pur (205 1 ).
Extralimital. Extends west to Iran and north to the Altai. The species ranges
west to Spain and Morocco and to Amurland and western China.
MIGRATION.
Occurs in winter quarters from November to March, a few birds
until April.
BREEDING.
AS in 2052.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
Differs from strucheyi (2052) in being paler, less rufous above.
Rufous of belly more buffish, less chestnut.
MEASUREMEKTS
Wing
dd
80-87
(2 (2
75-89
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
13-14
19-2 1
Weight 17 d d (March-July) 18.9-26.1 ; 8

c o ~ o n or;
~ sB A R E PARTS. AS in 2052.
Tail
75-81
rnrn
66-79
mrn
(HW, Paludan)
Y (March-July) 18.9-22.5 g (Paludan).
EMBERIZIDAE
234
2052. Emberizo cia stracheyi Moore

Emberiza stracheyi Moore, 1856 (1 855), Roc. Zool. Soc. London: 215, pi. 112
(Kumaon)
LOCAL NAMES.
Wan tsar (Kashmir).

FIELDCHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above, head bluish grey; black coronal stripes, black
eye-stripe, black moustachial streak looping up to join eye-stripe behind cheeks.
Cheeks and supercilium whitish. Back chestnut-brown streaked with black. Rump
rufous-chestnut. Outer rectrices white, often flashed open. Below, throat and breast
bluish ashy; rest of underparts rufous-chestnut.
F e m a l e like male but duller.
Distinguished from rather similar E. fucata (2055) and E. stewarti (2048) by
bluish grey breast.
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. Western Himalayas south of the main range from Hazara and Murree
through Kashmir (the commonest bunting) and east to central Nepal (Lowndes,
JBNHS 53: 34). See 2051 for localities where intergrades occur. Breeds between
c. 2000 and 4100 m (Kashmir, Gilgit to Simla), in smaller numbers down to
c. 1500 m (Kulu), between 2400 and 4000 m (Garhwal) and between 3000 and
3900 m (Nepal). Winters (beginning of November to March) mostly below
c. 2100 m (once 3600 m), down to c. 600 m, in western Nepal obtained at
c. 25W2700 m (intermediate in varying degree between this race and par).
Affects grassy and bush-clad slopes in boulder-strewn or rocky country, juniper
forest, open pine forest and, locally, margins of cultivation, generally replacing
E. stewarti on more open slopes and valleys at higher altitudes.
Extralimital. Adjacent parts of southern Tibet.
GENERAL HABITS.
Keeps singly, in pairs or small flocks. Feeds on the ground,
perches on bushes or trees. Tail constantly flicked open, flashing white outer
rectrices.
FOOD. Seeds, grain and insects.
VOICE and CALLS. Contact-note when feeding in flock, a thin subdued mouselike squeak tsi or swip oft repeated. An agitated plaintive swee, swee when an
intruder near nest. A twittering song, reminiscent of the Goldfinch's but shorter.
BREEDING. Season, May to August according to altitude. Nest, a deepish cup of
dry grass lined with hair. placed on the ground on steep slopes, at the base of a
bush or under a tuft of grass. occasionally in a low bush, well concealed. An
unusual site recorded was in a bough of a fir tree 2.7 m above ground. Eggs,
usually 3, sometimes 4, greyish white marked with dark purplish scrawls, spots
and blotches. Average size of 102 eggs 21.5 x 15.7 mm (Osmaston). Building of
nest and care of young by both sexes, incubation apparently by female only.
Frequently brood-parasitized by Cuculus canorus.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See Field Characters; for distinction from par see 2051, under
SIZE.
Museum Diagnosis.
BUNTINGS
235
Y o u n g. Above, rufous brown densely streaked with black. Below, fulvous streaked
with dark brown on throat, breast and flanks.
MEASUREmmS
Wing
Tail
d9
78-87
71-79 mm
(Baker). Rest as in 205 1.
Weight 11 d 9 (April-May) 18-21 (av. 19.3) g--SA.
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill: upper mandible and tip of lower black; base
of lower mandible pale blue. Legs and feet brownish flesh.
2053. Emberiza cia khamensis Sushkin'

Emberiza godlewskii khamensis Sushkin, 1925, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 38: 26
(River Dza-chu, upper Mekong)
Baker. FBI No. 1127 (part), Vol. 3: 207
STATUS, DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident, subject to vertical movements. Southeastern Ti bet and northern Arunachal Pradesh, breeding between
2700 and 4200 m, wintering between 2200 and 3300 m. Presumably occurs in
winter in Bhutan, Sikkim and eastern Nepal since many birds were observed
migrating through Arun Valley in August and September (Ibis 1922: 524). Affects
dry slopes with bushes and rocks.
Extralimital. Eastern Tibet to western Sichuan and southern Qinghai.
GENERAL HABITS,
BREEDING. Season, June-July. Nest and eggs, as in 2052. Average size of 3
eggs 22.5 x 15.7 mm (Ludlow).
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from stracheyi (2052) in being more richly coloured and
having the coronal stripes deep chestnut.
LOCAL
MEASUREMENTS
Bin
Wing
Tail
(from skull)
75-83
70-79
rnrn
mm
(NBK)
2054. Emberim cia yunnanensis Sharpe

Etnheriza yunnanensis Sharpe, 1902, Bull. Brit. Om. CI. 13: 12
(Gyi-dzin-Shan, east of Talifu)
I.OCAI. NAMES.None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
AS in 2052, q.v.
' Referred to as
1937. Ibis: 478.
Emberiza cia godlewskii in FBI,
1926, 3, 7: 207, 248, cf. Kinnear. N. B..
236
EMBERIZIDAE
STAWS,D I S T I ~ B ~ Oand
N HABITAT. Winter visitor to southeastern Tibet. May
occur in the higher hills of Arunachal Pradesh.
Extralimital. Breeds in northern Yunnan and north to northern Sichuan and
western Hupeh.
GENERAL HABITS,
M)OD and V O I ~ E . As in 2052.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Similar to khamensis (2053) but darker, more richly coloured.
MEASUREMENTS and COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. AS IN 2053.
EMBERIZA
NCATA Pallas: GREYHEADED
BUNTING
Head grey, upperparts chestnut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. f: fucata
Head purer grey, upperparts richer chestnut. . . . . . . . . . . E. f: aruata
2055. Emberiza fucata arcuata Sharpe

E. (mberiza) aruata Sharpe, 1888, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. 12: 494
(Himalayas, restricted to Simla by Baker, 1926, FBI 3: 199)
Plate 106, fig. 10
LOCAL NAMES.
Pdtthdr-chiriii (? Hindi)

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Above, crown and nape grey streaked with black;
ear-coverts chestnut. Back rufous-brown densely streaked with black; rump rufous.
Wings brown, tertials black edged with rufous-chestnut; shoulder rufous. Outer
rectrices white. Below, throat and upper breast white with black moustachial
stripes and dense streaking on breast forming a black gorget; lower breast chestnut.
Flanks rufous-chestnut streaked with dark brown; belly whitish buff.
F e m a 1 e, similar to male but paler and duller with throat and gorget more
streaked and less distinct: crown pale brown rather than grey; a short, whitish
supercilium.
Greyish hindneck, chestnut ear-coverts, chestnut scapulars and white outer
rectrices very noticeable in flight.
Uncommon resident, subject to vertical
STATUS, D l S m m o ~and HABITAT.
movements. Western Himalayas from Chitral (Reshan, Mastuj Valley-Perreau,
JBNHS 19: 913), Hazara, east to Garhwal, Kumaon and Nepal (Makala, in June)
[specimens from last three regions in Brit. Mus.], recent records both winter and
summer, vide Fleming. Also undated specimens from Dajeeling (Hume), Dafla
Hills (Godwin-Austen) and Khasi Hills (Gould), ' seem intermediate but perhaps
nearer to arcuata ' (HW).See extralimital distribution, below. Breeds between
c. 1800 and 2300 m in Kashrnir, 1650 and 2700 m in Kulu. W~ntersfrom at least
1500 m down to the foothills and adjacent plains [Saharanpur (SA), Ambala
(Jones), Kosi barrage, SE. Nepal (Inskipp)]. Affects hillsides with bushes and
scrub of Berberis, Cotoneaster; Indigofera, wild rose and juniper, especially along
rivers. In winter also on swampy ground.
Extralimital. Northern Afghanistan (JASB 55: 85, 1887), Burma (Mt Victoria
and north-east Burma, apparently in winter-Smythies, 1953), Yunnan, Sichuan
SIZE.
BUNTINGS
237
Emberiza fucata
Distributi.onal ranges
Winter
Breeding
1 axuata (2055). 2fucata (2055a), 3 kuahtnensis (RE).
and Kweichow (cf. Cheng, 1953, also Traylor, M. A., 1967). Other subspecies in
eastern China (Kwangtung to Kiangsu), northern China, Manchuria, Amurland
and Japan, wintering in southern Japan, southern China and northern Indochinese
countries.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps in pairs or small parties according to season, close to
the ground amongst low herbage. Feeds on the ground. In winter quarters often
roosts in marshy reed- beds.
FOOD. Grass seeds and small insects.
VOICEand CALLS. A bright, short, typically bunting song; may be rendered as
chick-chick-he'll get used to you-chick (Osmaston) uttered from a bush or from
top of high weeds.
BREEDING. Season, May to July. Nest, a cup of dry grass lined with hair, placed
on the ground under a bush or tuft of grass on a steep slope. Eggs, 3 or 4, pale
greenish grey speckled with dull reddish and purplish brown, without scrawls.
Average size of 10 eggs 19.9 x 15.6 mm (Osmaston).
See Field Characters. Differs from nominate fucata (2055a) in
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
having the head purer grey and the upperparts richer chestnut, less fulvous; black markings
on sides of throat and breast usually heavier and more numerous; flanks richer rufous.
In this and E. pusilla (2056) the tail-feathers are narrower and more pointed at tips
than in most other buntings.
MEASUREMENTS
W ~ n 69-71
g
; tail 65-67 rnrn (Baker).Rest as in 2055a.
238
EMBERIZIDAE
Weight 6 d d (April-June) 18-21; 7 9 9 (April-June) 16-19 g-SA.

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.Iris dark brown. Bill: upper mandible dark horny brown; lower
mandible pale horny brown. Legs and feet pale fleshy brown.
2055a. Emberita fucata fucata Pallas
Emberiza fucata Pallas, 1776, Reise Russ. Reichs 3: 698
(Onon and Ingoda Rivers)
FIELD C H A R A ~ E R S . AS in 2055, q.v.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Winter visitor, locally common. Manipur,
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, most of Bangladesh, Arunachal Pradesh and
Bhutan foothills, Jalpaiguri duars, west to eastern Nepal (Hodgson; also Fleming
& Traylor, 1968, Fieldiana 53: 190). Affects wet stubbles, marshes, grassland
and bushes, usually in the lowlands.
Extralimital. Breeds in Amurland, Manchuria and Japan; winters in Southern
China and Northern Indochinese countries.
MIGRATION. Arrives in winter quarters in early November, departs in April (latest
14 May in Burma).
GENERAL H A B ~ S ,FOOD and voice. As in 2055. A short tsip or tsic (Lekagul &
Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 394).
BREEDING.
Extralimital.
MLWUM
DIAGNOSIS.
See 2055.
MEASUREMENrS
Wing
Bill
Tarsus
Tail
(from skull)
d9
7 1-76
15-16
22-23
62-65 mrn
(Baker; bill by MD)
COLOURS OF BARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill fleshy brown, darker on culmen, paler below.
Legs and feet fleshy yellow to fleshy pink.
LOCAL
2056. Little Bunting. Emberiro pusifla Pallas

Emberiza plrsilla Pallas, 1776, Reise Russ. Reichs 3: 697
(Transbaikalian Alps)
Baker, FBI No. 1 122, Vol. 3: 200
Plate 106, fig. 9
LOCAL NAMES.
DUO miji (Cachari).
SIZE.Sparrow; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).

FIELD CHARACTERS. M a 1 e. Above. A rufous median coronal stripe between two
broad black stripes on sides of crown. Supercilium and side of head rufous with
a dark spot on ear-coverts. Rest of upperparts rufous-brown streaked with blackish.
Outer rectrices white. Below, chin rufous, rest of underparts white streaked with
black on breast and flanks.
F e m a l e, similar but duller.
BUNTINGS
239
Casually confusable with Tree Pipit, but rufous patch on sides of head and
noticeably forked tail, though also with white outer feathers, diagnostic.
STATUS,
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common winter visitor. Manipur, Nagaland,
Meghalaya, Sylhet, the Sundarbans, and the Chittagong HillTracts of Bangladesh,
the plains of the Brahmaputra, Arunachal foothills, Bhutan foothills, Sikkim and
Jalpaiguri duars and Darjeeling district; westward in the foothills to central Nepal
(between 75 and 2000 m), rarely to Chamb and Kotgarh. One record from South
Andaman Island. Winters mostly below 1800 m. Affects reeds, grass, rice stubbles,
and scrub about cultivation in open country.
Extralimital. Breeds in tundra and forest-tundra of Eurasia from Finland to
the Sea of Okhotsk. Winters mostly in southern China, Burma, and northern
Indochinese countries.
MIGRATION.
Spring passage in March and April in Nepal and Sikkim. Arrives
in winter quarters in October. Recorded on passage in Hunza gorges on 2 1 October.
Most birds however migrate through eastern Asia.
GENERAL HABITS. In winter usually keeps singly or in small flocks, often in
company with E. fucata and tree pipits. Rather secretive. In common with some
other buntings (e.g. spodocephala, aureola, fucata), and accentors (e.g. Prunella
immaculata) has a habit of keeping closely to cover on the ground. When approached, flushes out suddenly and dives instantly behind the next bush a few paces
away, giving but a flash of itself and frustrating identification. If followed, repeats
this manoeuvre again and again. Fond of perching on bare tree-tops on wintry
mornings with plumage fluffed out.
FOOD. Seeds, insects and their larvae.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, a short tzit. A sharp metallic tic (Lekagul & Round,
Birds of Thailand, p. 396).
MUSEUM
MEASUREMENTS
d?
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
66-74
10-13
17-22
Tail
54-61 mrn
(SA)
Weight 9 d d (March) 11-14 (av. 13) g 4 A . 1 9 (Nov.) 13.5 g 4 D R .

c o ~ o u OF
~ sBARE PARTS. Iris brown. Bill horny brown, darker above, paler below. Legs
and feet pale fleshy or yellowish brown.
2057. Striolated Bunting. Embe*

s t r i o l a h striolrch (Lichtenstein)
Efringilla) sfriolara Lichtenstein, 1823, Verz. Doubl. Mus. Berlin: 24
(Ambukol, Nubia)
Emberiza sfriolara tescicola Koelz, 1954, Contrib. Inst. Regional Exploration. No. 1:
20 (Isin, Iran)
Plate 106, flg. 8
LOCAL NAMES.
None recorded.
EMBERIZIDAE
240
Sparrow-; length c. 14 cm (5.5 in.).

FIELD C H A R A ~ R
MSa. l e Above, crown greyish white streaked with blackish.
A white supercilium and blackish stripe behind eye. Rest of upperparts brown
with darker streaks. Wings bright rufous. Below, throat and breast greyish white
streaked with black, a white malar stripe on side of throat and a dark moustachial
streak. Belly fulvous-buff.
F e m a l e, similar to male but head and throat brown with darker streaks. In
flight, at a distance, rufous wings and general effect reminiscent of female Crested
Bunting (2060). Yellow lower mandible conspicuous in both sexes and distinct
from all dark bill of similar E. cia.
STATUS, DlSTRlBUTlON and HABITAT. C0mm0n but locally distributed resident,
subject to local movements. Pakistan from southern Baluchistan, Sind hilly tracts,
and Punjab Salt Range, east and south in northwestern India to southern Uttar
Prades h (Etawah), central Madhya Pradesh (Sagar) and central Maharashtra
SIZE.
Emberiza striolata
Distributional ranger.
1 striolata (2057).
(Daulatabad). Affects rocky or stony, sparsely thorn- or euphorbia-scrubbed

hillsides and nullahs, ancient hill forts and ruins, etc. In winter spreads to sandy
plains, tamarisk scrub and sarkhan grass areas in the vicinity of canals.
Extralimital. Ranges west through southern Iran and Arabia to the Sinai
Peninsula, Eritrea and Somalia. Other subspecies in southern Ethiopia, southem
Sahara, Morocco and Algeria.
GENERAL H~Brrs. Keeps in pairs or in flocks according to season. Unobtrusive
and easily overlooked. Feeds quietly on the ground, hopping about stiffly like a
sparrow (not running like a pipit). In arid country regularly resorts to drink at
water-holes in the forenoon.
BUNTINGS
24 1
Seeds (of grasses, Compositae, etc.).

VOICE and CALLS. Song lasting just under two seconds, a lively which-whichwheech-whichy-which, the first two syllables short and accent on the final note;
also described as a rich whee-chi-whee-wichee ending in an extra, subdued chi
(SA); uttered from a stone, bush-top or ruined building. Flight call, a sparrowlike cheez, distinct from twitter flight call of the Rock Bunting which often shares
the same winter habitat (Roberts).
BREEDING.
Season, end of February to November. Nest, a cup of roots and
grass lined with feathers, placed on the ground under a rock, in niches in crumbling
walls, etc. Eggs, 2 or 3, pale bluish or whitish, spotted and speckled with brown,
intermingled with clouds and streaks of the same colour, more numerous at the
large end. Average size of 15 eggs 20 x 15 mm (Baker). Both sexes share in
building the nest and feeding the young.
MUSEUM
FOOD.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW)
COLOURS OFBAREPARTS.
Iris brown. Bill: upper mandible dark horny brown, lower
mandible fleshy or yellowish horny. Legs and feet flesh-colour or yellowish flesh.
SCHOENICLUS (Linnaeus): REEDBUNTING

EMBERIZA

Darker and smaller. tail underr 71 mm; bill pointed, upper mandible nearly
straight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. s. pallidior
Paler and larger, tail over 71 mm; bill very stout, upper mandible strongly
convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. s. pyrrhuloides
2058. Emberiza schoeniclus pallidior Hartert

Emberiza schoeniclus pallidior Hartert, 1904, VOg. pal. Fauna 1 : 197
(Aiderli, nrkestan)
Baker, FBI No. 11 19, Vol. 3: 197
Plate 106, fig. 15
LOCAL NAMES.None recorded.
FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a I e. Above, head black, a white collar around hindneck.
Rest of upperparts rufous-brown with broad blackish streaks; rump greytinged.
Wings rufous. Outer rectrices white. Below, throat and upper breast black; a
white moustachial streak joining hind-collar. Rest of underparts whitish streaked
with chestnut on flanks. In autumn, black of head and white collar entirely concealed by rufous-brown fringes; a conspicuous buff supercilium, dark ear-coverts.
buff malar stripe and sides of neck; black of throat partly concealed by pale
fulvous tips.
EMBERIZIDAE
242
F e m a l e has rufous-brown crown with dark streaks; pale buff throat with
black streaks on sides.
D I S T R I B ~ O Nand HABITAT. Winter visitor, widespread but of erratic
STATUS,
occurrence. Pakistan in N.W.F.P., Punjab, Sind and throughout Baluchistan (scarce)
and northwestern India in Gilgit, Haryana (Rohtak and Ambala), and vicinity of
Emberiza schoeniclus
1 pallidior (2058).
2 pyrrhuloides. Extralimital subspecies not numbered
Delhi. Affects riverain country-reed-beds, irrigated crops, khan grass and kandi
(Pmsopis) jungle, bushes in nullah-beds. etc.
Extralimital. Southwestern Siberia from the Urals to the Altai. Winters to the
south of breeding range.
MIGRATION. Arrives in winter quarters in November, departs in March.
GENERAL HABITS. Keeps sinzly, in pairs or small parties. Usually perches on
reeds. Roosts, often commurially, in reed-beds.
FOOD. Seeds (chiefly of marsh plants) and cane grass (Saccharum spp.) typical
of riverain tracts, and insects.
V O I and
~ CALLS. A plaintive tsee-u.
BREEDMG. Extralimital.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
VV
7 1-79
Bill
(from skull)
c.
Weight 4 d d 19.7-21.3 g (Dementiev).
13
Tarsus
c. 21
Tail
65-70 mm
(NBK,MD)
243
BUNTINGS
Iris dark brown. Bill dark brown; black on culmen. Legs and
feet dark brown.
2059. Emberiza schoeniclus pyrrhuloides Pallas

Emberiza pyrrhuloides Pallas, 181 1, Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. 2: 49
(Astrakhan, vide Vaurie, 1956, Amer. Mus. Novit., No. 1795: 8)
Not in Baker, FBI
LOCAL

FWLD C H A R A ~ E R S . AS in 2058 but larger; bill noticeably stouter; back buff
rather than dark brown; flanks of male unstreaked.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Rare winter vagrant. One record: two males
STATUS,
obtained at Wular Lake, Kashmir on 20 March (Meinertzhagen, Ibis 1927: 394).
Affects reed-beds.
Extralimital. Ranges from the Caspian Sea to western Mongolia.
GENERAL HABITS. AS in 2058.
FOOD.Apparently chiefly insects obtained from reed-stems with its large
specially adapted bill, remarkably similar in shape to that of some Paradoxomis
species which also extract insects from bamboo- and reed-stems.
VOICE and CALLS. Undescribed but said to be somewhat different from that of
thin-billed races (Dementiev).
BREEDLNG. Extralimital.
SIZE.
MUSEUM
DIAGNOSIS.Differs from pallidior in being much paler above, fulvous buff;
white collar broader; flanks of male unstreaked, those of female with only fine rufous
streaks. Overall size markedly larger; bill much stouter and highly arched.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
dd
TT
77-80
75-83
COLOURS OF R A R E PARTS,
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
12-14
2&22
Tail
72-80 nun
(Wing by Dementiev; rest MD)

Iris brown. Bill dark horny brown, paler below. Legs and feet
fleshy brown.
Genus M E L o P H u s Swainson
Melophus Swainson, 1837, Classif. Bds. 2: 290. Vpe, by monotypy, Emberiza
eryrhroprerrts Jardine & Selby, 1835 = Emberiza larhami, Gray 1831
Differs from other buntings in having a long crest. Tail nearly square.
2060. Crrsted Bunting. Melophus lufharni (Gray)'

Emberiza larhami Gray, 1831, Zool. Misc. 1: 2 (Canton, Kwangtung)
I3rtheriza s~rbcrisraraSykes, 1832, Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 93 (Dukhun)
LWAI.
NAMES.
Baker, FBI No. 1 1 32, Vol. 3: 221

Plate 104, fig. 14
Pdrthdr-chiria (? !lindi).
' Cf. Ticehursr. C. B.. 1932, Bull. Brit. Orn. CI. 53: 15-16 for use of larhami v. melanicrerus.
EMBERIZIDAE

FIELD CHARACTERS.
M a 1 e. Entirely black with chestnut wings and tail, and a
long, pointed black crest.
F e m a 1 e. Above, olive-brown with dark
brown streaks. Crest shorter; a pale eye-ring.
Edge of wing and outer rectrices rufous.
Below, yellowish buff with dark streaks on
breast and dark moustachial streak.
DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common
STATUS,
resident, but rather local and capricious; in
x C. 1
the hills subject to vertical movements. The
Himalayan foothills from Indus Kohistan and Hazara where summer visitor only
to Bhutan and southeastern Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh and south in India through
eastern Rajasthan and Mt Abu to Gujarat (Gir Forest). Not rec'orded elsewhere in
Kathiawar or in Kutch), southwestern Maharashtra (Satara, Wardha Valley),
northern Andhra Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh (Raipur), and southern Bihar
SIZE.
ml
Residential range
a Winter (non-residents)
(Lohardaga); also the hills of Bangladesh, Meghalaya, Cachar and Manipur, south
to the Chittagong region. In the west Himalayan foothills occurs in summer only
up to c. 1800 m. in central Nepal to 2440 m (Inskipp, C. & T., 1991), in Sikkim
and Bhutan to 1800 m. in Nagaland to 2400 (Tytler); withdraws from the higher
lcvels In wlnter (leaving in October, returning in April). Seasonal movements
also noted I n the hills of central India and in northern Bengal (where a winter
vis~tor).
Affects dry stony sparsely scrubbed hillsides; in winter also rice stubbles
BUNTINGS
245
and open stony scrub country in dry-deciduous jungle; particularly fond of charred
grass patches where its coloration is highly obliterative.
Extralimital. Ranges east to Guangdong and Zhejiang and south to northern
Indonesia.
GENERAL HABITS. Much as other buntings. Gregarious in winter when it keeps
in small loose flocks; never in such large congregations as many other buntings.
Feeds on the ground in stony fields, on ghat roadsides and cross-country cart
tracks, etc.; rarely, if ever, from ears of standing cereal crops. Commonly perches
on rocks or bushes. Roosts in hedges and thorn thickets in company with tree
pipits, etc.
Courtship (one observation, SA). Male singing from euphorbia-top, chased
female with fluttering lark-like flight, tail partially cocked and crest erect. On
ground he drooped his wings, spread his tail and fluffed out the rump-feathers.
He raised and opened sailwise the wing on the side of the hen while walking in a
semicircle round her about a metre away. Female responded in same way by
raising her wing on his side. Thus, they drew closer. Male hopped on to her back
and treaded her, h s wings fluttering throughout the act. Thereafter each picked
up a blade of grass and flew off towards nest.
FOOD. Chiefly grass seeds.
VOICE and CALLS. Call-note, a repeated tip or pink while feeding. In flight, an
explosive tup (Lekagul & Round, Birds of Thailand, p. 397). Song, repeated
incessantly in early summers, rendered as tsri-tsri-tsi-tsu-tsu-tsu,last three notes
descending (MD); also as which ...which ...which-whi-whee-which (accent on
whee). Reminiscent of the song of Saricoloides but with this peculiarity that it
invariably commences with the detached single (sometimes double) subdued
which (SA). Usually uttered from the top of a bush, a rock or telegraph wire.
BREEDING. Season, April to August. Nest, a cup of grass bents and rootlets
lined with fine fibres and hair, placed on the ground under a rock or in a hollow
in a bank or loosely built stone wall. Eggs, 3 or 4, white faintly tinged with
greenish marked with freckles, spots and tiny blotches varying from pale reddish
to deep brown or purplish brown, more densely at the large end. Average size of
60 eggs 20.1 x 15.6 mm (Baker). Building (?) and incubation by female.
Sometimes brood-parasitized by Cuculus canorus.
MUSEUM
Y o u n g like female. Feathers of upperparts with distinct pale fringes; lower throat
and breast more coarsely streaked.
First-year m a I e. llpperparts a little darker than adult female; crest intermediate in
length. Sides of head and underparts black mixed with fulvous-brown, belly and under
tail-coverts mostly of the latter colour. Primary-coverts dark brown marked slightly or
not with chestnut; resl of coverts as in female but more marked with chestnut. Rest of
wing as in adult male but outer webs of primaries often marked with black.
MEASUREMENTS
Wing
Bill
(from skull)
Tarsus
Tail
(HW. BB. SA, Rand & Fleming))
246
Weight 3 d d 23.5-26 g
18-25 (av. 2 I ) g-SA.
C O L O U R ~OF BARE PARTS.
brown.
EMBERIZIDAE
(GD).12 d d (July-Aug.)
20-25 (av. 22.7); l l
9 9 (July-Aug.)
Iris dark brown. Bill dull orange-brown. Legs and feet purplish
INDEX TO VOLUME 10
INDEX
Acanthis, 147
Acmonorhynchus, 1
acuticauda [Lonchura, M.(unia)], 112
adamsi (Montifringilla). 86
Aethopyga, 39
affinis (Coccothraustes, Hesperiphona), 133
agile (Dicaeum), 2
Agilis (Fringilla), 2
alpicola (Montifringilla, Passer), 86
altaica (Fringilla, Leucosticte), 155
amabilis (Zosterops), 59
Amandava, 106
amandava (Estrilda, Fringilla), 106
andarnanica (Arachnechthra, Nectarinia), 32
annectans (Passer), 80
Anthreptes. 20
Arachnothera, 54
arcuata (Emberiza), 236
ariel (Aethopyga), 48
asiatica (Certhia, Nectarinia), 36
assamensis (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 48
assamensis (Chalcoparia), 20
astrild (Loxia), 106
atricapilla (Lonchura, Loxia). 123
atrigula (Ploceus). 92
audreyana (Leucosticte), 160
aurantiaca (Pyrrhula), 2 12
aureola (Emberiza), 223
bactrianus (Passer), 69
bakeri (Lonchura), 124
baltistanicus (Acanthis), 149
baya [PI. (oceus)], 92
bella (Acanthis, Fringilla), 147
bendi (Carpodacus), 183
benghalensis (Loxia, Ploceus). 100
blanfordi (Montifringilla), 89
blythi (Carpodacus, Ropasser), 186
boetonensis see Haematospiza
brandti (Leucosticte), 158
brasiliana (Cenhia, Nectarinia), 27
brevirostris [Nectarinia, Nectarinia
(Arachnechthra)], 34
bruniceps (Emberiza), 21 9
Bucanetes, 167
buchanani (Emberiza), 230
burmanicus (Ploceus), 97
bunoni (Callacanthis, Carduelis), 162
buturlini (Emberiza). 215
cacharensis (Zosterops), 59
calandra (Emberiza), 215

Callacanthis, 161
caniceps (Carduelis), 141
cannabina see bella (Acanthis, Fringilla)
Carduelis, 139
carduelis (Carduelis), 140
carduelis (Fringilla), 139
carnipes (Coccothraustes), 135
Carpodacus, 166
catervaria (Lonchura), 121
ceruttii see buchanani (Emberiza)
ceylonense (Dicaeum), 12
ceylonensis (Dicaeum), 12
ceylonensis (Zosterops), 63
Chalcoparia, 20
Chalcostetha, 22
chalcostetha (Nectarinia), 22
charmensis (Carpodacus), 188
chayulensis (Propasser), 188
chrysochlore (Dicaeum), 5
chrysogenys (Nectarinia), 54
Chrysomitris, 139
chrysorrheum see chrysochlore (Dicaeum)
cia (Emberiza), 232
cinnamomea (Pyrgita), 78
cinnamomeus (Passer) 78
Cinnyris, 22
Citrinella (Emberiza), 214
Coccothraustes, 129
coccothraustes see humii (Coccothraustes)
coccothraustes (Loxia), 129
coelebs (Fringilla). 127
concolor (Dicaeum), 15
confucius (Passer), 66
crassirostris (Carpodacus), 168
cruentata (Certhia). 16
cruentatum (Dicaeum), 16
Curvirostra (Loxia), 200
dabryii (Aethopyga, Nectarinia), 42
davidiana see potanini (Montifringilla,
Pyrgilauda)
debilis (Passer). 78
deignani (Dicaeum). 2
Dicaeidae, 1
Dicaeum, I
dilutus (Passer), 72
dornestica (Fringilla). 65
domesticus (Passer). 65
dorsalis (Zosterops), 59
dubius see femininus (Carpodacus)
248
INDEX T O VOLUME 10
eblis (Erythrina). 193

edwardsii see rubicunda (Carpodacus,
Erythrina)
egregia (Zosterops). 59
elwesi (Zosterops), 59
Emberiza, 2 14
Enberizidae, 2 14
enigmaticus (Passer). 66
epauletta (Pyrrhoplectes. Pyrrhula?). 205
erythaca (Pyrrhula). 209
erythrina (Loxia). 176
erythrinus (Carpodacus), 176
erythrocephala (Qrrhula). 2 11
erythronotos (Certhia), 1
erythronotos (Dicaeum), I
erythropterus (Emberiza). 243
erythrorhynchos (Certhia. Dicaeum), 10
estriata (Lonchura). 1 13
Estrilda. 106
famosa (Certhia), 22
femininus (Carpodacus), 188
ferghanensis [Carpodacus, E.
(rythrina)]. 172
flaviceps see passerinus (Ploceus)
flaviceps (Ploceus), 103
flavicollis (Fringilla). 83
flavirostris (Acanthis), 148
flaviventris (Certhia, Nectarinia), 23
fonnosa (Estrilda, Fringilla), 108
Fringilanda [sic], 155
Fringilauda. 155
Fringilla, 127
Fringillidee, 126
fringillirostris (Linota), 147
fucata (Emberiza). 238
fumigata (Lonchura, Munia), 115
githagineus see crassirostris (Carpodacus)
githaginea (Fringilla). 167
godlewskii see khamensis (Emberiza)
gouldiae (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 40
grandis (Carpodacus). 183
griseiceps (Aethopyga). 44
griseigularis see bactrianus (Passer)
Gymnorhis. 8 1
haematopygia (Leucosticte,
Montifringilla). I60
Haematospiza, 203
heinrichi (Carduelis), 146
hepaticus (Passer). 75
himalayensis (Loxia). 200
hindustanica (Nectarinia). 28
hindustanicus (Cinnyris), 28
hispaniolensis see transcaspicus (Passer)
Horsfielai [sic] (Cinnyris), 43
horsfieldi (Aethopyga, Nectarinia), 43
hortulana (Emberiza), 229
hortulanus (Serinus). 151
humii (Carpodacus, Pyrrhospiza), 198
humii (Coccothraustes). 130
Huttoni [Eu. (spiza)], 230
Hypacanthis, 139
icterica (Emberiza), 2'19
icterioides (Coccothraustes). 131
ignicauda [Aethopyga. (Cinnyris)], 52
ignipectus [Dicaeum, M.(yzanthe)], 18
indicus (Passer), 65
intensior (Passer), 79
intensior (Propyrrhula), 202
intensum (Dicaeum), 5
intermedia (Arachnechthra, Nectarinia), 39
intermedia (Petronia), 84
isolata (Aethopyga). 42
javanica see Anthreptes
jerdoni (Lonchura, Munia), 116
jugularis (Nectarinia). 3 1
kangrae (Carpodacus. Procarduelis). 177
kelaarti [Lonchura. M.(unia)]. 1 18
khamensis (Emberiza), 235
kilianensis (Carpodacus), 197
klossi (Arachnechthra, Nectarinia), 33
koelzi (Aethopyga), 45
kubanensis (Carpodacus), 175
labecula (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 50
ladacensis (Acanthis), 150
lapersonnei (Carpodacus), 195
lateralis (Sylvia), 59
lathami (Emberiza. Melophus), 243
lepida (Certhia), 20
lepida (Chalcoparia). 20
Leptocoma. 22
leucocephalos (Emberiza). 2 16
Leucosticte. 155
Linaria (Fringilla), 147
Lineoventer [M.(unia)]. 119
lisarum (Passer). 80
Lonchura. 109
longirostra (Cenhia). 55
longirostris (Arachnothera). 55
lotenia (Certhia. Nectarinia). 30
Loxia. 200
lucifer (Carpodacus). 195
INDEX TO VOLUME 10
magna [Arachnothera, (Cinnyris)], 57
major (Carduelis), 140
malabarica (Lonchura, Loxia). 110
malacca (Lonchura, Loxia), 124
malaccensis (Passer). 73
malacensis (Certhia), 20
manyar (Ploceus), 103
maximus (Passer), 75
megarhynchus (Ploceus), 97
melanocephala (Emberiza), 217
melanops [E.(mberiza)], 225
melanoxanthum (Dicaeum), 7
melanozantha [P(achyglossa)], 7
melanozanthos (Coccoth'raustes), 137
melittae (Aethopyga), 42
Melophus, 243
Metaponia. 151
minima (Cinnyris, Nectarinia), 26
moabiticus see yatii (Passer)
mongolicus (Carpodacus), 170
montanella (Acanthis. Linota), 149
montanus (Passer), 72
Montifringilla, 85
montifringilla (Fringilla), 128
Munia, 109
mussooriensis (Aethopyga), 49
Mycerobas, 129
Nectarinia, 22
Nectariniidae, 19
nemoricola [F.(ringilauda),
Leucosticte], 157
neobscura see buchanani (Emberiza)
nicobarica (Aethopyga). 52
nicobarica (Zosterops). 63
nicobaricus (Zosterops), 63
niethammeri (Carpodacus), 193
nigricollis (Pyrgita). 65
nilgiriensis (Zosterops), 62
nipalensis (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 44
nipalensis [C.(arduelis), Carpodacus], 178
nipalensis (Pyrrhula), 207
nisoria (Fringilla), 109
nivalis see alpicola (Montifringilla, Passer)
nivalis (Fringilla), 85
obsoleta (Fringilla, Rhodospiza), 165
occidentis (Zosterops). 59
olivaceum (Dicaeum), 13
orientalis (Lonchura), 124
orientalis (Loxia). 124
orientalis (Munia), 124
oryzivora (Loxia, Padda), 125
ossifr'agus (Mycerobas), 137
Pachyglossa, I
Padda, 125
pallidior (Emberiza), 241
pallidior (Leucosticte), 161
palniensis (Zosterops), 62
palpebrosa (Sylvia, Zosrerops), 59
pamirensis (Leucosticte), 159
pangpui (Mycerobas). 137
par (Emberiza). 232
parkini (Passer). 68
Passer. 65
passerinus (Ploceus), 92
pectoralis see chalcostetha (Nectarinia)
peguensis (Ploceus), 105
Petronia. 8 1
petronia see intermedia (Petronia)
Petronia (Fringilla), 8 1
Philippina (Loxia), 92
philippinus (Ploceus), 92
Pinicola, 203
Piprisoma, 1
Ploceidae. 64
Ploceus, 90
potanini (Montifringilla, Pyrgilauda), 90
Procarduelis, 166
Propasser, 166
Propyrrhula, 202
proselia (Cinnyris. Nectarinia), 34
pulchellum (Dicaeum), 18
pulcherrimus (Carpodacus. Propasser), 189
punctulata see orientalis (Loxia)
punctulata (Lonchura. Lokia), 119
punicea [P(yrrhospiza)], 199
puniceus (Carpodacus), 199
pusilla (Emberiza). 238
pusillus (Passer, Serinus). 151
Pycnorharnphus, 129
pyrrhonotus (Passer). 76
Pyrrhoplectes, 205
Pyrrhospiza, 167
Pyrrhula, 207
Pyrrhula (Loxia). 207
pyrrhuloides (Emberiza), 243
rhodochlamys see grandis (Carpodacus)
rhodochrous (Carpodacus), 181
Rhodopechys. 161
rhodopeplus (Carpodacus). 185
Rhodospiza, 165
ricketti (Pyrrhula), 209
ripleyi (Aethopyga), 45
rodochroa (sic) [Fringilla], 181
rodopepla (sic) [Fringilla], I85
rosea (Fringilla). 166
250
INDEX TO VOLUME 10
roseata (Pyrrhula), 174

roseatus (Carpodacus), 174
rubescens (Carpodacus. Rocarduelis), 179
rubicilla see severtzovi (Carpodacus)
rubicilloides see lucifer (Carpodacus)
rubicunda (Carpodacus. Erythrina), 191
rubinigentis (Anthreptes. Chalcoparia), 20
rubroniger [Lonchura. M.(unia)]. 122
rubropygium (Dicaeum), 9
ruficollis (Montifringilla), 88
rufostrigata (Acanthis. Linota), 150
rustica (Emberize) see Emberiza
rutila (Emberiza). 222
rutilans (Passer), 78
rutledgii (Ploceus). 97
salimalii (Ploceus), 100
salimalii (Zosterops). 62
sanguinea (Callacanthis, Fringilla), 163
sardarpateli (Ploceus), 92
saturata (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 46
saturata (Linota), 191
saturatior (Piprisoma), 2
saturatior (Rocarduelis). 179
saturatus (Carpodacus). 191
saturatus (Propasser). 191
schaeferi (Passer), 78
schoeniclus (Emberiza). 24 1
seheriae (Aethopyga. Nectarinia). 49
semistriata (Lonchura, Munia), 115
Serinus. 151
serinus (Fringilla). 151
severtzovi (Carpodacus), 193
sillemi (Leucosticte) see Leucosticte
singalensis see rubinigentis (Anthreptes.
Chalcoparia)
singalensis (Sylvia). 20
sipahi [C.(orythus), Haematospiza], 204
siparaja (Aethopyga). 48
siparaja (Certhia). 39
sola (Cinnyris), 23
sordida (Emberiza), 225
soror (Passer), 66
speculigerus (Coccothrasustes). 134
sperata see brasiliana (Certhia, Nectarinia)
spinoides (Carduelis), 143
Spinus. 139
spinus (Carduelis, Fringilla), 139
spinus (Carduelis). 139
spodocephala see sordida (Emberiza)
stewarti (Emberiza, Euspiza). 227
Stictospiza. 106
stracheyi (Emberiza). 234
striata (Lonchura. Loxia). 113
striatus (Euplectes), 103

striolata [Emberiza, F.(ringilla)], 239
subcristata (Emberiza). 243
subflavum (Dicaeum). 15
subhimachala (Ropyrrhula), 202
Subhimachalus (Corythus), 202
subulata (Carduelis, Fringilla), 141
subundulata (Lonchura, Munia), 121
superba (Certhia), 22
taczanowskii (Montifringilla.
Onychospiza). 87
taylori (Carduelis, Hypacanthis), 145
tephrocotis [Linaria (Leucosticte)], 155
tescicola (Emberiza). 239
thibetana (Chrysomitris), 153
thibetanus (Serinus). 153
thura (Carpodacus), 187
tibetanus (Passer), 75
thibetanus (Serinus), 153
tongluensis (Carduelis). 191
transcaspicus (Passer), 70
transfuga (Gymnorhis, Petronia). 82
travancoreensis (Ploceus), 96
trifasciatus (Carpodacus), 193
trigonostigma see rubropygium (Dicaeum)
tristrami [E.(mberiza)] see Emberiza
trochiloidea (Aethopyga), 42
unicolor (Dicaeum). 15
Uroloncha. 109
vantynei (Arachnothera), 55
vemayi (Uroloncha). 1 16
victoriae (Pyrrhula), 209
vigorsii (Aethopyga, Cinnyris), 5 1
vinaceus (Carpodacus). 182
vincens (Dicaeum, Rionochilus), 8
virescens (Dicaeum), 16
waltoni (Carpodacus, Ropasser), 191
whistleri (Nectarinia), 23
xanthocollis (Fringilla. Petronia), 83
yatii (Passer. 80
yunnanensis (Emberiza). 235
yunnanensis (Passer), 80
zeylonense (Dicaeum), 4
zeylonica (Certhia, Nectarinia). 25
zeylonicum (Piprisoma). 4
Zosteropidae, 59
Zosterops, 59
COLOUR PLATES
Synopsis numbers in brackets
(SE) = species extralimit01 (RE)= race extralimital
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
PLATE 99
Dicaewn agile, Thickbilled Flowerpecker (1892, 1894)
Dicaewn melanoxanthwn, Yellowbellied Flowerpecker (1896)
Dicaewn erythmrhynchos, Tickell's Flowerpecker (I899)
Dicaewn concolot; Plaincoloured Flowerpecker (1901)
Dicaeum chrysorrhewn, Yellowvented Flowerpecker (1895)
Dicaewn vincens, Legge's Flowerpecker (1897)
Dicaewn trigonostigma, Orangebellied Flowerpecker (1898)
Dicaewn ignipectur, Firebreasted Flowerpecker (1905)
Estrilda amandava, Red Munia (1964)
Dicaewn cruentatum, Scarletbacked Flowerpecker (1904)
Lonchura malacca atricapilla, Blackheaded Munia (1977)
Lonchura m. malacca, Blackheaded Munia (1978)
Estrilda fonnosa, Green Munia (1965)
Lonchura punc.mlata, Spotted Munia (1974)
Lonchura kelaarti jerdoni, Rufousbellied Munia (1971, 1972)
Lonchura k. kelaarti, Rufousbellied Munia (1973)
Lonchura malabarica, Whitethroated Munia (1966)
Padda oryzivora, Java Sparrow (1978a)
Lonchura striata, Whitebacked Munia (1968)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
II
12
13
14
P15
16
Plate 100
Zosterops palpebrosa, Oriental White-eye ( 1 933)
Zosterops ceylonensis, Ceylon White-eye (1 937)
Anthreptes singalensis, Rubycheek (1 906)
Nectarinia zeylonica, Purplerum ped Sunbird (1 907)
Nectarinia jugularis, Olivebacked Sunbird (1 9 13)
Nectarinia sperata, Van Hasselt's Sunbird (1910)
Nectarinia minima, Small Sunbird (1909)
Aethopyga gouldiae, Mrs Gould's Sunbird (19 19)
Nectarinia lotenia, Loten's Sunbird (19 1 1)
Nectarinia asiatica, Purple Sunbird (1 9 17)
Aethopyga nipalensis, Nepal Yellowbacked Sunbird (1923)
Aethopyga saturata, Blackbreasted Sunbird (1925)
Aethopyga siparaja, Crimson Sunbird (1927)
Arachnothera longirostris, Little Spiderhunter (193 1 )
Arachnothera magna, Streaked Spiderhunter (1932)
Aethopyga ignicauda, Firetailed Sunbird (1930)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Plate 101
Passer amnlodendri, Saxaul Sparrow (EL)
Passer donzesticus, House Sparrow (1 938)
Passer hispartiolensis, Spanish Sparrow (1940)
Passer moabiticus, Scrub Sparrow (1 947a)
Passer pyrrhonotus, Sind Jungle Sparrow (1945)
Passer. rutilans, Cinnamon Tree Sparrow (1946)
Passer montanus, Tree Sparrow ( 1 942)
Petronia petronia, Rock Sparrow (1950)
Petronicl xanthocollis, Yellowthroated Sparrow (1949)
Ploceus benghalensis, Blackthroated Weaver (1961)
Ploceus megarhynchus, Finn's Baya (1960)
Ploceus mnnyar; Streaked Weaver (1962)
Ploceus philippinus, Baya ( 1957)
Ploceus philippinus burmanicus, Baya (1959)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Plate 102
Prunella collaris, Alpine Accentor ( 1 779)
Prunella srrophiata, Rufousbreasted Accentor ( 1 783)
Prltnella rubeculoides, Robin Accentor ( 1 78 1)
Prunella irnmaculata, Maroonbacked Accentor (1788)
Prunella himalayana, Altai Accentor (1 780)
Prunella atrogularis, Blackthroated Accentor (1787)
Prurlella fulvescens ocularis, Radde's Accentor (1785a), ssp of 1784
Prunella tnontanella, Siberian Accentor ( 1 787a)
Prunella fulvescens, Brown Accentor (1784)
Montifringilla blanfordi, Blanford's Snow Finch (1955)
Morttifringilla davidiana, Pere David's Snow Finch (1956)
MontiJringilla adamsi, Tibet Snow Finch (1 952)
Montifringilla nivalis, Snow Finch (1 95 1)
Montifringilla taczanowskii, Mandelli's Snow Finch ( 1953)
Leucosticte nentoricola, Hodgson's Mountain Finch (2000)
Morztifringilla ruficollis, Rednecked Snow Finch (1954)
Leucosticte brandti, Brandt's Mountain Finch (2001)
Morltifringilla fheresae, Bartailed Snow Finch (SE)
Plate 103
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Fringilla coelebs, Chaffinch (1979)

Fringilla montifringilla, Brambling (1980)
Serinus pusillus, Goldfronted Finch (1998)
Serinus thibetanus, Tbetan Siskin (1993)
Carduelis chloris, European Greenfinch (SE)
Carduelis spinoides, Himalayan Greenfinch (1990)
Carduelis spinoides taylori, Blackheaded Greenfinch (1991)
Aconthis cannabina, Linnet (1994)
Acanthis flavirosrris, Twite (1 995)
Carduelis carduelis, Goldfinch (1989)
Rhodospiza obsoleta, Lichtenstein's Desert Finch (2008)
Callacanthis sanguinea, Crimsonwinged Desert Finch (2009)
Carpodacus githagineus, Trumpeter Finch (2006)
Carpodacus mongolicus, Mongolian Desert Finch (2007)
Carpodacus synoicus, Sinai Rosefinch ( S E )
Plate 104
Indicator xanthonotus, Orange-rumped Honeyguide (794)
Haematospiza sipahi, Scarlet Finch (2034)
Callacanthis burtoni, Redbrowed Finch ( 1997)
Pyrrhula nipalensis, Brown Bullfinch (2036)
Pyrrhula aurarrtiaca, Orange Bullfinch (2040)
Pyrrhula erythrocephala, Redheaded Bullfinch (2039)
Pyrrhula erythaca, Beavan's Bullfinch (2038)
Coccothraustes coccorhraustes, Hawfinch (1981)
Coccothraustes icterioides, Black-and-Yellow Grosbeak (1982)
Coccothraustes affinis, Allied Grosbeak ( 1 983)
Coccothraustes melanozanthos, Spottedwinged Grosbeak (1986)
Pyrrhoplectes epauletra, Goldheaded Black Finch (2035)
Coccorhraustes camipes, Whitewinged Grosbeak (1985)
Melophus larhami, Crested Bunting (2060)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Plate 105
Carpodacus rubescens, Blanford's Rosefinch (2016)
Carpodacus nipalensis, Nepal Rosefinch (2015)
Carpodacw erythrinus, Common Rosefinch (2013)
Carpodacus rhodochmus, Pinkbrowed Rosefinch (2017)
Carpodacus plrlcherrimus, Beautiful Rosefinch (2023)
Carpodacus edwardrii, Large Rosefinch (2025)
Carpoducus vinaceus, Vinaceous Rosefinch (2017a)
Carpodacus rhodopeplus, Spottedwinged Rosefinch (2019)
Carpodacus trifasciotus, Threebanded Rosefinch (2026)
Carpodacus thura, Whitebrowed Rosefinch (2021)
Carpodacus thura blythi, Whitebrowed Rosefinch (2020)
Carpodacus rubicilla, Great Rosefinch (2027)
Carpodacus rhouhchlumys, Redmantled Rosefinch (2018)
Propymhulo subhimachola, Redheaded Rosefinch (2033)
Carpodacus rubicilloides, Eastern Great Rosefinch (2028)
Carpodacus puniceus, Redbreasted Rosefinch (2031)
Loxia curvimstra, Crossbill (2032)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
II
12
13
14
15
16
Plate 106
Emberiza calandra, Corn Bunting (2041)
Emberiza citrinella, Yellowhammer ( S E )
Emberiza leucocephalos, Pine Bunting (2042)
Enzberiza buchanani, Greynecked Bunting (2050)
Emberiza stewarti, Whitecapped' Bunting (2048)
Emberiza cia, Rock Bunting (2d51)
Emberiza hortulana, Ortolan ~ ~ ; n t (2049)
in~
Elnberiza striolata, Striolated Bunting (2057)
Elnberiza pusilla, Little Bunting (2056)
Emberiza fucata, Greyheaded Bunting (2055)
E~nberizaaureola, Yellowbreasted Bunting (2046)
Emberiza melanocephala, Blackheaded Bunting (2043)
Emberiza rutila, Chestnut Bunting (2045)
Emberiza spodocephala, Blackfaced Bunting (2047)
Etnberiza schoeniclus, Reed Bunting (2058)
Emberiza bruniceps, Redheaded Bunting (2044)
INDEX TO THE VOLUMES BY FAMILY

Englirh nunus (for Latin names see front endpaper)
Accentom, 9
Avadavat, 10
Avocet, 2
Grebes, 1
Grey' Creeper, 9
Gulls, 3
Babblers, 6-7
Barbets, 4
Barn Owls, 3
Bee-eaters, 4
Bitterns, I
Boobies, I
Broadbills, 4
Bulbuls, 6
Buntings, 10
Bustards, 2
Button and Bustard-Quails, 2
Hawks, 1
Hedge Sparrows, 9
Herons, I
Honeyguides, 4
Hoopoes, 4
Hornbills, 4
House Sparrows, 10
Hypocolius, 5
ChaCT~nch,10
Chats, 8-9
Coots, 2
Cor~norants,I
Coursers, 3
Crab Plover, 2
Cranes, 2
Creepers, 9
Crested Swift, 4
Crows, 5
Cuckc~~Shrikes,
6
Cuckoos, 3
Curlews, 2
Ibisbill, 2
Ibises, 1
Ioras, 6
Jatpnas, 2
Jaegers, 3
Jays, 5
Larks, 5
Laughing Thrushes, 7
Leaf Birds, 6
Leaf Warblers, 8
Longtailed Titmice, 9
Loons, 1
Darter, 1
Dippers, 9
Diven, 1
Doves, 3
hng-, 5
Ducks, 1
Magpies, 5
Megapodes, 2
Minivets, 6
Monarch Flycatchers, 7
Munias, 10
Mynas, 5
Egrets, 1
Nightjars, 4
Nuthatches, 9
Fairy Bluebird, 6
Falcons, 1
Finches, 10
Finfbot, 2
Flamingor, 1
Flowerpecken, 10
Flyutchen, 7
Frigate Birds, I
Frotipoutha, 4
1
Goatrucken, 4
Goldfinches, 10
-9
Orioles, 5
Owls, 3
Oystercatchers, 2
Painted Snipe, 2
Parrots, 3
Partridges, 2
Pelicans, 1
Penduline Titmice, 9
Petrels, 1
Phalarop, 2
Pheasants. 2
Pigeons, 3
Pipits, 9
Pittas, 4
Plovers, 2
Pratincoles, 3
Sunbirds, 10
Swallow-Shrikes, 5
Swallows, 5
Swans, 1
Swifw, 4
Quails, 2
Terns, 3
Thick-knees, 3
Thickhead, 7
Thrushes, &9
Titmice, 9
Tree Creepers, 9
Trogons, 4
Tropic-birds, 1
Rails, 2
Rabins, 8
Rollers, 4
Sandgrouse, 3
Sandpipers, 2
Scimitar Babblers, 6
Shearwaters, 1
Shrikebilled Flycatcher, 7
Shrikes, 5
Skuas, 3
Snipe, 2
Sparrows, 10
Spidarhuntcrs, 10
Spoonbill, 1
Spotted Creepers, 9
Starlings, 5
Stilts, 2
Stone Curlews, 3
Storks, I
Storm Petrels, 1
Vultures, 1
Wagtails, 9
Wall Creeper, 9
Warblers, 8
Waxbills, 10
Waxwing, 5
Weaver Birds, 10
White-eyes, 10
Wood Swallows, 5
Wdcock, 2
Woodpeckers, 4
Wrens, 9

Handbook of The Birds of India and Pakistan V 10

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Handbook of The Birds of India and Pakistan V 10

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HANDBOOK OF THE

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

INDEX T O THE VOLUMES BY FAMILY

Odord University Pmss, Great C~amndonStwet, O d o d 0x2 6Df

O Oxford University Press, 1974, 1998

Scilim Ali 1896

Tjpeset by Sheel Arts, Delhi 110 092

Terms used in the description of

Maxilla (= upper mandible)

Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club

Abbreviated references to persons frequently quoted

Dicaewn agile, Thickbilled Flowerpecker (1892, 1894)

Passer ammodendri, Saxaul Sparrow (EL)

1 Emberiza calandra, Corn Bunting (204 1 )

CHANGES IN TERRITORIAL NAMES

Now Arunachal Pradesh, q.v.

Bill of Tickell's Flowerpecker

Key to the Species

Tail with white spots or terminal band

iv Upperparts brownish or greyish tinged with olive

Key to the Subspecies

1 892, 1 894. Dicaeum agile agile

foothills breeds up to c. I000 m, in Darjeeling district and Nepal to c. 2 100 m; in

1893. Dicaeum agile zeylonense

COLOURS OF BARE PARTS.AS

1895. Yellowvented Flowerpecker. Dicaeum chrysorrheum chrysochlore

1973 along Tarnur river. southwest of Dhankuta. c. 300 m. in SE Nepal

Extralimital. Ranges east to Vietnam. Nominate subspecies in Malaysia,

Iris orange-red. BiU blackish. Legs and feet plumbeous.

1896. Yellowbellied Flowerpecker. Diccuum melanoxanthum (Blyth)

(Joonkotollee, Dibrugarh Dist., specimens in British Mus.; Namdapha, I? Alstrom

l 1: 85) and Manipur (British Mus.). Obtained in summer at 2000 m (Almora),

1897. Legge's Flowerpecker. Dicaeum vincens (Sclater)

1 898. Orangebellied Flowerpecker. Dicaeum trigonostigma rubropygium

length c. 9 cm (3.5 in.).

Bill from skull c. 13 mm

Paler and greyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..D. e. erythrorhynchos

1900. Dicaeum erythrorhynchos ceylonense

Belly bright pale yellow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D. c. vimscens

1901. Dicaeum concolor olivaceum

greyish white below.

hills-Roberts), Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur south to the Chittagong Hill

!,-,;3 vimsccns (1903)

1902. Dicaeum concolor concolor Jerdon

1903. Dicaeum concolor virescens Hume

DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT. Common resident in South and Middle

1904. Scarletbacked Flowerpecken Dicaeum cruentatum cruenlatum

NAME. Daomoji gajao (Cachari).

STATUS, D I S T R I E I ~ O Nand HABRAT.

Common resident. The Himalayan foothills

Bill from skull c. 12 mm

Iris brown. Bill black; mouth black in male, flesh-coloured in

1905. Firebreasted Flowerpecker. Dicaeum ignipectus ignipectus

Inwdhg smcm, d d i q the

h4kfW1Fdw1mmfs. See R d ClimtWm. J u v e n i 1e i(m, Chin and throat white.

Lower mandible straight or nearly s o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anthreptes

Cf. Delacour, J., 1944, Zoologiccr 29: 17-38. (Review of family)

1906. Rubycbeek. Anthreptes singufensis rubinigentis (Baker)

370) Baker, FBI No. 1258, Vol. 3: 370

Daotisha swrdai (Cachari).

green. Ear-coverts copper coloured, bordered below by a

Extends east to northern Thailand. The species ranges

(Baker, MD. SA)