Indian Birds: Being a Key to the Common Birds of the Plains of India

Birds with Long Bills

1. The Sunbirds (106-108). (Very small birds with long curved bills.) 2. The Kingfishers (118-120). (Fairly long and straight.) 3. The Hornbills (121 and 122). (Big birds with long tails.) 4. The Hoopoe (123). (Bill very long and slightly curved.) 5. The Black-winged Stilt (187). (Fairly long, very slender.) 6. The Avocet (188). (Fairly long, slender, with an upward curve.) 7. The Curlew (189). (Very long and curved.) 8. The Whimbrel (190). (Long and curved.) 9. The Black-tailed Godwit (191). 10. The Snipes. 11. The Pelicans (207 and 208). 12. The Ibises (212-214). (Very long and slightly curved.) 13. The Spoonbill (215). (Long, straight, and flattened with a ladle-like tip.) 14. The Storks (216-221). 15. The Herons (222-225). (Fairly long and dagger-shaped.).

Crested birds

1. The Madras Red-vented Bulbul (15). 2. The Burmese Red-vented Bulbul (16). 3. The Bengal Red-vented Bulbul (17). 4. The Punjab Red-vented Bulbul (18). 5. The White-eared Bulbul (19). 6. The Bengal Red-whiskered Bulbul (20). 7. The Southern Red-whiskered Bulbul(21). 8. The Large Racket-tailed Drongo (27). 9. The Rose-coloured Starling (48). 10. The Brahminy Myna (51). 11. The Paradise Flycatcher (57). 12. The Crested Lark (101). 13. Sykes’s Crested Lark (102). 14. The Malabar Crested Lark (103). 15. The Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (110). 16. The Golden Woodpecker (111). 17. The Pied Kingfisher (small crest) (118). 18. The Indian Hoopoe (123). 19. The Pied-crested Cuckoo (129). 20. The Common Peafowl (170). 21. The Large Cormorant (small crest) (209). 22. The Indian Spur-winged Plover (184a). 23. The Herons (222-225).

Birds with very long legs

1. The White-breasted Water-hen (174). (Moderately long.) 2. The Purple Coot (175). 3. The Cranes (177-179). 4. The Stone Curlew (180). 5. The Lapwings (183 and 184). 6. The Black-winged Stilt (187). 7. The Avocet (188). 8. The Curlew (189). 9. The Whimbrel (190). 10. The Spoonbill (215). 11. The Storks (216-221). 12. The Common Flamingo (226). 13. The Indian Spur-winged Plover (184a).

1. Birds with the tail deeply forked

1. The Drongos (25-27). 2. The Swallows (88-90). 3. The Palm Swift (125). 4. The Common Kite (152). (Tail slightly forked. This distinguishes the Kite from all other raptorial birds which have round, square, or wedge-shaped tails.) 5. The Terns (200-206).

2. Birds with long tails (i.e. long in proportion to rest of body)

1. The Indian Tree-pie (5). 2. The King Crow (25). 3. The White-bellied Drongo (26). 4. The Larger Racket-tailed Drongo (27). 5. The Tailor Bird (cock in breeding plumage when the two middle feathers are prolonged as two bristles) (28). 6. The Paradise Flycatcher (cock only) (57). 7. The Shama (69). 8. The Wire-tailed Swallow (two of the tail feathers are prolonged beyond the others and look like wires. These frequently get broken off) (89). 9. The Common Indian Bee-eater (the two median tail feathers are prolonged as bristles) (116). 10. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (the two median tail feathers are prolonged as bristles) (117). 11. The Hornbills (121 and 122). 12. The Cuckoos (128-130). 13. The Crow-pheasant (131). 14. The Large Indian Paroquet (132). 15. The Rose-ringed Paroquet (133). 16. The Western Blossom-headed Paroquet (134). 17. The Peacock (170). In this species it is not the tail, but the upper tail coverts which are elongated. 18. The Pheasant-tailed Jaçana (in breeding plumage) (182). 19. Terns (202-204).

3. Birds with a very short tail

1. The Nuthatches (23 and 24). 2. The Munias (74-79). (Fairly short). 3. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105). 4. The Indian Pitta (109). 5. The Woodpeckers (110 and 111). (Fairly short.) 6. The Barbets (113 and 114). 7. The Kingfishers (118-120). 8. The Common Indian Swift (124). 9. The Spotted Owlet (135). 10. The Scops Owl (138). 11. The Vultures (140-142). (Fairly short.) 12. The Common Quail (171). 13. The Partridges (172 and 173). 14. The White-breasted Water-hen (174). 15. The Purple Coot (175). 16. The Coot (176). 17. The Plovers (185 and 186). 18. The Avocet (188). 19. The Black-tailed Godwit (191). 20. The Sandpipers (192-194). 21. The Little Stint (195). 22. The Pelicans (207 and 208). 23. The Cormorants (209-211). 24. The Ibises (212-214). 25. The Spoonbill (215). 26. The Egrets (223). 27. The Paddy Bird (224). 28. The Night Heron (225). 29. The Common Flamingo (226). 30. The Geese (227 and 228). 31. The Ducks (229 and 230). 32. The Little Grebe (231). (No tail at all.)

4. Birds in which a part of the tail feathers are prolonged beyond the rest as bristles

1. The Larger Racket-tailed Drongo (27). (The web reappears at the tip, so as to form a disc at the terminal part of the feather.) 2. The Wire-tailed Swallow.

Birds in which the sexes differ greatly in appearance

1. The Common Iora (13). 2. The Minivets (39-41). 3. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42). 4. The Orioles (44 and 45). 5. The Rose-coloured Starling (48). 6. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher (57). 7. The Pied Bush Chats (61 and 62). 8. The Indian Bush Chat (63). 9. The Indian Redstart (65). 10. The Indian Robins (66 and 67). 11. The Magpie Robin (68). 12. The Shama (69). 13. The Weaver Birds (70-73). (In breeding season only.) 14. The Indian Red Munia (79). (Particularly in breeding season.) 15. The Common Rose-Finch (80). 16. The Common Sparrow (82). 17. The Buntings (84 and 85). 18. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105). 19. The Sunbirds (106-108). 20. The Koel (130). 21. The Blossom-headed Paroquet (134). 22. The Harriers (153-157). 23. The Red Turtle Dove (169). 24. The Common Peafowl (170). 25. The Black Partridge (172). 26. The Shoveller (230). (In breeding plumage.)

C. Classification According to Colour

I. Black. II. Blue. III. Brown. IV. Coffee or fawn colour. V. Green. VI. Grey. VII. Pink. VIII. Red. IX. White. X. Yellow. XI. Birds of many colours.

Colour affords the easiest means of identifying the great majority of birds, but in many cases the colours displayed, although conspicuous and easily recognised, are not of a nature to admit of strict classification. Take, for example, the blues—various species display almost every known shade from slaty grey to turquoise, from purple to ultramarine and indigo. To attempt to distinguish in the lists between the many shades of blue would have led to inevitable confusion. I have, therefore, divided my blues into bright blue, dark blue, and slaty blue. My method is probably inartistic, but it will, I hope, facilitate the task of identification.

Again, it is no easy matter to draw the line between greyish and brownish birds, hence I have included some species under both heads. The reader should bear in mind that, while nothing is easier than to identify some birds by their colour, in the case of others colour is at the best a rough guide—one, but only one, of the clues which have to be followed up before the identity of the species can be established. In the case of Raptorial birds colour is of very little assistance, since the great majority of them are of the same colour, moreover, individuals vary greatly in colouration at different stages of their existence.

1. The Indian Corby (1). 2. The Raven (2). 3. The King Crow (25). 4. The Large Racket-tailed Drongo (27). 5. (Cock) Sunbirds (106 and 107). (These are really dark purple, but sometimes look black from a distance.) 6. (Cock) Koel (bill green, eyes red) (130). 7. (Young) Scavenger Vultures (144 and 145). 8. Coot (176). (White bill and shield on forehead.) 9. The Indian Shag (210).

1. The Indian House Crow (3). This and (4) have grey necks, darker in (4). 2. The Burmese House Crow (4). 3. The Malabar Whistling Thrush (11). (Patches of cobalt-blue.) 4. The Grackles (46 and 47). (Yellow wattles and white bar in wing.) 5. The Indian Starling (49). (With small yellow or whitish spots.) 6. The Common Indian Swift (124). (Smoky brown, with white bar across rump.) 7. The Palm Swift (125). (Brownish black.) 8. The Crow-Pheasant (131). (Wings chestnut brown.) 9. The Black Vulture (141). (Red head, white breast and patch on each thigh.) 10. The White-backed Vulture (143). (Very dark grey, with white back.) 11. (Cock) Black Partridge (172). (With narrow white bars and broad chestnut collar.) 12. White-breasted Water-hen (174). (Very dark grey, with white face, throat, and chest, and red under tail.) 13. The Large and Little Cormorants (209 and 211). (White throat.) 14. Black Ibis (213). (Top of head red, white patch on wing.)

2. Black-headed birds

1. The Indian Tree-Pie (5). 2. (Cock) Iora (13). 3. The Red-vented Bulbuls (15-19). (Small crest.) 4. The Red-whiskered Bulbuls (20 and 21). (Large pointed crest.) 5. The Minivets (39 and 40). 6. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42). 7. The Black-headed Oriole (45). 8. The Rose-coloured Starling (48). 9. The Black-headed Myna (51). 10. The Common Myna (52). (With yellow patch of skin behind eye.) 11. The Paradise Flycatcher (57). 12. The Indian Redstart (cock in spring) (65). 13. The Magpie Robin (cock) (68). 14. The Shama (69). 15. The Black-headed Munia (74). 16. The Chestnut-bellied Munia (75). 17. The Black-headed Bunting (in spring) (84). 18. The Purple-rumped Sunbird (108). (The head and breast are not black in this species, but look black from a distance.) 19. The Crow-Pheasant (131). 20. (Male) Pied Harrier (156). 21. The Bronze-winged Jaçana (181). 22. The Red-wattled Lapwing (183). (Red wattle and sides of neck white.) 23. The Yellow-wattled Lapwing (184). (Yellow wattle, back of neck white.) 24. The Terns (especially in summer) (200-205). 25. The White Ibis (212). 26. The White-necked Stork (217). (Neck white.) 27. The Black-necked Stork (218). 28. The Night Heron (225). 29. The Indian Spur-winged Plover (184a).