Avifaunal observations in Ranthombhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 50 (3) 2010 33

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus)is a colourful bee-eater larger than SmallGreen Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) has ab lack s t r ipe through the eyes deepchestnut throat and breast bright blue rumpand tai l (Al i 1996) I t resembles Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus)in appearance

The author has reported breeding of Blue-tailedbee-eaters in Central India and had studiedthem (Kasambe 2004 amp 2005) and is followingthe local migration of the birds with the help ofinternet

Internet and the web-groups of birdwatchers onthe internet is an ocean of stored datacontributed by different individuals which canbe easily accessed and analysed For thisarticle an inventory search on the birding webgroup birdsofbombay was done and e-mails

which reported the sightings of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters in and around Mumbai were searchedfor Data for six years from January 2001 toDecember 2006 was searched Also mails wereposted by the author to various other birdinggroups requesting peer birders to inform abouttheir sightings of Blue-tailed Bee-eatersanywhere in India Even details were soughtfrom the birdwatchers about the sightings ifthey failed to mention them in the web grouppostings Then the sighting reports were sortedaccording to the location and month of sightingHowever year of sighting was taken intoaccount

Surprisingly in the sighting reports of thebirdsofbombay web group I realized that Blue-

tailed Bee-eaters were reported in and aroundMumbai from 10th October up to 29th Marchwhich is the full span of winter in the area (seeTable)

There are two interesting sightings out ofwinter one by Adesh on 21st April 2006 at Bheemashankarand another by Mr Sunjoy Monga on 30th July 2001 atMumbai The first may indicate breeding of Blue-tailedBee-eaters nearby Bheemashankar and the second mightbe a sick bird staying back in Mumbai even after thewinter was over

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters are winter migrantsin and around Mumbai

Raju Kasambe G-1 Laxmi Apartment 64 Vidya Vihar Colony Pratap NagarNagpur-440022 E-mail kasamberajugmailcom

Abdulali (1981) has mentioned the species as passage

migrant in and around Mumbai After this checklist all the

subsequent publications (Monga 2006) and internetcommunication have mentioned the species to be a passage

migrant in and around Mumbai Whereas the checklist of

birds of Nashik by Raha et al (2004) mentions the status

Table Sightings of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters in and aroundMumbai in monthly order

Mesage Sighted on Location Sighted byNo

5782 81005 Bheemeshwari Lalit Narkhede

4068 171006 Uran amp Andheri Shashank Dalvi

5673 9 1005 Uran Rewas (4 times in 10 days)to 191005 Sewri Adesh Shivkar

4081 231006 Uran KN B Adesh Shivkar

4193 31104 Uran Venkateswaran Krishna

1604 41101 Mumbai Sunjoy Monga

5778 61105 Mumbai Ravi Vaidyanathan

5828 151106 Mumbai Kanwar B Singh



6268 270106 Mumbai Carolann Pais

6277 280106 Mumbai Bindu Kapadia

6281 290106 Mumbai Adesh Shivkar Charanya6279 Ganesh

6396 210206 IIT Powai Adesh Shivkar

6400 230206 IIT Powai Survashis Sarkar

6423 80306 Mumbai Ravi Vaidyanathan


3576 290304 Vashi Adesh Shivkar

3569 290304 SGNP Ajay Bhawnani

3571 290304 SGNP Kiran Srivastava

6606 210406 Bhimashankar Adesh Shivkar


Abbreviation SGNP Sanjay Gandhi National Park Borivali MumbaiKNB Karanja Naval Base

Newsletter for Birdwatchers 50 (3) 201034

of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters at Nashik ( not at Mumbai) asmigrants clarifying migrant means birds which temporarily

resides in Nashik district and best time to see them is fromend of September to March

We hereby like to emphasize and correct the status ofBlue-tailed Bee-eaters as winter migrants from the prevailing

passage migrant in and around Mumbai

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Mr Ravi Vaidyanathan and Mr Adesh Shivkar fortheir help during the data collection They alwaysremembered to inform me about the sightings of these birdsThanks to all the peer birders birdsofbombay web group

and its moderator for the data

References

Ali S (1996) The Book of Indian Birds Bom Nat Hist SocPp1-354

Abdulali H (1981) Checklist of the birds of Maharashtra withnotes on their status around Bombay Bombay Nat HistSoc Mumbai pp1-16

Kasambe R (2004) Nesting of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Meropsphilippinus) in Amravati district of Maharashtra Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 44(2) 21-22

Kasambe R (2005) Breeding behaviour of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) in Central India Newsletter forBirdwatchers Vol 45(1)10-13

Monga S (2006) Birds of Sanjay Gandhi National Park BombayNat Hist Soc Mumbai Pp1-35

Raha B Bhure N amp Ugaonkar D (2004) Birds of Nashik NatureConservation Society of Nashik pp1-24

Nesting Colony of Asian Open-bill Anastomus oscitansin Kanki Village Korba District Chhattisgarh

AMK Bharos1 and Ravi Shanker Kanoje 2

1 State Coordinator Indian Bird Conservation Network amp President Chhattisgarh Wildlife Societies B-101Gayatri Nagar P O Shankar Nagar Raipur CG 492007 Email cwsraipuryahoocoin

2 Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ret) S F S Freelance Ecological Researcher amp Consultant 84 Digvijai MargRajnandgaon CG 491441 India Email ravishankerkanojeymailcom

Introduction

Ali (1979) and Ali amp Ripley (1989) described statusdistribution and breeding biology of Asian Open-billAnastomus oscitans in his monumental publication The

Book of Indian Birds and Compact Handbook Chaudhry

amp Chakrabarti (1973) Kahl (1970) Law (1926) andMukhopadyaya (1980) described breeding biology of AsianOpen-bill

Asian Open-bill is widely distributed and breeds in IndiaSeveral thousand pairs breed in Keoladeo National ParkRajasthan (Ali amp Ripley 89) Datta amp Pal (1993) studiedeffect of human interference on nesting of Asian Open-billSubramanya (1996) compiled 40 nesting sites of AsianOpen-bill in different parts of India In central India nestingcolony of Asian Open-bill have been identified in BamhriBanjar near Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh (EricDcunha amp Ali 2001) Pimpari village near Nawegaon

National Park in Maharastra (Joshi et al 2008) and Danapurin Bihar (Choudhary Et al 2008) Agasimani (2009) hasmade a preliminary study on heronry of Kanki Informationregarding nesting trees of Asian Open-bill Stork has not beendocumented in the central India The object of this study isto give an account of nesting trees and habitat of AsianOpen-bill Stork in Kanki vi l lage in Korba district inChhattisgarh state

Methodology

Kanki was visited and the nesting as well as other relevantdetails were studied and information collected from local

residents Majority of birds have left after nesting but nestsstill existed Sub-adult chick and few adults were presentin the locality

The number of nests on each trees were countedapproximate height of trees were assessed Visualobservations of Open-bill Stork and its habitat were made inNovember 2009 Nests were observed from the terrace of anearby building using binoculars

Study Site

The Kanki Village

The Kanki village is 25 km from Korba an industrial town inthe Karthala tahsil in Korba district The District Korba isblessed with rich mineral deposits and has attracted largescale investments in Aluminum Coal and Power SectorsThese investments have enabled Korba to emerge as a majorindustrial hub in central India (Anon n d) In Korba andsurroundings major industries including opencast coal minesbauxite mines coal base thermal power plants aluminumplant cement plants are located

The village is situated on the right bank of Hasdeo RiverThe river bank is at the threshold of soil erosion The villagelies at 22deg 13 47frac12 of north latitude and 82deg39 40frac12 east

longitude The altitude is 277 meters above mean sea levelThere are 487 households with total population of 2271 About338 population belongs to tribal community Thegeographical area of village is 881 hectares and 209 hectareis under irrigation from Hasdeo Reservoir and Hasdeo - Bango


barrage canal system and tube wells There are 4 perennialvillage ponds Forest area of 2496 hectare mainly of Saltrees Shorea robusta is found in the proposed for reservedforests

There is a sacred grove of 17 large trees of 5 species aroundan ancient Kankeshwar or Chakreshwar Mahadev temple(Shiva) temple in the village the trees are protectedTraditionally Asian Open-bill nests there in the monsoon(Table-1)

Taxonomic Account of Asian Open-bill Stork

Asian Open-bill (Open-bill Stork) Anastomus oscitans(Boddaert 1783) is a member of Stork Family Ciconiidaeplaced in the Order Ciconiiformes Class Aves and PhylumCordata

Distribution of Asian Open-bill Stork

Asian Open-bill Stork is resident in South Asia South-eastAsia and southern parts of East Asia (Sonobe amp Usui 1993)It is a native of Bangladesh Cambodia India Lao PeoplesDemocratic Republic Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Sri LankaThailand Viet Nam It is distributed throughout Indian UnionBangladesh and Pakistan terai region of Nepal Srilankaand Myanmar (Ali 1979 and Ali amp Ripley 1989) Thedistribution map of Asian Open-bill indicates it is distributedthroughout the Indian Union except Jammu amp Kashmir highaltitudes in Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh and northeastern states and drier regions of western most parts ofRajasthan (Kazmierczak amp Perlo 2000)

In Chhattisgarh the species is widely distributed and abreeding resident Nesting sites have been located at VillageLachkera (Raipur Distt ) Mungelidih (Kabirdham distt)Gariaband

(Raipur Distt ) Charama (Kanker distt ) Balmai (Bilaspurdistt) to name few At these sites the resident birdscongregate to nest in good numbers from June to Octoberevery year since time immemorable and they are protectedby the local people However these sites have not been

documented and studied except for casual reports in localdailies or hearsay Kanki is one such site

Conservation Status of Asian Open-bill Stork

In India it is a protected species under Wildlife (Protection)Act 1972 and is placed in Schedule IV 11(66) This specieshas an extremely large range and hence does not approachthe thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterionThe population trend is not known but the population is notbelieved to be decreasing with sufficient rapidity to approachthe thresholds under the population trend criterion For thesereasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern (IUCNRedlist 2008)

Though the poaching threats to this species cannot bedismissed the protection that this bird gets at their nestingsites from the local communities who treat the advent ofthe birds as good omen is indeed heartwarming

Nesting Results

Nests of Asian Open-bills are seen only in the 17 treesstanding in the sacred groves in the Shiva temple premisesTwo Neem trees Azadirachta indica has 19 nests OneSemal Bombax ceiba and Peepal Ficus religiosa have 30and 76 nests respectively In 7 Chirhol trees Holopteliaintegrifolia there are 148 nests whereas and 6 Tamaraindtree Tamarindus indica have 494 the maximum number ofnests Average nests per trees are highest in Tamarindwhich is 823 per tree whereas Chirhol has 211 nests pertree (Table-1)

Table-1

Nesting Trees of Asian Open-bill

A B C D E F

1 Azadirachta indica Neem 2 19 95

2 Bombax ceiba Semal 1 30 30

3 Ficus religiosa Peepal 1 76 76

4 Holoptelia integrifolia Chirhol 7 148 211

5 Tamarindus indica Tamarind 6 494 823

Total 17 767 451

ASlNo BName of Trees (Scientific)CVernacular Name DNumber of TreesE Number of Nests FAverage per Tree

Semal and Peepal trees constitute 59 of treescomposition each both have large crown contribute to 39and 99 percentage of nests respectively whereas Neemtree which has dense ever green crown is 118 shelters25 nests Chirhol trees are 412 bear 193 nests onthe other hand Tamarind trees is 353 has highest 644nests Tamarind and Chirol are the most preferred trees fornesting of Asian Open-bill (Fig-1)

Trees with height of 14 to 20 meters bear highest 366nests whereas trees with height of 26 to 30 meter have 263


nests Trees of 21-25 31-35 and 36-40 have 99 128and 143 nests respectively Trees of 14-20 meters arethe preferred height for nesting of Asian Open-bill (Fig-2)

Tamarind trees of height of 26-30 meters bear highest 201nests whereas

14-20 31-35 and 36-40 meters height class have 167128 and 143 nests Chirol trees of height of 14-20meters bear 76 nests whereas 21-25 and 26-30 metershave 60 and 57 nests Tamarind trees of 26-30 metersheight are the most preferred nesting trees for Asian Open-bill (Fig-3)

Asian Open-bill arrives at the end of summer season andstarts nest building at the onset of monsoon They leavein October-November as the fledglings are able to fly The

local population considers its arrival as sign of good omentherefore they guard from exploitation However fallen chicksfrom the nests are picked up for its meat They also use soilfound under the nesting trees as manure for cultivation ofwater melon in the river bed

Discussion

The nests of Asian Open-bill are found only in the trees withinthe campus of Shiva temple In the sacred groves of templethe trees and nests are not disturbed however the religiousactivities may cause disturbance through noise The nestsare built in canopy of large trees The Asian Open-bill hasconsiderable tolerance towards man To avoid the danger ofhuman interference the birds nested in large numbers in theundisturbed zone and also higher in the disturbed zone (Duttaamp Pal 1993)

Common Palm Civet or Toddy Cat Paradoxurushermaphoroditus Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax and CommonIndian Bronze-back or tree Snake Dendrelaphis tristis maybe predators of eggs of Asian Open bill and its nestlingsDuring the night the Common Palm Civet prowls on treeskilling the nesting birds (Prater 1980) Tawny Eagle alsofeeds on sick or disabled birds (Ali1979) Naroji observed118 predation of Aquila Eagle species on Asian Open-billin Keoladeo National Park Bharatpur in 1985 Common IndianBronze-back or trees snake is a diurnal snake that feeds onnestlings of birds (Daniel 1983)

Air and water pollution from the opencast coal mines bauxitemines coal based thermal power plants aluminum plantscement plants and other satellite and ancillary industriesmay have an adverse effect on Asian Open-bill Korba areahas become a high pollution load area and its inhabitantsare exposed to industrial emission and water pollution Apall of dust and smoke hangs constantly over the sky atKorba (Lahiry 1996) Asian Open-bill feeds on mollusksSnails Crabs Frogs It is seen feeding in the Hasdeo Riverpaddy fields and village ponds and other wetlands may alsobe affected with use of insecticides pesticides and chemicalfertilizers in the paddy fields

Some Site Specific Recommendations

1 The site at Kanki has been found to be a most suitable sitehaving tall trees and sufficient feeding grounds like river villageponds paddy fields amp Canal system within 10-15 Km radiusDespite constraints like overcrowding on account of religiouscelebrations and other needs of locals efforts must be madeto conserve the site in its present shape There is no need tochange the status as the birds are very much accustomed toit and are nesting here since time immemorial

2 The local community is voluntarily conserving the wildlifeand habitat and have developed affinity for the nesting birdstheir arrival here for nesting is considered a good omen assuch the site can be considered to be declared asCommunity Reserve under section 36(D) of Wildlife

(Protection) Act 1972 Community management may beconstituted


3 Villagers need to be properly educated guided thougheducational programmes by arranging workshops meetingsetc to protect and conserve the site from intruders andtheir activities which can harm the nesting site and birds

4 Management Plan may be prepared and implemented forprotection of wildlife and the habitat if necessary as theresidents are already protecting the site but they can ensurethat there is no further loss of habitat like felling of treesunwanted encroachments etc in the nesting area

5 Since the site is a sort of pilgrimage centre for localsovercrowding during religious occasions cannot be avoidedbut the tourism activities can be controlled by not promotingboating entertainment centers etc

6 It was noticed that river Hasdeo is expanding its bedand good 250-300 mts erosion has taken place in last 1012 years and has already reached the edges of nestingcolony and the possibility of its destruction in near futurecannot be overruled Hence action for river bank stabilizationand soil conservation may be considered and taken up in asystematic manner

7 The tree species on which the birds nest have few youngertrees growing in the area these trees need to be conservedas these may provide additional nesting space in futureThere is no need to consider exotic species for plantation

8 In case Interpretation Centre and Watch towers areplanned for construction they must be built 2 or 3 Km awaynear the main canal or any other suitable distant site andnot inside the nesting area

9 Locals say there are around 500 nesting birds but noauthentic comparative data for the previous years areavailable Scientific monitoring of the heronry has to beundertaken annually to assess population fluctuations

10 Instances of killing of nestlings stealing of eggspoaching of storks in rice fields and other feeding groundshave been reported Efforts must be made to stop orminimize these illegal activities Any person found doingso must be penalized by Panchayat management orprosecuted by court of law Use of catapult traps firearmsmust be banned in the vicinity

11 Environmental Impact Assessment of all developmentactivities with special reference to nesting of open bill storkin the heronry has to be undertaken

12 Air water and other kinds of pollution which is on theincrease in the locality needs to be brought down tominimum for safe future of the species and other denizensUse of insecticide and pesticide has to be brought down toensure adequate food supply during nesting period

13 The authorities should consult NGOs in implementation

of the above recommendations which are expected to yieldthe desired results

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr Asad Rahmani Director BombayNatural History Society for his guidance and HK PandeDFO Korba for inviting us to study nesting site of AsianOpen-bill We are also thankful to Pramod Singh ForestRanger for escorting us to the site We owe our gratitude tothe local community for giving valuable information and fortheir cooperation

References

Agasimani R (2009) Preliminary Study on Asian Open-billedStorks (Anastomus Oscitans) of Kanki Village unpublishedpaper Chhattisgarh Forest Department Korba ForestDivision Korba Forest Division Chhattisgarh India 2009

Ali S amp Ripley SD (1989) Compact Handbook of the Birds ofIndia and Pakistan together with those of Bangladesh NepalBhutan and Srilanka Second Edition Oxford UniversityPress Delhi

Ali S (1979) The Book of Indian Birds Bombay Natural HistorySociety Mumbai

Ali Salim and S Dillon Ripley 1995 A Pictorial Guide to the Birdsof the Indian Subcontinent

Anon (n d) Korba the Power Hub of Chhattisgarh the Land ofBlack Diamond Kosa Silk amp Thermal Power httpkorbagovindefaulthtm

Chaudhari AB amp Chakrabarti K (1973) Wildlife Biology ofSundarbans Forests A Study of Birds of Sundarbans withspecial Reference to the Breeding Biology of Open billedStork Little Cormorants ad Large Egret Sci Culture 39 Pp8-16

Choudhry DN Kumar A Sharma G (2008) Danapur MilitaryCantonment (IBA) the largest breeding site of Asian Openbillin Bihar Mistnet 9(2) Pp 6-8

Daniel JC (1983) The Book of Indian Reptiles Bombay NaturalHistory Society Mumbai

Daniel JC ED- 2002 Book of Indian Reptiles

Datta T amp Pal BC (1993) The effect of human interference onnesting of Open-bill Stork Anastomus oscitans at the RaiganjWildlife Sanctuary India Biol Conserv 64 Pp 149-154

Dillon Sidney Ripley ed-1982 A Synopsis of the Birds of Indiaand Pakistan

Eric Dcunha E P amp Ali R (2001) Additional List of Birds of

Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh Journal BombayNatural History Society 98(2) Pp283-287

Gay KehimkarPunetha ed-1992 Common Butterflies of India

IUCN Redlist (2008) httpwwwiucnredlistorgappsredlistdetails1447780

Joshi A Bhusari S Thomare K ((2008) Nesting of AsianOpenbill near Nawegaon National Park (IBA-Maharastra)Mistnet 9(1) Pp 11-12

Kahl M P (1970) Observations on Breeding of Storks in Indiaand Ceylon Journal Bombay Natural History Society 67(3)Pp 453-61

Kazmierczak K amp Perlo BV (2000) A field Guide to the Birds ofIndia Pakistan Nepal Bhutan Bangladesh and theMaldives Om Book Service New Delhi


Manuscript for publication should be sent (in duplicate) by post or courier to

Newsletter for BirdwatchersNo 10 Sirur Park B Street Seshadripuram Bangalore 560 020 India

along with a soft copy (in MS Word format only) via E-mail to ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

Birds recorded amp probable in Korba Kanki area

1 Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna javanica RC2 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea MC3 Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus RC4 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata MO5 Northern Pintail Anas acuta MC6 Garganey Anas querquedula MC7 Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina MC8 Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula M9 Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Dendrocopos mahrattensis RC10 Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus RC11 Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus RO12 Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus RUC13 Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense RC14 White-naped WoodpeckerChrysocolaptes festivus RO15 Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica RC16 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala RC17 Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris RC18 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops RMC19 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis RC20 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis RC21 Stork-billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis RO22 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis RC23 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis RC24 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis RLMC25 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus MC

26 Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius RC27 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea RLMC28 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis RC29 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria RC30 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri RC31 Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala RC32 White-rumped NeedletailZoonavena sylvatica RC33 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis RC34 Common Swift Apus apus RC35 Crested Tree swift Hemiprocne coronata RC36 Barn Owl Tyto alba RC37 Collared Scops Owl Otus bakkamoena RC38 Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis RCLM39 Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata RC40 Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum RC41 Spotted Owlet Athene brama RC42 Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus RC43 Rock pigeon Columba livia RC44 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis RC45 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis RC46 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto RC47 Yellow-footed Green PigeonTreron phoenicoptera RC49 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus RC49 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio RC50 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus RC51 Common Coot Fulica atra RMC52 Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura MO53 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa MUC54 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata MUC55 Common Redshank Tringa totanus MUC56 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis MC57 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia MC58 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus MC59 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola MO60 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos MC61 Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis RC62 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgusRC63 Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus RC64 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus RLMC65 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula MO66 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius MC67 Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus MUC68 Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus RC69 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus RC70 Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus MUC71 River Tern Sterna aurantia RLMUC72 Osprey Pandion haliaetus MO73 Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus MC74 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus RLMC75 Black Kite Milvus migrans RC76 Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus RUC77 Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus RLMUC

Lahiry A (1996) Impact on the Environment Due to IndustrialDevelopment in Chhattisgarh Region of Madhya PradeshAbstract of Doctoral Dissertation Finance India Vol X No 1March 1996 Pp 133136 httpwwwiifedudatafijournalFI101FI101Abs8PDF

Law SC (1926) The Nesting of Open billed Stork (Anastomusoscitans) in Purilia Manbhum District Journal BombayNatural History Society 31 Pp223-224

Mukkherji A K (1974)

Journal Bombay Natural History Society 71(2) Pp 188-191

Mukhopadyaya A (1980) Some Observations on the biology ofthe Openbill Stork Anastomus oscitans Boddacert in SouthernBengal Journal Bombay Natural History Society 77(1) Pp131-137

Naroji Rishad (1989) Predation by Aquila Eagles on NestlingsStorks and Herons in Keoladeo National Park BharatpurJournal Bombay Natural History Society 87(1) Pp 37-46

Prater HS (1980) The Book of Indian Birds Bombay NaturalHistory Society Mumbai

Snobe K amp Usui S (1993) A Field Guide to the Waterbirds ofAsia Wild Bird Society of Japan Tokyo

Subramanya S (1996) Distribution Status and Conservation ofIndian Heronries Dr Salim Ali centenary Issue JournalBombay Natural History Society 93(3) Pp 459-486


78 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus RUC79 White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis RC80 Indian Long Billed VultureGyps indicus RC81 Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus RUC82 Eurasian Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus MC83 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis RC84 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus MC85 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger RO86 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis RC87 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo RC88 Little Egret Egretta garzetta RC89 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea RC90 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea RC91 Great Egret Casmerodius albus RC92 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia RC93 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis RC94 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii RC95 Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax RC96 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus RUC97 Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis RUC98 Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus RC99 Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis RC100 Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris RUC101 Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis

melanocephalus RLMUC102 Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa RLMC

103 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala RUC104 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans RC105 Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus RUC106 Golden-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons RLM

UC107 Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus RC108 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach RC109 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda RC110 House Crow Corvus splendens RC111 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos RC112 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus RC113 Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus RC114 Large Cuckoo shrike Coracina macei RC115 Black-winged Cuckoo shrike Coracina melaschistos MO116 Black-headed Cuckoo shrike Coracina melanoptera RC117 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus RC118 White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola RC119 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus RC120 White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens RC121 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus RC122 Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea RC123 Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi LMC124 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia RC125 Blue-winged Leaf bird Chloropsis cochinchinensis RLMC126 Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus RUC127 Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica MC128 Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva MC129 Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula westermanni MUC130 Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula superciliaris MO131 Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides MUC132 Tickells Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae RC133 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica MC

134 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis RC135 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata RC136 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros MC137 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata MC138 Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata RC139 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus RC140 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum RC141 Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus MC142 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra RC143 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis RC144 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea RC145 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis RO146 Great Tit Parus major RC147 Black-lored Tit Parus xanthogenys RUC148 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica VMC149 Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii VMUC150 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica VMC151 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer RC152 Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis RC153 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata RC154 Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus RC155 Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola RUC156 Blyths Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum MC156 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius RC158 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita MC159 Plain Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus neglectus MUC160 Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus RC161 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus RC162 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca blythii MC163 Singing Bush lark Mirafra cantillans RC164 Indian Bush lark Mirafra erythroptera RUC165 Bengal Bush lark Mirafra assamica LMO166 Ashy-crowned Sparrow LarkEremopterix grisea RC167 Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicurus RC168 Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile RC169 Pale-billed FlowerpeckerDicaeum erythrorhynchos RC170 Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia zeylonica RC171 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica RC172 House Sparrow Passer domesticus RC173 Chestnut-

shouldered Petronia Petronia xanthocollis RC174 White Wagtail Motacilla alba dukhunensis MVC175 White-browed Wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis RLMC176 Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola citreola MUC177 Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava MC178 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea MVC179 Paddy field Pipit Anthus rufulus RC180 Black-breasted Weaver Ploceus benghalensis RUC181 Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus RC182 Red Avadavat Amandava amandava RC183 Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica RC184 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata RC185 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca RUC

Abbreviations P-Passerby V-Vagrant S-StragglerR-Resident UC-Un common M-Migratory V-VagrantC- Common LM-Local migratory


Occurrence of the Little Bitternin Riyadh area Saudi Arabia

HSAYahya Department of Wildlife Sciences Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Uttar Pradesh - 202 002

The Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus is called Waaq saghir

in Arabic (Godman amp Meininger 1989) Though it is rather acommon bird owing to its cryptic nature and camouflagingamong marshy reeds it is not seen easily However it wassurprising that local people have frequently caught this birdduring 1995-1997 around Riyadh between August September One reason for this might be that the Little Bitternbreeds around this time in this locality and as reported byMeinertzhgen (1954) it is much less secretive during breedingseason and sits in open areas and when flushed does not flyfar However a more possible reason may be that since theystart migration around this time (see also Paran amp Shluter1981) and some birds get exhausted after the long journeyand are thus caught easily According to Dai James(Perscom) a regular birdwatcher in Riyadh the Little Bitternwas first seen in this area in 1987-88 and thereafter havebeen recorded regularly He estimated about 50 pairs breedingin 1990 According to our observations the present populationis around 200-300 pairs (see Yahya amp Salamah 1996) howevertheir frequent trapping by locals indicates a higher populationespecially during migratory season

Elsewhere the Little Bittern breeds across Eurasia east tothe Central Asian Republics NW China and NW IndiaAlmost the entire population winters in Africa and like allbitterns because of its size and habitat the Little Bittern isinadequately covered by the Asian Wetland Census and itsglobal population trend is unknown (Pernnou et al 1994)However according to Peter Symen (Pers Comn) itspopulation is declining in Europe

Recently six Little Bitterns were brought to the NCWCDoffice Five of them were subsequently ringed (Table 1) andreleased at Al-Hair Bird Sanctuary nearby Riyadh Thereare only two more ringing records from Saudi Gulf F00006and F000321 ringed on 1941991 and 1381991 respectively

The Little Bittern is distributed widely (Ali amp Ripley 1978Hollom et al 1988) Though they are largely resident arealso subject to local passage and winter migration Asreported by Paran amp Shluter (1981) the migration takes place

Table 1 Details of Little Bittern ringed at RiyadhDate Ring Nos Age Sex Measurements in mm Remark

Wing Bill Tarsus Tail

300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44

040994 E002005 Adult F 148 50 50 47 Brood Patch presentbut started covering

110909 E002006 Adult Un 148 49 48 45011009 E002007 Young Un 149 48 46 45041009 F000336 Adult F 149 46 45 47

F = Female Un = Unknown

mainly at dusk but the birds move during day hours alsoand at times as many as 1861 birds have been recorded inIsrael Although no such large flock have been reportedauthentically from Saudi so far at Al-kharj (80km southeastRiyadh) congregation of large numbers have been reportedby locals During migration the little bitterns prefer reedsand swamps to rest and recoup but in absence of thesemay rest on treetops or on land and this could not be asurprise as opined by Gooders (1969)

It is interesting to note here that the Little Bittern was earlierconfined only to Gulf wetlands in Arabia (Jennings 1981)but now can be found as far North - West as Tabuk area Asvarious reports indicate it is extending its range in alldirections in the Arabian Peninsula There may be variousreasons for range extension of an animal While annualrainfall may be a key factor for distribution of nomadic birdsfor birds like Little Bittern scarcity of well-covered marshlandcould be the limiting factor Recent developments such asexpansion of agriculture and creation of several man-madecanal system as an outcome of sewage water treatmentplants in Saudi Arabia have provided suitable habitat andseveral species are not found in new areas (Yahya 1995)so much so that some of the migratory birds like ShovellerFerruginous Duck Mallard etc have started breeding inthe Kingdom (Evans 1994 Yahya 1994) Though theextension of range by several avian species may be a verywelcome phenomenon for bird enthusiasts a caution hasto be maintained for alarming proliferation of birds likeparakeets house crows and house sparrows Theirpopulation and future movement needs constant monitoringof late invasive birds have created problems at many placesincluding Andamans (Rauf Ali 2003)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This note was prepared during avian research activitiesconducted under the aegis of NCWCD Riyadh I am gratefulto Prof Abuzinada and Mr Yousef Al-Wetaid forencouragement I am also thankful to Dr Steve Newton andMr Peter Symen for their comments and Mr S Faizi forpeer viewing the draft


Introduction

Ranthombhore national park is situated between thelongitude of 7623 E to 7639 E and latitude 2584 N to

2612 N in the Sawaimadhopur district of Rajasthan The

Park has the total area of 39250sq km It has a core areaof 2745 sq KmDuring the study period only three Range(Ranthombhore project tiger (RoPT) Khander and Kundera)were covered of which Tamakhand Singduwar JagimehalBadal Guda Chindawli Lahpur Thumka GalaisagarAnatpura Kachida Chiroli Lakharda Indala MansarobarSultanpur beats were surveyed

Vegetation

The broad vegetation pattern of Ranthombhore is dry-deciduous forest The terrain is somehow undulating Theforest reserve are classified under the semi arid bio-geographic zone and falls under the Gujrat Rajwara provinceThe dominant plant species are Dhok (Anogeissus pendula)Khair (Acacia catechu) Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana) Amaltas(Cassia fistula) Babul (Acacia nilotica) Khajur (Phoenixsylvestris)Reonj (Acacia leucophloea) Semal (Bombaxceiba) Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) Siris (Albizzia procera)(A Lebbek) Tendu (Diospyros melanoxylum) Bistendu(Dispyros cordiflolia) Cheela (Butea monosperma) etcUnderneath cover is not very dance Most of the shrubscover is dominated by the Grewia spp Main shrub speciesare Chaprayan (Grewia flaveseens) Chabeni (G Tenax) Jal(Capparis separia) Jharbar (Zizyphus nummularia) Duringthe dry season Jal turn to an important shrub as its leavesand young shouts provides food for the wild ungulatesRanthombhore harbours very rich savannah pattern ofgrassland which provide maximum food to the wild ungulatesThese grasslands are intensively used by the wild animals

Fauna

Ranthombhore harbours a good population of Royal BengalTiger (Panther tigris) Other carnivores includes Leopard(Panthera pardus) Jungle cat (Felis chaus) Hyaena (Hyaenahyaena) Wolf (Canis lupus) Caracal (Felis caracal) Otheranimals includes Common Mongoose (Herpestesauropunctatus) Indian Porcupine (Hystrix indica) SlothBear (Melursus ursinus) Common Langur (Presbytisentellus) Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulata) etc

The ungulate fauna includes Blue Bull (Boselaphustragocamelus) Chinkara (Gazella gazelle) Wild Boar (Susscrofa) Samber (Cervus unicolor) Chital (Axis axis) Theseanimals provide good prey base for the Tiger

The study was conducted discontinuously from March to May2010 for two months using direct visual count The birds weresighted using a binocular (8x40) For the spot identification wefollowed slandered field guides (Grimmett et al 1999) and

Some Avifaunal observations inRanthombhore Tiger Reserve Rajasthan India

Dipankar Lahkar J Peter P Chakrabarthi Farhat Masood and Sanjay Babu

Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun India Aligarh Muslim University India Dipankarlahkargmailcom

Kazmierczak (2000) The nomenclature and systematic sequenceof birds as given by Manakadan and Pittie (2004) was used

Observations

The study was conducted from the month of April to May2010 All total 145 species belong to 54 families (Table-1)were identified Earlier 272 species were recorded from thepark (Choudhury 2000) Highest number of species wasrecorded from the family Accipitridae (n=10) followed byAnatidae (n=9) and Ardeidae (n=8) 2966 birds wererecorded as wader and water bird of which Anatidae (n=9)forms the main bulk species During the study period 3species of birds were recorded as Near Threatened (Anhingamelanogaster Mycteria leucocephala Sarcogyps calvus)one Vulnerable (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) and one CriticallyEndangered (Gyps indicus) 15 active nests of Gyps indicuswere recorded during the study period Couple of nestingbirds were observed (Columba livia Treron phoenicopteraAcridotheres tristis Corvus macrorhynchos Petroniaxanthocollis Gyps indicus Milvus migrans ) A good numberof Tadorna ferruginea was observed up to the end of Maywhen most of the wintering birds left Water could be one ofthe main constrain for the aquatic birds but the restorationof existing water bodies would overcome from the problemDuring the peak summer season the drinking water foranimals was a major problem digging of water wholes wouldstimulate from the problem It would not only provide waterfor animals but also it would facilitate birds for drinking andbathing The forest department already made some artificialwholes in different parts of the park During the study periodwe observed well account of birds utilized those waterwholes Of the 7035 observed terrestrial birds 4257(n=43) birds were observed on the water wholes So it isclearly reflected that they utilized the water wholes duringthe pick summer No inter or intra specific conflict wasobserved during the drinking period

Acknowledgments

We would like to thanks park authority Ranthombhoredivision Rajasthan for their logistic support We also extendour thanks to our field assistants and driver for their co-operation during the data collection

References

Coudhury S S (2000) Ranthombhore beyond tigers HimanshuPublications Pp213-230

Grimmett R C Inskipp and T Inskipp (1999) A pocket guide to the birdsof the Indian Subcontinent 1st Ed Oxford University Press Delhi

Kazmierczak K (2000) A field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent1st Ed Pica press London

Manakadan R and A Pittie (2001) Standardized common and scientificnames of the Birds of the Indian subcontinent Buceros 6(1) 1-37


Table-1Checklist of the birds of Ranthombhore TigerReserve observed during March-May 2010

Family- Podicipedidae1 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas 1764)Family-Phalacrocoracidae2 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger (Vieillot 1817)3 Indian Shag Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Stephens 1826Family-Anhingidae4 Darter Anhinga melanogaster Pennant 1769Family-Ardeidae5 Little Egret Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1766)6 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Linnaeus 17587 Large Egret Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus 1758)8 Median Egret Mesophoyx intermedia (Wagler 1829)9 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus 1758)10 Indian Pond-Heron Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832)11 Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus 1758)

12 Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis (Gmelin 1789)Family- Ciconiidae13 Painted Stork (60) Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant 1769)14 Asian Openbill-Stork Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert 1783)15 White-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert 1783)Family- Threskiornithidae16 Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa (Temminck 1824)17 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Linnaeus 1758Family- Anatidae18 Lesser Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821)19 Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus (Latham 1790)20 Brahminy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas 1764)21 Cotton Teal Nettapus coromandelianus (Gmelin 1789)22 Gadwall Anas strepera Linnaeus 175823 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus 175824 Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata Linnaeus 175825 Northern Pintail Anas acuta Linnaeus 175826 Common Teal Anas crecca Linnaeus 1758Family-Accipitridae27 Oriental Honey-Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck 1821)28 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines 1789)29 Black Kite Milvus migrans (Boddaert 1783)30 Pallass Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus (Pallas 1771)31 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus 1758)32 Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (Scopoli 1786)33 Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus (Scopoli 1786)34 Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela (Latham 179035 Shikra Accipiter badius (Gmelin 1788)36 Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus (Cretzschmar 1827)Family-Pandionidae37 Osprey Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus 1758)Family-Phasianidae38 Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)39 Common Quail Coturnix coturnix (Linnaeus 1758)40 Painted Spurfowl Galloperdix lunulata (Valenciennes 1825)

41 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus Linnaeus 1758Family- Rallidae42 White-breasted Waterhen (343-345)Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1769)43 Common Moorhen (347-347a) Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus 1758)

44 Purple Moorhen (348-349) Porphyrio porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758)

Family-Jacanidae45 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus (Scopoli 1786)

46 Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus (Latham 1790)Family-Charadriidae47 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Scopoli 178648 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus (Boddaert 1783)Family-Scolopacidae49 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (Linnaeus 1758)50 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus 1758)51 Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus (Pallas 1764)52 Common Redshank Tringa totanus (Linnaeus 1758)53 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (Gunner 1767)54 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Linnaeus 175855 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Linnaeus 1758Family- Recurvirostridae56 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Linnaeus 175857 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus 1758)Family- Laridae58 River Tern Sterna aurantia JE Gray 1831Family- Pteroclididae59 Painted Sandgrouse Pterocles indicus (Gmelin 1789)Family- Columbidae60 Blue Rock Pigeon Columba livia Gmelin 178961 Little Brown Dove Streptopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus 1766)62 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786)63 Red Collared-Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica (Hermann 1804)

64 Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky 1838)

65 Yellow-legged Green-Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera (Latham 1790)

Family- Psittacidae66 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria (Linnaeus 1766)67 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri (Scopoli 1769)68 Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala (Linnaeus 1766)

Family-Cuculidae69 Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert 1783)70 Brainfever Bird Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797)71 Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Linnaeus 175872 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea (Linnaeus 1758)73 Sirkeer Malkoha Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii (Lesson 1830)74 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815)Family-Tytonidae75 Barn Owl Tyto alba (Scopoli 1769)Family-Strigidae76 Collared Scops-Owl Otus bakkamoena Pennant 176977 Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo (Linnaeus 1758)78 Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis (Gmelin 1788)79 Spotted Owlet Athene brama (Temminck 1821)


Family-Caprimulgidae80 Indian Jungle Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus Latham 179081 Franklins Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis Horsfield 182182 Common Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus Latham 1790

Family-Apodidae83 House Swift Apus affinis (JE Gray 1830)Family- Alcedinidae84 Small Blue Kingfisher Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758)85 White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758)

86 Lesser Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758)Family- Meropidae87 Small Bee-eater Merops orientalis Latham 1801Family-Coraciidae88 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758)Family-Upupidae89 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops Linnaeus 1758Family- Bucerotidae90 Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris (Scopoli 1786)Family- Capitonidae91 Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala (PLS Muumlller 1776)

Family-Picidae92 Yellow-fronted Pied Woodpecker

Dendrocopos mahrattensis (Latham 1801)93 Black-shouldered Woodpecker

Chrysocolaptes festivus (Boddaert 1783)94 Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker

Dinopium benghalense (Linnaeus 1758)Family- Alaudidae95 Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix grisea (Scopoli 1786)

96 Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix nigriceps (Gould 1839)

97 Common Crested Lark Galerida cristata (Linnaeus 1758)Family- Hirundinidae98 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Linnaeus 177199 Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Leach 1818Family- Motacillidae100 White Wagtail Motacilla alba Linnaeus 1758101 Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola Pallas 1776102 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus Vieillot 1818Family-Campephagidae103 Large Cuckoo-Shrike Coracina macei (Lesson 1830)104 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus (Linnaeus 1766)105 Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus (Forster 1781)106 Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus (Gmelin 1789)

Family-Pycnonotidae107 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766)108 White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould 1836)Family-Irenidae109 Marshalls Iora Aegithina nigrolutea (Marshall 1876)Family-Laniidae110 Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Linnaeus 1758111 Rufous-backed Shrike Lanius schach Linnaeus 1758112 Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus (Vigors 1831)

Family-Turdinae113 Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius (Linnaeus 1758)

114 Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758)

115 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata (Linnaeus 1776)

116 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata (Linnaeus 1766)

Family-Timaliinae

117 Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi (Sykes 1832)

118 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus (Dumont 1823)

Family- Sylviinae

119 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata Sykes 1832

120 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant 1769)

Family-Muscicapinae

121 Rusty-tailed Flycatcher Muscicapa ruficauda Swainson 1838

122 Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina (Swainson 1838)

Family- Monarchinae

123 Asian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus 1758)

Family- Paridae

124 Great Tit Parus major Linnaeus 1758

Family- Nectariniidae125 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (Latham 1790)

Family-Zosteropidae

126 Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck 1824)

Family- Emberizinae

127 Crested Bunting Melophus lathami (Gray 1831)

Family- Estrildidae

128 Spotted Munia Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758)

129 Black-headed Munia Lonchura malacca (Linnaeus 1766)

Family- Passerinae

130 House Sparrow Passer domesticus (Linnaeus 1758)

131 Yellow-throated Sparrow Petronia xanthocollis (Burton 1838)

Family-Ploceinae

132 Streaked Weaver Ploceus manyar (Horsfield 1821)

133 Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus (Linnaeus 1766)

Family-Sturnidae

134 Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum (Gmelin 1789)

135 Rosy Starling Sturnus roseus (Linnaeus 1758)

136 Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra Linnaeus 1758

137 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766)

138 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus (Latham 1790)

Family-Oriolidae

139 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus 1758)

140 Black-headed Oriole Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758)

Family-Dicruridae

141 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot 1817

142 White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens (Linnaeus 1758)

Family-Corvidae

143 Indian Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda (Latham 1790)

144 House Crow Corvus splendens Vieillot 1817

145 Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler 1827


CORRESPONDENCE

FIRST SIGHTING OF GREAT BITTERN (Botaurus stellaris)IN AND AROUND NORTH ORISSA UNIVERSITYCAMPUS TAKATPUR MAYURBHANJ ORISSA byDIPANKAR LAHKAR H K SAHU and S D ROUT PGDepartment of Wildlife and Conservation Biology North OrissaUniversity Baripada Orissa

During the course of our Monsoon bird study we had therare opportunity to observe Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)near the North Orissa University Campus

North Orissa University (N21055565 and E86044473) issituated 5 Km south of the district headquarter Baripadawith large numbers of residential and Royal family plantedpatches of trees tanks and paddy fields with water bodiesThe area is also considered to be a fringe of Simlipal TigerReserve Observations were made in the habitats such assemi urban areas residential plots college and universitycampuses paddy fields in conjugation of a heterogeneousterrestrial plain area scattered with very small numbers ofwater bodies

An individual Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) was seenduring the month of August 2007 on a small water body (N2105646 and E 86044482) standing motionless on ajavelin laying on other side of the National Highway No 5which is laid adjacent to the university Ninety percent ofthe pond was covered with water hyacinth with very littleopen water

According to Ali and Ripley (1983) the bird is a winter visitorto India but most interestingly we had sighted it in themonsoon period In Orissa June to September is consideredas the monsoon period (Anonymous 2006) Thus this maybe new information regarding its distribution So it wouldbe worthwhile for the birdwatchers in Orissa India to lookoutfor this bird and provide additional information about itsdistributional status

The bird was identified as Great Bittern because of its largesize (larger than all other bitterns) green yellow bill greeneyes green legs and yellow sole It has a black crown andmoustachial stripes and a black barring mantle The chinand throat is white No calls were recorded The bird wasobserved for about three minutes at a distance of 10 feetthrough 8x40 binocular The Great Bittern was not includedin the checklist of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa (Sahu andRout 2005) Thus this is the first record of this species inthis area

References

Ali S and S D Ripley (1983) Compact Handbook of the Birdsof India and Pakistan Oxford University Press Oxford

Anonymous (2006) Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Regional PlantResource Centre Bhubaneshwar Vol 1 Pp 1-7

Sahu H K and S D Rout (2005) Checklist of Waterbirds inMayurbhanj District Orissa Zoos Print 20(9) 1992-1993

SIGHTING RECORDS OF BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER(Halcyon pileata) in VIDARBHA MAHARASHTRA byRAJU KASAMBE ROHIT CHAKRAVARTY PADMAKARLAD and UDAYAN DHARMADHIKARI G-1 LaxmiApartments 64 Vidya Vihar Colony Pratap Nagar Nagpur-440 022 Maharashtra E-mailrajukasamberediffmailcom 46 Om Sai Building AnantNagar Surana Layout Nagpur-440013 Maharashtra B-7Unique Towers Near Saturna Bus Stop Badnera RoadAmravati-444 605 Maharashtra

On 21st April 2009 Rohit Chakravarty and Udayan Dharmadhikariwere birding at Ambazari tank in the outskirts of Nagpur city Ataround 0700 hrs they located a Kingfisher This kingfisher hada velvet black head and a prominent white collar on its hindneck Its brilliant purple blue plumage was shining in brightsunlight The underside was somewhat rufous or pale rusty Itperched on the ground or on small rocks and captured largeinsects It neither dived into water nor hovered over water Thegeographical location of Ambazari tank is 21deg 73790N and

79deg 22024E and the elevation is 1040 feet above sea level

When Rohit referred the Grimmett et als book (2000) he

was surprised to identify the kingfisher as Black-cappedKingfisher Halcyon pileata As there are very few sightingsshown in the book he called Raju and Tarique who rushed tothe spot confirmed that it was indeed a Black-capped Kingfisher

Incidentally Anuj Kale a friend and bird enthusiast from Nagpurshared a photo with Raju of a Black-capped Kingfisher takenat Ambazari tank Nagpur on the same day ie on 19th April2009 confirming that the kingfisher was there for at least threedays The Black-capped Kingfisher was sighted again byRaju on 26 th April 2009 at a small tank in the CentralJail premises in the heart of Nagpur city

One more Black-capped Kingfisher was sighted andphotographed by Harshawardhan Dhanwatey of the TigerResearch and Conservation Trust (TRACT) three days beforethat is on 19th April 2009 near the backwaters of Irai dam onthe outskirts of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) inChandrapur district in Vidarbha Irai dam is located 25 kmnorth of Chandrapur city and its geographical location is 20009N and 79018 E and the elevation is 686 feet above sea level

Padmakar Lad along with fellow birdwatchers namely ManoharKhode Vijay Ingole and Shirishkumar Patil had sighted oneBlack-capped Kingfisher on 11th December 2002 at Pandharireservoir in Warud taluq in Amravati district of Vidarbha Thegeographical location of Warud town is 21deg28 N and 78deg16 E

and the elevation is 1315 feet above sea level

Black-capped Kingfisher is once recorded from Melghat TigerReserve (Kothari 1998) It has also been sighted a few timesin Nagzira wildlife sanctuary and once in Pench Tiger Reserve(Madhya Pradesh)

Importantly the Black-capped Kingfisher did not feature in thechecklist prepared by DAbreu (1923) which is one of the best

avifaunal inventories of the Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh


Ali and Ripley (1987) describe the status and distribution ofthe Black-capped Kingfisher as Resident and locallymigratory Primarily a maritime kingfisher not common butfrequent on the western seaboard from about Bombaysouthward and up the eastern coast of the peninsula throughthe Godavari delta Sunderbans and East Pakistan(Bangladesh) and beyond It sporadically penetrates muchdeeper inland along the larger rivers and their feeders assuch collected and or observed in Gonda district (UttarPradesh) Monghyr Madhubani Tirhut (Bihar) Dumagudiem(Andhra) Bharatpur (Rajasthan) N Kakhimpur (Assam)Naga Hills North of Manipur and elsewhere

ReferencesAli S amp Ripley S D (1987) Compact Handbook of the Birds of

Indian and Pakistan Second Edition Oxford University PressVol4 pp94-95

DAbreu E A (1923) A hand-list of the birds of the Central

Provinces distinguishing those contained in the CentralMuseum at Nagpur together with notes on the nidification ofthe resident species Govt Press Nagpur pp1-65

Grimmett R Inskipp C Inskipp T (2000) Birds of the IndianSubcontinent Oxford Univ Press1-384

Kasambe R amp Wadatkar J S (2003) Checklist of Birds fromPohara-Malkhed Reserve Forest District AmravatiMaharashtra Zoos Print Journal Vol17 (6) 807-811

Kasambe R amp Wadatkar J (2007) Birds of Pohara MalkhedReserve Forest Amravati Maharashtra An updated

annotated checklist Zoos Print Journal Vol 22(7) 2768-2770

Kothari A (1998) Sighting of a Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyonpileata in Melghat Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Newsletterfor Birdwatchers 38(1)11

e e e e e

A REPORT ON THE 11TH VIDARBHA PAKSHIMITRASAMMELAN HELD AT AMRAVATI by RAJU KASAMBEand DR JAYANT S WADATKAR Bombay Natural HistorySociety Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road Mumbai-400 001Maharashtra Secretary Wildlife and EnvironmentConservation Society 42 Greenpark Colony Shegaon Road

Amravati Email wecs_2001yahoocom

The 11th Vidarbha Pakshi Mitra Sammelan (Gathering ofthe bird lovers of Vidarbha) was jointly organised Wildlifeand Environment Conservation Society AmravatiDepartment of Zoology Sant Gadge Baba AmravatiUniversity Amravati and Indian Science CongressAssociation (Amravati Chapter) on 24th and 25th April 2010The Sammelan was organized in the beautiful auditorium ofthe Amravati University This is a concise report of theSammelan

The 11 th Pakshi Mitra Sammelan was inaugurated byPrincipal Sharad Tankhiwale and presided over by RajuKasambe Manager IBA BNHS Mumbai

The invited guests were Prof Dr G N Vankhede (ConvenerIndian Science Congress Amravati Chapter Head of the

Department of Zoology Amravati University and eminentscientist) Mr Milind Chimote (Ex-Mayor Amravati) DrPrabha Bhogaonkar (President WECS and eminentBotanist) Mr Kishor Rithe (founder Satpuda Foundationand eminent conservationist in Central India) MrRamesh Ladkhedkar (p ioneer of Maharasht raPakshimitra movement) Dr Jayant Wadatkar (Presidentof the 10 th V idarbha Pakshimi tra Sammelan andSecretary WECS) Principal Dr Shrikant Deshpandeand Mr Ganesh Halkare

The inaugural session saw the release of the publication ofsouvenir named Ranvedh and felicitations of birdwatchers

and naturalists An photo exhibition of renowned naturephotographers in Vidarbha viz Mr C R Shelare Mr VilasDeshmukh and Mr MSR Shad and other amateur birdphotographers from Vidarbha was also arranged

The Sammelan saw a series of lectures and PowerPointpresentations besides an open discussion on the birdsand issues related to the Sammelan Mr Kishor Ritheguided the audience on bird study and the conservationof Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) Dr Pravin Bankarpresented his views on the veterinary perspectives of birdsKaustubh Pandharipande guided the birders about hiswork on Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indica) with thehelp of Pardhi community Dr G A Wagh gave apresentation on his findings on the Malabar Pied Hornbills(Anthracoceros coronatus) in Melghat Raju Kasambespoke on general aspects besides his doctoral thesis onthe Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) and on theendangered Birds in Vidarbha Prof Nishikant Kale dealton the issues relating to Forest Owlet (Heteroglauxblewitti) in Melghat

Rajkamal Job shared his experiences of birding in UnitedStates of America Yadav Tarte described the issue ofpoaching of birds in Amravati Prof Sachin Tayade gave anillustrated talk on nesting materials Some students of thedepartment of Zoology Amravati University had preparedartificial nest boxes for Hose Sparrows (Passer domesticus)from the rubbish These were on display Dr G T Kedarpresented a talk on what are the good birdwatching skillsneeded and what basic things should be done by birders

More than 200 bird lovers and scientists participated in thisPakshimitra Sammelan Some resolutions were passedduring the Sammelan out of which one is We request andrecommend the Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) to bedeclared as the state bird of Maharshtra in place of theYellow-footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicopterus)

Address for Correspondence Newsletter for Birdwatchers

No 10 Sirur Park B Street SeshadripuramBangalore 560 020 Tel 080 2356 1142 2346 4682

E-mail ltnavbaratgmailcomgt

REMEMBERING HUSSAIN BHAI AN OBITUARY by ProfH SA YAHYA Dept of Wildlife Sciences Aligarh MuslimUniversity Aligarh Uttar Pradesh - 202 002

In the passing away of Mr Sayed Abdullah Hussain whomI affectionately used to call Hussain Bhai (elder brother)India has lost one of the most knowledgeable ornithologistsand a very refined human being My acquaintance withHussain Bhai goes back three decades I first met him onJuly 14 1977 at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)a day after I was accepted as an apprentice (andsubsequently a PhD student) of late Dr Salim Ali underthe aegis of the Society Hussain Bhai was very cordial andgave me several useful tips on bird watching and explainedthe use of reference material on birds in the Societys Bird

Room Subsequently the affinity grew and he invited me tohis residence in Buyculla Railway Colony where he used tostay with his elder sister and brother in-law the late MunirBhai The Hussains belonged to a noble family of Karkalavillage near Mangalore in the state of Karnataka His fatherwas a law graduate from Aligarh Muslim University who hadestablished a first of its kind bank in the state GraduallyMunir Bhai s residence became my frequent Sunday

evenings destination where I used to watch Hindi movies onDoordarshan and dine with the family They were veryaffectionate and humble people

Hussain Bhai did not have a formal degree in Zoology ornatural history But by virtue of his observant aptitude andhis prolonged association with Dr Salim Ali he acquiredgreat expertise in the field so much so that Dr Salim Aliused to consider him a great scientist He began his careeras a field assistant and then held several higher positionsin the Society He had excellent public relation skills andthe growth of the Society as a first class field-based studycentre between 1975 and 1990 was largely due to hisforesight meticulous planning project writing abilities andhis capacity to generate funds Hussain Bhai wasinstrumental in bringing several big research projects to theSociety under the Principal Leadership of Dr Salim Ali andworked as Principal Investigator of Avifauna Project He wasan excellent field worker and always gave us the most logicalexplanations to our queries on ringing migration and otherbehavioural aspects of bird After completing my Ph D in1980 I worked in various BNHS projects under HussainBhais leadership and they were the most formative years

for me During this period I was exposed to the finer pointsof avian study and I learned how to maintain a low profilewhile interacting with various people how to maintain a goodpublic relation during bird surveys and so on

Hussain Bhai served Dr Salim Ali with his heart and mindfor over four decades Once he got a lucrative job offer fromTiger Tops in Nepal and left the Society but returned to BNHSwithin a few months I was then conducting my field work in

Periyar Tiger Reserve Kerala and wrote to him asking whyhe left such a good position He wrote back Dear Yahya

thanks for your concern on my leaving a good job but youknow my father died when I was only a minor and in servingDr Salim Ali I always consider I am serving my fatherTherefore so far he is alive I will not leave the Society Iwas amazed at his response He had immense regard andaffection for Dr Salim Ali True to his words Hussain Bhaiserved Dr Salim Ali arranged his field trips and served himday and night until the grand old man breathed his last inthe lap of Hussain Bhai It is extremely rare for an unrelatedperson to display such a strong affection and long lastingbond

Based on his insight and excellent field knowledge HussainBhai published a number of scientific papers project reportsand booklets But perhaps his main contribution to Indianornithology is training a score of budding ornithologists wholater became experts in their own right He organized aResearch Training Camp in Point Calimare (TN) in 1980which has now been upgraded and better establishedConsidering Hussain Bhais pioneering contribution to this

Centre his admirable services to BNHS and his contributionto Indian ornithology I strongly recommend that this Centreshould be named as SA Hussain Centre for Avian ResearchHussain Bhai has made tremendous contribution to thestudy and research of birds in India and we must pay homageto his work and personality by facilitating creation of AvianResearch Fund in his name

Mr Hussain worked in Malaysia for about eight years inMalaya University wetland section He was coordinator ofAsian Wetland Bureau and was also associated with BirdlifeInternational and International Ornithological Congress onvarious capacities

After active services he opened an NGO in Mangalore andkept on contributing for Indian Ornithology He drafted theby-laws and policies of Ornithological Federation of Indiawhich is yet to take a formal identity He was a member ofseveral state level and central government statutory bodiesdealing with waterfowl and wetlands I have had theopportunity of conducting wetlandwaterfowl surveys in thecountry and attending meetings together

Even after leaving the BNHS I kept regular contact withhim and invited him to our department on several occasionsDuring his stay in the AMU he always gave us good advicesfor the development of the department He was very friendlyto our former Chairman the late Prof Abbas Musavi as wellas to our ex-V C Dr Mahmoodur Rahman With the saddemise of Mr Hussain I have lost a very sincere and elderlyfriend philosopher and guide I humbly pray for his soul torest in peace

OBITUARY NOTE

Front Cover All photoghraps by Shivadarshan Balse

Dr AMK BharosHarish R BhatDr SP BhatnagarDr AK ChakravarthyDr Ranjan Kumar DasDr S DevasahayamBS KulkarniArvind MishraDr Geeta S Padate

Prof S RangaswamiK Mrutumjaya RaoAN Yellappa ReddyDr Rajiv SaxenaDr AB ShanbhagArunayan SharmaS SridharDr Abraham Verghese FRES (London)

Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board

Vol 50 No 3 May - June 2010

CONTENTS Note from the Publisher

Articles

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters are winter migrants

in and around Mumbai by Raju Kasambe Nesting Colony of Asian Open-bill Anastomus

oscitans in Kanki Vil lage Korba DistrictChhattisgarh by AMK Bharos and Ravi ShankerKanoje

Occurrence of the Little Bitternin Riyadh area Saudi Arabia by HSAYahya

Some Avifaunal observations inRanthombhore Tiger Reserve Rajasthan India byDipankar Lahkar J Peter P Chakrabarthi FarhatMasood and Sanjay Babu

First sighting of Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)in and around north Orissa University CampusTakatpur Mayurbhanj Orissa by Dipankar LahkarH K Sahu and S D Rout

Correspondence

Sighting records of Black-capped Kingfisher(Halcyon pileata) in Vidarbha Maharashtra by RajuKasambe Rohit Chakravarty Padmakar Lad andUdayan Dharmadhikari

A Report on the 11 th Vidarbha PakshimitraSammelan held at Amravati by Raju Kasambe andDr Jayant S Wadatkar

Obituary Note

Remembering Hussain Bhai by Prof H SAYahya

Note from the Publisher

Dear fellow Birdwatchers

Thanking youYours in Bird ConservationS Sridhar Publisher NLBW

Printed and Published bi-monthly byS Sridhar at Navbharath Enterprises Bangalore 560 020

for Private Circulation only


of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters at Nashik ( not at Mumbai) asmigrants clarifying migrant means birds which temporarily

resides in Nashik district and best time to see them is fromend of September to March

We hereby like to emphasize and correct the status ofBlue-tailed Bee-eaters as winter migrants from the prevailing

passage migrant in and around Mumbai

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Mr Ravi Vaidyanathan and Mr Adesh Shivkar fortheir help during the data collection They alwaysremembered to inform me about the sightings of these birdsThanks to all the peer birders birdsofbombay web group

and its moderator for the data

References

Ali S (1996) The Book of Indian Birds Bom Nat Hist SocPp1-354

Abdulali H (1981) Checklist of the birds of Maharashtra withnotes on their status around Bombay Bombay Nat HistSoc Mumbai pp1-16

Kasambe R (2004) Nesting of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Meropsphilippinus) in Amravati district of Maharashtra Newsletterfor Birdwatchers Vol 44(2) 21-22

Kasambe R (2005) Breeding behaviour of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) in Central India Newsletter forBirdwatchers Vol 45(1)10-13

Monga S (2006) Birds of Sanjay Gandhi National Park BombayNat Hist Soc Mumbai Pp1-35

Raha B Bhure N amp Ugaonkar D (2004) Birds of Nashik NatureConservation Society of Nashik pp1-24

Nesting Colony of Asian Open-bill Anastomus oscitansin Kanki Village Korba District Chhattisgarh

AMK Bharos1 and Ravi Shanker Kanoje 2

1 State Coordinator Indian Bird Conservation Network amp President Chhattisgarh Wildlife Societies B-101Gayatri Nagar P O Shankar Nagar Raipur CG 492007 Email cwsraipuryahoocoin

2 Deputy Conservator of Forests (Ret) S F S Freelance Ecological Researcher amp Consultant 84 Digvijai MargRajnandgaon CG 491441 India Email ravishankerkanojeymailcom

Introduction

Ali (1979) and Ali amp Ripley (1989) described statusdistribution and breeding biology of Asian Open-billAnastomus oscitans in his monumental publication The

Book of Indian Birds and Compact Handbook Chaudhry

amp Chakrabarti (1973) Kahl (1970) Law (1926) andMukhopadyaya (1980) described breeding biology of AsianOpen-bill

Asian Open-bill is widely distributed and breeds in IndiaSeveral thousand pairs breed in Keoladeo National ParkRajasthan (Ali amp Ripley 89) Datta amp Pal (1993) studiedeffect of human interference on nesting of Asian Open-billSubramanya (1996) compiled 40 nesting sites of AsianOpen-bill in different parts of India In central India nestingcolony of Asian Open-bill have been identified in BamhriBanjar near Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh (EricDcunha amp Ali 2001) Pimpari village near Nawegaon

National Park in Maharastra (Joshi et al 2008) and Danapurin Bihar (Choudhary Et al 2008) Agasimani (2009) hasmade a preliminary study on heronry of Kanki Informationregarding nesting trees of Asian Open-bill Stork has not beendocumented in the central India The object of this study isto give an account of nesting trees and habitat of AsianOpen-bill Stork in Kanki vi l lage in Korba district inChhattisgarh state

Methodology

Kanki was visited and the nesting as well as other relevantdetails were studied and information collected from local

residents Majority of birds have left after nesting but nestsstill existed Sub-adult chick and few adults were presentin the locality

The number of nests on each trees were countedapproximate height of trees were assessed Visualobservations of Open-bill Stork and its habitat were made inNovember 2009 Nests were observed from the terrace of anearby building using binoculars

Study Site

The Kanki Village

The Kanki village is 25 km from Korba an industrial town inthe Karthala tahsil in Korba district The District Korba isblessed with rich mineral deposits and has attracted largescale investments in Aluminum Coal and Power SectorsThese investments have enabled Korba to emerge as a majorindustrial hub in central India (Anon n d) In Korba andsurroundings major industries including opencast coal minesbauxite mines coal base thermal power plants aluminumplant cement plants are located

The village is situated on the right bank of Hasdeo RiverThe river bank is at the threshold of soil erosion The villagelies at 22deg 13 47frac12 of north latitude and 82deg39 40frac12 east

longitude The altitude is 277 meters above mean sea levelThere are 487 households with total population of 2271 About338 population belongs to tribal community Thegeographical area of village is 881 hectares and 209 hectareis under irrigation from Hasdeo Reservoir and Hasdeo - Bango














Nesting Results


Table-1


A B C D E F






Total 17 767 451










Discussion





















Acknowledgments


References





















































300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44






ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note




















Nesting Results


Table-1


A B C D E F






Total 17 767 451










Discussion





















Acknowledgments


References





















































300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44






ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note













Discussion





















Acknowledgments


References





















































300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44






ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note




















Acknowledgments


References





















































300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44






ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note









































300894 E002004 Young F 147 50 48 44






ACKNOWLEDGMENTS



Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note








Introduction




Vegetation


Fauna








Observations


Acknowledgments


References
































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note


































Family-Timaliinae



Family- Sylviinae



Family-Muscicapinae



Family- Monarchinae


Family- Paridae



Family-Zosteropidae


Family- Emberizinae


Family- Estrildidae



Family- Passerinae



Family-Ploceinae



Family-Sturnidae






Family-Oriolidae



Family-Dicruridae



Family-Corvidae





CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note








CORRESPONDENCE







References



























e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note


















e e e e e





























OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note





















OBITUARY NOTE




Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note









Publisher S Sridhar

Editorial Board



Articles







Correspondence



Obituary Note







Avifaunal observations in Ranthombhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

Documents

Transcript of Avifaunal observations in Ranthombhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India