United States
£ GBP
Language: English
From the preface:
"Dr. Thomas Mathew has over twelve months captured on camera and docurnented one hundred and eleven species of birds that inhabit or visit the Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate, the official home of the President of India, located in New Delhi, India. The book has some stunning visuals including a rare one of the courtship of Indian Koels. Of all the birds documented, the national bird – the Indian Peafowl – is amongst the most sighted in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It has “a magical, uplifting effect on all of us as it traipses through our environs.
The present book adds enormously to the existing literature on the subject, particularly with regard to the President’s Estate. For each of the species recorded, the book provides the location, date and time of the sighting. It also carries forward an earlier study done in 2002-03 on ninety-one species of birds in Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Bombay Natural History Society, and released as a book in 2007 during the tenure of President Abdul Kalam.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan has excellent open spaces, forest cover and thousands of fruit bearing plants and trees that act as a magnet for birds. Winter is the period when most migratory birds visit India. The passage of most Palearctic migrants through the Delhi region takes place in September. The local migrants similarly berth in late February and early March. To facilitate the process and add to the varieties of birds in the Estate, both resident and migratory, we have been supplementing the natural vegetation that already exists here. In addition to planting more flowering and fruiting trees, we are also seeking to create wetlands which shall blend with our natural ecosystem. These measures, it is hoped, shall not only increase the bird population but also have a positive impact on the overall environment and quality of life in the President’s Estate."
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
I. The birds of Rashtrapati Bhavan Estate
1. Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus
2. Indian peafowl Pavo cristatus
3. Indian spot-billed duck Anas poecilorhyncha
4. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
5. Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
6. Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa
7. Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax
8. Indian pond Heron Ardeola grayii
9. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
10. Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia
11. Little cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
12. Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
13. Black kite Milvus migrans
14. Black-eared kite Milvus migrans lineatus
15. Oriental honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
16. Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus
17. Shikra Accipiter badius
18. White eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa
19. White-breasted waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
20. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
21. Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
22. Indian thick-knee Burhinus indicus
23. Black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus
24. Red-wattled lapwing Vanellus indicus
25. Yellow-wattled lapwing Venellus malabaricus
26. Common Pigeon Columba livia
27. Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
28. Laughing dove Stigmatopelia senegalensis
29. Spotted dove Streptopelia chinensis
30. Yellow footed green pigeon Treron phoenicoptera
31. Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
32. Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
33. Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
34. Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus
35. Common Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
36. Indian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceae
37. Greater coucal Centropus sinensis
38. Barn owl Tyto alba
39. Spotted Owlet Athene brama
40. Indian scops-owl Ottus bakkamoena
41. Little swift Apus affinis
42. Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
43. Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
44. White throated Kingfisher Halcyon smytnensis
45. Green bee eater Merops orientalis
46. Indian grey hornbill Ocyceros birostris
47. Brown headed barbet Megalaima zeylamica
48. Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala
49. Black rumped flameback Dinopium benghalense
50. Common woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus
51. Sacrlet minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
52. Bay-backed shrike Lanius vittatus
53. Long tailed shrike Lanius schach
54. Isabelline shrike Lanius isabellinus
55. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
56. Indian golden oriole Oriolus kundoo
57. Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
58. Rufous treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
59. House crow Corvus splendens
60. Indian jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos culminates
61. Great Tit Parus major
62. Dusky crag-martin Hirundo concolor
63. Barn swallow Hirundo rustica
64. Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii
65. Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
66. Red-whiskered bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
67. Ashy Prinia prinia socialis
68. Grey-breasted Prinia prinia hodgsonii
69. Common tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
70. Sulphur-bellied warbler Phylloscopus griseolus
71. Lesser whitethroat Sylvia curruca
72. Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
73. Blyths reed warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
74. Jungle babbler Turdoides striata
75. Large grey babbler Turdoides malcolmi
76. Common babbler Turdoides caudatus
77. Oriental white eye Zosterops palpebrosus
78. Asian pied starling Gracupica contra
79. Brahminy starling Sturnia pagodarum
80. Rosy starling Pastor roseus
81. Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus
82. Common myna Acridotheres tristis
83. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
84. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus
85. Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis
86. Black redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
87. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
88. Common stonechat Saxicola torquatus
89. Brown rockchat Cercomela fusca
90. Asian brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
91. Grey-headed canary flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis
92. Red-breasted flycatcher Ficedula parva
93. Verditer flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus
94. Tickell’s blue-flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
95. Purple sunbird Nectarina asiatica
96. Chestnut shouldered petronia Gymnoris xanthocollis
97. House sparrow Passer domesticus
98. Spanish sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
99. Baya weaver Ploceus philippinus
100. Indian silverbill Lonchura malabarica
101. Red Avadavat Amandava amandava
102. Scaly breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata
103. Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola
104. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
105. White Wagtail Motacilla alba
106. White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis
107. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
108. Long-billed pipit Anthus similis
109. Olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni
110. Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
111. Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
Beating the Delhi summer heat: bird style
Appendix
References
