Unidentified birds

Owing to my limited exposure, many birds remain unidentified. Please do help sort them out!

Seen at Manas National Park, Dec 2009


rosy starling, maybe?


red-breasted parakeet, I think


woodshrike??


some kind of leafbird. maybe golden-fronted


seen from pretty close, but image not in focus


not a bird, but of interest. this squirrel was reddish brown, no stripes. not much bigger than the city squirrel, (way smaller than a giant malayan), reddish brown fur, pale feet and faint eye ring.

On lake and woods near guest house, IIT Guwahati


some kind of chat. most likely brown rock chat. But could be female pied bushchat etc.


should have been easy to ID - bright white eye on a black body with black bill - Pochard like - could it be ferruginous or Baer's?

Calcutta urban housing complex 11 dec 09


A jungle myna? in the urban jungle.


most probably a common myna; but could be a rosy.


i saw it very fleetingly, shot from a rooftop.

Red-breasted flycatcher? (in my garden, IITK)


Almost every morning in winter, I can see this chappie dropping into my garden. This one is most likely the same individual as below, from a few days later.


Red-breasted flycatcher female maybe. First three images of same individual. Fourth image is from what I think may be the same individuaal a few days later.

This bird i believe may be a red-breasted flycatcher female. This pair, or at least one individual with the red patch on the throat, appears to be visiting my garden every winter.


Red-breasted flycatcher female, I think. The same individual as above, perhaps. In my garden, Jan 3 '09.

From the jungle that is IIT Kanpur


I marked this as maybe a lesser whitethroat


Of these two black-winged stilts seen at an IITK oxidation pond, the one with a vertical black stripe appears to be the male. But isn't the sharp vertical black marking a bit unusual?

White wagtail, but is it the m. alba dukhunensis race?

Munias: Inside IITK, Dec 20, '09


Large flock of munia, most likely spotted munia (some spots showing on image at right). Seen on path to Aam ka bagicha (behind airstrip) at IITK.

Munia size: Lodi Gardens Dec 24, 09


grey head, white collar, overall impression yellow...


smaller than a sparrow; yellow-breast, white throat, grey vent, and head - very agile; thin, straight beak - perhaps a flycatcher or a tit. Finch? seen flitting about in a bamboo grove

Munia size. fluffy breast...


munia size. unusual beak. seen near tatarpur.


maybe a brown shrike (sugg)

Canal near IITK Jan 10


fuzzy image - was high on tree across the canal. the yellowish bit on the beak may be a shikra.

Pipit or lark? : Lower Ganga Canal near IITK

one of the two individuals below (perhaps a pipit?) - by the canal near kursauli bridge.


Longer and more slender than sparrow. Observed on ground near canal, often along water's edge. Paddyfield pippit or maybe Richard's?


this guy, was hopping around on jan 26, near a village some 4 km further down the canal from above images.

Woody Sandpiper? : Jan 26 2009

Seen during a 63km bike ride along canal to Chowbepur and back via Bithoor.

and who, sir, may you be?


my best guess for this is a wood sandpiper. But it could also be something else.

black-headed bunting perhaps?

munia size: black-head, white collar, orange breast

seen 26 jan, canal near hansapur


some kind of tit? black-headed bunting?


seen on an earlier day, same spot near the canal. female?

other birds from Ganga / Bithoor area


small black size - perhaps same as Old M1 below. May be an indian robin, but seemed smaller


size of a sparrow, slender, a bit like a paddyfield pipit - prominent white supercilium, beak has slight downward curve, throat colouration like a necklace (sorry - pic on right is a bit fuzzy) seen near Bithoor not far from the ganga


petronia maybe


sunbird size, white supercilium, seen once on branch of tree.

Old unidentified birds - these have remained unidentified for more than a year

These are grouped by size, but even the sizes are approximate.
  1. E. Dove size or a bit smaller, short fat bill, light colour

  2. Sparrow Size
  3. F. Sparrow size, chat like, maybe same as next.

    G. Sparrow size, very similar to above - except white stripe above eye - could be the same species but could also be a warbler...

  4. Sunbird Size
  5. M1. Black and grey-sunbird size

    M2. [Small Minivet?]. Sunbird size (and similar nature) - agile and jumpy; beak does not seem too curved.

    N. Light brown, sunbird size, longer tail. On mango tree in Delhi in April. May be a tailorbird.

Recently ID-ed

Red-headed bunting, perhaps?


red-headed bunting perhaps. Large flock jumping around on tall kush grass near the water. ID sugg: Kushal Mukherjee


seen another day. red-headed bunting, most likely

Ashy Prinia


prinia - maybe ashy


i had thought this may be a zitting cisticola - but maybe something like a prinia also

Common Hawk-Cuckoo


most likely a common hawk-cuckoo (brainfever bird). It went off making a sound, but it wasn't particularly repetitive.

more details at jungles of iitk.

Yellow wagtail


yellow wagtail, but what subspecies? yellow breast, white supercilium.

Pheasant-tailed Jacana (non-breeding)


ptj, immature, maybe


Pheasant-tailed Jacana [ID Soumyen Guha], non-breeding.

White-capped water redstart


At Manas NP. was jumping around the water's edge on the Manas river, near the second guesthouse being built at Mathanguri, leaping onto rocks and energetically sipping something from the water surface. When i saw it, I didn't notice the little patch of white on the head, but was focusing on the red tail.

Unknown waterbird from Santragacchi dec 16


the one on the right middle with a speckled bottom and dark head and dark tail could be common teal, but the body doesn't seem to match.


Amitabha Mukerjee january 2009