List Of Birds of India

## Ducks, geese and swans[edit]

**Order**: Anseriformes   **Family**: Anatidae

Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 44 species which have been recorded in India.
Bar-headed goose

Brown-cheeked rail

## Megapodes[edit]

**Order**: Galliformes   **Family**: Megapodiidae

The Megapodiidae are stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet. All but the malleefowl occupy jungle habitats and most have brown or black colouring. There is one species within India.

## Pheasants and allies[edit]

Indian peafowl
A covey of jungle bush-quail

**Order**: Galliformes   **Family**: Phasianidae
Tibetan snowcock flock
Grey francolin

The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowl, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.

## Loons[edit]

**Order**: Gaviiformes   **Family**: Gaviidae

Loons, known as "divers", in Europe, are a group of aquatic birds found in northern North America and northern Eurasia. They are the size of a large duck or small goose, which they somewhat resemble when swimming, but to which they are completely unrelated. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

 Black-throated loon

## Austral storm petrels[edit]

Wilson's storm petrel
**Order**: Procellariiformes   **Family**: Oceanitidae

The storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

 White-bellied storm petrel

## Northern storm petrels[edit]

**Order**: Procellariiformes   **Family**: Hydrobatidae

The northern storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

## Petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrels[edit]

**Order**: Procellariiformes   **Family**: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary. There are 11 species which have been recorded in India.

## Grebes[edit]

Little grebe
**Order**: Podicipediformes   **Family**: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are five species which have been recorded in India.

 Great crested grebe
 Black-necked grebe

## Flamingos[edit]

Greater flamingo
**Order**: Phoenicopteriformes   **Family**: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Tropicbirds[edit]

Red-tailed tropicbird
**Order**: Phaethontiformes   **Family**: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.

 Red-tailed tropicbird

## Storks[edit]

Black-necked stork
**Order**: Ciconiiformes   **Family**: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.

## Ibises and spoonbills[edit]

Black-headed ibis
Eurasian spoonbill

**Order**: Pelecaniformes   **Family**: Threskiornithidae

Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.

 Red-naped ibis

## Herons and bitterns[edit]

Little bittern
**Order**: Pelecaniformes   **Family**: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.

## Pelicans[edit]

Great white pelican
**Order**: Pelecaniformes   **Family**: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes. There are three species which have been recorded in India.

## Frigatebirds[edit]

Great frigatebird
**Order**: Suliformes   **Family**: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black-and-white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.

 Great frigatebird
 Lesser frigatebird

## Gannets and boobies[edit]

Brown booby
**Order**: Suliformes   **Family**: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

 Red-footed booby
 Brown booby

## Cormorants and shags[edit]

Indian cormorant
**Order**: Suliformes   **Family**: Phalacrocoracidae

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.

## Anhingas and darters[edit]

**Order**: Suliformes   **Family**: Anhingidae

Darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged. The males have black and dark-brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving.

## Ospreys[edit]

**Order**: Accipitriformes   **Family**: Pandionidae

The family Pandionidae contains usually only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with most taxonomic authorities consider a worldwide distribution. A few authorities, including the IOC, split the bird into 2 species.

## Kites, hawks, and eagles[edit]

Crested honey buzzard
Black kite

**Order**: Accipitriformes   **Family**: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
Shikra

## Bustards[edit]

Great Indian bustard courting pair
**Order**: Otidiformes   **Family**: Otididae

Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.

 MacQueen's bustard
 Lesser florican
 Little bustard

## Finfoots[edit]

**Order**: Gruiformes   **Family**: Heliornithidae

Heliornithidae is a small family of tropical birds with webbed lobes on their feet similar to those of grebes and coots. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Rails, crakes, and coots[edit]

Andaman crake
White-breasted waterhen

**Order**: Gruiformes   **Family**: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
Eurasian coot

## Cranes[edit]

**Order**: Gruiformes   **Family**: Gruidae
Sarus crane
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". There are five species which have been recorded in India.

 Sarus crane
 Demoiselle crane

The hooded crane, *Grus monacha,* was included in many older lists but is considered hypothetical by more recent workers.(Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005)

## Buttonquail[edit]

**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Turnicidae

The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young. There are three species which have been recorded in India.
Barred buttonquail

## Stone-curlews and thick-knees[edit]

**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Burhinidae
Indian stone-curlew
Stone-curlews are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.

 Great stone-curlew
 Beach stone-curlew

## Oystercatchers[edit]

Eurasian oystercatcher
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Crab-plover[edit]

Crab-plover
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Dromadidae

The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet and a bill designed for eating crabs.

## Ibisbill[edit]

Ibisbill
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Ibidorhynchidae

The ibisbill is related to the waders, but is sufficiently distinctive to be a family unto itself. The adult is grey with a white belly, red legs, a long down curved bill, and a black face and breast band.

## Stilts and avocets[edit]

Black-winged stilt
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Plovers[edit]

Grey plover
Red-wattled lapwing

**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. There are 20 species which have been recorded in India.

## Painted-snipes[edit]

Greater painted-snipe
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Rostratulidae

Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Jacanas[edit]

Pheasant-tailed jacana
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Jacanidae

The jacanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Sandpipers and snipes[edit]

**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 41 species which have been recorded in India.
Ruff
Green sandpiper
Common greenshank

## Coursers and pratincoles[edit]

Small pratincole
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards. There are six species which have been recorded in India.

 Collared pratincole

## Gulls, terns, and skimmers[edit]

Common gull
Black-headed gull

**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
Arctic tern
Indian river tern

## Skuas[edit]

Parasitic jaeger
**Order**: Charadriiformes   **Family**: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants. There are five species which have been recorded in India.

 Brown skua
 Pomarine jaeger

## Sandgrouse[edit]

Painted sandgrouse
**Order**: Pterocliformes   **Family**: Pteroclidae

Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes. There are seven species which have been recorded in India. India has the largest number of sandgrouse of any country.

## Pigeons and doves[edit]

Andaman green pigeon
**Order**: Columbiformes   **Family**: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Laughing dove
Rock pigeon

## Cuckoos[edit]

**Order**: Cuculiformes   **Family**: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Many are brood parasites. There are 24 species which have been recorded in India.
Jacobin cuckoo in Pune, Maharashtra
Common hawk-cuckoo

## Barn owls[edit]

Barn owl
**Order**: Strigiformes   **Family**: Tytonidae

Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.

 Eastern grass owl

## Owls[edit]

**Order**: Strigiformes   **Family**: Strigidae

The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
Forest owlet
Tawny owl

## Frogmouths[edit]

Sri Lanka frogmouth
**Order**: Caprimulgiformes   **Family**: Podargidae

The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and huge frog-like gape, which they use to take insects. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

 Hodgson's frogmouth

## Nightjars[edit]

**Order**: Caprimulgiformes   **Family**: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.
Large-tailed nightjar

## Treeswifts[edit]

Crested treeswift
**Order**: Apodiformes   **Family**: Hemiprocnidae

The treeswifts, or crested swifts, are closely related to the true swifts. They differ from the other swifts in that they have crests, long forked tails and softer plumage. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Swifts[edit]

Glossy swiftlet
**Order**: Apodiformes   **Family**: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. There are 16 species which have been recorded in India.
Young common swift

## Trogons[edit]

Malabar trogon
**Order**: Trogoniformes   **Family**: Trogonidae

The family Trogonidae includes trogons and quetzals. Found in tropical woodlands worldwide, they feed on insects and fruit, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage. There are three species which have been recorded in India.

## Rollers[edit]

Indian roller
**Order**: Coraciiformes   **Family**: Coraciidae

Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected at the base, but the outer toe is not. There are three or four species (depending on taxonomy followed) which have been recorded in India.

 European roller

## Kingfishers[edit]

Common kingfisher
Stork-billed kingfisher

**Order**: Coraciiformes   **Family**: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails. There are 13 species which have been recorded in India.

## Bee-eaters[edit]

Green bee-eater
**Order**: Coraciiformes   **Family**: Meropidae
Chestnut-headed bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are six species which have been recorded in India.

## Hoopoes[edit]

Hoopoe
**Order**: Bucerotiformes   **Family**: Upupidae

Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Hornbills[edit]

Indian grey hornbill
**Order**: Bucerotiformes   **Family**: Bucerotidae

Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly coloured.

## Asian barbets[edit]

Blue-throated barbet
**Order**: Piciformes   **Family**: Megalaimidae

The Asian barbets are plump birds, with short necks and large heads. They get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills. Most species are brightly coloured.

## Honeyguides[edit]

**Order**: Piciformes   **Family**: Indicatoridae

Honeyguides are among the few birds that feed on wax. They are named for the greater honeyguide which leads traditional honey-hunters to bees' nests and, after the hunters have harvested the honey, feeds on the remaining contents of the hive. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Woodpeckers[edit]

Eurasian wryneck
**Order**: Piciformes   **Family**: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Common flameback
Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker

## Caracaras and falcons[edit]

Pied falconet
Peregrine falcon

**Order**: Falconiformes   **Family**: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons. There are thirteen species which have been recorded in India.

## Old World parrots[edit]

Rose-ringed parakeet
**Order**: Psittaciformes   **Family**: Psittaculidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.

## Typical broadbills[edit]

Silver-breasted broadbill
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Eurylaimidae

The broadbills are small, brightly coloured birds, which feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Pittas[edit]

Hooded pitta
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Pittidae

Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many are brightly coloured. They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrates.

## Vangas, helmetshrikes, woodshrikes, and shrike-flycatchers[edit]

Bar-winged flycatcher-shrike
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Vangidae

The woodshrikes are similar in build to the shrikes.

 Common woodshrike

## Woodswallows, butcherbirds, and peltops[edit]

White-breasted woodswallow
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Artamidae

The woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. They are smooth, agile flyers with moderately large, semi-triangular wings. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Ioras[edit]

White-tailed iora female
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Aegithinidae

The ioras are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub, but whereas that group tends to be drab in colouration, ioras are sexually dimorphic, with the males being brightly plumaged in yellows and greens. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Cuckooshrikes[edit]

Scarlet minivet
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Campephagidae

The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured. There are 14 species which have been recorded in India.

## Whistlers and allies[edit]

Mangrove whistler
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Pachycephalidae

The family Pachycephalidae includes the whistlers, shrike-thrushes, shrike-tits, pitohuis and crested bellbird. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Shrikes[edit]

Brown shrike
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
Long-tailed shrike

## Vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Vireonidae

Most of the members of this family are found in the New World. However, the shrike-babblers and erpornis, which only slightly resemble the "true" vireos and greenlets, are found in South East Asia.

## Figbirds, orioles, and Turnagra[edit]

Indian golden oriole
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Oriolidae

The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There are six species which have been recorded in India.

## Drongos[edit]

Black drongo
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Dicruridae

The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground. There are nine species which have been recorded in India.

## Fantails and silktails[edit]

White-throated fantail
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Rhipiduridae

The fantails are small insectivorous birds which are specialist aerial feeders. There are three species which occur in India.

## Monarchs[edit]

Black-naped monarch
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Monarchidae

The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines which hunt by flycatching. There are five species which have been recorded in India.

 Japanese paradise flycatcher

## Crows and jays[edit]

Common green magpie
House crow

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.
Rufous treepie

## Waxwings[edit]

Bohemian waxwing
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Bombycillidae

The waxwings are a group of birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Hypocolius[edit]

Hypocolius
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Hypocoliidae

The grey hypocolius is a small Middle Eastern bird with the shape and soft plumage of a waxwing. They are mainly a uniform grey colour except the males have a black triangular mask around their eyes.

## Fairy flycatchers[edit]

Grey-headed canary-flycatcher
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Stenostiridae

Most of the species of this small family are found in Africa, though a few inhabit tropical Asia. They are not closely related to other birds called "flycatchers".

## Tits and chickadees[edit]

Cinereous tit
Coal tit

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Paridae

The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.

## Penduline tits[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Remizidae

The penduline tits are a group of small passerine birds related to the true tits. They are insectivores. There is one species which has been recorded in India.

## Larks[edit]

Malabar lark
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Alaudidae
Rufous-tailed lark
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
Bengal bushlark

## Bulbuls[edit]

Yellow-throated bulbul
White-eared bulbul

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Pycnonotidae
Red-vented bulbul
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.

## Swallows and martins[edit]

Streak-throated swallow
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
Barn swallow

## Cupwings[edit]

Scaly-breasted cupwing
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Pnoepygidae

The members of this small family are found in mountainous parts of South and South East Asia.

## Cettia bush warblers and allies[edit]

Chestnut-headed tesia
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Cettiidae

Cettiidae is a family of small insectivorous songbirds. It contains the typical bush warblers (Cettia) and their relatives. Its members occur mainly in Asia and Africa, ranging into Oceania and Europe.

## Bushtits[edit]

Black-throated tit
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are a group of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They make woven bag nests in trees. Most eat a mixed diet which includes insects.

## Leaf warblers & allies[edit]

Tickell's leaf warbler
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Phylloscopidae
Greenish warbler
Pale-rumped warbler

Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.

## Reed warblers, Grauer’s warbler, & allies[edit]

Thick-billed warbler
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Acrocephalidae
Blyth's reed warbler
The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.

## Grassbirds & allies[edit]

Broad-tailed grassbird
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Locustellidae
Striated grassbird
Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over.

## Cisticolas and allies[edit]

Zitting cisticola
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Cisticolidae

The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.
Ashy prinia

## Babblers and scimitar babblers[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Timaliidae
Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler
The babblers, or timaliids, are somewhat diverse in size and colouration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage.
Golden babbler
Indian scimitar babbler

## Fulvettas and ground babblers[edit]

Brown-cheeked fulvetta or Quaker babbler
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Pellorneidae

These small to medium-sized songbirds have soft fluffy plumage but are otherwise rather diverse. Members of the genus *Illadopsis* are found in forests, but some other genera are birds of scrublands.

## Turdoides babblers, laughingthrushes, barwings, and sibias[edit]

Nilgiri laughingthrush
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Leiothrichidae
Bar-throated minla
Rufous sibia
Red-billed leiothrix
Jungle babbler
Streaked laughingthrush
The members of this family are diverse in size and colouration, though those of genus *Turdoides* tend to be brown or greyish. The family is found in Africa, India, and southeast Asia.

## Sylviid babblers, parrotbills, and Myzornis[edit]

Lesser whitethroat
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Sylviidae
Yellow-eyed babbler
The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Many species are difficult to identify by appearance, but many have distinctive songs.

## White-eyes[edit]

Indian white-eye
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Zosteropidae

The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.

## Fairy-bluebirds[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Irenidae

The fairy-bluebirds are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub. The males are dark-blue and the females a duller green. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Goldcrests and kinglets[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Regulidae

The kinglets, also called crests, are a small group of birds often included in the Old World warblers, but frequently given family status because they also resemble the titmice. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Elachura[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Elachuridae

This species, the only one in its family, inhabits forest undergrowth throughout South East Asia.

## Wrens[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Troglodytidae

The wrens are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous. There is one species which occurs in India.

## Nuthatches[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet.

## Wallcreeper[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Tichodromidae

The wallcreeper is a small bird related to the nuthatch family, which has stunning crimson, grey and black plumage.

## Treecreepers[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.

## Starlings and Rhabdornis[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.
Common starling

## Thrushes[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
White-collared blackbird

## Chats and Old World flycatchers[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.
Golden bush robin
Red-flanked bluetail
Indian robin
Plumbeous water redstart

## Dippers[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Cinclidae

Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe and Asia. They are named for their bobbing or dipping movements. There are two species which have been recorded in India.

## Leafbirds[edit]

Orange-bellied leafbird
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Chloropseidae

The leafbirds are small, bulbul-like birds. The males are brightly plumaged, usually in greens and yellows.

## Flowerpeckers[edit]

Thick-billed flowerpecker
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Dicaeidae
Pale-billed flowerpecker
The flowerpeckers are very small, stout, often brightly coloured birds, with short tails, short thick curved bills and tubular tongues.

## Sunbirds[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Nectariniidae
Green-tailed sunbird
Purple-rumped sunbird

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

## Old World sparrows and snowfinches[edit]

**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Passeridae

Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.
House sparrow

## Weavers and widowbirds[edit]

Baya weaver
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Ploceidae

The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season. There are four species which have been recorded in India.

## Waxbills, munias, and allies[edit]

Chestnut munia
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Estrildidae

The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.

## Accentors[edit]

Alpine accentor
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Prunellidae

The accentors are in the only bird family, Prunellidae, which is completely endemic to the Palearctic. They are small, fairly drab species superficially similar to sparrows. There are seven species which have been recorded in India.

## Wagtails and pipits[edit]

Citrine wagtail
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Motacillidae
Long-billed pipit
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country. There are 20 species which have been recorded in India.
Oriental pipit

## Finches and euphonias[edit]

Pink-browed rosefinch
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. There are 44 species which have been recorded in India.
Chaffinch
Hawfinch

## Buntings[edit]

Yellowhammer
**Order**: Passeriformes   **Family**: Emberizidae

The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns.
Reed bunting