Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide

Birds of South Asia redirects here. For a list of the birds of South Asia see List of birds of South Asia.

Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen

Pamela C. Rasmussen

Professor Pamela Cecile Rasmussen is a prominent American ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., and is based at the Michigan State University...

and John C. Anderton

John C. Anderton

John C. Anderton is an American ornithologist and bird illustrator.His work includes painting 69 of the 180 plates in Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide, written with professor Pamela C. Rasmussen.The book's covers are also illustrated by Anderton...

is a two-volume ornithological handbook

Ornithological handbook

An ornithological handbook is a book giving summarised information either about the birds of a particular geographical area or a particular taxonomic group of birds...

, covering the birds of South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

, published in 2005 by the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

and Lynx Edicions

Lynx Edicions

Lynx Edicions is a Spanish ornithological publishing company.It became internationally known when it started publishing the Handbook of the Birds of the World, a 16 volume series which, when it is completed in 2011, will document for the first time in a single work an entire animal class,...

. The geographical scope of the book covers India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

, Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, Maldives

Maldives

The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

, the Chagos archipelago

Chagos Archipelago

The Chagos Archipelago , is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean; situated some due south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands are the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge a long submarine mountain range...

and Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

(the latter country had been excluded from previous works covering this region). In total, 1508 species are covered (this figure includes 85 hypothetical

Hypothetical list of biota

A hypothetical list of biota, or "hypothetical list" for short, is a list of taxa which are not recorded from a given geographical area, but which may be found there...

and 67 'possible' species, which are given only shorter accounts). Two notable aspects of Birds of South Asia are its distribution evidence-base — the book's authors based their distributional information almost completely on museum specimens — and its taxonomic approach, involving a large number of species-level splits.

The books

Volume 1 is a field guide

Field guide

A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife or other objects of natural occurrence . It is generally designed to be brought into the 'field' or local area where such objects exist to help distinguish between similar objects...

. A nine-page introduction is followed by 180 colour plates, each with an accompanying text page giving brief identification notes, and, for most species, range maps. In addition to the 69 plates by Anderton, eleven other artists contributed, including Ian Lewington and Bill Zetterström. Volume 2: Attributes and Status contains more detailed supporting texts for every species. Twelve other authors are listed as having contributed to this volume, including Per Alström, Nigel Collar and Craig Robson. This volume opens with an appreciation, written by Bruce Beehler

Bruce Beehler

Dr. Bruce Beehler is an ornithologist and vice-president of Conservation International's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation ....

, of S. Dillon Ripley, who initiated the work which led to the book, and after whom it is named. This is followed by a 24-page introduction. The bulk of the book, from pages 41 to 601, consists of individual species accounts; each of these includes sections on identification, occurrence, habits and voice (this latter section accompanied by sonogram

Spectrogram

A spectrogram is a time-varying spectral representation that shows how the spectral density of a signal varies with time. Also known as spectral waterfalls, sonograms, voiceprints, or voicegrams, spectrograms are used to identify phonetic sounds, to analyse the cries of animals; they were also...

s for many species). There are ten appendices, including a hypothetical list

Hypothetical list of biota

A hypothetical list of biota, or "hypothetical list" for short, is a list of taxa which are not recorded from a given geographical area, but which may be found there...

, a list of rejected species, a summary of taxonomic changes, a glossary, a gazetteer, and a list of institutions holding major collections of South Asian bird specimens.

The book's covers are illustrated by montages of South Asian birds, painted by Anderton. Volume 1 features Crimson-backed Flameback, Stork-billed Kingfisher

Stork-billed Kingfisher

The Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis , is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia. This kingfisher is essentially resident throughout its range.This is a very large...

, Indian Eagle-owl, Black-and-orange Flycatcher

Black-and-orange Flycatcher

The Black-and-orange Flycatcher is a species of flycatcher endemic to the central and southern Western Ghats, the Nilgiris and Palni hill ranges in southern India...

and Himalayan Quail

Himalayan Quail

The Himalayan Quail is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India...

on its front cover. Volume 2 features six laughingthrush

Laughingthrush

The Laughingthrushes are the genus Garrulax of the large Old World babbler family of passerine birds. They occur in tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in the Himalaya and southern China....

species: Variegated

Variegated Laughingthrush

The Variegated Laughingthrush is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....

, Bhutan, Grey-sided

Grey-sided Laughingthrush

The Grey-sided Laughingthrush is a bird species in the Old World babbler family . In the proposed rearrangement of the laughingthrushes, it is placed in the genus Dryonastes....

, Blue-winged

Blue-winged Laughingthrush

The Blue-winged Laughingthrush is a bird species in the Old World babbler family . In the proposed rearrangement of the laughingthrushes, it is placed in the genus Trochalopteron, as T. squamatum....

, Black-chinned and Assam. The back covers of both volumes feature a painting of Serendib and Nicobar Scops-owls.

Taxonomic changes

In preparing the book, the authors undertook a major revision of the taxonomic status of bird forms found in the region; many allopatric forms previously regarded as conspecific are treated by Rasmussen and Anderton as full species. Many of these had previously been proposed elsewhere, but the book introduced a number of innovations of its own. The majority of these changes, and the overwhelming majority of the novel ones, are among the passerine

Passerine

A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...

s. The following is a list of the groups of taxa which are considered conspecific in the sixth edition of the Clements Checklist (Clements 2007), but split into two or more species in Rasmussen and Anderton's work (volume 2 page references in brackets).

Non-passerines

(p. 53) Oriental Darter
Oriental Darter
The Oriental Darter or Indian Darter , sometimes called Snakebird, is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia.-Taxonomy:...

(Anhinga melanogaster) is treated as a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

Asian species, separate from African
African Darter
The African Darter , sometimes called the Snakebird, is a water bird of sub-Saharan Africa.-Taxonomy:The African Darter is a member of the darter family, Anhingidae, and is closely related to American , Oriental , and Australian Darters.-Description:The male is mainly glossy...

(A. rufa) and Australasian (A. novaehollandiae) Darters.
(p. 58) Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...

(Bubulcus ibis) is split into two species: Western Cattle Egret (B. ibis sensu stricto) and Eastern Cattle Egret (B. coromandus)
(p. 60) Black-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus dubius) is split from Little Bittern
Little Bittern
The Little Bittern is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions in Europe and western Asia are migratory, wintering in Africa and further south in...

(I. minutus)
(pp. 68-9) Whistling (Cygnus columbianus) and Bewick's
Bewick's Swan
The Tundra Swan is a small Holarctic swan. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species, Cygnus bewickii of the Palaearctic and the Whistling Swan, C. columbianus proper, of the Nearctic...

(C. bewickii) Swans are regarded as separate species
(pp. 74-5) Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha) is split into two species, Indian Spot-billed Duck (A. poecilorhyncha sensu stricto) and Chinese Spot-billed Duck (A. zonorhyncha)
(pp. 101-2) Common Buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...

(Buteo buteo) is split into two or three species: Common Buzzard (B. buteo sensu stricto), Himalayan Buzzard (B. burmanicus) and Japanese Buzzard (B. (buteo) japonicus)
(pp. 108-9) Changeable (Spizaetus limnaeetus) and Crested (S. cirrhatus) Hawk-eagles are treated as separate species
(pp. 141-2) Eastern Water Rail (Rallus indicus) is split from (European) Water Rail
Water Rail
The Water Rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range...

(R. aquaticus)
(pp. 154-5) Kentish
Kentish Plover
The Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, is a small wader in the plover bird family. Despite its name, this species no longer breeds in Kent, or even Great Britain...

(Charadrius alexandrinus) and Snowy
Snowy Plover
The Snowy Plover is a small wader in the plover bird family. It breeds in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the southern and western USA and the Caribbean...

(C. nivosus) Plovers are treated as separate species
(pp. 181-2) Indian Stone-curlew (Burhinus indicus) is split from Eurasian Stone-curlew (B. oedicnemus)
(pp. 211-2) Emerald Dove
Emerald Dove
The Common Emerald Dove is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and east through Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, to northern and eastern Australia. The dove is also known by the names of Green Dove and...

(Chalcophaps indica) is split into two species: Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica sensu stricto) and an Australasian species C. longirostris
(pp. 212-4) Pompadour Green-pigeon (Treron pompadora) is split into four to six species: Ceylon Green-pigeon T. pompadora sensu stricto, Grey-fronted Green-pigeon T. affinis, Ashy-headed Green-pigeon T. phayrei, Andaman Green-pigeon T. chloropterus from South Asia, and possible fifth and sixth species, T. (phayrei) axillaris and T. (phayrei) aromaticus from The Philippines and Buru
Buru
Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...

in the Moluccas respectively.
(p. 217) Nicobar Imperial-pigeon (Ducula nicobarica) is split from Green Imperial-pigeon (D. aenea)
(p. 233) Andaman Barn-owl (Tyto deroepstorffi) is split from Barn Owl
Barn Owl
The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...

(T. alba)
(p. 235) Ceylon Bay-owl (Phodilus assimilis) is split from Oriental Bay-owl (Ph. badius)
(p. 244) Himalayan Wood-owl (Strix nivicola) is split from Tawny Owl
Tawny Owl
The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...

(S. aluco)
(p. 248) Hume's Hawk-owl (Ninox obscura) is split from Brown Hawk-owl (N. scutulata)
(p. 278) Crimson-fronted Barbet
Crimson-fronted Barbet
Crimson-fronted Barbet or Ceylon Small Barbet or Small Barbet is an Asian barbet endemic to Sri Lanka. The Malabar Barbet endemic to the Western Ghats of India used to be treated as a subspecies of this species. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical...

(Megalaima rubricapillus) is split into two species, Malabar Barbet
Malabar Barbet
The Malabar Barbet is a small barbet found in the Western Ghats of India. It was formerly treated as a race of the Crimson-fronted Barbet. It overlaps in some places with the range of the Coppersmith Barbet .-Description:This species can be told apart from the Coppersmith Barbet by the crimson...

(M. malabarica) and Ceylon Small Barbet (M. rubricapillus sensu stricto)
(p. 290) Crimson-backed Flameback (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) is split from Greater Flameback
Greater Flameback
The Greater Flameback, Chrysocolaptes lucidus, also known as Greater Goldenback, Large Golden-backed Woodpecker or Malherbe's Golden-backed Woodpecker, is a woodpecker species...

(C. lucidus)

Passerines

(p. 310) Grey-throated Sand-martin (Riparia chinensis) is split from Brown-throated Sand-martin (R. paludicola)
(p. 311) Pale Crag-martin
Pale Crag-martin
The Pale Crag-martin is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan,...

(Ptyonoprogne obsoleta) is split from Rock Martin (P. fuligula)
(p. 312) Hill Swallow (Hirundo domicola) is split from Pacific Swallow
Pacific Swallow
The Pacific Swallow or Hill Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka across to south east Asia and the islands of the south Pacific. It is resident apart from some local seasonal movements...

(H. tahitica)
(p. 313) Ceylon Swallow (Hirundo hyperythra) is split from Red-rumped Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
The Red-rumped Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory...

(H. daurica)
(p. 323) Andaman Cuckooshrike (Coracina dobsoni) is split from Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike (C. striata)
(p. 326) Jerdon's Minivet Pericrocotus albifrons is split from White-bellied Minivet
White-bellied Minivet
The White-bellied Minivet is a species of minivet found in India, mostly in dry deciduous forest.The species is characterized by stable population trend and extent of occurrence of more than 20 thousand km2....

(P. erythropygius)
(pp. 327-8) Orange Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus) and Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
The Scarlet Minivet, Pericrocotus flammeus is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to southern China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They are common resident breeding birds in forests and other well-wooded habitats including...

(P. speciosus) are regarded as separate species
(p. 330) Malabar Woodshrike (Tephrodornis sylvicola) is split from Large Woodshrike
Large Woodshrike
The Large Woodshrike is a species in the helmetshrike family Prionopidae...

(T. gularis)
(pp. 331-2) Ceylon Woodshrike (Tephrodornis affinis) is split from Common Woodshrike
Common Woodshrike
The Common Woodshrike is a species in the helmetshrike family Prionopidae. The woodshrikes were formerly placed in the Campephagidae sometimes. It is found in southern Asia where it occurs in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand...

(T. pondicerianus)
(p. 336) Andaman Bulbul (Pycnonotus fuscoflavescens) is split from Black-headed Bulbul
Black-headed Bulbul
The Black-headed Bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in forests in south-east Asia. It has a mainly olive-yellow plumage with a glossy bluish-black head. A grey morph where most of the olive-yellow is replaced by grey also exists...

(P. atriceps)
(pp. 336-7) Black-crested Bulbul
Black-crested Bulbul
The Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent including in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, and eastwards in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia....

(Pycnonotus melanicterus) is split into five species: Black-crested Bulbul
Black-crested Bulbul
The Black-crested Bulbul, Pycnonotus melanicterus, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent including in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, and eastwards in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia....

sensu stricto (P. flaviventris), Black-capped Bulbul (P. melanicterus sensu stricto), Flame-throated Bulbul (P. gularis), Ruby-throated Bulbul (P. dispar) and Bornean Bulbul (P. montis)
(p. 344) Square-tailed Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa) is split from Black Bulbul
Black Bulbul
The Black Bulbul , also known as the Himalayan Black Bulbul, Asian Black Bulbul or Square-tailed Bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found in southern Asia from India east to southern China. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, established by Nicholas...

(H. madagascariensis)
(p. 348) Jerdon's Leafbird
Jerdon's Leafbird
The Jerdon's Leafbird is a species of leafbird found in forest and woodland in India and Sri Lanka. Its name honours Thomas C. Jerdon. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the Blue-winged Leafbird The Jerdon's Leafbird (Chloropsis jerdoni) is a species of leafbird found in forest...

(Chloropsis jerdoni) is split from Blue-winged Leafbird
Blue-winged Leafbird
The Blue-winged Leafbird is a species of leafbird found in forest and second growth from far north-eastern India and throughout Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo and as far south as Java. It commonly includes Jerdon's Leafbird from the Indian Subcontinent, and the Bornean Leafbird The...

(C. cochinchinensis)

(p. 349) Isabelline Shrike
Isabelline Shrike
The Isabelline Shrike is a member of the shrike family . It is the eastern equivalent of the Red-backed Shrike with which it used to be considered conspecific....

(Lanius isabellinus) is split into two species, Daurian Shrike (L. isabellinus sensu stricto) and Turkestan Shrike (L. phoenicuroides)
(pp. 358-9) White's Thrush
White's Thrush
The White's Thrush or Scaly Thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. It was named after the English naturalist Gilbert White.-Distribution and habitat:...

(Zoothera aurea), Nilgiri Thrush (Z. neilgherriensis) and Ceylon Scaly Thrush (Z. imbricata) are split from Scaly Thrush (Z. dauma)
(pp. 363-4) Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) is split into three or four species: Common Blackbird (T. merula) sensu stricto, Tibetan Blackbird (T. maximus), Indian Blackbird (T. simillimus) and Chinese Blackbird (T. (merula) mandarinus)
(pp. 365-6) Red-throated Thrush
Red-throated Thrush
The Red-throated Thrush is a passerine bird in the thrush family. It is sometimes regarded as one subspecies of a polytypic species, "Dark-throated Thrush", Black-throated Thrush then being the other subspecies. More recent treatments regard the two as separate species.The Red-throated Thrush is a...

(Turdus ruficollis) and Black-throated Thrush
Black-throated Thrush
The Black-throated Thrush is a passerine bird in the thrush family. It is sometimes regarded as one subspecies of a polytypic species, "Dark-throated Thrush", Red-throated Thrush then being the other subspecies....

(T. atrogularis) are treated as separate species
(p. 372) Nicobar Jungle-flycatcher (Rhinomyias nicobaricus) is split from Brown-chested Jungle-flycatcher
Brown-chested Jungle-flycatcher
The Brown-chested Jungle-flycatcher is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Tibet....

(R. brunneatus)
(p. 385) Large Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis magnirostris) is split from Hill Blue Flycatcher (C. banyumas)

(p. 393) Himalayan Red-flanked Bush-robin (Tarsiger rufilatus) is split from Red-flanked Bluetail
Red-flanked Bluetail
The Red-flanked Bluetail , also known as the Orange-flanked Bush-robin, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...

(T. cyanurus)
(p. 396) Andaman Shama (Copsychus albiventris) is split from White-rumped Shama
White-rumped Shama
The White-rumped Shama is a small passerine bird of the family Muscicapidae. It was formerly classified as a member of the Thrush family, Turdidae, causing it to be commonly known as the White-rumped Shama Thrush or simply Shama Thrush.-Distribution:They are native to South and Southeast Asia, but...

(C. malabaricus)
(p. 400) White-bellied Blue Robin
White-bellied Blue Robin
The White-bellied Blue Robin refers to a kind of bird in the Muscicapidae family endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India. The Nilgiri Blue Robin and this species were once considered as sub-species of a single species and in 2005 were elevated again to full species by...

(Myiomela albiventris) is split from Nilgiri Blue Robin (M. major)
(p. 407) Red-tailed Wheatear
Red-tailed Wheatear
The Red-tailed Wheatear , also known as the Rusty-tailed Wheatear, Persian Wheatear or Afghan Wheatear, is a small passerine bird breeding in mountainous areas of south-west and central Asia...

Oenanthe chrysopygia is split from Rufous-tailed Wheatear
Rufous-tailed Wheatear
The Kurdish Wheatear , also known as the Kurdistan Wheatear, Chestnut-rumped Wheatear, or Red-rumped Wheatear, is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. The Red-tailed Wheatear The Kurdish Wheatear (Oenanthe xanthoprymna), also known as the Kurdistan Wheatear, Chestnut-rumped Wheatear, or...

(Oe. xanthoprymna)
(pp. 415-6) Bhutan Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron imbricatum) is split from Streaked Laughingthrush
Streaked Laughingthrush
The Streaked Laughingthrush is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan....

(T. lineatum)
(pp. 417-8) Assam Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron chrysopterum) is split from Red-headed Laughingthrush (T. erythrocephalum)
(p. 433) Long-billed Wren-babbler
Long-billed Wren-babbler
The Long-billed Wren-babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Rimator.It is found in Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam....

(Rimator malacoptilus) is regarded as a monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

species, separate from the two southeast Asian taxa R. albostriatus and R. pasquieri
(p. 435-6) Long-tailed Wren-babbler
Long-tailed Wren-babbler
The Long-tailed Wren-babbler or Naga Wren-babbler is a bird species in the family Timaliidae.Several former subspecies of this bird have now been recognized as good species. They are: Pale-throated Wren-babbler , Chin Hills Wren-babbler and Grey-bellied Wren-babbler The Long-tailed Wren-babbler...

(Spelaeornis chocolatinus) is split into three species, Grey-bellied Wren-babbler
Grey-bellied Wren-babbler
The Grey-bellied Wren-babbler is a bird species in the family Timaliidae. It was until recently considered a subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-babbler ; the IUCN for example started recognizing it as distinct species in 2008.Its natural habitat are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests...

(S. reptatus), Chin Hills Wren-babbler
Chin Hills Wren-babbler
The Chin Hills Wren-babbler is a bird species in the family Timaliidae. It was until recently considered a subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-babbler ; the IUCN for example started recognizing it as distinct species in 2008.Its natural habitat are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests...

(S. oatesi) and Naga Wren-babbler (S. chocolatinus sensu stricto)
(p. 438) Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler
Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler
The Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler or Chevron-breasted Babbler is a species of bird in the Old World babbler family . It is named for the Cachar Hills in southern Assam....

(Sphenocichla roberti) is split from Wedge-billed Babbler (S. humei)
(pp. 443-4) Afghan Babbler (Turdoides huttoni) is split from Common Babbler
Common Babbler
The Common Babbler, Turdoides caudata, is an Old World babbler. They are found in dry open scrub countries in South Asia and also in Iran.-References:...

(T. caudata)
(p. 449) Indian White-hooded Babbler (Gampsorhynchus rufulus) is split from White-hooded Babbler
White-hooded Babbler
The White-hooded Babbler is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Gampsorhynchus....

(G. torquatus)
(p. 454) Manipur Fulvetta (Alcippe manipurensis) is split from Streak-throated Fulvetta
Streak-throated Fulvetta
The Streak-throated Fulvetta or Manipur Fulvetta is a bird species in the family Sylviidae. It is named for the state of Manipur in northeastern India. Like the other typical fulvettas, it was long included in the Timaliidae genus Alcippe. In addition, it was long included in F...

, (A. cinereiceps)
(p. 471) Hill Prinia
Hill Prinia
The Hill Prinia is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam.-References:...

(Prinia superciliaris) is split from Black-throated Prinia (P. atrogularis)
(p. 483) Hume's Bush-warbler (Cettia brunnescens) is split from Yellowish-bellied Bush-warbler (C. acanthizoides)
(p. 485) Baikal Bush-warbler (Bradypterus davidi) is split from Spotted Bush-warbler
Spotted Bush-warbler
The Spotted Bush-warbler or Baikal Bush-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family....

(B. thoracicus)

(p. 503) Green Warbler (Phylloscopus nitidus) and Two-barred Warbler (Ph. plumbeitarsus) are both split from Greenish Warbler
Greenish Warbler
The Greenish Warbler and Green Warbler are widespread leaf-warblers throughout their breeding range in northeastern Europe and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western...

(Ph. trochiloides)
(p. 529) Indian Yellow Tit (Parus aplonotus) is split from Black-lored Yellow Tit (P. xanthogenys)
(p. 536) Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
The Indian Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in India.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.This species has been split by Rasmussen and Anderton from...

(Sitta castanea) is split into two or three species: Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
The Indian Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in India.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.This species has been split by Rasmussen and Anderton from...

sensu stricto (S. cinnamoventris), Indian Nuthatch (S. castanea sensu stricto) and a possible third species in south-east Asia S. (castanea) neglecta
(pp. 537-8) Przewalsky's Nuthatch (Sitta przewalskii) is split from White-cheeked Nuthatch
White-cheeked Nuthatch
The White-cheeked Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.Its natural habitats are boreal forests and temperate forests.-References:...

(S. leucopsis)
(p. 545) Plain Flowerpecker
Plain Flowerpecker
The Nilgiri Flowerpecker is a tiny bird in the flowerpecker family. Formerly a subspecies of what used to be termed as the Plain Flowerpecker although that name is now reserved for Dicaeum minullum. Like others of the group, it feeds predominantly on nectar and fruits...

(Dicaeum concolor), split into three species: Andaman Flowerpecker D. virescens, Plain Flowerpecker sensu stricto (D. minullum) and Nilgiri Flowerpecker (D. concolor sensu stricto)
(p. 547) Van Hasselt's Sunbird (Leptocoma brasiliana) is split from Purple-throated Sunbird
Purple-throated Sunbird
The Purple-throated Sunbird , also known as Van Hasselt's Sunbird, is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family...

(L. sperata)

(p.554) House Bunting
House Bunting
The House Bunting, Emberiza sahari, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae.It is a resident breeder of dry country from northwestern Africa from Morocco south to Mali and east to Chad. The House Bunting breeds around human habitation, laying 2–4 eggs in a nest in a hole in a wall or...

(Emberiza sahari) and Striolated Bunting
Striolated Bunting
The Striolated Bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae.- Distribution and habitat :...

(E. striolata) are regarded as separate species
(p. 566) Sharpe's Rosefinch (Carpodacus verreauxii) is split from Spot-winged Rosefinch
Spot-winged Rosefinch
The Spot-winged Rosefinch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.-References:...

(C. rodopeplus)
(p. 566) Blyth's Rosefinch (Carpodacus grandis) is split from Red-mantled Rosefinch
Red-mantled Rosefinch
The Red-Mantled Rosefinch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in Afghanistan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan....

(C. rhodochlamys)
(p. 567) Spotted Great Rosefinch
Spotted Great Rosefinch
The Spotted Great Rosefinch is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It is found in Kashmir, Nepal, Tibet, and southwestern China....

(Carpodacus severtzovi) is split from Caucasian Great Rosefinch (C. rubicilla)
(p. 581) Malabar White-headed Starling (Sturnia blythii) is split from Grey-headed Starling (S. malabarica)
(p. 586) Indian Golden Oriole
Indian Golden Oriole
The Indian Golden Oriole, is a species of oriole found in southern and central Asia. The species was once considered to be a subspecies of the Eurasian Golden Oriole, but has been elevated to a full species on the basis of differences in morphology, plumage and calls and the fact that the two do...

(Oriolus kundoo) is split from European Golden Oriole (O. oriolus)
(p. 593) Ceylon Crested Drongo (Dicrurus lophorinus) is split from Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
The Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus paradiseus, is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Dicruridae...

(D. paradiseus)
(pp. 596-7) Larger-spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga multipunctata) is split from Spotted Nutcracker
Spotted Nutcracker
The Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Nutcracker, or just Nutcracker, is a passerine bird slightly larger than the Eurasian Jay. It has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly a chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks...

(N. caryocatactes)

New South Asian endemic birds

See also Endemic birds of the Indian Subcontinent and Endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

This article is one of a series providing information about endemism among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds.-Endemic Bird Areas:...

The taxonomic changes proposed increase the number of South Asia

South Asia

n endemic bird species, and the numbers of restricted-range endemic bird species in several of South Asia's Endemic Bird Areas. Using the taxonomic arrangements in Birds of South Asia, the following species are additional South Asia

South Asia

n endemics: Ceylon Bay-owl, Hill Swallow, White-bellied

White-bellied Minivet

The White-bellied Minivet is a species of minivet found in India, mostly in dry deciduous forest.The species is characterized by stable population trend and extent of occurrence of more than 20 thousand km2....

and Orange Minivets, Square-tailed Black Bulbul, Jerdon's Leafbird

Jerdon's Leafbird

The Jerdon's Leafbird is a species of leafbird found in forest and woodland in India and Sri Lanka. Its name honours Thomas C. Jerdon. It has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the Blue-winged Leafbird The Jerdon's Leafbird (Chloropsis jerdoni) is a species of leafbird found in forest...

, Indian Blackbird, Large Blue Flycatcher, Common Babbler

Common Babbler

The Common Babbler, Turdoides caudata, is an Old World babbler. They are found in dry open scrub countries in South Asia and also in Iran.-References:...

and Indian and White-cheeked Nuthatch

White-cheeked Nuthatch

The White-cheeked Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.Its natural habitats are boreal forests and temperate forests.-References:...

es; the following are additional India

India

n endemics: Crested Hawk-eagle, Grey-fronted Green-pigeon, Malabar Barbet

Malabar Barbet

The Malabar Barbet is a small barbet found in the Western Ghats of India. It was formerly treated as a race of the Crimson-fronted Barbet. It overlaps in some places with the range of the Coppersmith Barbet .-Description:This species can be told apart from the Coppersmith Barbet by the crimson...

, Malabar Woodshrike, Flame-throated Bulbul, Nilgiri Thrush, White-bellied Blue Robin

White-bellied Blue Robin

The White-bellied Blue Robin refers to a kind of bird in the Muscicapidae family endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India. The Nilgiri Blue Robin and this species were once considered as sub-species of a single species and in 2005 were elevated again to full species by...

, Naga Wren-babbler, Indian Yellow Tit, Nilgiri Flowerpecker and Malabar White-headed Starling; the following are new Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

n endemics: Ceylon Green-pigeon, Ceylon Small Barbet, Crimson-backed Flameback, Ceylon Swallow, Ceylon Woodshrike, Black-capped Bulbul, Ceylon Scaly Thrush and Ceylon Crested Drongo; and the following are additional endemics in the Andaman

Andaman Islands

The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...

/Nicobar islands

Nicobar Islands

The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...

: Nicobar Imperial-pigeon, Andaman Barn-owl, Hume's Hawk-owl, Andaman Cuckooshrike, Andaman Bulbul, Nicobar Jungle-flycatcher, Andaman Shama and Andaman Flowerpecker.

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