Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Passeriformes (Perching Birds)

Campephagidae (Minivets and Cuckooshrikes)

• Pericrocotus Boie, 1826 Isis 18,19 Bd.2 col.972 Muscicapa miniata Temminck, 1822; Type by original designation
  • 630. White-bellied Minivet Pericrocotus erythropygius (Jerdon, 1840) [HB#1096]
    Original Description: M[uscicapa] erythropygia Jerdon, 1840 Madras Journal of Literature and Science 11 p.17 (Ajanta hills, Maharashtra)
    Distribution: Punjab (local?), Delhi region, E Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, NE Karnataka, and Telangana – sporadically further east in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. Disjunctly in the Deccan of S Karnataka, and NW Tamil Nadu at the base of the Nilgiris.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, HYD
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Endemic: Endemic to India.
    Notes: W Bengal record not evaluated.
  
  
  • 631. Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus (Linnaeus, 1766)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-I.
    • 631a. Pericrocotus cinnamomeus pallidus Baker, 1920 [HB#1090]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus peregrinus pallidus Baker, 1920 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 40 p.115
      Distribution: Sub-Himalayan tracts of Jammu, Himachal, Punjab, W Haryana, W Rajasthan, and Kachchh.
      Specimens: NHMUK, SMF
      Notes: Not always possible to assign subspecies – occurs in Punjab and Meerut, Uttar Pradesh while intervening specimens in Haryana are of peregrinus (see Abdulali 1981, JBNHS 78 (2): 271).
    • 631b. Pericrocotus cinnamomeus peregrinus (Linnaeus, 1766) [HB#1091]
      Original Description: [Parus] peregrinus Linnaeus, 1766 Systema Naturæ. Editio duodecima reformata. Tomus I [part 1] 12, p.342 (Ambala, Haryana,)
      Taxonomy: Includes iredalei Baker 1929 from Ambala, Haryana and galbinus Van Tyne & Koelz 1936 from Kangra, Himachal.
      Distribution: Gangetic plains of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, W Bengal, and NC India.
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM, MYS, HYD
    • 631c. Pericrocotus cinnamomeus malabaricus (Gmelin, 1789) [HB#1094]
      Original Description: [Parus] malabaricus Gmelin, 1789 Systema Naturae. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Cura Jo. Frid. Gmelin (etc.). Tomus I. Pars II 13, vol. 1, part 2 1 pt2 p.1012 (Mahe)
      Distribution: SW India from about Goa south through coastal Karnataka and Kerala.
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, USNM, YPM
    • 631d. Pericrocotus cinnamomeus cinnamomeus (Linnaeus, 1766) [HB#1093]
      Original Description: [Motacilla] cinnamomea Linnaeus, 1766 Systema Naturæ. Editio duodecima reformata. Tomus I [part 1] 12, p.335
      Taxonomy: Includes sidhoutnsis Koelz 1939 from Sidhout, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh and dharmakumari Koelz 1950 from Jamvala, Junagadh, Gujarat.
      Distribution: Saurashtra (Gujarat), S Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, S Odisha, Chhattisgarh and further south through the peninsula in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra, and Tamil Nadu.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, AMNH, FMNH, ROM, USNM
    • 631e. Pericrocotus cinnamomeus vividus Baker, 1920 [HB#1095]
      Original Description: Perecrocotus peregrinus vividus Baker, 1920 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 40 p.114
      Taxonomy: Sometimes, this subspecies is included under thai Deignan 1947 (see RA2012). Even if the populations are synonymised, thai should only be a junior synonym of vividus. Andaman birds included here, but may merit subspecies separation as osmastoni Roselaar & Prins 2000 (see Abdulali 1981, JBNHS 78 (2): 272).
      Distribution: E Bihar, W Bengal, Odisha, extreme NE Andhra, Sikkim, N Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Cachar, Manipur, and Tripura. Disjunctly in N, Middle, S, and Little Andaman Is. as well as the islets of Interview, Long, Inglis, Havelock, Neil, Ross, Tarmugli, Boat, Red Skin, Jolly Buoy, N Cinque, and S Cinque Is.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
  
  
  • 632. Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris Blyth, 1846
    Alternative Names: Yellow-throated Minivet
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 632a. Pericrocotus solaris solaris Blyth, 1846 [HB#1088]
      Original Description: P[ericrocotus] Solaris Blyth, 1846 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 15 p.310 (Darjeeling)
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Type Specimen: ZSI#35391 (Syntype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, BNHM
  
  
  • 633. Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris (Vigors, 1831)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 633a. Pericrocotus brevirostris brevirostris (Vigors, 1831) [HB#1084]
      Original Description: Muscipeta brevirostris Vigors, 1831 Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London Part 1 no.4 p.43 (Probably Sikkim foothills)
      Taxonomy: Includes affinis McClelland 1840 from Sadiya, Assam and sanguineus Koelz 1952 from Shillong Peak, Khasi hills, Meghalaya (see AR2001).
      Distribution: Uttarakhand (straggler), N Bengal, Sikkim, W and C Assam, W and C Arunachal, and all NE hill states.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, MCZ, USNM, YPM, GMC, BNHM
    • 633b. Pericrocotus brevirostris affinis (McClelland, 1840) [HB#1084]
      Original Description: Phoenicornis affinis McClelland, 1840 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Part VII p.157 (Sadiya, Assam)
      Distribution: E Assam and E Arunachal.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1880.1.1.2757 (Syntype).
      Specimens: NHMUK, FMNH, YPM
  
  
  • 634. Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus Bangs & Phillips, 1914
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 634a. Pericrocotus ethologus favillaceus Bangs & Phillips, 1914 [HB#1085]
      Original Description: Perierocotus brevirostris flavillaceus Bangs & Phillips, 1914 Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 58 (6) p.283 (Kullu valley, Himachal)
      Distribution: Breeding: W Himalaya from Gilgit, Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal, and Uttarakhand. Non-breeding: Adjoining foothills as well as sporadically in Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh; C India (Madhya Pradesh and NE Maharashtra) as well as E Rajasthan straggling to NE Gujarat (Deesa).
      Type Specimen: MCZ#24146 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
    • 634b. Pericrocotus ethologus laetus Mayr, 1940 [HB#1086]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus ethologus laetus Mayr, 1940 Ibis (14) 4 (4) p.717 (Zuluk [=Jeyluk], Sikkim)
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal, and Meghalaya.
      Type Specimen: FMNH#84600 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH
    • [Pericrocotus ethologus ethologus Bangs & Phillips, 1914 ]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus brevirostris ethologus Bangs & Phillips, 1914 Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 58 p.282
      Distribution: E Assam and E Arunachal.
      Specimens: NHMUK
      Notes: In the absence of validated specimens, presence of the nominate subspecies in NE India is hypothetical. Listing this for 'NE Assam' in NHMUK may be following older taxonomy (see RA2012).
    • 634c. Pericrocotus ethologus mariae Ripley, 1952 [HB#1087]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus ethologus mariae Ripley, 1952 Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 50 p.486 (Phek, Nagaland)
      Taxonomy: Includes aureus Koelz 1952 of Mizo hills.
      Distribution: Nagaland, Cachar, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.
      Type Specimen: YPM#12685 (Holotype).
      Specimens: NHMUK, UMMZ, YPM
  
  
  • 635. Orange Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus (Forster, 1781) [HB#1080]
    Original Description: Muscicapa flammea Forster, 1781 Indische Zoologie oder systematischer Beschreibungen seltener und unbekannter Thiere aus Indien (etc.) p.25 pl.15
    Alternative Names: Scarlet Minivet (with P. speciosus)
    Distribution: Surat Dangs, adjoining W Satpura, along the W Ghats and adjoining midlands till the southern tip in Kanyakumari district; extends east along the SE Ghats till about Jawadhu hills (possibly till Vellore), also into the hilly extensions in C Tamil Nadu like Kolli hills, Sirumalai, and Varusanadu hills.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM, TNHM, MYS, LKO
    IUCN: Not Recognised. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
  
  
  • 636. Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus speciosus (Latham, 1790)
    Taxonomy: All taxa under this sometimes treated as a subspecies of P. flammeus (HBW/BLI, Avilist).
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 636a. Pericrocotus speciosus andamanensis Beavan, 1867 [HB#1080a]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus andamanensis Beavan, 1867 Ibis (2) 3 (11) p.322 (Andaman Is)
      Distribution: N, Middle, S and Little Andaman Is. as well as islets of Interview, Long, Outram, Henry Lawrence, Havelock, Neil, Tarmugli, Alexandra, Boat, and Rutland Is.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, MCZ, ROM
    • 636b. Pericrocotus speciosus speciosus (Latham, 1790) [HB#1080]
      Original Description: [Turdus] speciosus Latham, 1790 Index ornithologicus, sive systema ornithologiæ; complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates: adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c. Vol. I p.363 (Darjeeling)
      Taxonomy: Includes elegans Horsfield 1840 from the neighbourhood of Sadiya, E Assam.
      Distribution: Himachal, Uttarakhand, N Uttar Pradesh, N Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Arunachal.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
    • 636c. Pericrocotus speciosus fraterculus Swinhoe, 1870 [HB#1082]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus fraterculus Swinhoe, 1870 Ibis (2) 6 (22) p.244
      Distribution: Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura as well as adjoining Assam.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, USNM, YPM
    • 636d. Pericrocotus speciosus semiruber Whistler & Kinnear, 1933 [HB#1083]
      Original Description: Pericrocotus speciosus semiruber Whistler & Kinnear, 1933 Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 36 p.340 (Sankrametta, Vizagapatam)
      Distribution: S W Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, E Madhya Pradesh, NE Maharashtra, and NE Andhra till about Nallamala in CE Ghats.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1932.6.1.2 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, MCZ, BNHM
  
  
  • 637. Ashy Minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus (Raffles, 1822) [HB#1089a]
    Original Description: Lanius divaricatus Raffles, 1822 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1), 13 p.305
    Distribution: Winter: Andaman & Nicobar Is, Chennai region, sporadically elsewhere in S, E and NE India till about Mumbai region in W India.
    Specimens: BNHS
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Notes: Range compounded by the presence of Swinhoe's Minivet.
  
  
  • 638. Brown-rumped Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis Swinhoe, 1861
    Original Description: Pericrocotus cantonensis Swinhoe, 1861 Ibis p.42
    Alternative Names: Swinhoe's Minivet
    Distribution: Winter: Reported across the country from Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu. and Andaman Is.
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Notes: See Rajguru & Ukil (2016, IB 11 (4): 103), Sridharan et al. (2016, IB 12 (2&3): 70), Theba et al. (2018, IB 14 (5): 147).
  
  
  • 639. Rosy Minivet Pericrocotus roseus (Vieillot, 1818) [HB#1089]
    Original Description: Muscicapa rosea Vieillot, 1818 Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc. Nouvelle édition 21 p.486 (Bengal)
    Distribution: Breeding: Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, N Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal, and all NE hill states; disjunctly in NE Ghats of Odisha and NE Andhra. Non-breeding: Spreads to foothills in NE India and E peninsula, sporadically in the peninsula from Delhi region, Madhya Pradesh, Surat Dangs and Mumbai region, Goa, and NW Karnataka.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, BNHM
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
  
  
• Coracina Vieillot, 1816 Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire p.37 Choucari Buffon ; Type by subsequent designation (Cabanis, 1851, Museum Heineanum. Verzeichniss der orithologischen Sammlung des Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine, 1, p.62) = Corvus papuensis Gmelin, 1788
  • 640. Indian Cuckooshrike Coracina macei (Lesson, 1831)
    Alternative Names: Large Cuckooshrike (with C. javensis)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 640a. Coracina macei macei (Lesson, 1831) [HB#1072]
      Original Description: Graucalus Macei Lesson, 1831 Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique des ordres, sous-ordres, familles, tribus, genres, sous-genres et races d'oiseaux livr.5 p.349 (Kolkata)
      Taxonomy: Until recently, considered as a subspecies of Large Cuckooshrike C. nipalensis group.
      Distribution: Throughout India from about Delhi region south through the Gangetic plains roughly south of Ganga river till W Bengal, E Rajasthan, Gujarat excluding Kachchh, C India, W Ghats, E Ghats, and associated hillocks, locally in Deccan.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM, MYS, HYD
  
  
  • 641. Oriental Cuckooshrike Coracina javensis (Horsfield, 1821)
    Original Description: Ceblephyris Javensis Horsfield, 1821 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1), 13, p.145
    Taxonomy: In taxonomies where Javan Cuckooshrike C. javensis is split from its sister taxa of Contiental Asia, the specific name of this taxon shall be nipalensis.
    Alternative Names: [Large Cuckooshrike, Javan Cuckooshrike]
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 641a. Coracina javensis nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) [HB#1073]
      Original Description: Graucalus nipalensis Hodgson, 1836 The India Review and Journal of Foreign Science and the Arts 1 p.327-328
      Taxonomy: Includes lushaiensis Koelz 1954 from Sangau, Mizoram but subspecies assignment of Mizoram (and Manipur) birds tentative, as suggested in RA2012; affinity to extralimital siamensis Baker 1918 to be investigated.
      Distribution: Along the Himalayan foothills from Jammu, through Himachal, Uttarakhand, terai region of N Uttar Pradesh and N Bihar, N Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal, and all NE hill states extending backwards to Sundarbans.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, ROM, USNM, YPM, LKO, BNHM
    • 641b. Coracina javensis andamana (Neumann, 1915) [HB#1075]
      Original Description: Graucalus macei andamanus Neumann, 1915 Ornithologische Monatsberichte 23 p.181 (Andaman Is)
      Taxonomy: Includes andamanensis Whistler 1940 from S Andamans.
      Distribution: N, Middle, S, and Little Andaman Is as well as the islets of Interview, Long, Outram, Havelock, Neil, Tarmugli, Red Skin, and Rutland Is.
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, ROM, USNM
  
  
  • 642. Andaman Cuckooshrike Coracina dobsoni (Ball, 1872) [HB#1076]
    Original Description: Graucalus Dobsoni Ball, 1872 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol. 41, Part 2, N° 4 p.281 (Port Blair, S Andaman Is.)
    Alternative Names: Barred Cuckooshrike/Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike (with C. striata)
    Distribution: N, Middle, S and Little Andaman Is. as well as islets of Interview, Havelock, and Neil Is.
    Type Specimen: ZSI#35389 (Syntype).
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Endemic: Andaman & Nicobar Is.
  
  
• Lalage Boie, 1826 Isis 18,19 col.973 Turdus orientalis Gmelin, 1788; Type by monotypy = Turdus niger Forster, 1781
  • 643. Pied Triller Lalage nigra (Pennant, 1781)
    Original Description: Turdus niger Pennant, 1781 Indische Zoologie oder systematischer Beschreibungen seltener und unbekannter Thiere aus Indien (etc.) p.41
    Taxonomy: Species authority field attributed to Thomas Pennant rather than Johann Reinhold Foster (contra H&M4); the former being the author of the chapter on zoology.
    Alternative Names: Pied Cuckooshrike
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 643a. Lalage nigra davisoni Kloss, 1926 [HB#1079a]
      Original Description: Lalage nigra davisoni Kloss, 1926 Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 4 p.159 (Nicobar Is)
      Taxonomy: Nomenclature complicated. Both historical names Campephaga terat and Turdus niger Foster 1781 for this population are invalid. Baker (1923, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 44: 12) restricted the type locality to the nominate subspecies to Nicobars only to be over-ruled by Kloss (1926, Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 4 (1): 158) who moved it to Singapore and gave a new name for the birds of Kamorta, Nicobars.
      Distribution: C Nicobar Is. – Teresa, Trinket, Nancowry, Kamorta, and Katchal Is.
      Specimens: BNHS
      Notes: Sight report from Little Andaman Is. likely to be correct, but not evaluated here – old Andaman specimens were misidentified Ashy Minivet P. divaricatus (RA2012).
  
  
  • 644. Black-winged Cuckooshrike Lalage melaschistos (Hodgson, 1836)
    Alternative Names: Dark Grey Cuckooshrike
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 644a. Lalage melaschistos melaschistos (Hodgson, 1836) [HB#1077]
      Original Description: Volvocivora melaschistos Hodgson, 1836 The India Review and Journal of Foreign Science and the Arts 1 p.328
      Taxonomy: Birds of E Arunachal and NE hill states show consistent plumage variations (RA2012); more study needed to see if a subspecies status is warranted.
      Distribution: Breeding: Jammu (sporadic), Himachal, Uttarakhand, N Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, Assam, and all NE hill states. Non-breeding: Extends to adjacent plains and C Indian highlands, S W Bengal, Chota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand, N Odisha, NE Ghats of Odisha, NE Andhra, and Chhattisgarh, sporadically further south and east reaching E Gujarat, Telangana, Goa, as far south as Bengaluru (SE Karnataka) and Chennai (NE Tamil Nadu). Once to Little Andaman Is.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, YPM, LKO
  
  
  • 645. Black-headed Cuckooshrike Lalage melanoptera (Rüppell, 1839)
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 645a. Lalage melanoptera melanoptera (Rüppell, 1839) [HB#1078]
      Original Description: Ceblepyris melanoptera Rüppell, 1839 Museum Senckenbergianum: Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der beschreibenden Naturgeschichte 3 p.25 pl.2 fig.1 (Bhadwar, Himachal)
      Taxonomy: Localised subspecies; Jammu birds assumed to belong to this subspecies. Includes eximia Van Tyne & Koelz 1936 from Bhadwar, Kangra, Himachal.
      Distribution: Jammu, S Himachal and adjoining Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand.
      Type Specimen: SMF#139295 (Holotype).
      Specimens: NHMUK, SMF, USNM
      Notes: Exact southeastern limits of this subspecies unknown; tentatively assumed to intergrade with sykesi in Uttarakhand.
    • 645b. Lalage melanoptera sykesi Strickland, 1844 [HB#1079]
      Original Description: Lalage Sykesi Strickland, 1844 The Annals and Magazine of Natural History including Zoology, Botany, and Geology Vol. XIII, N° 81 p.36 (in text) (Deccan [=Dukhun])
      Distribution: Throughout the subcontinent – from about Delhi region, E Rajasthan, Gujarat, Gangetic plains, C India, W Bengal (incl. N Bengal), Tripura, entire southern peninsula including Ghats, and Deccan.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1880.1.1.2807 (Syntype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, RBINS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM, TNHM, MYS, HYD
      Notes: Presence in NE India (AR2001), except Tripura, required confirmation.