Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Passeriformes (Perching Birds)

Locustellidae (Locustella warblers and allies)

• Helopsaltes Alström, Cibois, Irestedt, Zuccon, Gelang, Fjeldså, Andersen, Moyle, Pasquet, & Olsson, 2018 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 127 p. 374 Motacilla Certhiola Pallas, 1811; Type by original designation
  • 792. Rusty-rumped Warbler Helopsaltes certhiola (Pallas, 1811)
    Original Description: Motacilla Certhiola Pallas, 1811 Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica, sistens omnium animalium in extenso Imperio Rossico (etc.) 1 p.509
    Alternative Names: Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • [Helopsaltes certhiola sparsimstriatus (Meise, 1934) ]
      Original Description: Locustella certhiola sparsimstriata Meise, 1934 Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlichen Zoologischen und Anthropologisch-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden 18 (2) p.39
      Distribution: Winter: S India.
      Notes: May occur (RA2012) but winter range not established (Kennerley & Pearson 2010, Reed and Bush Warblers p. 245). On range, some birds wintering in S India could be from this population.
    • [Helopsaltes certhiola centralasiae (Sushkin, 1925) [HB#1542]]
      Original Description: Locustella certhiola centralasiae Sushkin, 1925 Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 38 p.46
      Distribution: Winter: Andaman & Nicobar Is.
      Notes: AR2001 lists Andaman & Nicobar Is specimens as this subspecies. RA2012 did not definitely include this subspecies for our region. Abbott's Kamorta specimen (USNM 178748) listed as minor David & Oustalet 1877, was probably centralasiae.
    • 792a. Helopsaltes certhiola rubescens (Blyth, 1845) [HB#1543]
      Original Description: Locustella rubescens Blyth, 1845 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol. 14, Part 2, N° 164 p.582 (Neighbourhood of Kolkata)
      Taxonomy: ZSI#18813 from Kolkata is also listed as a 'type'.
      Distribution: Winter: W Bengal, Assam, Manipur valley, Andaman & Nicobar Is. Also, in southern peninsular India mostly along the SW coast but sporadically in Deccan and in SE coast. Straggler further west into the Gangetic plains.
      Type Specimen: ZSI#35506 (Holotype).
      Specimens: ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ
  
  
• Locustella Kaup, 1829 Skizzirte Entwickelungs-Geschichte und natürliches System der Europäischen Thierwelt (etc.) p.115 Sylvia locustella Latham, 1790; Type by tautonymy = Motacilla naevia Boddaert, 1783
  • 793. Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata (Temminck, 1840) [HB#1544]
    Original Description: Sylvia lanceolata Temminck, 1840 Manuel d'ornithologie, ou tableau systématique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe (etc.) ed.2, part 4 p.614
    Alternative Names: Streaked Grasshopper Warbler
    Distribution: Winter: Andaman & Nicobar Is, locally in the states of E India, from Assam, S W Bengal, and Odisha with historical records from Uttar Pradesh. Vagrant to Gujarat.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
  
  
  • 794. Brown Bush Warbler Locustella luteoventris (Hodgson, 1845) [HB#1493]
    Original Description: Tribura luteoventris Hodgson, 1845 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Part 13, no.146 p.30
    Alternative Names: Brown Grasshopper Warbler
    Distribution: N Bengal, W Arunachal, E Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Mizoram.
    Specimens: BNHS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    Notes: Breeding sites limited but not completely worked out.
  
  
  • 795. Chinese Bush Warbler Locustella tacsanowskia Swinhoe, 1871 [HB#1492]
    Original Description: Locustella tacsanowskia Swinhoe, 1871 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Part 2 p.355
    Alternative Names: Chinese Grasshopper Warbler
    Distribution: Winter: Lowland Assam, adjoining N Bengal, and Meghalaya (last two historical).
    Specimens: UMMZ, YPM
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    Notes: See Gogoi et al. (2024, IB 20 (2): 55)
  
  
  • 796. Long-billed Bush Warbler Locustella major (Brooks, 1871)
    Alternative Names: Large-billed Bush Warbler, Long-billed Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 796a. Locustella major major (Brooks, 1871) [HB#1491]
      Original Description: Dumeticola major Brooks, 1871 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 9 p.210 (Kashmir)
      Distribution: Summer: Gilgit, Baltistan, N Kashmir, and W Ladakh (Kargil district).
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1886.7.8.1849 (Syntype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, USNM
      Notes: Wintering range unknown.
  
  
  • 797. Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia (Boddaert, 1783)
    Original Description: Motacilla naevia Boddaert, 1783 Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton p.35
    Alternative Names: Common Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 797a. Locustella naevia straminea Seebohm, 1881 [HB#1545]
      Original Description: Locustella straminea Seebohm, 1881 Catalogue of the birds in the British Museum 22 p.109, p.117-118 (Etawah, Uttar Pradesh)
      Distribution: Winter: Gujarat, W Ghats, C Indian highlands, SE Ghats, S W Bengal, and in passage across N India.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1898.9.1.1372 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH
    • [Locustella naevia mongolica Sushkin, 1925 ]
      Original Description: Locustella naevia mongolica Sushkin, 1925 Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 38 p.48
      Taxonomy: Subspecies not always recognised and treated as a junior synonym of straminea (Stepanyan 2003, Conspectus of the ornithological fauna of the USSR; Kennerley & Pearson 2010, Reed and Bush Warblers p. 232; see IOC, Avilist).
      Distribution: N India.
      Notes: It breeds in E Kazakhstan, W China and W Mongolia and hence may occur in our region.
  
  
  • 798. Baikal Bush Warbler Locustella davidi (La Touche, 1923)
    Original Description: Tribura thoracica davidi La Touche, 1923 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 43 p.168
    Alternative Names: David's Bush Warbler, Baikal Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 798a. Locustella davidi suschkini (Stegmann, 1929)
      Original Description: Dumeticola thoracica suschkini Stegmann, 1929 Journal für Ornithologie 77 p.249
      Distribution: Winter: W Bengal, Brahmaputra plains of Assam and adjoining Arunachal as well as Manipur valley.
      Notes: See Eaton & Das (2014, IB 9 (3): 80). Subspecies presumed on range; however, identification with respect to Spotted Bush Warbler can be done safely only by song. Identification of the old specimen in NHMUK#1949.Whi.1.13132 is debated (see RA2012) though Round & Loskot (1994) accepted it as L. davidi.
  
  
  • 799. Spotted Bush Warbler Locustella thoracica (Blyth, 1845)
    Taxonomy: Sometimes treated as monotypic (Alström et al. 2008, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154 (2): 303; see IOC, Avilist).
    Alternative Names: Spotted Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 799a. Locustella thoracica thoracica (Blyth, 1845) [HB#1490]
      Original Description: D[umeticola]. thoracica Blyth, 1845 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 14 p.584
      Distribution: Winter: S W Bengal, Brahmaputra plains of Assam and adjoining Arunachal; also reported from Nagaland, Manipur, and Tripura.
      Specimens: BNHS, ROM
  
  
  • 800. West Himalayan Bush Warbler Locustella kashmirensis (Sushkin, 1925) [HB#1489]
    Original Description: Dumeticola thoracica kashmirensis Sushkin, 1925 Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 38 p.42 (Northwestern Himalaya)
    Alternative Names: Kashmir Bush Warbler, Himalayan Grasshopper Warbler
    Distribution: Breeding: NW Himachal, Uttarakhand. Non-breeding: Lower down in Uttarakhand as well as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and further east in S W Bengal as well as Assam.
    Type Specimen: NHMUK#1876.2.12 (Holotype).
    Specimens: NHMUK, UMMZ
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-I.
    Endemic: Western Himalaya.
    Notes: Kashmir specimens (RA2012) not investigated. See Thrikkadeeri et al. 2024, IB 20 (3): 70).
  
  
  • 801. Russet Bush Warbler Locustella mandelli (Brooks, 1875)
    Alternative Names: Russet Grasshopper Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 801a. Locustella mandelli mandelli (Brooks, 1875)
      Original Description: Dumeticola mandelli Brooks, 1875 Stray Feathers 3 no.4 p.284 (Sikkim)
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, E Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1886.7.8.1909 (Syntype).
      Specimens: NHMUK, UMMZ
      Notes: Based on Alström et al. (2015, Avian Research 6 (9): 1), who examined and sequenced the UMMZ specimens.
  
  
• Schoenicola Blyth, 1844 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 13 p.374 Thimalia platyura Jerdon, 1841; Type by monotypy
  • 802. Bristled Grassbird Schoenicola striatus (Jerdon, 1841) [HB#1547]
    Original Description: Megalurus? striatus Jerdon, 1841 Catalogue of the birds of the Peninsula of India arranged according to the modern system of classification; with brief notes on their habits and geographical distribution, and descriptions of new, doubtful and imperfectly described species (Supplement) p.88 (Nilgiris)
    Taxonomy: Has priority over locustelloides Blyth 1842 with type locality as Kolkata.
    Alternative Names: Bristled Grass Warbler
    Distribution: Breeding: Locally along the Indo-Gangetic and Brahmaputra plains as well as E Rajasthan, Gujarat and S W Bengal. Non-breeding: Widely, but very locally in the Indian subcontinent till the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
    Type Specimen: NHMUK#1845.1.10.24 (Syntype).
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH
    IUCN: Vulnerable. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I.
  
  
  • 803. Broad-tailed Grassbird Schoenicola platyurus (Jerdon, 1841) [HB#1546]
    Original Description: Thimalia platyura Jerdon, 1841 Madras Journal of Literature and Science 13(1) p.170 (Gudalur, foot of the Nilgiris)
    Taxonomy: Plumage differences between northern and southern populations of the species (RA2012) probably related to individual, sexual or seasonal variations (Sant et al. 2019, IB 14 (6): 177).
    Alternative Names: Broad-tailed Grass Warbler
    Distribution: W Ghats and adjoining transition zone of the Deccan. Locally in NW Ghats of Nashik, Pune region, Belagavi but more contiguous from SW Karnataka till southern tip of SW Ghats in Kanyakumari district (Tamil Nadu). Isolated records from NE Ghats of Andhra, Chengalpattu and Point Calimere (both Tamil Nadu) indicate some movements.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, YPM, TNHM
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I.
    Endemic: Western Ghats.
  
  
• Megalurus Horsfield, 1821 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1) 13 p.158 Megalurus palustris Horsfield, 1821; Type by monotypy
  • 804. Striated Grassbird Megalurus palustris Horsfield, 1821
    Original Description: Megalurus palustris Horsfield, 1821 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1), 13 p.159
    Alternative Names: Striated Marsh Warbler
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 804a. Megalurus palustris toklao (Blyth, 1843) [HB#1548]
      Original Description: Turdus toklao Blyth, 1843 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol. 12, Part 1, N° 134 p.179* [=185] (in text) (Kolkata Bazaar)
      Distribution: Indo-Gangetic plains from Jammu, SW Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, S Uttarakhand, Delhi region, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, W Bengal, Assam, adjoining Arunachal, and all NE hill states. Also, locally in C India – from E Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, N Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, ROM, USNM, YPM, BNHM