Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Otidiformes (Bustards)

Otididae (Bustards)

• Ardeotis Le Maout, 1853 Histoire naturelle des oiseaux suivant la classification de M. Isidore Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire avec l'indication de leurs mœurs et de leurs rapports avec les arts, le commerce et l'agriculture p.340 Otis arabs Linnaeus, 1758; Type by monotypy
  • 96. Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (Vigors, 1831) [HB#354]
    Original Description: Otis nigriceps Vigors, 1831 Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London Part 1 no.3 p.35 (Himalaya)
    Alternative Names: Indian Bustard
    Distribution: Restricted mostly to the Thar desert in W Rajasthan with small numbers in W Gujarat, Maharashtra, SC Andhra, and N Karnataka. Historically most of W and C India, east till Sambalpur (Odisha) and south till Aruppukottai (Virudhnagar, Tamil Nadu).
    Specimens: BNHS, AMNH, FMNH, YPM
    IUCN: Critically Endangered. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I. CITES: Appendix I. CMS: Appendix I.
  
  
• Chlamydotis Lesson, 1839 Revue Zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 2 p.47 Otis houbara Desfontaines, 1787; Type by monotypy = Psophia undulata von Jacquin, 1784
  • 97. Asian Houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii (Gray, 1832) [HB#355]
    Original Description: Otis Macqueenii Gray, 1832 Illustrations of Indian zoology; chiefly selected from the collection of Major-General Hardwicke, F. R. S. 2 pt12 pl.47 (Himalaya)
    Alternative Names: Macqueen's Bustard, Houbara Bustard (with C. undulata sensu stricto EL)
    Distribution: Non-breeding: W Rajasthan and W Gujarat, with stragglers from elsewhere including Kashmir, Delhi (historical), and Kerala.
    Type Specimen: NHMUK#Old Vellum Cat.37.12a (Holotype).
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, YPM
    IUCN: Vulnerable. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I. CITES: Appendix I. CMS: Appendix II.
  
  
• Houbaropsis Sharpe, 1893 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 1 p.50 Otis bengalensis Gmelin, 1789; Type by original designation
  • 98. Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789)
    IUCN: Critically Endangered. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I. CITES: Appendix I. CMS: Appendix I.
    • 98a. Houbaropsis bengalensis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789) [HB#356]
      Original Description: Otis bengalensis Gmelin, 1789 Systema Naturae. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Cura Jo. Frid. Gmelin (etc.). Tomus I. Pars II 1 pt2 p.724 (Bengal)
      Distribution: W Uttar Pradesh, N Bengal, and the flood plains of Brahmaputra in Assam and adjoining SE Arunachal. Historically more widespread in the duars of Indo-Gangetic, from Uttarakhand through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, W Bengal through Assam and Arunachal in the Brahmaputra plains, apart from reports in N Garo foothills.
      Specimens: UMMZ, FMNH, YPM
  
  
• Sypheotides Lesson, 1839 Revue Zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 2 p.47 Otis aurita Latham, 1790; Type by subsequent designation (Gray, 1840, A list of the genera of birds, with an indication of the typical species of each genus, p.64) = Otis indica Miller, 1782
  • 99. Lesser Florican Sypheotides indicus (Miller, 1782) [HB#357]
    Original Description: Otis indica Miller, 1782 Icones Animalium: Various subjects of natural history, wherein are delineated birds, animals and many curious plants, with the parts of fructification of each plant, all of which are drawn and coloured from nature pt6 pl.33 (India)
    Alternative Names: Leekh, Likh
    Distribution: Breeding: Patchily in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, SC Andhra, and N Karnataka. Non-breeding: More widespread, not well known but some reaching even Kerala. Historically all throughout the W and C peninsular India, till Bihar, N Bengal, and Odisha in the east and Tamil Nadu in the south.
    Specimens: BNHS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, TNHM, LKO
    IUCN: Critically Endangered. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I. CITES: Appendix II.
  
  
• Tetrax Forster, 1817 A synoptical catalogue of British birds; intended to identify the species mentioned by different names in several catalogues already extant p.20 Otis tetrax Linnaeus, 1758; Type by tautonymy (Gray, 1840, A list of the genera of birds, with an indication of the typical species of each genus, p.56)
  • 100. Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax (Linnaeus, 1758) [HB#353]
    Original Description: Otis Tetrax Linnaeus, 1758 Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata 1 p.154
    Distribution: Vagrant. No recent records. Historical records from Gilgit as well as Hujan, Hokersar, Wular, Haigam (all in Jammu & Kashmir), Gurdaspur (Punjab), and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
    Specimens: BNHS
    IUCN: Near Threatened. WLPA: Schedule-I. CITES: Appendix II. CMS: Appendix I.
    Notes: An unsexed bird collected from Kashmir in BNHS (#22843).