Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Passeriformes (Perching Birds)

Zosteropidae (White-eyes, Yuhinas and allies)

• Staphida Gould, 1871 The birds of Asia 4, pt. 23 pi. 8. Siva torqueola Swinhoe, 1871; Type, by subsequent designation (Gray, 1871, Hand-list of genera and species of birds, distinguishing those contained in the British Museum, pt. 3, p.173)
  • 934. Striated Yuhina Staphida castaniceps (Moore, 1854)
    Alternative Names: White-browed Yuhina, Chestnut-headed Yuhina
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 934a. Staphida castaniceps rufigenis (Hume, 1877) [HB#1363]
      Original Description: Ixulus rufigenis Hume, 1877 Stray Feathers Vol. 5, N° 2 p.108 (in text) (Darjeeling)
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, W Arunachal including Dafla hills.
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ
      Notes: Eastern limits unclear; AR2001 states it occurs till Subansiri river while the western limits of plumbeiceps starts from Dikrang valley at the base of Dafla hills.
    • 934b. Staphida castaniceps plumbeiceps Godwin-Austen, 1877 [HB#1364]
      Original Description: Staphida plumbeiceps Godwin-Austen, 1877 The Annals and Magazine of Natural History including Zoology, Botany, and Geology ser. 4, vol. XX, N° 120 p.519-520 (Near Sadiya, Assam and Brahmakund, Arunachal)
      Distribution: C and E Arunachal, adjoining Assam and extending towards E and S Nagaland.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1895.7.14.1862 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
    • 934c. Staphida castaniceps castaniceps (Moore, 1854) [HB#1365]
      Original Description: Ixulus castaniceps Moore, 1854 A catalogue of the birds in The Museum of the Hononrable East-India Company 1 p.411 (Cachar, Assam)
      Distribution: Assam south of Brahmaputra, Meghalaya, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1860.4.16.160 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, FMNH, MCZ
  
  
• Yuhina Hodgson, 1836 Asiatic Researches; or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal, for enquiring into the history, the antiquities, the arts and sciences, and literature of Asia 19 p.165 pl.9 fig. Yuhina gularis Hodgson, 1836; Type by original designation
  • 935. Black-chinned Yuhina Yuhina nigrimenta Blyth, 1845 [HB#1374]
    Original Description: Y[uhina]. nigrimenta Blyth, 1845 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 14 p.562
    Taxonomy: Includes titania Koelz 1954 from Karong, Manipur.
    Distribution: Uttarakhand, N Bengal, Arunachal, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
    Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, RBINS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, USNM, YPM, LKO, BNHM
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
  
  
  • 936. Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis Hodgson, 1836
    Alternative Names: Yellow-naped Yuhina
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 936a. Yuhina flavicollis albicollis (Ticehurst & Whistler, 1924) [HB#1367]
      Original Description: Ixulus flavicollis albicollis Ticehurst & Whistler, 1924 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 44 p.71 (Dharamshala, Himachal)
      Distribution: W Himalaya of Kashmir, Jammu, Himachal, adjoining Punjab as well as Haryana, and extending to Uttarakhand.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1924.3.13.2 (Holotype).
      Specimens: NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ
    • 936b. Yuhina flavicollis flavicollis Hodgson, 1836 [HB#1368-1369]
      Original Description: Yuhina? Flavicollis Hodgson, 1836 Asiatic Researches; or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal, for enquiring into the history, the antiquities, the arts and sciences, and literature of Asia 19 p.167
      Taxonomy: Includes baileyi Baker 1914 from Tembang, Dirang valley.
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal till Abor-Miri hills and adjoining Assam.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM, BNHM
    • 936c. Yuhina flavicollis rouxi (Oustalet, 1896) [HB#1370]
      Original Description: Ixulus Rouxi Oustalet, 1896 Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 2 (5) p.186
      Distribution: Arunachal from Mishmi hills through Noa-Dihing valley, Patkai hills including parts of E Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, ROM, USNM, YPM
  
  
  • 937. White-naped Yuhina Yuhina bakeri Rothschild, 1926 [HB#1366]
    Original Description: Yuhina bakeri Rothschild, 1926 Novitates Zoologicae 33 p.276 (Darjeeling)
    Taxonomy: New name for Siva occipitalis Blyth 1844. This nomenclature confusion with Rufous-vented Yuhina Y. occipitalis makes assessment of historical records and specimens difficult. Included here is atrovinacea Koelz 1954.
    Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Cachar, and Manipur (historically).
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    Notes: Many records from Garo and Khasi hills in Meghalaya; hence considered definitive here for the state.
  
  
  • 938. Stripe-throated Yuhina Yuhina gularis Hodgson, 1836
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 938a. Yuhina gularis vivax Koelz, 1954 [HB#1371]
      Original Description: Yuhina gularis vivax Koelz, 1954 Contributions from the Institute for Regional Exploration no.1 p.8 (Above Luni, Tehri, Uttarakhand)
      Distribution: Uttarakhand.
      Type Specimen: UMMZ#147833 (Holotype).
      Specimens: UMMZ, FMNH, ROM, LKO
    • 938b. Yuhina gularis gularis Hodgson, 1836 [HB#1372]
      Original Description: Yuhina Gularis Hodgson, 1836 Asiatic Researches; or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal, for enquiring into the history, the antiquities, the arts and sciences, and literature of Asia 19 p.166
      Distribution: N, Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, Nagaland, Cachar, Manipur, and Mizoram.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM, BNHM
      Notes: Meghalaya records not verified.
  
  
  • 939. Rufous-vented Yuhina Yuhina occipitalis Hodgson, 1836
    Alternative Names: Slaty-headed Yuhina
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 939a. Yuhina occipitalis occipitalis Hodgson, 1836 [HB#1373]
      Original Description: Yuhina Occipitales Hodgson, 1836 Asiatic Researches; or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal, for enquiring into the history, the antiquities, the arts and sciences, and literature of Asia 19 p.166
      Taxonomy: Taxonomic identity of the birds from Nagaland and Manipur not evaluated.
      Distribution: N Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal – but also recently from Nagaland, and Manipur.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, RBINS, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, USNM, YPM
      Notes: Reports from Meghalaya not evaluated.
  
  
• Zosterops Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1) 15 p.234 Motacilla maderaspatana Linnaeus, 1766; Type by subsequent designation (Lesson, 1828, Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Description des genres et des principales espèces d'orseaux, 1, p.286)
  • 940. Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus Swinhoe, 1863
    Original Description: Zosterops erythropleurus Swinhoe, 1863 Ibis p.294, note sP
    Distribution: Vagrant. Reported mostly from Mizoram: Aizawal region,Reiek, Thaltlang, and Murlen, in addition to Mishmi hills (Arunachal).
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-II. CMS: Appendix II.
    Notes: See Lobo et al. (2018, IB 14 (3): 82), Salio et al. (2018, Science Vision 18 (2): 79).
  
  
  • 941. Indian White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus (Temminck, 1824)
    Alternative Names: [Oriental White-eye]
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 941a. Zosterops palpebrosus occidentis Ticehurst, 1927 [HB#1933]
      Original Description: Zosterops palpebrosa occidentis Ticehurst, 1927 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 47 p.88 (Shimla)
      Taxonomy: Intergradation zone with the nominate subspecies not worked out but believed to be the terai region.
      Distribution: W Himalaya from Gilgit, Kashmir, sporadically in Ladakh, through Himachal, and Uttarakhand.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1886.12.1.1613 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, LKO, FTLB
    • 941b. Zosterops palpebrosus palpebrosus (Temminck, 1824) [HB#1933]
      Original Description: Sylvia palpebrosa Temminck, 1824 Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux, pour servir de suite et de complément aux planches enluminées de Buffon livr.49 pl.293 fig.3 sP (Bengal)
      Taxonomy: Lakshadweep birds sometimes (see IOC) suggested to be egregius Madarász 1911, which is otherwise endemic to Sri Lanka. Includes elwesi Baker 1922 from Sikkim, cacharensis Baker 1922 from Gunjong in N Cachar, and amabilis Koelz 1950 from Sasan, Junagadh, Kathiawar, Gujarat.
      Distribution: N India from Punjab, Haryana, through Delhi region, Gangetic plains, W Rajasthan, Gujarat, C India, Bihar, Jharkhand, W Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal, Assam, all NE hill states, south through W Ghats and the transition zone, Deccan plateau, till about Kodagu, northern base of Nilgiris, Mysuru, and Bengaluru region. Also, in several atolls of Lakshadweep Is.
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, USNM, YPM, TNHM, LKO
    • 941c. Zosterops palpebrosus nilgiriensis Ticehurst, 1927 [HB#1935]
      Original Description: Zosterops palpebrosa nilgiriensis Ticehurst, 1927 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 47 p.89 (Coonoor, Tamil Nadu)
      Taxonomy: Includes palniensis Koelz 1939 (four skins in BNHS) here, but probably requires subspecies status based on its larger size and substantial genetic differences (see Robin et al. 2015, Proceedings of the Royal Society B 282 (20150861): 4).
      Distribution: SW Ghats from Kodagu till Agasthyamala hills in S Tamil Nadu; also outcrops like Biligirirangan, Nilgiri, Palani, Varusanadu, Sirumalai, and Alagarkoil hills.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1886.12.1.1690 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, AMNH, FMNH, USNM, YPM, TNHM
      Notes: Sirumalai and Alagarkoil birds included here rather than salimalii based on geographical proximity. Exact eastern limits of this subspecies not analysed.
    • 941d. Zosterops palpebrosus salimalii Whistler, 1933 [HB#1934]
      Original Description: Zosterops palpebrosa salimalii Whistler, 1933 Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 36 p.811 (Farahabad, Telangana)
      Taxonomy: Intergradation points with the nominate subspecies on the west and south edge of its range unresolved.
      Distribution: CE Ghats from Nallamala hills, through Kadapa, Tirumala, to SE Ghats of Koundiya (S Andhra), Jawadhu, Yelagiri, Kalvarayan, Servarayan, and Kolli hills – roughly the E Ghats between the rivers of Godavari and Kaveri.
      Type Specimen: NHMUK#1934.10.13.1 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, NHMUK, USNM, YPM, HYD
    • 941e. Zosterops palpebrosus nicobaricus Blyth, 1845 [HB#1936]
      Original Description: Z[osterops] nicobaricus Blyth, 1845 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol. 14, Part 2, N° 164 p.563 (Nicobar Is)
      Taxonomy: Andaman birds may constitute an undescribed subspecies. Taxonomic affinities of Nicobar birds with palpebrosus vis-a-vis other SE Asian White-eyes, specifically simplex Swinhoe 1861 and auriventer Hume 1878 unresolved.
      Distribution: N, Middle, S, and Little Andaman Is including islets of N Reef, Havelock, Neil, Tarmugli, Boat, and Rutland Is. All three groups of Nicobar – including Car Nicobar Is.; Tillanchong, Teresa, Bompoka, Kamorta, Nancowry, Trinket, and Katchal Is. all in the C Nicobar group; and Great Nicobar Is.
      Type Specimen: USNM#178798 (Holotype).
      Specimens: BNHS, NHMUK, ROM, USNM