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GENERAL
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OTHER WILD BIRDS
Wild birds present a better variety than wild animals. The reason for this probably is the availability of a variety of habitats for their stay and nestling, right from creeks to hill-tops. They have also suffered less at the hands of poachers and forest dwellers. It is not so easy to shoot and hunt small birds perched on trees as to shoot deer and rabbit, or even game birds like Jungle fowl.
Since observations on the relative abundance or paucity of the various wild birds (other than game birds) are not complete, it will suffice if a list of some of the conspicuous or more important birds found in the district is given for the present. These are as follows:-
Raptores.
Vultures.
Black Vultures (Otogyps Calvus), long-billed brown vultures (Gyps indicus), and white scavenger vultures (Neophron singi- nianus). Of the above, the latter is the commonest.
Falcons.
These are" of three or four species, the Shahin (Falco perigrinator), the Laggar (Falco jugger), the Red-headed Merlin (Falco chiquera) and the Kestrel (Cerchneis tinnunculus).
Hawks.
Shikra (Astur Badius) and Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus).
Eagles.
Fawny Eagle (Aguila vindhiana), the Black Eagle (Neopus malaiensis) and the Crestless Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus bonelli) called morghar and the crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela).
Buzzards.
Long-legged Buzzard (Butes jarox), White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur ieesa) and the Pale Harrier (Circus macrurus).
Kites.
Brahmani Kite (Haliastur indus), Common Pariah Kite (Milvus govinda).
Owls.
Brown Wood Owl (Syrnium indrani), the Indian Screech Owl
(Strix javanica), the Grass Owl (Strix Candida), Rock-horned Owl (Bubo bengalensis), Spotted Owl (Carine Brama).
Insessores.
Swallons, Martins, Swifts, Kingfshers, etc..
Many of the birds of these categories are common. There are
Jungle Night Jar (Caprimulgus indicus), Common Indian Night Jar (Caprimulgus asiaticus), Indian Bee-eater (Merops viridis), and
Indian Roller (Coracias Indica), Brown-headed Kingfisher (Pelar-gopsis gurial), the White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon Smyrneu-sis), the Three-toed (ceyx tridactyla), the common Indian Kingfisher (Alcedo bengalensis), the Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), and the Great Hornbill (Dichoros cavatus).
Scansores.
Parrots..
Rose-ringed Parrot (Palasornis torquatus), the Rose-headed (P.
purbureus), the Blue-winged (Pal eornis columboides).
Woodpeckers.
The Yello-fronted Woodpecker (Picus marathensis), the Black- backed (Chrysocolaptes fostivus).
Barbets.
The Copper-smith bird (Xantholcema hsemacephala), the Malabar Green Barbet (Megatxma inornata), and the small Green Bar-bet (Megalsema viridis).
Cuculide
The Indian Koel (Eudynamys honorata).
The Coucal or Crow-pheasant (Centrococcyx rufipennis).
Honey suckers.
The Violet-eared Red Honey-sucker (Aethopyga vigorsii), the Pur- pie Honey-sucker (Cinnyris asialica) are common.
Cemitores.
Pigeons and doves are numerous. The, Southern Green Pigeon (Crocopus Chlorigaster) and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (Palumbus elephinstonii) are frequently spotted out. The Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba intermedia) is common.
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