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List of birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
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This article lists the species of bird found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 410 species of birds have been sighted on the islands, out of which 28 are endemic to the islands. The state bird of the Andaman and the Nicobar Islands is the Andaman wood pigeon.[1] This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List, version 11.2. This list also uses British English throughout. Any bird names or other wording follows that convention.[2][3][4][5][6]
There are two birdlife zones in the union territory, as defined by Birdlife International -
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fit within any of these categories.[2][7]
- (A) Accidental - also known as a rarity, it refers to a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands - typically less than ten confirmed records
- (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions.
- (E) Endemic - a species which is endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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Undescribed species
In 2012, Rajeshkumar, Rasmussen and Ragunathan described a possibly new species of Rallina crake which they called the Great Nicobar crake.[8] The bird had an entire pale green bill, and orange-red legs, which differed from any known species of bird. However, in 2021, Slaty-legged crakes and Red-legged crakes were found in the Nicobar Islands. This made it possible that the bird was a hybrid. However, neither of the two crakes shared any of the unique features of the Great Nicobar crake.
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Endemic species
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The following is a list of species endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by region:[9]
Species endemic to the Andaman Islands
- Andaman serpent-eagle, Spilornis elgini
- Andaman crake, Rallina canningi
- Andaman scops owl, Otus balli
- Hume's boobook, Ninox obscura
- Andaman barn-owl, Tyto deroepstorffi
- Andaman nightjar, Caprimulgus andamanicus
- Narcondam hornbill, Rhyticeros narcondami
- Andaman woodpecker, Dryocopus hodgei
- Andaman drongo, Dicrurus andamanensis
- Andaman treepie, Dendrocitta bayleyii
- Andaman shama, Copsychus albiventris
- Andaman bulbul, Pycnonotus fuscoflavescens
- Andaman cuckooshrike, Coracina dobsoni
- Andaman flowerpecker, Dicaeum virescens
Species endemic to the Nicobar Islands
- Nicobar imperial-pigeon, Ducula nicobarica
- South Nicobar serpent eagle, Spilornis klossi
- Nicobar sparrowhawk, Accipiter butleri
- Nicobar parakeet, Psittacula caniceps
- Nicobar bulbul, Ixos nicobariensis
- Nicobar jungle flycatcher, Cyornis nicobaricus
- Nicobar scops-owl, Otus alius
- Nicobar megapode, Megapodius nicobariensis (possibly extirpated over Andaman range)
Species endemic to the two island groups
- Andaman woodpigeon, Columba palumboides
- Andaman green pigeon, Treron chloropterus
- Andaman cuckoo-dove, Macropygia rufipennis
- Andaman boobook, Ninox affinis
- White-headed starling, Sturnia erythropygia
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Ducks, geese and swans
Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 15 species which have been recorded on the islands.
Megapodes
Order: Galliformes Family: Megapodiidae
The Megapodiidae are stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet. All but the malleefowl occupy jungle habitats and most have brown or black colouring. There is one species within India, which is endemic to the islands.
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Pheasants and allies
Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae
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The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowl, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings. Seven species have been recorded on the islands.
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Nightjars
Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. Five species have been recorded on the islands.
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Swifts
Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae
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Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. There are 11 species which have been recorded on the islands.
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Cuckoos
Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae
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The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Many are brood parasites. There are 19 species which have been recorded on the islands.
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Pigeons and doves
Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
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Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. 14 species have been recorded on the islands.
Rails, crakes, and coots
Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
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Grebes
Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae
Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. One species, the little grebe is found on the islands.
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Buttonquails
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Order: Charadriiformes Family: Turnicidae
The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young. One species, the yellow-legged buttonquail, is found on the islands.
Stone-curlews and thick-knees
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Burhinidae
Stone-curlews are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats. Two species are found on the islands.
Stilts and avocets
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There is one species, the black-winged stilt, which has been recorded on the islands.
Plovers
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae
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The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. There are 13 species which have been recorded on the islands.
Painted-snipes
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Rostratulidae
Painted-snipes are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured. There is one species which occurs on the islands.
Jacanas
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Jacanidae
The jacanas are a group of tropical waders in the family Jacanidae. They are found throughout the tropics. They are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. There is one species which has been recorded on the islands.
Sandpipers and snipes
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Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae
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Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
Crab-plover
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Dromadidae
The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet and a bill designed for eating crabs.
Coursers and pratincoles
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Glareolidae
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Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards. There are three species which have been recorded on the islands.
Gulls, terns, and skimmers
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Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae
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Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
Skuas
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Stercorariidae
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The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants. There are two species which have been recorded on the islands.
Tropicbirds
Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae
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Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.
Austral storm petrels
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae
The storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Northern storm petrels
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae
The northern storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Petrels, shearwaters, and diving petrels
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary. There are 4 species which have been recorded on the islands.
Storks
Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ciconiidae
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Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.
Frigatebirds
Order: Suliformes Family: Fregatidae
Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black-and-white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.
Gannets and boobies
Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
Anhingas and darters
Order: Suliformes Family: Anhingidae
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Darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged. The males have black and dark-brown plumage, an erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have much paler plumage especially on the neck and underparts. The darters have completely webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body. Their plumage is somewhat permeable, like that of cormorants, and they spread their wings to dry after diving.
Cormorants and shags
Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae
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Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.
Ibises and spoonbills
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
Herons and bitterns
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
Pelicans
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae
Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes. There is one species which is found on the islands.
Osprey
Order: Accipitriformes Family: Pandionidae
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The family Pandionidae contains usually only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with most taxonomic authorities consider a worldwide distribution.
Kites, hawks, and eagles
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Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae
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Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
Barn owls
Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae
Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.
Owls
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae
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The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
Hoopoes
Order: Bucerotiformes Family: Upupidae
Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head. There is one species which occurs on the islands.
Hornbills
Order: Bucerotiformes Family: Bucerotidae
Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible. Frequently, the bill is brightly colored.
Rollers
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Coraciidae
Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected at the base, but the outer toe is not. There are three species (depending on taxonomy followed) which have been recorded on the islands.
Kingfishers
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails. There are 9 species which have been recorded on the islands.
Bee-eaters
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Meropidae
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The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are 4 species which have been recorded on the islands.
Woodpeckers
Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae
Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Caracaras and falcons
Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae
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Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons. There are five species which have been recorded on the islands.
Old World parrots
Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittaculidae
Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.
Pittas
Order: Passeriformes Family: Pittidae
Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many are brightly coloured. They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrates.
Woodswallows, butcherbirds, and peltops
Order: Passeriformes Family: Artamidae
The woodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. They are smooth, agile flyers with moderately large, semi-triangular wings.
Cuckooshrikes
Order: Passeriformes Family: Campephagidae
The cuckooshrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly colored.
Whistlers and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Pachycephalidae
The family Pachycephalidae includes the whistlers, shrikethrushes, and some of the pitohuis. There is one species which occurs on the islands.
Figbirds, orioles, and turnagra
Order: Passeriformes Family: Oriolidae
The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There are four species which have been recorded on the islands.
Drongos
Order: Passeriformes Family: Dicruridae
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The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in color, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground.
Monarchs
Order: Passeriformes Family: Monarchidae
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The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines which hunt by flycatching. There are four species which have been recorded on the islands.
Shrikes
Order: Passeriformes Family: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
Crows and jays
Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae
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The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.
Fairy flycatchers
Order: Passeriformes Family: Stenostiridae
Most of the species of this small family are found in Africa, though a few inhabit tropical Asia. They are not closely related to other birds called "flycatchers".
Tits and chickadees
Order: Passeriformes Family: Paridae
The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects.
Larks
Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
Bulbuls
Order: Passeriformes Family: Pycnonotidae
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Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.
Swallows and martins
Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae
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The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
Cettia bush warblers and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cettiidae
Cettiidae is a family of small insectivorous songbirds. It contains the typical bush warblers (Cettia) and their relatives. Its members occur mainly in Asia and Africa, ranging into Oceania and Europe.
Leaf warblers and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Phylloscopidae
Leaf warblers are a family of small insectivorous birds found mostly in Eurasia and ranging into Wallacea and Africa. The species are of various sizes, often green-plumaged above and yellow below, or more subdued with grayish-green to grayish-brown colors.
Reed warblers, Grauer's warbler, and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Acrocephalidae
The members of this family are usually rather large for "warblers". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.
Grassbirds and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Locustellidae
Locustellidae are a family of small insectivorous songbirds found mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region. They are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and tend to be drab brownish or buffy all over.
Cisticolas and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Cisticolidae
The cisticolas are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.
White-eyes
Order: Passeriformes Family: Zosteropidae
The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests, many species have a white ring around each eye.
Fairy-bluebirds
Order: Passeriformes Family: Irenidae
The fairy-bluebirds are bulbul-like birds of open forest or thorn scrub. The males are dark-blue and the females a duller green. There is one species which occurs on the islands.
Starlings and rhabdornis
Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.
Thrushes
Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae
The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
Chats and Old World flycatchers
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Order: Passeriformes Family: Muscicapidae
Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.
Flowerpeckers
Order: Passeriformes Family: Dicaeidae
The flowerpeckers are very small, stout, often brightly coloured birds, with short tails, short thick curved bills and tubular tongues.
Sunbirds
Order: Passeriformes Family: Nectariniidae
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The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.
Old World sparrows and snowfinches
Order: Passeriformes Family: Passeridae
Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.
Waxbills, munias, and allies
Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae
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The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.
Wagtails and pipits
Order: Passeriformes Family: Motacillidae
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
Finches and euphonias
Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae
Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.
Buntings
Order: Passeriformes Family: Emberizidae
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns.
References
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