Wildlife of Ladakh - Birds

Birds

Many species of finches, robins, redstarts (like the Black Redstart) and the Hoopoe are common in summer. The Brown-headed Gull is seen in summer on the river Indus, and on some lakes of the Changthang. Resident water-birds include the Brahminy duck also known as the Ruddy Sheldrake, and the Bar-headed Goose (Ladakhi: ngangpa). The Black-necked Crane (trhung-trhung) is a rare species found scattered in the Tibetan plateau, and is also found nesting in summer in parts of Ladakh. Other birds include the Raven, Red-billed Chough (chungka), Tibetan Snowcock and Chukar (a partridge, srakpa). The Lammergeier and the Golden Eagle are common raptors here.

A list of the bird species recorded is as follows:

• Snow Partridge (Lerwa lerwa)
• Tibetan Snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus)
• Himalayan Snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis)
• Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar)
• Tibetan Partridge (Perdix hodgsoniae)
• Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)
• Rain Quail (Coturnix coromandelica)
• Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
• Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus)
• Brahminy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
• Gadwall (Anas strepera)
• Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
• Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
• Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata)
• Garganey (Anas querquedula)
• Common Teal (Anas crecca)
• Red-crested Pochard (Rhodonessa rufina)
• Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
• Ferruginous Pochard (Aythya nyroca)
• Tufted Pochard (Aythya fuligula)
• Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
• Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
• Large Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker (Picus squamatus)
• Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
• European Roller (Coracias garrulus)
• Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
• Small Blue Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
• Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)
• European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
• Pied Crested Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
• Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
• Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
• Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)
• Common Swift (Apus apus)
• Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus)
• House Swift (Apus affinis)
• Pallid Scops Owl (Otus brucei)
• Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo)
• Little Owl (Athene noctua)
• Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
• Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
• European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
• Blue Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
• Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris)
• Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota)
• Eastern Stock Pigeon (Columba eversmanni)
• European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
• Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
• Little Brown Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
• Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
• Red Collared Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
• Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
• Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus)
• Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo)
• Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)
• Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
• Corn Crake (Crex crex)
• Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla)
• Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)
• Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
• Common Coot (Fulica atra)
• Tibetan Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes tibetanus)
• Solitary Snipe (Gallinago solitaria)
• Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura)
• Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
• Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
• Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
• Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
• Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
• Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
• Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
• Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
• Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
• Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)
• Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
• Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
• Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii)
• Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
• Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
• Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
• Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
• Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
• Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
• Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii)
• Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
• Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
• Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
• Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
• Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
• Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
• Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
• Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus)
• Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
• Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)
• Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
• Pallas's Gull (Larus ichthyaetus)
• Brown-headed Gull (Larus brunnicephalus)
• Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
• Little Gull (Larus minutus)
• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
• Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
• Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
• Little Tern (Sterna albifrons)
• Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
• White-winged Black Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
• Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
• Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus)
• Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
• Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
• Pallas's Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
• Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)
• Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
• Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
• Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
• Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
• Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
• Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
• Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)
• Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus)
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
• Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
• Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
• Upland Buzzard (Buteo hemilasius)
• Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina)
• Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
• Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
• Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
• Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
• Merlin (Falco columbarius)
• Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)
• Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug)
• Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
• Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
• Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
• Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
• Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
• Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
• Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
• Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach)
• Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
• Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica)
• Hume's Groundpecker (Pseudopodoces humilis)
• Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
• Yellow-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
• Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
• Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
• Common Raven (Corvus corax)
• Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
• White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
• Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii)
• Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
• Blue Whistling Thrush (Myiophonus caeruleus)
• Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
• Dark-throated Thrush (Turdus ruficollis)
• Dusky Thrush (Turdus naumanni)
• Sooty Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica)
• Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
• Rusty-tailed Flycatcher (Muscicapa ruficauda)
• Red-throated Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
• Himalayan Rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis)
• Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
• Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas galactotes)
• Eversmann's Redstart (Phoenicurus erythronotus)
• Blue-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus)
• Guldenstadt's Redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogaster)
• Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
• White-capped Redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
• Little Forktail (Enicurus scouleri)
• Hume's Wheatear (Oenanthe alboniger)
• Variable Wheatear (Oenanthe picata)
• Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)
• Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
• Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
• Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum)
• Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus)
• Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
• Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)
• Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
• Eurasian Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)
• Fire-capped Tit (Cephalopyrus flammiceps)
• Simla Crested Tit (Parus rufonuchalis)
• Great Tit (Parus major)
• Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
• Yellow-browed Tit (Sylviparus modestus)
• Plain Martin (Riparia paludicola)
• Eurasian Crag Martin (Hirundo rupestris)
• Common Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
• Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
• Northern House Martin (Delichon urbica)
• Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
• Stoliczka's Tit-Warbler (Leptopoecile sophiae)
• Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
• Mountain Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus sindianus)
• Plain Leaf-Warbler (Phylloscopus neglectus)
• Tickell's Leaf-Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis)
• Greenish Leaf-Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
• Large-billed Leaf-Warbler (Phylloscopus magnirostris)
• Tytler's Leaf-Warbler (Phylloscopus tytleri)
• Streaked Laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus)
• Variegated Laughingthrush (Garrulax variegatus)
• Garden Warbler (Sylvia borin)
• Greater Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)
• Eastern Calandra-Lark (Melanocorypha bimaculata)
• Long-billed Calandra-Lark (Melanocorypha maxima)
• Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)
• Hume's Short-toed Lark (Calandrella acutirostris)
• Asian Short-toed Lark (Calandrella cheleensis)
• Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
• House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
• Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)
• Tibetan Snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi)
• Mandelli's Snowfinch (Pyrgilauda taczanowskii)
• Plain-backed Snowfinch (Pyrgilauda blanfordi)
• Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)
• White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
• Large Pied Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)
• Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
• Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
• Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus)
• Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus)
• Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris)
• Altai Accentor (Prunella himalayana)
• Robin Accentor (Prunella rubeculoides)
• Siberian Accentor (Prunella montanella)
• Brown Accentor (Prunella fulvescens)
• Black-throated Accentor (Prunella atrogularis)
• Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
• Fire-fronted Serin (Serinus pusillus)
• Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)
• Eurasian Linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
• Hodgson's Mountain Finch (Leucosticte nemoricola)
• Black-headed Mountain Finch (Leucosticte brandti)
• Black-headed Mountain Finch (Leucosticte brandti)
• Crimson-winged Finch (Rhodopechys sanguinea)
• Mongolian Finch (Bucanetes mongolicus)
• Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
• White-browed Rosefinch (Carpodacus thura)
• Red-mantled Rosefinch (Carpodacus rhodochlamys)
• Streaked Great Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilloides)
• Common Great Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilla)
• Red-fronted Rosefinch (Carpodacus puniceus)
• Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalus)
• Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
• Grey-necked Bunting (Emberiza buchanani)
• Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana)
• Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla)
• Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla)
• Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rutila)
• Red-headed Bunting (Emberiza bruniceps)
• Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)