Least Concern

Asian Palm Swift

A very small, slender swift with long, narrow, sickle-shaped wings and very long deeply-forked tail, which, when folded, looks thin and pointed; dusky brown above, with paler rump; lighter below, esp. on throat; superficially similar in form and appearance to Crested Treeswift, but smaller, more slender, with darker underparts and browner upperparts; tail correspondingly shorter; Very gregarious; sometimes in mixed parties; mostly associated with palmyra and other palms; nests also in thatched roofs.

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

Small, distinctive cuckoo, with grey head and upper body, and unbarred grey breast and belly; white vent and white-barred undertail coverts; hepatic female and immature similar to Plaintive, but brighter rufous; lack supercilium and barred tail of Banded Bay; lighter barring on crown and nape; cross-barred back,
narrow-barred white underparts; mostly solitary; as with Plaintive, mainly arboreal, keeping to treetops and restlessly changing perches while singing; may descend to ground in pursuit of insects.

Sirkeer Malkoha

Sexes alike. Olivebrown plumage; long, graduated tail, with broad white tips to blackish outer feathers diagnostic in flight; cherryred beak, with yellow tip. Solitary or in pairs; sometimes 4 or 5 birds in the neighbourhood; move mostly on ground, in dense growth; may clamber out on some bush tops or low trees; flight weak and short

Northern Pintail

A slender duck with a pointed tail. Male: greyish above; chocolate-brown head and upper neck; thin white stripe up neck side; bronze-green speculum. Female:
mottled buff-brown; pointed tail lacks longer tailpins; whitish belly. Non-breeding male like female, but mantle greyish. In flight, pointed tail between feet distinctive. Highly gregarious; extremely common on vegetation-covered jheels; males often in separate flocks, especially on arrival in winter grounds; crepuscular and nocturnal; characteristic hissing swish of wings as flock flies over.

Northern Shoveler

Broad, long beak diagnostic. Male: metallic-green head and neck; in flight, dark head, back-centre, rump and uppertail-coverts contrast with white of back and tail; also, dull-blue upperwing-coverts against dark flight feathers; metallic-green speculum and white wing bar; in overhead flight, dark head, thick white neck, dark chestnut belly and flanks. Female: mottled brown, but blue-grey shoulders (wing-coverts) and dull green speculum distinctive. Pairs or small flocks, often amidst other ducks; swims slowly, with the beak held very close to water; sometimes up-ends.

Eurasian Wigeon

Medium-sized, stocky, short-necked duck. Chestnut-brown head, yellow forehead, pinkish grey breast of breeding male distinctive; also, grey upper body, black stern, white forewing. Female and eclipse male have plain grey-brown plumage, though male more russet. Both sexes have pale grey black-tipped bills. In flight, all plumages show white belly, pointed wing, pointed tail, dark specula. Gregarious; often in mixed flocks.

Black-headed Munia

Sexes alike. Black head, throat, breast, belly centre and thighs; rufouschestnut back, deeper chestnut on rump; white upper belly and sides of underbody. The Chestnut Munia L. m. atricapilla of N and NE India has white of lower parts replaced by chestnut. Gregarious, except when breeding, as in other munias; prefers reed beds and cultivation, especially where flooded; during breeding season (rains), often seen along with Streaked Weaver; feeds on ground.

Scaly-breasted Munia

Sexes alike. Chocolate brown above; olivish-yellow, pointed tail; white bars on rump; chestnut sides of face, chin and throat; white below, thickly speckled with very dark brown on breast, flanks and part of belly (speckles may be absent during winter and much of summer). Sociable, moving in flocks of six to several dozen birds, often with other munias and weaver birds; feeds on ground and low bushes, but rests in trees.

Indian Silverbill

Sexes alike. Dullbrown above, with white rump; very dark, almost black wings; pointed tail; pale buffy-white below, with some brown on flanks; thick, grey-blue or slaty beak striking. Gregarious; mostly keeps to scrub in open country; feeds on ground and on standing crops, especially millet; overall a rather ‘dull’ bird, both in colour and demeanour.

Red Avadavat

Breeding male: crimson and brown, spotted white on wings and flanks; white-tipped tail. Female: brown above, spotted on wings; crimson rump; dull white throat; buffy-grey breast, yellow brown below. Non-breeding male: like female, but greyer throat; upper breast distinctive. Small flocks, often with other weavers; partial to tall grass and scrub, preferably around well-watered areas; active and vibrant birds and rather confiding; huge numbers captured for bird markets.

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