A checklist of the Birds of Goa, India

This checklist is currently under construction and will appear here in its entirety shortly - we do apologise for any inconvenience. 

   Key to symbols used throughout this checklist:
 1  very common
 2  common
 3  fairly common
 4  uncommon
 5  rare
 r  resident: possibly subject to some local seasonal movements
 '  localised or patchily distributed
 w  winter visitor
 p  passage migrant (passes through Goa in Spring and/or Autumn
 v  vagrant or rare visitor, including those species recorded only once in Goa
 ?  some uncertainty exists regarding occurence in Goa and/or status
 e  endemic to the Western Ghats in India
 **  endemic to India
 *  endemic to the Indian Subcontinent
 (*)  near-endemic - i.e. most of the species' range falls within the Indian subcontinent
 __  species of conservation concern (globally threatened or near-threatened)
 B  recorded in/around Backwoods Camp 
   [adapted from Kazmierczak, K. & Singh, R. 1998. A Birdwatcher's Guide to India. Prion Ltd., Sandy.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example, 5wv indicates that Black Baza is a rare vagrant to Goa in winter, whereas 1r'e indicates that Malabar Grey Hornbill is a species endemic to the Western Ghats that, although distributed unevenly throughout Goa, is very common in those places it occurs.

Names and order of species follow Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. 2005. Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona.  Where common or latin names used in Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. 1999. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, New Delhi are significantly different, corresponding names are shown in brackets [ ].

 3r     Little Grebe   Tachybaptus ruficollis 
 2r    Indian Shag [Indian Cormorant]  Phalacrocorac fuscicollis
 3r    Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax carbo
 2r  B  Little Cormorant  Phalacrocorax niger
 3r    Oriental Darter  Anhinga melanogaster
 2r    Western Reef-heron [Western Reef Egret]  Egretta gularis
 2r  B  Little Egret  Egretta garzetta
 3r    Great Egret  Egretta alba
 3r  B  Intermediate Egret  Egretta intermedia
 1r  B  Eastern Cattle Egret [Cattle Egret]  Bubulcus coromandus [Bubulcus ibis]
 3r    Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea
 2r    Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea
 1r  B  Indian Pond-heron  Ardeola grayii
 5r'  B  Malayan Night-heron  Gorsachius melanolophus
 4r    Black-crowned Night-heron  Nycticorax nycticorax
 3r  B  Striated Heron [Little Heron]  Butorides striatus
 5r'    Black Bittern  Dupetor flavicollis
 4r'    Chestnut Bittern [Cinnamon Bittern]  Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
 4r'    Yellow Bittern  Ixobrychus sinensis
 3r    Asian Openbill  Anastomus ascitans
 3r  B  Woolly-necked Stork  Ciconia episcopus
 4r    Painted Stork  Mycteria leucocephala
 5wv    Black Stork  Ciconia nigra
 5v    Black-necked Stork  Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
 4r'    Glossy Ibis  Plegadis falcinellus
 3r'  B  Black-headed Ibis  Threskiornis melanocephalus
 3r    Eurasian Spoonbill  Platalea leucorodia
 5v*    Indian Black Ibis [Black Ibis]  Pseudibis papilosa
 4r'    Lesser Adjutant  Leptoptilos javanicus
 3r'    Lesser Flamingo  Phoenicopterus minor
 3r'    Greater Flamingo  Phoenicopterus roseus
 5r'    Fulvous Whistling-duck  Dendrocygna bicolor
 2r    Lesser Whistling-duck  Dendrocygna javanica
 3w    Ruddy Shelduck  Tadorna ferruginea
 4r'    Comb Duck  Sarkidiornis melanotos
 1w    Common Teal  Anas crecca
 2w    Garganey  Anas querquedula
 4w    Gadwall  Anas strepera
 4w    Eurasian Wigeon  Anas penelope
 2w    Northern Shoveler  Anas clypeata
 2w    Northern Pintail  Anas acuta
 3r    Indian Spot-billed Duck [Spot-billed Duck]  Anas poecilorhyncha
 4w    Mallard  Anas platyrhynchos
 3w    Tufted Duck  Aythya fuligula
 3w    Ferrugineous Duck [Ferruginous Pochard]  Aythya nyroca
 2w    Common Pochard  Aythya ferina
 2r    Cotton Teal [Cotton Pygmy Goose]  Nettapus coromandelianus
 2r  B  Black-winged Kite [Black-shouldered Kite]  Elanus caeruleus
 5wv    Black Baza  Aviceda leuphotes
 1r  B  Brahminy Kite  Haliastur indus
 1r  B  Black Kite  Milvus migrans/govinda
 3w  B  Black-eared Kite [Black Kite]  Milvus [migrans] lineatus [Milvus migrans lineatus]
 3r  B  Besra Sparrowhawk  Accipiter virgatus
 2r  B  Shikra  Accipiter badius
 3w  B  Eurasian Sparrowhawk  Accipiter nisus nisosimilis
 3r  B  Crested Goshawk  Accipiter trivirgatus
 4w    Steppe Buzzard [Common Buzzard]  Buteo buteo vulpinus [Buteo buteo]
 4wv    Long-legged Buzzard  Buteo rufinus
 2r  B  Oriental Honey-buzzard  Pernis ptilorhyncus
 4r'  B  White-eyed Buzzard  Butastur teesa
 1r  B  Crested Serpent-eagle  Spilornis cheela
 3r    Short-toed Eagle [Short-toed Snake Eagle]  Circaetus gallicus
 3r'  B  Rufous-bellied Eagle  Hieraaetus kienerii
 3w  B  Booted Eagle  Hieraaetus pennatus
 4r  B  Bonelli's Eagle  Hieraaetus fasciatus
 3r'  B  Mountain Hawk-eagle  Spizaetus nipalensis
 2r*  B  Crested Hawk-eagle [Changeable Hawk Eagle]  Spizaetus cirrhatus
 2r'  B  Black Eagle  Ictinaetus malayensis
 5r'(*)  B  Indian Spotted Eagle [Lesser Spotted Eagle]  Aquila hastata [Aquila pomarina]
 3r  B  Greater Spotted Eagle  Aquila clanga
 5wv  B  Steppe Eagle  Aquila nipalensis
 4r  B  Tawny Eagle  Aquila rapax
 3w    Osprey  Pandion haliaetus
 5v  B  Grey-headed Fish-eagle  Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
 2r'  B  White-bellied Sea-eagle  Haliaeetus leucogaster
 5r'  B  White-rumped Vulture  Gyps bengalensis
 5r'*  B  Indian Vulture [Long-billed Vulture]  Gyps indicus
 5v    Egyptian Vulture  Neophron percnopterus
 5v    Red-headed Vulture  Aegypius calvus [Sarcogyps calvus]
 3w    Montagu's Harrier  Circus pygargus
 4w    Pallid Harrier  Circus macrourus
 5w    Pied Harrier  Circus melanoleucos
 2w  B  Western Marsh Harrier [Eurasian Marsh Harrier]  Circus aeruginosus
 2r  B  Common Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus
 5wv    Oriental Hobby  Falco severus
 4p  B  Eurasian Hobby  Falco subbuteo
 4p  B  Amur Falcon  Falco amurensis
 5r    Red-headed Falcon [Red-necked Falcon]  Falco chicquera
 4r  B  Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen)  Falco peregrinus peregrinator
 4w    Peregrine Falcon  Falco peregrinus calidus
 4r(*)  B  Laggar Falcon  Falco jugger
 3r    Common Quail  Coturnix coturnix
 5r  B  Rain Quail  Coturnix coromandelica
 5r*    Jungle Bush-quail  Perdicula asiatica
 5r**    Rock Bush-quail  Perdicula argoondah
 3r  B  Barred Buttonquail  Turnix suscitator
 5w  B  Yellow-legged Buttonquail  Turnix tanki
 4r  B  Small Buttonquail  Turnix sylvaticus
 3r'**  B  Red Spurfowl  Galloperdix spadicea
 2r**  B  Grey Junglefowl  Gallus sonneratii
 2r*  B  Indian Peafowl  Pavo cristatus
 5wv    Common Crane  Grus grus
 5wv    Demoiselle Crane  Grus virgo
 5wv*    Lesser Florican  Sypheotides indicus
 3r'    Slaty-breasted Rail  Rallus striatus [Gallirallus striatus]
 5w'    Eastern Baillon's Crake [Baillon's Crake]  Porzana pusilla
 5wv    Little Crake  Porzana parva
 5p  B  Slaty-legged Crake  Rallina eurizonoides
 5p    Ruddy-breasted Crake  Porzana fusca
 5r'    Brown Crake  Porzana akool [Amaurornis akool]
 1r  B  White-breasted Waterhen  Amaurornis phoenicurus
 3w'    Watercock  Gallicrex cinerea
 2r'    Purple Swamphen  Porphyrio [porphyrio] poliocephalus
 2r    Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus
 2r    Common Coot  Fulica atra
 4r'    Greater Painted Snipe  Rostratula benghalensis
 5wv    Crab Plover  Dromas ardeola
 2w    Black-winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus
 4w    Eurasian Oystercatcher  Haematopus ostralegus
 1r    Bronze-winged Jacana  Metopidius indicus
 3r    Pheasant-tailed Jacana  Hydrophasianus chirurgus
 5p    Collared Pratincole  Glareola pratincola
 5p    Oriental Pratincole  Glareola maldivarum
 2r'    Small Pratincole  Glareola lactea
 5r'    Great Thick-knee  Esacus recurvirostris
 4r'    Indian Stone-curlew [Eurasian Thick-knee]  Burhinus indicus [Burhinus oedicnemus]
 1r  B  Red-wattled Lapwing  Vanellus indicus
 3w'*  B  Yellow-wattled Lapwing  Vanellus malabaricus
 5wv    Grey-headed Lapwing  Vanellus cinereus
 5wv    White-tailed Lapwing  Vanellus leucurus
 3w    Grey Plover  Pluvialis squatarola
 2w    Pacific Golden Plover  Pluvialis fulva
 4w    Greater Sandplover  Charadrius leschenaultii
 2w    Lesser Sandplover  Charadrius mongolus
 5wv    Caspian Plover  Charadrius asiaticus
 5wv    Common Ringed Plover  Charadrius hiaticula
 1r    Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius
 3w    Kentish Plover  Charadrius alexandrinus
 4w    Eurasian Curlew  Numenius arquata
 3w    Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus
 3w    Western Black-tailed Godwit [Black-tailed Godwit]  Limosa limosa
 4w    Bar-tailed Godwit  Limosa lapponica
 2w    Terek Sandpiper  Xenus cinereus
 1w    Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia
 1w    Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola
 1w  B  Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus
 1w  B  Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos
 2w    Marsh Sandpiper  Tringa stagnatilis
 1w    Common Redshank  Tringa totanus
 5wv    Spotted Redshank  Tringa erythropus
 5w    Ruddy Turnstone  Arenaria interpres
 5w    Broad-billed Sandpiper  Limicola falcinellus
 5v    Buff-breasted Sandpiper  Tryngites subruficollis 
 2w    Ruff  Philomachus pugnax 
 5w    Great Knot  Calidris tenuirostris 
 3p    Curlew Sandpiper  Calidris ferruginea 
 3w    Dunlin  Calidris alpina
 5v    Long-toed Stint  Calidris subminuta
 

 

 

 

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