Checklist of Birds

 Checklist of Birds of Gedu (December 2016 to December 2018)

Gedu have the distinct climatic condition with maximum rainfall along Thimphu-Phuntsholing National highway. This distinctive physio-geography harbours an impressive avifaunal diversity. Geographically, it is located in Western Valley of Bhutan at an altitude of 1900 m above sea level. Although, Gedu falls under montane rainforest zones which are identified by the BirdLife International as Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) within 130 Eastern Himalayas and 131 Assam plains (Spierenburg, 2005), this area has not been included in National Parks, Protected Areas and Biological Corridors in Bhutan.  In addition to Bhutan being one of the tenth global biological hotspots in Eastern Himalayas (Dhendup, 2015), Gedu supplements with a large area of undisturbed vast temperate and subtropical broadleaf forest. This unique features of Gedu have been home to many wildlife, plant life, and avifauna.

Bhutan is sanctified with rich in avifauna species due to the fact that Bhutan lies within overlapping of two biogeographic regions such as the South and South-East Asia (aka. Indo-Malayan) and Europe and North Asia (aka Palearctic) (Spierenburg, 2005). A total of 730 species of birds have been identified as of 2018. However, with rapid socio-economic development at Gedu, the destruction of natural habitats poses some threats to the birdlife. Further, there is no baseline study done so far within the Gedu area for the species of birds present in this montane rainforest. Therefore, this preliminary report was aimed at recording both resident and migratory bird species in and around Gedu from year December 2016 to December 2018.

This artefact reports bird species observed for the two consecutive years (for example, December 2016 to December 2018) in Gedu Area. The observations were made through documentation of video graphs, photographs and call records during intended bird watching hours and ad hoc encounters. The checklist was maintained with the number of species observed and the day of observations. Some of the major areas covered in these records include Chalsilakha, Gedu College, Pakshikha, Meritsemo, Darla, Arekha, Jumbja, and Chargarey. Although, majority of the species including vagrant, resident and migratory bird species were recorded and identified, due to the limited knowledge in the birding field as beginner, species which could not identify were not mentioned in the checklist.

SL.No	Common Name	Scientific  Name
1	Abberant Bush Warbler	Horornis flavolivaceus
2	Ashy Drongo	Dicrurus leucophaeus
3	Ashy Throated Warbler	Phylloscopus maculipennis
4	Ashy Woodswallow	Artamus fuscus
5	Asian Barred Owlet	Glaucidium cuculoides
6	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
7	Barred cuckoo doves	Macropygia unchall
8	Bar-throated Minla	Minla strigula
9	Bhutan Laughing Thrush	Trochalopteron imbricatum
10	Black Bulbul	Hypsipetes leucocephalus
11	Black Eagle	Ictinaetus malaiensis
12	Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros
13	Black-faced Warbler	Abroscopus schisticeps
14	Black-tailed Crake	Amaurornis bicolor
15	Black-Throated Sunbird	Aethopyga saturata
16	Black-winged Cuckoo shrike	Coracina melaschistos
17	Blue Fronted Redstart	Phoenicurus frontalis
18	Blue-capped Rock Thrush	Monticola cinclorhynchus
19	Blue-winged Laughing Thrush	Trochalopteron squamatum
20	Blue-winged Sivia	Siva cyanouroptera
21	Blyth's Warbler	Acrocephalus dumetorum
22	Brownish-Flanked Bush Warbler	Horornis fortipes
23	Chestnut billied Rock thrush	Monticola rufiventris
24	Chestnut-crowned Laughing thrush	Trochalopteron erythrocephalum
25	Chestnut-crowned Lthrush	Psilopogon virens
26	Chestnut-crowned Warbler	Seicercus castaniceps
27	Chiness Pond Heron	Ardeola bacchus
28	Collared Falconet	Microhierax caerulescens
29	Collared Owlet	Glaucidium brodiei
30	Common Green Magpie	Cissa chinensis
31	Common Hawk Cuckoo	Hierococcyx varius
32	Common Hoopoe	Upupidae
33	Common Pegion	Columba livia
34	Common rosefinch female	Carpodacus erythrinus
35	Common Stonechat	Saxicola torquatus
36	Common Tailorbird	Minla ignotincta
37	Creasted Serpant Eagle	Phylloscopus anthoschistos
38	Crimson-breasted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos cathpharius
39	Black-throated Thrush	Turdus atrogularis
40	Eurasian Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
41	Eurasian sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
42	Eurasian Tree sparrow	Passer montanus
43	Eye-browed Thrush	Turdus obscurus
44	Fire-breasted Flowerpecker	Dicaeum ignipectus
45	Golden Babbler	Stachyridopsis chrysaea
46	Yellow- Billed Blue Magpie	Urocissa flavirostris
47	Gold-naped Finch	Pyrrhoplectes epauletta
48	Gray-chinned Minivet	Pericrocotus solaris
49	Gray-winged Black bird	Turdus boulboul
50	Great Barbet	Megalaima virens
51	Green Backed Tit	Parus monticolus
52	Green Tailed Sunbird	Aethopyga nipalensis
53	Grey- hooded Warbler	Phylloscopus xanthoschistos
54	Grey Treepie	Dendrocitta formosae
55	Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea
56	Grey-bushchat	Saxicola ferreus
57	Dark-side Flycatcher	Muscicapa sibirica
58	Grey-sided Laughing Thrush	Garrulax caerulatus
59	Hair-crested Drongo	Dicrurus hottentottus
60	Himalayan bluetail	Tarsiger rufilatus
61	Himalayan Buzzard	Buteo refectus
62	Himalayan Cutia	Cutia nipalensis
63	Hodgson's Redstart	Phoenicurus hodgsoni
64	Indian-blue Robin	Luscinia brunnea
65	Kalij Pheasant	Lophura leucomelanos
66	Large Cuckooshrike	Coracina macei
67	Large Niltava	Niltava grandis
68	Lesser Cuckoo	Cuculus poliocephalus
69	Lineated Barbet	Megalaima lineata
70	Long tailed Shrike	Lanius schach
71	Long-billed Thrush	Zoothera monticola
72	Mountain Bulbul	Ixos mcclellandii
73	Olive backed Pipit	Anthus hodgsoni
74	Oriental Cuckoo	Cuculus optatus
75	Oriental magpie Robin	Copsychus saularis
76	Oriental turtle Dove	Streptopelia orientalis
77	Plain-backed Thrush	Zoothera mollissima
78	Plaintive Cuckoo	Cacomantis merulinus
79	Red- billed Leiothrix	Leiothrix lutea
80	Red faced Liocinchla	Liocichla phoenicea
81	Red vented Bulbul	Pycnonotus cafer
82	Red-tailed Minla	Minla ignotincta
83	Rufous -bellied Hawk Eagle	Lophotriorchis kienerii
84	Rufous Necked Hornbill	Aceros nipalensis
85	Rufous Sibia	Heterophasia capistrata
86	Rufous-bellied Niltava	Niltava sundara
87	Rufous-breasted Accentor	Prunella strophiata
88	Rufous-Chinned Laughingthruch	Garrulax rufogularis
89	Rufous-winged Fulvetta	Alcippe castaneceps
90	Rusty Cheeked Scimitar Babbler	Pomatorhinus erythrogenys
91	Rusty-flanked Tree Creeper	Certhia nipalensis
92	Rusty-fronted Barwing	Actinodura egertoni
93	Scarlet Finch	Haematospiza sipahi
94	Eurasian sparrow hawk	Accipiter nisus
95	Spotted Dove	Spilopelia chinensis
96	Spotted Forktail	Enicurus maculatus
97	Spotted Owlet	Athene brama
98	Spotted Wren Babbler	Elachura formosa
99	Straited Bulbul	Pycnonotus striatus
100	Streak-breasted Scimitar	Pomatorhinus ruficollis
101	Striated Laughing Thrush	Garrulax striatus
102	Tickell's Thrush	Turdus unicolor
103	Verditer Flycatcher	Eumyias thalassinus
104	Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon	Treron sphenurus
105	Whiskered Yuhina	Yuhina flavicollis
106	Whistler's Warbler	Seicercus whistleri
107	White Browed Fulvetta	Fulvetta vinipectus
108	White -capped Redstart	Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
109	White Throated Faintail	Rhipidura albicollis
110	White Throated laughing Thrush	Garrulax albogularis
111	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba
112	White-crested Laughing Thrush	Garrulax leucolophus
113	White-tailed Robin	Myiomela leucura
114	Yellow-breasted Greenfinch	Chloris spinoides
115	Yellow-cheeked Tit	Parus spilonotus
116	Lesser-shortwing	Brachypteryx leucophrys
117	Indian Roller	Coracias benghalensis
118	Jungle Babbler	Turdoides striata
119	Blue-whistling thrush	Myophonus caeruleus
120	Rufous-capped Babbler	Stachyridopsis ruficeps
121	White-tailed Nuthatch	Sitta himalayensis
122	Plumbous water Redstart	Rhyacornis fuliginosa
123	Bay-woodpecker	Blythipicus pyrrhotis
124	Grey-headed Woodpecker	Picus canus
125	Black Kite	Milvus migrans
126	Spotted-winged Grosbeak	Mycerobas melanozanthos
127	Chestnut-headed Tesia	Cettia castaneocoronata
128	Little Bunting	Emberiza pusilla
129	Long-tailed Sibia	Heterophasia picaoides
130	Hodgson's Redstart	Phoenicurus hodgsoni
131	Golden -throated Barbet	Megalaima franklinii
132	Scarlet Minivet	Pericrocotus speciosus

References

Dhendup, T. (2015, June). Distribution Ecology, Habitat usage and Conservation of Chestnut-breasted Partridge in Thrumshingla National Part. B.Sc. Thesis. Lobesa, Bhutan: College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan.

Spierenburg, P. (2005). Birds in Bhutan Status and Distribution. UK: Oriental Bird Club.