Stork Pelican Egret Heron

These are large birds and can easily be spotted around wetlands of India and mostly the habitat is similar for each one of them.

Stork : Out of 6 types Storks, Oriental and White Storks are rare.
Flamingo : They are mostly same in appearance but are categorized as Lesser and Greater Flamingos with difference in size and colour of beak
Egret : 6 variety with difference in size, Cattle Egret is smallest and Great Egret is biggest among them. Western and Pacific Reef Egrets are slightly different in colour during breeding season and are found in coastal lines.
Pelican : There are 3 variety of Pelicans found [ Great white, Dalmation and Spot-Billed ]. Great White Pelicans are found Gujrat, Rajasthan, Haryana and other staggered parts of India and is most common of Pelicans. Dalmation pelican often are found with the group of Great White but Spot-Billed are difficult to spot.
Heron / Bittern: Similar to Egrets but their 11 variety can be separated in two categories where few are large in size [Grey and Purple Heron] are most common and can easily be spotted and rest are smaller in size [Little, Pond and Night Herons are the common ones]  Bitterns are similar to these small herons and are rather not so common, but are always found with the group of smaller herons.
Ibis : 2 varieties out of 3 are mostly similar [ Black and Glossy Ibis ]  whereas Black headed Ibis has got white body except for the neck and head.
Openbill : Very similar to White Stork and the unique gap between its upper and lower beak separates them from other storks.
Spoonbill : Spoonbills, as the name suggests, they have a spoon like beak.
Adjutant : Their broad long beak separates them from other Storks and also the Greater Adjutants have gular pouch and are absent in Lessers.

SlNoBird NameFamily NameRecord Location and StatusPreview
26Black BitternBittern
27Cinnamon BitternBittern
28Great BitternBittern
29Little BitternBittern
30Yellow BitternBittern
234Cattle EgretEgretEntire North India
235Great EgretEgretEntire North India
236Intermediate EgretEgretBharatpur
237Little EgretEgretEntire North India
238Pacific Reef EgretEgret
239Western Reef EgretEgret
271Greater FlamingoFlamingoSultanpur Fields
272Lesser FlamingoFlamingo
400Black crowned Night HeronHeronSrinagar, Tamilnadu
401Chinese Pond HeronHeron
402Goliath HeronHeron
403Great billed HeronHeronNot Recorded in India
404Grey HeronHeronEntire North India
405Indian Pond HeronHeronEntire North India
406Little HeronHeronEntire North India
407Malayan Night HeronHeron
408Purple HeronHeronEntire North India
409Squacco HeronHeronNot Recorded in India
410White billed HeronHeron
427Black headed IbisIbisBharatpur, Tamilnadu
428Black IbisIbisBharatpur, Haryana
429Glossy IbisIbisBharatpur
430IbisbillIbisbill
613Asian OpenbillOpenbillBharatpur, Gangatic Belt
687Dalmatian PelicanPelican
688Great White PelicanPelicanBharatpur
689Sopt billed PelicanPelican
945Eurasian SpoonbillSpoonbillBharatpur, Sultanpur
967Black necked StorkStorkBharatpur, Sultanpur
968Black StorkStorkRanthombhor
969Oriental StorkStork
970Painted StorkStorkEntire North India
971White StorkStork
972Wooly necked StorkStorkSultanpur Fields, Nagarhole
1281Greater AdjutantAdjutant
1282Lesser AdjutantAdjutant

ALBUM (Click on anyone of them to view)

Duck Swan Goose

Duck as commonly called is a family of several species in their family including swans, teal, pochards, geese etc. Ducks are medium sized aquatic birds, except swans and geese who are relatively bigger in size. All may be found in fresh water and sometimes in sea water as well.

Names in this category as a family [ Duck, Gadwall, Garganey, Goldeneye, Goose, Grebe, Mallard, Merganser, Pintail, Pochard, Shoveler, Swan, Teal and Wigeon ]

Ducks feed on variety of food sources such as aquatic plants, fish, water insects, small frogs, small amphibians etc. Their feet is designed to swim and feathers to resist wetting, their flat beaks helps them in mud probing and weeding jobs. All can fly long distances and infact bar headed Goose are among high altitude flyers.

Most are migratory except for few such as Spot billed Duck and Whistling Duck; they migrate in both seasons and travel long distances.

SlNoBird NameFamily NameRecord Location and StatusPreview
199Comb DuckDuckBharatpur
200Falcated DuckDuck
201Fulvous Whistling DuckDuck
202Lesser whistling DuckDuckBharatpur
203Long tailed DuckDuckNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
204Marbled DuckDuck
205Mundarin DuckDuckNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
206Pink headed DuckDuckExtinct
207Spot billed DuckDuckEntire North India
208Tufted DuckDuck
209White headed DuckDuck
210White winged DuckDuck
342GadwallGadwallEntire North India
343GarganeyGarganey
347Common GoldeneyeGoldeneye
349Bar headed GooseGooseBharatpur, Sultanpur
350Bean GooseGooseNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
351Cotton Pygmy GooseGoose0
352Greater white fronted GooseGoose0
353Greylag GooseGooseBharatpur, Sultanpur
354Lesser white fronted GooseGoose
355Red breasted GooseGooseNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
356Snow GooseGooseAs pet in Bharatpur
364Black necked GrebeGrebe
365Great Crested GrebeGrebeSultanpur Fields
366Horned GrebeGrebeNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
367Little GrebeGrebeBharatpur
368Red necked GrebeGrebeNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
539MallardMallardEntire North India
549Common MerganserMerganser
550Red breasted MerganserMerganserNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
732Northern PintailPintailBharatpur, Okhla
764Baer's PochardPochard
765Common PochardPochardSultanpur Fields
766Ferruginous PochardPochardSultanpur Fields
767Red crested PochardPochardBharatpur
879Common ShelduckShelduck
880Ruddy ShelduckShelduckRanthombhor
887Northern ShovelerShovelerBharatpur, Okhla, Sultanpur
999Mute SwanSwanSwiss
1000Tundra SwanSwanNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
1001Whooper SwanSwanNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
1018Baikal TealTeal
1019Common TealTealBharatpur, Okhla, Sultanpur
1020Sunda TealTeal
1230Eurasian WigeonWigeonSultanpur Wetlands

ALBUM (Click on any to view the ambum)

Other Wading Birds

Wading Birds
Wading birds are found both in fresh and saltwater throughout the world on every continent except Antarctica. They are even found in urban and suburban areas such as along ponds, man-made swamps etc because most wader species prefer wet habitats

Wading birds can be distinguished by their physical characteristics and their eating behaviors.

Most waders in this category have thin bills and defined shape depending on the types of food they consume.

In addition to physical characteristics, wading birds share a variety of behavioral traits that help identify the bird family.

SlNoBird NameFamily NameRecord Location and StatusPreview
3Pied AvocetAvocetSultanpur Fields, Haryana
117Common CootCootBharatpur, Okhla, South India
118Great CormorantCormorantAlmost Entire India
119Indian CormorantCormorantAlmost Entire India
120Little CormorantCormorantAlmost Entire India
121Pygmy CormorantCormorant
126Cream coloured CourserCourser
127Indian CourserCourser
128Jerdon's CourserCourser
130Andaman CrakeCrake
131Baillon's CrakeCrake
132Black tailed CrakeCrake
133Brown CrakeCrake
134Corn CrakeCrakeNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
135Little CrakeCrake
136Red legged CrakeCrake
137Ruddy breasted CrakeCrake
138Slaty legged CrakeCrake
139Spotted CrakeCrake
169Eastern CurlewCurlew
170Eurasian CurlewCurlew
171Slender billed CurlewCurlewNot Recorded in India
173DarterDarterAlmost Entire India
188Asian DowitcherDowitcher
189Long billed DowitcherDowitcherNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
265Masked FinfootFinfootNot Recorded in India
344Bar tailed GodwitGodwit
345Black tailed GodwitGodwitSultanpur Fields
370Common GreenshankGreenshank
371Nordmann's GreenshankGreenshank
433Bronze winged JacanaJacanaBharatpur
434Pheasant tailed JacanaJacanaBharatpur
568Common MoorhenMoorhenEntire North India
768Collard PratincolePratincole
769Oriental PratincolePratincole
770Small PratincolePratincole
792Slaty breasted RailRail
793Water RailRail
796Common RedshankRedshankSultanpur Fields
797Spotted RedshankRedshankOkhla
844RuffRuffBharatpur, Sultanpur
855Broad billed SandpiperSandpiper
856Buff breasted SandpiperSandpiper
857Common SandpiperSandpiperAll India
858Curlew SandpiperSandpiper0
859Marsh SandpiperSandpiperBharatpur, West Central and South India
860Pectoral SandpiperSandpiper
861Sharp tailed SandpiperSandpiper
862Spoon billed SandpiperSandpiper
863Terek SandpiperSandpiper
864Green SandpiperSandpiper0
865White rumped SandpiperSandpiper
866Wood SandpiperSandpiperEntire North India
914Common SnipeSnipeSultanpur
915Great SnipeSnipeNot Resident, a Rare or accidental Visitor
916Greater painted SnipeSnipe
917Jack SnipeSnipe
918Pintail SnipeSnipe
919Solitary SnipeSnipe
920Swinhoe's SnipeSnipe
921Wood SnipeSnipe
960Black winged StiltStiltEntire North India
998Purple SwamphenSwamphenEntire North India
1207White breasted WaterhenWaterhenEntire North India
1231Eurasian WoodcockWoodcockNot Recorded in India
ALBUM (Click any to view album)