SCIENTIFIC NAME		COMMON ENGLISH NAME			JUSTIFICATION
Megapodidae
Megapodius nicobariensis		Nicobar Scrubfowl			Note: Separate species now from M. freycinet (Dusky Scrubfowl). Scrubfowl more used than Megapode. (Syn. no. 225-226)
Phasianidae
Lerwa lerwa		Snow Partridge			(Syn. no.227)
Ammoperdix griseogularis		See-see Partridge			(Syn. no.228)
Tetraogallus tibetanus		Tibetan Snowcock			(Syn. no.229-231)
T. himalayensis		Himalayan Snowcock			(Syn. no.232)
Tetraophasis szechenyii		Buff-throated Partridge			Partridge, not a grouse. (Syn. no.233)
Alectoris chukar		Chukor Partridge			Group name should follow. Chukor, not Chukar, is the correct pronunciation. (Syn. no. 234-236)
Francolinus francolinus		Black Francolin			All African members of the genus are called Francolins, thus reasonable to change Partridge to Francolin. (Syn. no. 237-239)
F. pictus		Painted Francolin			As above. (Syn. no. 240-242 )
F. pintadeanus		Chinese Francolin			As above. (Syn. no. 243)
F. pondicerianus		Grey Francolin			As above. Additionally, Grey Partridge is used for Perdix perdix. (Syn. no.244-246)
F. gularis		Swamp Francolin			As above. (Syn. no.247)
Perdix hodgsoniae		Tibetan Partridge			(Syn. no.248, 249 )
Coturnix coturnix		Common Quail			(Syn. no. 250)
C. japonica		Japanese Quail			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. coturnix. (Syn. no.251)
C. coromandelica		Rain Quail			Already an alternate name. Better than Black-breasted as some quails elsewhere have black breasts. (Syn. no.252)
C. chinensis		Blue-breasted Quail			(Syn. no.253, 254)
Perdicula asiatica		Jungle Bush-Quail			(Syn. no.255, 258)
P. argoondah		Rock Bush-Quail			(Syn. no.259-261)
P. erythrorhyncha		Painted Bush-Quail			(Syn. no.262, 263)
P. manipurensis		Manipur Bush-Quail			(Syn. no.264, 265)
Arborophila torqueola		Common Hill-Partridge			Lives in the hills. Hill-Partridge useful in differentiating Arborophila. Not common really, but widespread. (Syn. no.266-269)
A. rufogularis		Rufous-throated Hill-Partridge			Lives in the hills. Hill-Partridge useful in differentiating Arborophila.. (Syn. no.270, 271)
A. atrogularis		White-cheeked Hill-Partridge			As above. (Syn. no.272)
A. mandellii		Chestnut-breasted Hill-Partridge			As above, additionally, breast chestnut, not red. (Syn. no.273)
Bambusicola fytchii		Mountain Bamboo-Partridge			Qualifier added to differentiate from Chinese Bamboo-Partridge B. thoracica. (Syn. no.274)
Galloperdix spadicea		Red Spurfowl			(Syn. no.275-277)
G. lunulata		Painted Spurfowl			(Syn. no.278)
G. bicalcarata		Ceylon Spurfowl			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.279)
Ophrysia superciliosa		Himalayan Quail			The name Mountain Quail exists for an American species. Himalayan Mountain Quail unnecessarily long. (Syn. no.280)
Ithaginis cruentus		Blood Pheasant			(Syn. no.281-284)
Tragopan melanocephalus		Western Tragopan			(Syn. no. 285)
T. satyra		Satyr Tragopan			Already an alternate name. Well established worldwide. (Syn. no.286)
T. blythii		Blyth’s Tragopan			(Syn. no.287, 288)
T. temminckii		Temminck’s Tragopan			(Syn. no.289)
Pucrasia macrolopha		Koklass Pheasant			Minor spelling difference, Koklass not Koklas. (Syn. no.303-306)
Lophophorus impejanus		Himalayan Monal			Already an alternate name. Note: Not impeyanus. (Syn. no.290)
L. sclateri		Sclater’s Monal			(Syn. no.291)
Gallus gallus		Red Junglefowl			(Syn. no.299, 300)
G. sonneratii		Grey Junglefowl			Already an alternate name. Well established and apt. (Syn. no.301)
G. lafayetii		Ceylon Junglefowl			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.302)
Lophura leucomelanos		Kalij Pheasant			Note: Not leucomelana. (Syn. no.293-297 – Note: 298 deleted)
Crossoptilon harmani		Tibetan Eared-Pheasant			Note: Separate species now from C. crossoptilon (White Eared-Pheasant). (Syn. no.292)
Catreus wallichii		Cheer Pheasant			Minor spelling difference. Note: Not wallichi. (Syn. no.307)
Syrmaticus humiae		Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant			Mrs. necessary to let one know that it was named after his wife, not Mr.Hume - the system is such! (Syn. no.308)
Polyplectron bicalcaratum		Grey Peacock-Pheasant			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.309, 310)
Pavo cristatus		Indian Peafowl			Already a widely used name. Virtually endemic to India and is its National Bird. (Syn. no.311)
P. muticus		Green Peafowl			Already an alternate name. Much more widespread than just Burma. (Syn. no.312)
Dendrocygnidae
Dendrocygna bicolor		Fulvous Whistling-Duck			More widely known by this name. Duck is a more general term and thus more apt. However, both names are inappropriate - neither is it the largest whistling duck nor the only fulvous one. (Syn. no.89)
D. javanica		Lesser Whistling-Duck			Duck is a more general term and thus more appropriate. The smallest member of the group. (Syn. no.88)
Anatidae
Oxyura leucocephala		White-headed Duck			Name shortened. Tag of Stifftail not used for the other stifftails. (Syn. no.123)
Cygnus olor		Mute Swan			(Syn. no.87)
C. cygnus		Whooper Swan			(Syn. no.85, 86)
C. columbianus		Tundra Swan			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. cygnus. (Syn. no.84)
Anser fabalis		Bean Goose			(Syn. no.76, 77)
A. albifrons		Greater White-fronted Goose			Distinguishes it from Lesser White-fronted Goose. (Syn. no.79)
A. erythropus		Lesser White-fronted Goose			(Syn. no.80)
A. anser		Greylag Goose			(Syn. no.81)
A. indicus		Bar-headed Goose			(Syn. no.82)
A. caerulescens		Snow Goose			(Syn. no.83)
Branta ruficollis		Red-breasted Goose			Name shortened. Name in worldwide usage. (Syn. no.75)
Tadorna ferruginea		Ruddy Shelduck			An alternate name of worldwide usage. Known as Brahminy Duck only in India. (Syn. no.90)
T. tadorna		Redbilled Shelduck			Common is of worldwide usage, but regionally biased. Red-billed Shelduck most appropriate. (Syn. no.91)
Cairina scutulata		White-winged Duck			Name shortened. Tag of Wood not used for the other Cairina members. (Syn. no.116)
Sarkidiornis melanotos		Comb Duck			Already an alternate name of widespread use. (Syn. no.115)
Nettapus coromandelianus		Cotton Pygmy-Goose			Comes under the Pygmy-Goose group. (Syn. no.114)
Aix galericulata		Mandarin Duck			(Syn. no.113)
Anas strepera		Gadwall			(Syn. no.101)
A. falcata		Falcated Duck			Not really a teal. (Syn. no.102)
Anas penelope		Eurasian Wigeon			Qualifier added to differentiate from other wigeons. (Syn. no.103)
A. platyrhynchos		Mallard			(Syn. no.100)
A. poecilorhyncha		Spot-billed Duck			Easier to say than Spotted-bill Duck. (Syn. no.97-99)
A. clypeata		Northern Shoveller			Qualifier necessary to differentiate from other shoveller species. (Syn. no.105)
A. gibberifrons		Sunda Teal			Note: Separate species now from Grey Teal A.gracilis. Some taxonomists suggest albogularis (regarded here as conspecific with C. gibberifrons) as a separate species - if valid, then our bird will be Andaman Teal A. albogularis. (Syn. no.96)
A. acuta		Northern Pintail			Qualifier added to differentiate from other pintail species. (Syn. no.93)
A. querquedula		Garganey			(Syn. no.104 )
A. formosa		Baikal Teal			(Syn. no.95)
A. crecca		Common Teal			Some suggest Green-winged Teal, but too many teals have green speculum. (Syn. no.94)
Marmaronetta angustirostris		Marbled Duck			Not a teal really, so better to group it under duck. (Syn. no.92)
Rhodonessa caryophyllacea		Pink-headed Duck			(Syn. no.106)
R. rufina		Redcrested Pochard			(Syn. no. 107)
Aythya ferina		Common Pochard			(Syn. no. 108)
A. nyroca		Ferruginous Pochard			Already an alternate name. Pochard (used for most members of Aythya) should be preferred over Duck. (Syn. no.109)
A. baeri		Baer’s Pochard			(Syn. no.110)
A. fuligula		Tufted Pochard			Pochard, instead of Duck, preferred as used for many Aythya species. Name used in some publications. (Syn. no.111)
A. marila		Greater Scaup			Name in use in N. America where both species occur. Useful to differentiate from Lesser Scaup. (Syn. no.112)
Clangula hyemalis		Long-tailed Duck			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.117)
Melanitta fusca		White-winged Scoter			New record for the Indian subcontinent
Bucephala clangula		Common Goldeneye			Qualifier added to a group name (Goldeneye). (Syn. no.118)
Mergellus albellus		Smew			(Syn. no.119)
M. serrator		Red-breasted Merganser			(Syn. no.122)
M. merganser		Common Merganser			Should ideally be Merganser (not Goosander) as for other members of the genus. (Syn. no.120, 121)
Turnicidae
Turnix sylvatica		Small Buttonquail			Buttonquail is an alternate name for Bustard-quail. Little is used for T. velox. (Syn. no.313)
T. tanki		Yellow-legged Buttonquail			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.314, 315)
T. suscitator		Barred Buttonquail			Already an alternate name. Buttonquail is also an alternate name for Bustard-quail. (Syn. no.316-319)
Indicatoridae
Indicator xanthonotus		Yellow-rumped Honeyguide			Correct descriptive name - rump is usually more yellow than orange. (Syn. no.794, 795 – - note: 793 deleted)
Picidae
Jynx torquilla		Eurasian Wryneck			Qualifier added to distinguish from the African species. (Syn. no.796-797a)
Picumnus innominatus		Speckled Piculet			(Syn. no.798, 799)
Sasia ochracea		White-browed Piculet			Rufous Piculet is used for S. abnormis, which is more rufous overall. (Syn. no.800, 801)
Dendrocopos nanus		Brown-capped Pygmy-Woodpecker			Already an alternate name. Better to retain Pygmy to show relationship with other similar small species. (Syn. no.851-854)
D. canicapillus		Grey-capped Pygmy-Woodpecker			As above. (Syn. no.848-850)
D. auriceps		Brown-fronted Woodpecker			Not truly pied (more spotted rather), so tag of Pied wrong. (Syn. no.842, 843)
D. macei		Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker			As above. (Syn. no.845, 846)
D. atratus		Stripe-breasted Woodpecker			As above. (Syn. no.844)
D. mahrattensis		Yellow-crowned Woodpecker			Yellow-fronted is used for a South American species. Crowned better than fronted as the crown is also yellow. (Syn. no.847)
D. hyperythrus		Rufous-bellied Woodpecker			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.832, 833)
D. cathpharius		Crimson-breasted Woodpecker			Name shortened. Not truly pied. (Syn. no.840-841)
D. darjellensis		Darjeeling Woodpecker			Name shortened. Not truly pied. (Syn. no.838, 839)
D. major		Great Spotted Woodpecker			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.834)
D. assimilis		Sind Woodpecker			Name shortened. Not truly pied. (Syn. no.835)
D. himalayensis		Himalayan Woodpecker			Name shortened. Not truly pied. (Syn. no.836, 837)
Picoides tridactylus		Three-toed Woodpecker			(Syn. no.855)
Celeus brachyurus		Rufous Woodpecker			(Syn. no.802-804)
Dryocopus javensis		White-bellied Black Woodpecker			Its blackness is too extensive to call it only White-bellied. (Syn. no.830)
D. hodgei		Andaman Woodpecker			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with D. javensis. There is only one Andaman Woodpecker, hence use of additional qualifier Black technically incorrect. (Syn. no.831)
D. martius		Eurasian Black Woodpecker			Eurasian necessary to differentiate from D. javensis. (Syn. no.831a)
Picus chlorolophus		Lesser Yellow-naped Woodpecker			Old name preferred as it has the group name. Green makes the name too long. (Syn. no.814-817)
P. flavinucha		Greater Yellow-naped Woodpecker			As above. (Syn. no.812, 813)
P. vittatus		Laced Woodpecker			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
P. xanthopygaeus		Streak-throated Woodpecker			Breast not as ‘scaly’ as the species below. Old name (Little Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker) too long. (Syn. no.808)
P. squamatus		Scaly-bellied Woodpecker			Name shortened, i.e., Green deleted. (Syn. no.806, 807)
P. canus		Grey-faced Woodpecker			Not only the nape, but back of neck is also black. New name suits all the races and both the sexes. (Syn. no.809-811)
Dinopium shorii		Himalayan Flamebacked Woodpecker			Flamebacked can suit both goldenbacked and redbacked races of this group. Ideal to have group name of Woodpecker as for the rest of the woodpeckers. Note: Flamebacked, not Flameback, more correct here. (Syn. no.824)
D. javanense		Common Flamebacked Woodpecker			As for the above species. Can the qualifier Common be changed? (Syn. no.825, 826)
D. benghalense		Black-rumped Flamebacked Woodpecker			Not the smallest of this group as the old name suggests. New name apt. (Syn. no.818-823)
Chrysocolaptes lucidus		Great Flamebacked Woodpecker			The largest species of this group. Great instead of Greater, since Lesser has been changed to Blackrumped. (Syn. no.860-863)
C. festivus		Black-shouldered Woodpecker			The back is not wholly black, rather the shoulder-like region is. Additionally, Black-backed is used for an American species. The white nape is not a conspicuous feature. Name suggested by a respondent. (Syn. no.858, 859)
Gecinulus grantia		Pale-headed Woodpecker			(Syn. no.827)
Blythipicus pyrrhotis		Bay Woodpecker			Name shortened. (Syn. no.857)
Hemicircus canente		Heart-spotted Woodpecker			(Syn. no.856)
Mulleripicus pulverulentus		Great Slaty Woodpecker			Name shortened, additional qualifier of Himalayan unnecessary. (Syn. no.828, 829)
Megalaimidae
Megalaima virens		Great Barbet			Name shortened. This is the name used by Jerdon and Baker. (Syn. no.777-779)
M. zeylanica		Brown-headed Barbet			Old name not recommended as Indian barbets are largely green. New name suits the species well. (Syn. no.780-782)
M. lineata		Lineated Barbet			(Syn. no.783, 784)
M. viridis		White-cheeked Barbet			Small Green inappropriate as there are many other small and/or green barbets. Neat descriptive name. (Syn. no.785)
M. flavifrons		Yellow-fronted Barbet			(Syn. no.786)
M. franklinii		Golden-throated Barbet			(Syn. no.787)
M. asiatica		Blue-throated Barbet			(Syn. no.788)
M. australis		Blue-eared Barbet			(Syn. no.789)
M. rubricapilla		Crimson-fronted Barbet			Crimson-fronted suits both the races, unlike Crimson-throated. Note: Some split the species into Crimson-throated Barbet M. malabarica (Syn. no.790) and Ceylon Barbet M. rubricapilla.. (Syn. no.791)
M. haemacephala		Coppersmith Barbet			Group name Barbet added. (Syn. no.792)
Bucerotidae
Ocyceros griseus		Malabar Grey Hornbill			(Syn. no.768)
O. gingalensis		Ceylon Grey Hornbill			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with O. griseus. Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.769)
O. birostris		Indian Grey Hornbill			Common only in certain parts of India , so qualifier Common better avoided. (Syn. no.767)
Anthracoceros coronatus		Indian Pied Hornbill			Malabar Hornbill is grossly inappropriate. The bird ranges much beyond Malabar (Kerala state, India) and into Sri Lanka. New name can be used as A. albirostris has been renamed Oriental Pied Hornbill. (Syn. no.775).
A. albirostris		Oriental Pied Hornbill			A bird of the Oriental region - not only of India (i.e., after treating A. convexus as a race). (Syn. no.774)
Buceros bicornis		Great Hornbill			Pied unnecessary. Name in worldwide usage. Was the early Indian name for the species. (Syn. no.776)
Anorrhinus tickelli		Brown Hornbill			The race tickelli does not have the white-throat. Note: Some split the species into Austen’s Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus austeni and the extralimital Tickell’s Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli . (Syn. no.770)
Aceros nipalensis		Rufous-necked Hornbill			(Syn. no.771)
A. undulatus		Wreathed Hornbill			(Syn. no.772)
A. narcondami		Narcondam Hornbill			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.773)
A. subruficollis		Plain-pouched Hornbill			Note: Was earlier erroneously regarded as an immature form of A.undulatus .
Upupidae
Upupa epops		Common Hoopoe			Qualifier added to a group name. Common acceptable - the much more widespread of the two hoopoe species. (Syn. no.763-766)
Trogonidae
Harpactes fasciatus		Indian Trogon			Not endemic to Sri Lanka or Malabar. The only trogon endemic to the Indian subcontinent. (Syn. no.710-712)
H. erythrocephalus		Red-headed Trogon			(Syn. no.713-715)
H. wardi		Ward’s Trogon			(Syn. no.716)
Coraciidae
Coracias garrulus		European Roller			(Syn. no.754)
C. benghalensis		Indian Roller			(Syn. no.755-757)
Eurystomus orientalis	Eastern Broadbilled Roller		It is a roller and there is a corresponding African species (African Broadbilled Roller). (Syn. no.758-762)
Alcedinidae
Alcedo hercules		Blyth’s Kingfisher			(Syn. no.721)
A. atthis		Common Kingfisher			Worldwide usage. A widespread species. (Syn. no.722-724)
A. meninting		Blue-eared Kingfisher			(Syn. no.725-726a)
Ceyx erithacus		Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher			An apt descriptive name for this smallish kingfisher. The ‘three-toes’ only evident in hand. Note: Some split the species into Black-backed Kingfisher C. erithacus (Syn. no.727, 728) and Rufous-backed Kingfisher C. rufidorsa (Syn. no.727a).
Dacelonidae
Halcyon amauroptera		Brown-winged Kingfisher			(Syn. no.729)
H. capensis		Stork-billed Kingfisher			(Syn. no.730-732)
H. coromanda		Ruddy Kingfisher			(Syn. no.733, 734)
H. smyrnensis		White-throated Kingfisher			The breast is not white in all the races, whereas the throat is. (Syn. no.735-738)
H. pileata		Black-capped Kingfisher			Already an alternate name. There is no need for additional tag of Purple. (Syn. no.739)
Todirhamphus chloris		Collared Kingfisher			White deleted - collar is not white in all races. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.740-743)
Cerylidae
Megaceryle lugubris		Greater Pied Kingfisher			May not be truly pied, but neither is Lesser Pied Kingfisher. Himalayan inappropriate as it ranges eastwards up to Japan (called Lesser Pied Kingfisher there) Crested inappropriate as two American species are also significantly crested. (Syn. no.717, 718)
Ceryle rudis		Lesser Pied Kingfisher			An established, ‘non-problematic’ name. Qualifier Lesser acts as an opposing name to the above species. (Syn. no.719, 720)
Meropidae
Nyctyornis athertoni		Blue-bearded Bee-eater			(Syn. no.753)
Merops orientalis		Green Bee-eater			The name used in Ripley’s Synopsis. Little unnecessary as there is only one Green Bee-eater. (Syn. no.749-752)
M. persicus		Blue-cheeked Bee-eater			(Syn. no.747)
M. philippinus		Blue-tailed Bee-eater			(Syn. no.748)
M. apiaster		European Bee-eater			(Syn. no.746)
M. leschenaulti		Chestnut-headed Bee-eater			(Syn. no.744, 745)
Cuculidae
Clamator jacobinus		Pied Cuckoo			Name shortened. Apt, additional qualifier Crested unnecessary. (Syn. no.570, 571)
C. coromandus		Chestnut-winged Cuckoo			Wing is chestnut in colour, not red as the old name suggests. Additional qualifier Crested unnecessary. (Syn. no.569)
Hierococcyx sparverioides		Large Hawk-Cuckoo			(Syn. no.572)
H. varius		Indian Hawk-Cuckoo			H. sparveriodes has also the ‘brain-fever’ call. Common is regionally biased. An Indian subcontinent endemic. (Syn. no.573, 574)
H. fugax		Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo			(Syn. no.575)
Cuculus micropterus		Indian Cuckoo			(Syn. no.576). Note: Needs a name change - also distributed in Asia and Australia.
C. canorus		Common Cuckoo			Worldwide usage - a widespread species. (Syn. no.577-579)
C. saturatus		Oriental Cuckoo			Not restricted to the Himalayas as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.580, 580a)
C. poliocephalus		Lesser Cuckoo			Lesser more apt than Small as there are many other smaller cuckoos. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.581)
Cacomantis sonneratii		Banded Bay Cuckoo			Indian inappropriate - not endemic, and unnecessary - there is only one Banded Bay Cuckoo. (Syn. no.582, 583)
C. passerinus		Grey-bellied Cuckoo			A modified alternate name. By deleting Plaintive additional qualifier for C. merulinus made unnecessary. (Syn. no.584)
C. merulinus		Plaintive Cuckoo			Rufous-bellied unnecessary as there is now (see for above species) only one Plaintive Cuckoo. (Syn. no.585)
Chrysococcyx maculatus		Asian Emerald Cuckoo			Qualifier Asian required to differentiate from African Emerald Cuckoo. (Syn. no.586)
C. xanthorhynchus		Violet Cuckoo			(Syn. no.587)
Surniculus lugubris		Drongo-Cuckoo			(Syn. no.588, 589)
Eudynamys scolopacea		Asian Koel			Qualifier added to differentiate from other koel species. (Syn. no.590-592)
Phaenicophaeus tristis		Green-billed Malkoha (see note)			Note: Many malkohas have green bills - see for below species also. Does not have a single distinctive character to name it after. Could it be named Lesson’s Malkoha to honour the ornithologist who first described it first for science? (Syn. no.593, 594)
P. viridirostris		Blue-faced Malkoha			The blue-face is a distinguishing feature, unlike the greenish bill (present in many species). (Syn. no.595)
P. leschenaultii		Sirkeer Malkoha			Looks more like a malkoha, less a cuckoo. (Syn. no.596-598)
P. pyrrhocephalus		Ceylon Malkoha			Endemic to Sri Lanka. Old name inappropriate as many malkohas have red faces. (Syn. no.599)
Centropodidae
Centropus sinensis		Greater Coucal			New name apt since there is a Lesser Coucal. Coucal more popular than Crow-Pheasant for the group. (Syn. no.600-602)
C. andamanensis		Brown Coucal			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. sinensis. (Syn. no.603)
C. bengalensis		Lesser Coucal			Note: Separate species now from C. toulou (Madagascar Coucal). (Syn. no.605)
C. chlororhynchus		Green-billed Coucal			The greenish bill easily separates the species from all other coucals. Note: Not: chlororhynchos (Syn. no.604)
Psittacidae
Loriculus vernalis		Vernal Hanging-Parrot			Hanging-Parrot much more widely used for this group than Lorikeet. Indian inappropriate - not endemic. (Syn. no.566, 567)
L. beryllinus		Ceylon Hanging-Parrot			As for above species. Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.568)
Psittacula eupatria		Alexandrine Parakeet			Already an alternate name. More widely known by this name. (Syn. no.545-548)
P. krameri		Rose-ringed Parakeet			(Syn. no.549, 550)
P. himalayana		Slaty-headed Parakeet			(Syn. no.562)
P. finschii		Finsch’s Parakeet			Change of name makes additional qualifier of Eastern for P. himalayana unnecessary. Grey and Slaty confusing. Finsch described the species - lets give him credit. Name used in some publications. (Syn. no.563)
P. intermedia		Intermediate Parakeet			Already an alternate name. Note: Doubts exist whether it is a hybrid. (Syn. no.561)
P. cyanocephala		Plum-headed Parakeet			Change of name aids shortening name of P. roseata. Appropriate, head of the male is plum-coloured. (Syn. no.557, 558)
P. roseata		Blossom-headed Parakeet			Name shortened - see for above speices. (Syn. no.559, 560)
P. columboides		Malabar Parakeet			A few others have blue-wings, but neither is it restricted to Malabar - any takers for Western Ghats Parakeet?! (Syn. no.564)
P. calthropae		Ceylon Parakeet			Already an alternate name. Endemic to Sri Lanka. Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.565)
P. derbiana		Derbyan Parakeet			Well established. Note: Not derbyana. (Syn. no.554)
P. alexandri		Pink-breasted Parakeet			Breast is pinkish, not red. (Syn. no.551, 552)
P. caniceps		Nicobar Parakeet			(Syn. no.553)
P. longicauda		Red-cheeked Parakeet			Apt name - reddish cheeks prominent. Tail is long in only males of some subspecies. (Syn. no.555, 556)
Apodidae
Collocalia esculenta		Glossy Swiftlet			Its glossy blue-black upper parts distinguishing. (Syn. no.687)
C. unicolor		Indian Swiftlet			Endemic to India. Nest not much used for food as Edible-nest Swiftlet. (Syn. no.685)
C. brevirostris		Himalayan Swiftlet			(Syn. no.683, 684)
C. maxima		Black-nest Swiftlet			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.684a)
C. fuciphaga		Edible-nest Swiftlet			A very widely used name. (Syn. no.686)
Zoonavena sylvatica		White-rumped Needletailed Swift			Ideal to retain Swift. Note: Affinities unclear - Needletail or Spinetail. (Syn. no.692)
Hirundapus caudacutus		White-throated Needletailed Swift			Already an alternate name. Belongs to the Needletail group. Ideal to retain Swift. (Syn. no.688)
H. cochinchinensis		Silver-backed Needletailed Swift			The silvery patch on the back distinctive. Its distribution, as the old name suggests, is incorrect. (Syn. no.689, 690)
H. giganteus		Brown-backed Needletailed Swift			The brown patch on the back is distinctive and distinguishes it from similar species. Ideal to retain Swift. (Syn. no.691)
Cypsiurus balasiensis		Asian Palm-Swift			Qualifier added to a group name. Note: Separate species now from C. parvus (African Palm-Swift). (Syn. no.707, 708)
Tachymarptis melba		Alpine Swift			(Syn. no.693-695)
Apus apus		Common Swift			Qualifier added to a group name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.696)
A. pallidus		Pallid Swift			(Syn. no.697)
A. pacificus		Fork-tailed Swift			The name Large White-rumped Swift exists for an African species. (Syn. no.699-701)
A. acuticauda		Khasi Hills Swift			Many swifts have dark rumps or backs. Known to breed only in the Khasi Hills. (Syn. no.698)
A. affinis		House Swift			Note: Some split species into Little Swift A. affinis (Syn. no.702-704) and House Swift A. nipalensis (Syn. no. 705-706)
Hemiprocnidae
Hemiprocne coronata		Crested Tree-swift			Note: Separate species now from H. longipennis (Grey-rumped Tree-swift). (Syn. no.709)
Tytonidae
Tyto alba		Barn Owl			(Syn. no.606, 607)
T. capensis		Grass Owl			Note: Some split the species into Eastern Grass Owl T. longimembris and Grass Owl T. capensis. If valid, our species is the Eastern Grass Owl T. longimembris. (Syn. no.608)
Phodilus badius		Oriental Bay-Owl			Qualifier necessary to differentiate from Congo Bay-Owl. (Syn. no.609, 610)
Strigidae
Otus balli		Andaman Scops-Owl			(Syn. no.613)
O. spilocephalus		Mountain Scops-Owl			Inhabits hills. Not significantly spotted enough to be named Spotted Scops-Owl. (Syn. no.611, 612)
O. brucei		Pallid Scops-Owl			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.614)
O. scops		Eurasian Scops-Owl			(Syn. no.615)
O. sunia		Oriental Scops-Owl			Note: Some treat sunia as a race of O. scops. (Syn. no.616-618b)
O. bakkamoena		Collared Scops-Owl			Note: Some split the species into Indian Scops-Owl O. bakkamoena (Syn. no.619-623) and Collared Scops-Owl O. lempiji. (Syn. no.624)
Bubo bubo		Eurasian Eagle-Owl			Note: Some split the species into Eurasian Eagle-Owl B. bubo (Syn. no.625-626a) and Rock Eagle-Owl B. bengalensis ( Syn. no.627)
B. nipalensis		Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl			Spots on belly characteristic. Qualifier Forest inappropriate as many other Eagle-Owls inhabit forests. (Syn. no.628, 629)
B. coromandus		Dusky Eagle-Owl			Proper group name (not Horned-Owl) added. (Syn. no.630)
Ketupa zeylonensis		Brown Fish-Owl			(Syn. no.631, 632)
K. flavipes		Tawny Fish-Owl			(Syn. no.633)
K. ketupu		Buffy Fish-Owl			Not restricted to Malaya. Note: No definite evidence that this is an Indian bird. (Syn. no.633a)
Nyctea scandiaca		Snowy Owl			(Syn. no.634)
Strix ocellata		Mottled Wood-Owl			Note: Tag of Wood cannot be done away with since there is a Mottled Owl. (Syn. no.655-657)
S. leptogrammica		Brown Wood-Owl			Note: Looks quite similar to the above species, hence better to retain Wood to show this relationship. (Syn. no.658-660)
S. aluco		Tawny Owl			Name shortened, tag of Wood unnecessary. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.661, 662)
S. butleri		Hume’s Owl			Name shortened, tag of Wood unnecessary. (Syn. no.654)
Glaucidium brodiei		Collared Owlet			Name shortened. Pygmy redundant as it is already called an owlet. (Syn. no.635)
G. cuculoides		Asian Barred Owlet			Asian added to differentiate from an African species. Note: Barred not a group name, so no hyphen used. (Syn. no.639-641)
G. radiatum		Jungle Owlet			(Syn. no.636, 637)
G. castanonotum		Chestnut-backed Owlet			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with radiatum or cuculoides. Note: Not castanonotus. (Syn. no.638)
Athene noctua		Little Owl			(Syn. no.648, 649)
A. brama		Spotted Owlet			(Syn. no.650-652)
A. blewitti		Blewitt’s Owlet			Specific name after Blewitt. Forest Owlet inappropriate - many owls live in forests. (Syn. no.653)
Aegolius funereus		Boreal Owl			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.665)
Ninox scutulata		Brown Hawk-Owl			(Syn. no.642-645)
N. affinis		Andaman Hawk-Owl			Name shortened. Tag of Brown unnecessary - there is only one Andaman Hawk-Eagle. (Syn. no.646, 647)
Asio otus		Long-eared Owl			(Syn. no.663)
A. flammeus		Short-eared Owl			(Syn. no.664)
Batrachostomidae
Batrachostomus moniliger		Indian Frogmouth			Endemic to the Indian subcontinent - not Sri Lanka as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.666)
B. hodgsoni		Hodgson’s Frogmouth			(Syn. no.667)
Eurostopodidae
Eurostopodus macrotis		Great Eared-Nightjar			(Syn. no.668, 669)
Caprimulgidae
Caprimulgus indicus		Grey Nightjar			A greyish nightjar. Not restricted to the Indian subcontinent as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.670, 672a)
C. europaeus		Eurasian Nightjar			European wrong as the bird is distributed in Europe and Asia. (Syn. no.673)
C. aegyptius		Egyptian Nightjar			(Syn. no.673a)
C. mahrattensis		Sykes’s Nightjar			(Syn. no.674)
C. macrurus		Large-tailed Nightjar			Long-tailed Nightjar is more appropriate for the African species C. longicaudatus. (Syn. no.675, 678, 679)
C. atripennis		Jerdon’s Nightjar			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. macrurus. (Syn. no.676, 677)
C. asiaticus		Indian Nightjar			Name shortened - Common unnecessary. Name in widespread use. (Syn. no.680, 681)
C. affinis		Franklin’s Nightjar			Savanna Nightjar unsuitable - the bird is also found in scrub jungle and deciduous forest. (Syn. no.682)
Columbidae
Columba livia		Rock Pigeon			Name shortened. In worldwide usage. (Syn. no.516, 517)
C. rupestris		Hill Pigeon			(Syn. no.515)
C. leuconota		Snow Pigeon			(Syn. no.513, 514)
C. eversmanni		Yellow-eyed Pigeon			The yellow eye is a more significant feature than the pale back. Name used in some publications. (Syn. no.518)
C. palumbus		Common Wood-Pigeon			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.519)
C. hodgsonii		Speckled Wood-Pigeon			(Syn. no.520)
C. pulchricollis		Ashy Wood-Pigeon			(Syn. no.523)
C. elphinstonii		Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon			(Syn. no.521)
C. torringtoni		Ceylon Wood-Pigeon			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. Note: Not torringtonii. (Syn. no.522)
C. punicea		Pale-capped Pigeon			Only the back is purplish, not the whole bird as the old name suggests. The pale ‘cap’ is distinctive. (Syn. no.524)
C. palumboides		Andaman Wood-Pigeon			(Syn. no.525)
Streptopelia turtur		European Turtle-Dove			Qualifier added to a group name. Its range is largely Europe. (Syn. no.529)
S. orientalis		Oriental Turtle-Dove			Name differentiates it from the above species. (Syn. no.530-533)
S. senegalensis		Laughing Dove			India is the eastern end of its range. Elsewhere, it is known as the Laughing Dove. (Syn. no.541)
S. chinensis		Spotted Dove			(Syn. no.537-540)
S. tranquebarica		Red Collared-Dove			Comes under the Collared-Dove group. (Syn. no.535, 536)
S. decaocto		Eurasian Collared-Dove			Qualifier added to a group name. The ring on the neck is better called a collar. Has spread to Europe. (Syn. no.534)
Macropygia unchall		Barred Cuckoo-Dove			Bird is barred all over, not tail alone (as the old name suggests). (Syn. no.526)
M. rufipennis		Andaman Cuckoo-Dove			(Syn. no.527, 527a)
Chalcophaps indica		Emerald Dove			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.542-544a)
Caloenas nicobarica		Nicobar Pigeon			(Syn. no.544b)
Treron bicincta		Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon			Already an alternate name. Comes under the Green-Pigeon group. (Syn. no.501, 502)
T. pompadora		Pompadour Green-Pigeon			Comes under the Green-Pigeon group. (Syn. no.496-500)
T. curvirostra		Thick-billed Green-Pigeon			Already an alternate name. Comes under the Green-Pigeon group. (Syn. no.495)
T. phoenicoptera		Yellow-legged Green-Pigeon			Both legs and feet are yellow, so ‘legged’ more appropriate and sounds better. (Syn. no.503-505)
T. apicauda		Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon			Already an alternate name. Comes under the Green-Pigeon group. (Syn. no.493)
T. sphenura		Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon			As above. (Syn. no.494)
Ducula aenea		Green Imperial-Pigeon			(Syn. no.506-508a)
D. badia		Mountain Imperial-Pigeon			Qualifier added to a group name. Widespread usage. A bird largely of the hills. (Syn. no.510-512)
D. bicolor		Pied Imperial-Pigeon			(Syn. no.509)
Otididae
Tetrax tetrax		Little Bustard			(Syn. no.353)
Otis tarda		Great Bustard (see note)			Note: Change to Great Eurasian Bustard (?) - see for A. nigriceps. (Syn. no.352)
Ardeotis nigriceps		Great Indian Bustard			Too familiar in India (and elsewhere) to permit deletion of the qualifier Great. An Indian endemic - let us have our say! Would Europeans be willing to modify Great Bustard to Great Eurasian Bustard? (Syn. no.354)
Chlamydotis macqueeni		MacQueen’s Bustard			Note: Separate species now from C. undulata (Houbara Bustard). (Syn. no.355)
Houbaropsis bengalensis		Bengal Florican			(Syn. no.356)
Sypheotides indica		Lesser Florican			Already a well established alternate name (Syn. no.357)
Gruidae
Grus leucogeranus		Siberian Crane			(Syn. no.325)
G. antigone		Sarus Crane			(Syn. no.323, 324)
G. virgo		Demoiselle Crane			(Syn. no.326)
G. grus		Common Crane			(Syn. no.320)
G. monacha		Hooded Crane			(Syn. no.322)
G. nigricollis		Black-necked Crane			(Syn. no.321)
Heliornithidae
Heliopais personata		Masked Finfoot			(Syn. no.351)
Rallidae
Rallina canningi		Andaman Crake			Name shortened. Banded does not unite a true group. (Syn. no.333)
R. fasciata		Red-legged Crake			As above. (Syn. no.331)
R. eurizonoides		Slaty-legged Crake			Too many banded crakes to justify naming any as just Banded Crake. (Syn. no.332)
Gallirallus striatus		Slaty-breasted Rail			The breast is slaty or grey, not blue as the old name suggests. In widespread use. (Syn. no.329, 330)
Rallus aquaticus		Water Rail			(Syn. no.327, 328)
Crex crex		Corn Crake			Corn should be separated from Crake, since it is a true crake. (Syn. no.334)
Amaurornis akool		Brown Crake			(Syn. no.342)
A. phoenicurus		White-breasted Waterhen			(Syn. no.343-345)
Porzana bicolor		Elwes’s Crake			Why change a well-established name which honours an early important collector. (Syn. no.341)
P. parva		Little Crake			(Syn. no.335, 336)
P. pusilla		Baillon’s Crake			(Syn. no.337)
P. porzana		Spotted Crake			(Syn. no.338)
P. fusca		Ruddy-breasted Crake			Breast, rather than the bird, is ruddy. (Syn. no.339, 340)
Gallicrex cinerea		Watercock			Words joined (i.e., not Water Cock) as Cock is not a group name. Monospecific. (Syn. no.346)
Porphyrio porphyrio		Purple Swamphen			Moorhen is used for the Gallinula group. Purple Swamphen is the name in use over much of its range. (Syn. no.348, 349)
Gallinula chloropus		Common Moorhen			Qualifier added to a group name. In widespread use elsewhere. A widespread species. (Syn. no.347, 347a)
Fulica atra		Common Coot			As above. (Syn. no.350)
Pteroclidae
Syrrhaptes tibetanus		Tibetan Sandgrouse			(Syn. no.485)
S. paradoxus		Pallas’s Sandgrouse			(Syn. no.485a)
Pterocles alchata		White-bellied Sandgrouse			Many sandgrouses have ‘pin tails’. White belly prominent, and otherwise present only in Tibetan Sangrouse. (Syn. no.486)
P. exustus		Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse			An apt distinctive name. Indian Sandgrouse inappropriate as it ranges into Africa. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.487)
P. senegallus		Spotted Sandgrouse			(Syn. no.488)
P. orientalis		Black-bellied Sandgrouse			Already an alternate name. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.489)
P. coronatus		Crowned Sandgrouse			Coronated and Crowned have the same meaning. Crowned more widely used in its range, and simpler. (Syn. no.490)
P. indicus		Painted Sandgrouse			(Syn. no.492)
P. lichtensteinii		Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse			Note: Some treat lichtensteinii as conspecific with P. indicus. (Syn. no.491)
Scolopacidae
Scolopax rusticola		Eurasian Woodcock			Qualifier added to a group name. Distributed in Europe and Asia. (Syn. no.411)
Gallinago solitaria		Solitary Snipe			(Syn. no.404)
G. nemoricola		Wood Snipe			(Syn. no.405)
G. stenura		Pin-tailed Snipe			(Syn. no.406)
G. megala		Swinhoe’s Snipe			(Syn. no.407)
G. media		Great Snipe			(Syn. no.408)
G. gallinago		Common Snipe			A very widely distributed species, but can’t Common be changed? (Syn. no.409)
Lymnocryptes minimus		Jack Snipe			Note: Not minima. (Syn. no.410)
Limosa limosa		Black-tailed Godwit			(Syn. no.389, 390)
L. lapponica		Bar-tailed Godwit			(Syn. no.391, 391a)
Numenius phaeopus		Whimbrel			(Syn. no.385, 386)
N. arquata		Eurasian Curlew			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.387, 388)
N. madagascariensis		Far Eastern Curlew			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Tringa erythropus		Spotted Redshank			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.392)
T. totanus		Common Redshank			The more widespread of the two redshanks. (Syn. no.393, 394)
T. stagnatilis		Marsh Sandpiper			(Syn. no.395)
T. nebularia		Common Greenshank			The more widespread of the two greenshanks. (Syn. no.396)
T. guttifer		Nordmann’s Greenshank			This name is well established elsewhere. Not spotted significantly to be called Spotted Greenshank. (Syn. no.399)
T. ochropus		Green Sandpiper			(Syn. no.397)
T. glareola		Wood Sandpiper			Spotted Sandpiper is used for an American species (T. macularia.) (Syn. no.398)
Xenus cinereus		Terek Sandpiper			(Syn. no.400)
Actitis hypoleucos		Common Sandpiper			(Syn. no.401)
Heteroscelus brevipes		Grey-tailed Tattler			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Arenaria interpres		Ruddy Turnstone			Qualifier necessary to differentiate from the Black Turnstone. Name in widespread use elsewhere. (Syn. no.402)
Limnodromus semipalmatus		Asian Dowitcher			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.403)
Calidris tenuirostris		Great Knot			The larger of the two knots. Eastern Knot is inappropriate as the Red Knot is also distributed ‘in the east’. (Syn. no.413)
C. canutus		Red Knot			Qualifier added to a group name. Name in widespread usage. (Syn. no.412)
C. alba		Sanderling			(Syn. no.414)
C. pygmeus		Spoonbilled Sandpiper			Minor change, Spoonbill to Spoonbilled. (Syn. no.423)
C. minuta		Little Stint			(Syn. no.416)
C. ruficollis		Rufous-necked Stint			Neck rufous, not red. Name already in use. (Syn. no.415)
C. temminckii		Temminck’s Stint			(Syn. no.417)
C. subminuta		Long-toed Stint			(Syn. no.418)
C. acuminata		Sharp-tailed Sandpiper			Not restricted to Asia as the old name suggests. Name in worldwide usage. (Syn. no.419)
C. alpina		Dunlin			(Syn. no.420, 421)
C. ferruginea		Curlew Sandpiper			(Syn. no.422)
Tryngites subruficollis		Buff-breasted Sandpiper			(Syn. no.425a)
Limicola falcinellus		Broad-billed Sandpiper			(Syn. no.424, 425)
Philomachus pugnax		Ruff			A single name for the species as in other birds. (Syn. no.426)
Phalaropus lobatus		Red-necked Phalarope			(Syn. no.428)
P. fulicaria		Red Phalarope			Overall reddish plumage during the breeding season. (Syn. no.427)
Rostratulidae
Rostratula benghalensis		Greater Painted-Snipe			Greater acts as an opposing name to Lesser Painted Snipe. Note: Not fulicarius. (Syn. no.429)
Jacanidae
Hydrophasianus chirurgus		Pheasant-tailed Jacana			(Syn. no.358)
Metopidius indicus		Bronze-winged Jacana			(Syn. no.359)
Burhinidae
Burhinus oedicnemus		Stone-Curlew			Name is too well known worldwide to permit change. Hyphen necessary since it is not a curlew. (Syn. no.435, 436)
Esacus recurvirostris		Great Thick-knee			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with E. neglectus. Thick-knee more widely used than Stone-Plover. (Syn. no.437)
E. neglectus		Beach Thick-knee			Thick-knee more widely used than Stone-Plover. (Syn. no.438)
Charadriidae
Haematopus ostralegus		Eurasian Oystercatcher			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.360, 361)
Ibidorhyncha struthersii		Ibisbill			(Syn. no.433)
Himantopus himantopus		Blackwinged Stilt			(Syn. no.430, 431)
Recurvirostra avosetta		Pied Avocet			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.432)
Pluvialis apricaria		Eurasian Golden-Plover (see note)			Note: As above, but should Golden be treated as a group name - when Ringed is now not? (Syn. no.372)
P. fulva		Pacific Golden-Plover			Note: Separate species now from P. dominica. (American Golden Plover). (Syn. no.373)
P. squatarola		Grey Plover			Already an alternate name. Quite apt and shorter than Black-bellied Plover. (Syn. no.371)
Charadrius hiaticula		Common Ringed Plover			Common not desirable - needs change Note: Ringed (now) not a group name, so no hyphens. (Syn. no.378)
C. placidus		Long-billed Plover			Name shortened. Ringed deleted - not used for all species anyway. (Syn. no.383)
C. dubius		Little Ringed Plover			Already an alternate name, of worldwide usage. Note: Ringed (now) not a group name, so no hyphens. (Syn. no.379, 380)
C. alexandrinus		Kentish Plover			(Syn. no.381, 382)
C. mongolus		Lesser Sand Plover			Name acts as an opposing name to the similar looking species below. (Syn. no.384, 384a)
C. leschenaultii		Greater Sand Plover			See for above species. (Syn. no.374)
C. asiaticus		Caspian Plover			(Syn. no.376)
C. veredus		Oriental Plover			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. asiaticus. (Syn. no.377)
Elseyornis melanops		Black-fronted Dotterel			Additional qualifier Australian unnecessary as there is only one Black-fronted Dotterel. Note: Not likely an Indian species - only one early record from Chennai (Madras). (Syn. no.375)
Vanellus vanellus		Northern Lapwing			Largely a temperate species. (Syn. no.364)
V. malarbaricus		Yellow-wattled Lapwing			Note: Not malabaricus. (Syn. no.370)
V. duvaucelii		River Lapwing			Note: Separate species now from V. spinosus (Spur-winged Lapwing). (Syn. no.369)
V. cinereus		Grey-headed Lapwing			(Syn. no.365)
V. indicus		Red-wattled Lapwing			(Syn. no.366-368)
V. gregarius		Sociable Lapwing			(Syn. no.363)
V. leucurus		White-tailed Lapwing			(Syn. no.362)
Glareolidae
Dromas ardeola		Crab-plover			Hypen necessary since it is not a Plover. (Syn. no.434)
Rhinoptilus bitorquatus		Jerdon’s Courser			More widely known by this name in India. An endemic species - let us have our say! (Syn. no.441)
Cursorius cursor		Cream-coloured Courser			(Syn. no.439)
C. coromandelicus		Indian Courser			(Syn. no.440)
Glareola pratincola		Collared Pratincole			(Syn. no.442)
G. maldivarum		Oriental Pratincole			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with G. pratincola.. (Syn. no.443)
G. lactea		Small Pratincole			Indian unnecessary as there is only one Small Pratincole. (Syn. no.444)
Laridae
Catharacta antartica		Brown Skua			Note: Some split the species into Southern Skua C. antarctica (Syn. no.445) and Brown Skua C. lonnbergi. (Syn. no.446).
C. maccormicki		South Polar Skua			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with antarctica and lonnbergi.. (Syn. no.446a)
Stercorarius pomarinus		Pomarine Jaeger			Jaeger is a useful name to distinguish the small skuas (Stercorarius) from the large ones (Catharacta). (Syn. no.447)
S. parasiticus		Parasitic Jaeger			As above. (Syn. no.448)
Rynchops albicollis		Indian Skimmer			(Syn. no.484)
Larus leucophthalmus		White-eyed Gull			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
L. hemprichii		Sooty Gull			(Syn. no.449)
L. canus		Mew Gull			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Note: The Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus (Syn. no.452a) and Lesser Black-backed Gull L. fuscus (Syn. no.452) have been deleted from the Indian subcontinent checklist: the former, due to doubts about the single record from Rajasthan; and the latter is suspected to be a wrong identification of the Heuglin’s Gull.
L. heuglini		Heuglin’s Gull			Note: Some treated it as conspecific with Herring Gull or Lesser Black-backed Gull..
L. cachinnans		Yellow-legged Gull			Note: Separate species now from Larus argentatus (Herring Gull).
L. ichthyaetus		Great Black-headed Gull			Already an alternate name. Describes the species better than Pallas’s Gull. (Syn. no.453)
L. brunnicephalus		Brown-headed Gull			(Syn. no.454)
L. ridibundus		Common Black-headed Gull			Common necessary to differentiate from Great Black-headed Gull. (Syn. no.455)
L. genei		Slender-billed Gull			(Syn. no.456)
L. minutus		Little Gull			(Syn. no.457)
Gelochelidon nilotica		Gull-billed Tern			(Syn. no.460, 461)
Sterna caspia		Caspian Tern			(Syn. no.462)
S. aurantia		River Tern			Qualifier Indian unnecessary as there is only one River Tern. Also not exclusively Indian. (Syn. no.463)
S. benghalensis		Lesser Crested-Tern			Justification similar to the above species. Hyphen necessary to say the tern is ‘lesser’, not the crest. (Syn. no.479)
S. bergii		Great Crested-Tern			An opposing name to the above species. Hyphen necessary to say the tern is ‘great’, not the crest. (Syn. no.478)
S. sandvicensis		Sandwich Tern			(Syn. no.480)
S. dougallii		Roseate Tern			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.466)
S. sumatrana		Black-naped Tern			(Syn. no.468, 469)
S. hirundo		Common Tern			(Syn. no.464, 465)
S. paradisaea		Arctic Tern			(Syn. no.466a)
S. albifrons		Little Tern			(Syn. no.475, 476)
S. saundersi		Saunders’s Tern			Name shortened, Little unnecessary. If Little is included, then S. albifrons will need an additional qualifier. (Syn. no.477)
S. repressa		White-cheeked Tern			(Syn. no.467)
S. acuticauda		Black-bellied Tern			(Syn. no.470)
S. anaethetus		Bridled Tern			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.471-473)
S. fuscata		Sooty Tern			(Syn. no.474)
Chlidonias hybridus		Whiskered Tern			Note: Not hybrida. (Syn. no.458)
C. leucopterus		White-winged Black Tern			Its black summer plumage too prominent to name as just White-winged Tern. (Syn. no.459)
C. niger		Black Tern			(Syn. no.459a)
Anous stolidus		Brown Noddy			An apt qualifier added to the group name. It is more brown than the other noddies. (Syn. no.481)
A. minutus		Black Noddy			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific or mistaken for A. tenuirostris.
A. tenuirostris		Lesser Noddy			(Syn. no.482)
Gygis alba		White Tern			Additional qualifier unnecessary as there is only one White Tern (i.e., if microrhyncha is treated as a race - unlike Sibley & Monroe). Fairy Tern is used for Sterna nereis. (Syn. no.483)
Accipitridae
Pandion haliaetus		Osprey			(Syn. no.203)
Aviceda jerdoni		Jerdon’s Baza			Use of this name solves the dilemma of whether to name it after Blyth or Legge. (Syn. no.125, 126)
A. leuphotes		Black Baza			All the three species of Bazas have crests, so tag Crested unnecessary. (Syn. no.127-128a)
Pernis ptilorhyncus		Oriental Honey-Buzzard			Crest is virtually absent in some subspecies. Oriental marginally more appropriate. (Syn. no.129, 130)
Elanus caeruleus		Black-shouldered Kite			Only the ‘shoulders’, and not the wing, is black. (Syn. no.124)
Milvus milvus		Red Kite			Already an alternate name of worldwide usage. (Syn. no.131)
M. migrans		Black Kite			Pariah Kite is derogatory. Widespread use, but note, the bird is not black and neither is the Red Kite red - can be changed? (Syn. no.132-134). Note: Some accord specific rank to the race lineatus (Syn. no.134), and name it Black-eared Kite.
Haliastur indus		Brahminy Kite			(Syn. no.135)
Haliaeetus leucogaster		White-bellied Sea-Eagle			Largely a coastal species. (Syn. no.173)
H. leucoryphus		Pallas’s Fish-Eagle			Worldwide usage. Found inland also to a good extent, so tag Sea-Eagle not correct. Fish-Eagle better (as in Serpent-Eagle) than Fishing-Eagle. (Syn. no.174)
H. albicilla		White-tailed Eagle			(Syn. no.172a)
Ichthyophaga humilis		Lesser Grey-headed Fish-Eagle			Already an alternate name. Name points out its similarity with the species below. Fish-Eagle better (as in Serpent-Eagle) than Fishing-Eagle. Not confined to the Himalayas. (Syn. no.177)
I. icthyaetus		Greater Grey-headed Fish-Eagle			Name in use in some publications. See for above species. (Syn. no.175, 176)
Gypaetus barbatus		Bearded Vulture			Already an alternate name. The ‘beard’ is a prominent feature of the species. (Syn. no.188)
Neophron percnopterus		Egyptian Vulture			Was a revered species of the early Egyptians. Historical value. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.186, 187)
Gyps bengalensis		Indian White-backed Vulture			Prefix of Indian essential to differentiate fom the African White-backed Vulture G. africanus. (Syn. no.185)
G. indicus		Long-billed Vulture			Not exclusive to the Indian subcontinent, so tag Indian unnecessary and wrong. (Syn. no.182, 184)
G. himalayensis		Himalayan Griffon-Vulture			Ideal to retain Vulture - Griffon also refers to a breed of dog! (Syn. no.181)
G. fulvus		Eurasian Griffon-Vulture			As above. (Syn. no.180, 183)
Aegypius monachus		Cinereous Vulture			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.179)
Sarcogyps calvus		Red-headed Vulture			A few other ‘black vultures’ present. Additionally, the name Black Vulture exists for an American species. (Syn. no.178)
Circaetus gallicus		Short-toed Snake-Eagle			Grouped under Snake-Eagle - not Serpent-Eagles, which comprise characteristic species of the Spilornis genus. (Syn. no.195)
Spilornis cheela		Crested Serpent-Eagle			(Syn. no.196-200)
S. minimus		Nicobar Serpent-Eagle			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with S. cheela. Note: Some split the species into Nicobar Serpent-Eagle S. minimus (Syn. no.201, 202) and Andaman Serpent-Eagle S. elgini (Syn. no.202a).
Circus aeruginosus		Eurasian Marsh Harrier			Note: Some split the species into Western Marsh Harrier C. aeruginosus (Syn. no.193) and Eastern Marsh Harrier C. spilonotus. (Syn. no.194)
C. cyaneus		Hen Harrier			Too well known a name to permit change. (Syn. no.189)
C. macrourus		Pallid Harrier			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.190)
C. melanoleucos		Pied Harrier			(Syn. no.192)
C. pygargus		Montagu’s Harrier			(Syn. no.191)
Accipiter trivirgatus		Crested Goshawk			(Syn. no.144-146)
A. badius		Shikra			(Syn. no.137-140)
A. butleri		Nicobar Sparrowhawk			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with A. badius. (Syn. no.141, 142)
A. soloensis		Chinese Sparrowhawk			More closely related to sparrowhawks than goshawks. Breeding areas are largely in China. (Syn. no.143)
A. gularis		Japanese Sparrowhawk			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with A. virgatus. (Syn. no.152)
A. virgatus		Besra Sparrowhawk			Ideal to retain the group name. (Syn. no.149-151)
A. nisus		Eurasian Sparrowhawk			Same species in Europe and Asia. (Syn. no.147, 148)
A. gentilis		Northern Goshawk			Qualifier added to a group name. A temperate region species. (Syn. no.136)
Butastur teesa		White-eyed Buzzard			Already an alternate name. Tag of eagle unnecessary and wrong. (Syn. no.157)
Buteo buteo		Eurasian Buzzard			Eurasian Buzzard will not be regionally biased as Common Buzzard. (Syn. no.155, 156)
B. rufinus		Long-legged Buzzard			(Syn. no.153)
B. hemilasius		Upland Buzzard			(Syn. no.154)
B. lagopus		Rough-legged Buzzard			New record for the Indian subcontinent (?) - considered doubtful.
Ictinaetus malayensis		Black Eagle			(Syn. no.172)
Aquila pomarina		Lesser Spotted Eagle			(Syn. no.171)
A. clanga		Greater Spotted Eagle			(Syn. no.170)
A. rapax		Tawny Eagle			Note: Some consider vindhiana as a species (Eurasian Tawny Eagle) from the extralimital A. rapax (African Tawny Eagle). (Syn. no.168)
A. nipalensis		Steppe Eagle			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with A. rapax. (Syn. no.169)
A. heliaca		Imperial Eagle			(Syn. no.167)
A. chrysaetos		Golden Eagle			(Syn. no.166)
Hieraaetus fasciatus		Bonelli’s Eagle			Not classified under Hawk-Eagle. (Syn. no.163)
H. pennatus		Booted Eagle			As above. (Syn. no.164)
H. kienerii		Rufous-bellied Eagle			As above. (Syn. no.165)
Spizaetus cirrhatus		Changeable Hawk-Eagle			Already an alternate name. Apt as not all races have crests, and plumage varies significantly. (Syn. no.160-162)
S. nipalensis		Mountain Hawk-Eagle			Restricted to mountains. New name solves the problem of whether to name it after Legge or Hodgson. (Syn. no.158, 159)
Falconidae
Microhierax caerulescens		Collared Falconet			A distinctive feature (collar) of the species. Other similar falconets have red breasts and/or ‘thighs’. (Syn. no.204)
M. melanoleucos		Pied Falconet			An apt name for this black and white species. White-legged flawed as all the under parts are white. (Syn. no.205)
Falco naumanni		Lesser Kestrel			(Syn. no.221)
F. tinnunculus		Common Kestrel			Qualifier added to a group name. A very widely distributed species. (Syn. no.222-224)
F. chicquera		Red-headed Falcon			The red on the top of the head, neck and nape gives the head an overall red appearance. Falcon more used than Merlin. Note: Not chiquera. (Syn. no.219)
F. amurensis		Amur Falcon			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with extralimital Red-legged Falcon A. vespertinus. (Syn. no.220)
F. concolor		Sooty Falcon			(Syn. no.216)
F. columbarius		Merlin			(Syn. no.217, 218)
F. subbuteo		Northern Hobby			Qualifier added to a group name. Northern better than Eurasian - as Eurasian conflicts with Oriental. (Syn. no.212, 213)
F. severus		Oriental Hobby			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.214, 215)
F. jugger		Laggar Falcon			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with extralimital Lanner Falcon F. biarmicus. (Syn. no.208)
F. cherrug		Saker Falcon			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with extralimital Lanner Falcon F. biarmicus. (Syn. no.206, 207)
F. peregrinus		Peregrine Falcon			Note: Some split the species into Peregrine Falcon F. peregrinus and Barbary Falcon F. pelegrinoides. (Syn. no.209-211)
Podicipedidae
Tachybaptus ruficollis		Little Grebe			(Syn. no.5)
Podiceps grisegena		Red-necked Grebe			Note: Not griseigena. (Syn. no.4a)
P. cristatus		Great Crested Grebe			(Syn. no.3)
P. auritus		Horned Grebe			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
P. nigricollis		Black-necked Grebe			(Syn. no.4)
Phaethonidae
Phaethon aethereus		Red-billed Tropicbird (see note)			An alternate name of worldwide usage. Note: One respondent suggests Bar-backed Tropicbird, as the barred back is unique for the species, unlike Red-billed, which is also present in P. rubricauda . Seems more apt - change it? (Syn. no.17)
P. rubricauda		Red-tailed Tropicbird			(Syn. no.18)
P. lepturus		Yellow-billed Tropicbird			The yellow bill is distinguishing. White-tailed unsuitable as P. aethereus has also a white tail. (Syn. no.19)
Sulidae
Sula dactylatra		Masked Booby			(Syn. no.23)
S. sula		Red-footed Booby			(Syn. no.24)
S. leucogaster		Brown Booby			(Syn. no.25)
Anhingidae
Anhinga melanogaster		Darter			Note: Name will depend on treatment of races, and also the name decided on for the American species. (Syn. no.29)
Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocorax pygmeus		Pygmy Cormorant			Note: Not pygmaeus (Syn. no.28a)
P. niger		Little Cormorant			(Syn. no.28)
P. fuscicollis		Indian Cormorant			Should be called Cormorant (not Shag) as for rest of the species. Name used elsewhere. (Syn. no.27)
P. carbo		Great Cormorant			Wider usage. Useful for size description. (Syn. no.26)
Ardeidae
Egretta garzetta		Little Egret			(Syn. no.49)
E. gularis		Western Reef-Egret			Distribution is west of the range of E. sacra. Classed under Egret, not Heron. (Syn. no.50)
E. sacra		Eastern Reef-Egret			Species is much more widespread than the Pacific, so Pacific Reef-Egret inappropriate. (Syn. no.51)
Ardea cinerea		Grey Heron			(Syn. no.35, 36)
A. goliath		Goliath Heron			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.34)
A. insignis		White-bellied Heron			Name shortened, Great unnecessary as there is only one White-bellied Heron. (Syn. no.33)
A. sumatrana		Great-billed Heron			New record for the Indian subcontinent (?) - considered doubtful.
A. purpurea		Purple Heron			(Syn. no.37, 37a)
Casmerodius albus		Great Egret			Minor change - Large to Great. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.45, 46)
Mesophoyx intermedia		Intermediate Egret			Already an alternate name of worldwide usage, but note Median Egret is shorter and easier to say. (Syn. no.47, 48)
Bubulcus ibis		Cattle Egret			(Syn. no.44)
Ardeola grayii		Indian Pond-Heron			Qualifier added to a group name. Widespread in India. (Syn. no.42, 42a)
A. bacchus		Chinese Pond-Heron			(Syn. no.43)
Butorides striatus		Green-backed Heron			Name used in some publications. It is the back (not the whole bird) that is greenish in most of the forms. Striated definitely inappropriate. (Syn. no.38-41)
Nycticorax nycticorax		Black-crowned Night-Heron			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.52)
Gorsachius melanolophus		Malayan Night-Heron			Already an alternate name. Note: Malayan instead of Malay is more correct. (Syn. no.53, 54)
Ixobrychus minutus		Little Bittern			(Syn. no.55)
I. sinensis		Yellow Bittern			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.57)
I. cinnamomeus		Cinnamon Bittern			Scientific name says cinnamomeus, and the colour is cinnamon and not chestnut. (Syn. no.56)
Dupetor flavicollis		Black Bittern			(Syn. no.58)
Botaurus stellaris		Great Bittern			Qualifier added to a group name. The largest bittern in the world. (Syn. no.59)
Phoenicopteridae
Phoenicopterus ruber		Greater Flamingo			Already an alternate name. Acts as a corresponding name to Lesser Flamingo. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.73)
P. minor		Lesser Flamingo			Note: Not Phoeniconaias. (Syn. no.74)
Threskiornithidae
Plegadis falcinellus		Glossy Ibis			(Syn. no.71)
Threskiornis melanocephalus		Asian White Ibis			There are three white coloured ibises, with black heads, so neither White Ibis or Black-headed Ibis appropriate on their own. So, qualifier Asian added to differentiate from Australian White Ibis and American White Ibis. (Syn. no.69)
Pseudibis papillosa		Black Ibis			Name will hold good unless davisoni (where the red warty patch is obsolete) is treated as a species. If so, then better to call P. papillosa as Red-naped Ibis. (Syn. no.70)
Platalea leucorodia		Eurasian Spoonbill			Qualifier added to a group name. Distributed in Europe and Asia. (Syn. no.72)
Pelecanidae
Pelecanus onocrotalus		Great White Pelican			Additional qualifier (Great) necessary as there is an American White Pelican. (Syn. no.20)
P. crispus		Dalmatian Pelican			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. philippensis. (Syn. no.22)
P. philippensis		Spot-billed Pelican			(Syn. no.21)
Ciconiidae
Mycteria leucocephala		Painted Stork			(Syn. no.60)
Anastomus oscitans		Asian Open-billed Stork			Group name (Stork) should ideally be retained. Asian necessary to differentiate from African Open-billed Stork. (Syn. no.61)
Ciconia nigra		Black Stork			(Syn. no.65)
C. episcopus	White-necked Stork		The woolly texture of feathers on neck evident only on skins! (Syn. no.62)
C. ciconia		White Stork			(Syn. no.63)
C. boyciana		Oriental Stork			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with C. ciconia.. (Syn. no.64)
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus		Black-necked Stork			(Syn. no.66)
Leptoptilos javanicus		Lesser Adjutant-Stork			Group name (Stork) should ideally be retained. (Syn. no.68)
L. dubius		Greater Adjutant-Stork			As above. (Syn. no.67)
Fregatidae
Fregata minor		Great Frigatebird			Lesser Frigatebird is erroneous since it is one of the larger sized species. (Syn. no.31)
F. ariel		Least Frigatebird			The smallest of all the five species of frigatebirds, so Least more appropriate than Lesser. (Syn. no.32)
F. andrewsi		Christmas Island Frigatebird			The area where it nests is known as Christmas Island, not Christmas. (Syn. no.30)
Gaviidae
Gavia stellata		Red-throated Diver			Diver is a more descriptive name than Loon. (Syn. no.2)
G. arctica		Black-throated Diver			The black throat highly characteristic. Diver a more descriptive name than Loon. (Syn. no.1)
Procellariidae
Daption capense		Cape Petrel			Already an alternate name of worldwide usage. (Syn. no.6)
Note: The Mascarene Petrel Pterodroma aterrima (Syn. no.13) has been deleted from the Indian subcontinent checklist - suspected to be a wrong identification of Jouanin’s Petrel.
Pterodroma baraui		Barau’s Petrel			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
P. mollis		Soft-plumaged Petrel			New record for the Indian subcontinent (?) - not accepted by some.
Bulweria bulwerii		Bulwer’s Petrel			Name shortened. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.13b)
B. fallax		Jouanin’s Petrel			As above. (Syn. no.13a)
Calonectris leucomelas		Streaked Shearwater			Already an alternate name of worldwide usage. (Syn. no.7)
Puffinus pacificus		Wedge-tailed Shearwater			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.9)
P. carneipes		Flesh-footed Shearwater			Pink-footed more used for P. creatopus. (Syn. no.8)
P. griseus		Sooty Shearwater			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
P. tenuirostris		Short-tailed Shearwater			Already an alternate name. Name is almost universally used elsewhere, and is a useful feature. (Syn. no.10)
P. lherminieri		Audubon’s Shearwater			(Syn. no.11)
P. persicus		Persian Shearwater			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. lherminieri. (Syn. no.12)
Oceanites oceanicus		Wilson’s Storm-Petrel			(Syn. no.14)
Pelagodroma marina		White-faced Storm-Petrel			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Fregetta tropica		Black-bellied Storm-Petrel			Old name Dusky-vented not distinctive. The black band of the white belly differentiates it from all storm-petrels. (Syn. no.15)
F. grallaria		White-bellied Storm-Petrel			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Oceanodroma monorhis		Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel			Note: Separate species now from O. leucorhoa (Leach’s Storm-Petrel). (Syn. no.16)
Pittidae
Pitta nipalensis		Blue-naped Pitta			(Syn. no.866)
P. cyanea		Blue Pitta			(Syn. no.871)
P. sordida		Hooded Pitta			Already an alternate name of widespread usage. (Syn. no.869, 870)
P. brachyura		Indian Pitta			(Syn. no.867)
P. moluccensis		Blue-winged Pitta			(Syn. no.868)
Eurylaimidae
Serilophus lunatus		Silver-breasted Broadbill			There is no collar (only a semi-gorget) as the old name suggests. Name is more widely used. (Syn. no.864)
Psarisomus dalhousiae		Long-tailed Broadbill			(Syn. no.865)
Irenidae
Irena puella		Asian Fairy-Bluebird			Asian necessary to differentiate it from Philippine Fairy-Bluebird. (Syn. no.1109, 1110)
Chloropsis cochinchinensis		Jerdon’s Leafbird			Mantle is not golden in the Indian races; others have blue wings too. So better to use this alternate name. (Syn. no.1107, 1108)
C. aurifrons		Gold-fronted Leafbird			Chloropsis changed to Leafbirds. No need to lengthen Gold to Golden. (Syn. no.1103-1105)
C. hardwickii		Orange-bellied Leafbird			Chloropsis changed to Leafbirds. (Syn. no.1106)
Laniidae
Lanius collurio		Red-backed Shrike			(Syn. no.941)
L. isabellinus		Rufous-tailed Shrike			Note: Was earlier treated as a race of L. collurio. Name more descriptive than Isabelline Shrike. (Syn. no.942, 943)
L. cristatus		Brown Shrike			(Syn. no.949-950a)
L. collurioides		Burmese Shrike			(Syn. no.938)
L. vittatus		Bay-backed Shrike			(Syn. no.939, 940)
L. schach		Long-tailed Shrike			Long tail distinctive. Also, upper parts of back are grey and only lower parts rufous, so old name inappropriate. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.946-948)
L. tephronotus		Grey-backed Shrike			Already an alternate name. Appropriate. (Syn. no.944, 945)
L. minor		Lesser Grey Shrike			(Syn. no.937)
L. excubitor	Great Grey Shrike			(Syn. no.933-935)
L. meridionalis		Southern Grey Shrike			Note: Some treat meridionalis as conspecific with L. excubitor. (Syn. no.936)
Note: The Woodchat Shrike L. senator (Syn. no.951) has been deleted from the Indian subcontinent checklist - the earlier records are suspected to be erroneous or have not been substantiated. (Syn. no.951)
Corvidae
Pachycephala grisola		Mangrove Whistler			Already an alternate name. Comes under the Whistler group. (Syn. no.1470)
Garrulus glandarius		Eurasian Jay			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1020, 1021)
G. lanceolatus		Black-headed Jay			A better descriptive name than Black-throated (the throat is only streaked with black) or Lanceolated Jay. (Syn. no.1022)
Urocissa ornata		Ceylon Blue Magpie			Retaining Blue distinguishes these species from mapgies that lack blue. Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1024)
U. flavirostris		Yellow-billed Blue Magpie			As above. Additionally, use of tag Blue prevents conflict with the Yellow-billed Magpie of North America. (Syn. no.1025, 1026)
U. erythrorhyncha		Red-billed Blue Magpie			The red bill prominent - as for Yellow-billed Magpie. Blue retained as for above two species. (Syn. no.1027, 1028)
Cissa chinensis		Common Green Magpie			Qualifier Common necessary to differentiate from Short-tailed Green Magpie and Indochinese Green Magpie. (Syn. no.1023)
Dendrocitta vagabunda		Rufous Treepie			An apt descriptive name. Not endemic to India as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1030a-1034)
D. formosae		Grey Treepie			Not restricted to the Himalayas as the old name suggests. Largely grey in colour. (Syn. no.1037-1039)
D. leucogastra		White-bellied Treepie			Already an alternate name. Apt. (Syn. no.1036)
D. frontalis		Collared Treepie			Black brow present in many species. The ‘collar’ is more conspicuous in this species than in other treepies. (Syn. no.1035)
D. bayleyi		Andaman Treepie			(Syn. no.1040)
Pica pica		Black-billed Magpie			Name can be applied to both the races i.e., White-rumped and Black-rumped. (Syn. no.1029, 1030)
Pseudopodoces humilis		Hume’s Groundpecker			There is good evidence that this species is not a Corvid. This name allows for it to be moved (in future, if necessary) to another family without a name change. Group name ideal due to its habit of pick-axing the soil. (Syn. no.1041)
Nucifraga caryocatactes		Spotted Nutcracker			(Syn. no.1042-1044)
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax		Red-billed Chough			(Syn. no.1046, 1047)
P. graculus		Yellow-billed Chough			Already an alternate name. Acts as a differentiating name with Red-billed Chough. (Syn. no.1045)
Corvus monedula		Eurasian Jackdaw			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1053)
C. splendens		House Crow			(Syn. no.1048-1051)
C. frugilegus		Rook			(Syn. no.1052)
C. corone		Carrion Crow			(Syn. no.1058, 1058a)
C. macrorhynchos		Jungle Crow			Well established and easier to say than Large-billed Crow. Note: Some split the species into Large-billed Crow C. macrorhynchos (Syn. no.1054, 1056) and Jungle Crow C. levaillantii. (Syn. no.1055, 1057).
C. ruficollis		Brown-necked Raven			(Syn. no.1061)
C. corax		Common Raven			Qualifier added to a group name. The most widespread of all the ravens. (Syn. no.1059, 1060)
Artamus fuscus		Ashy Wood-swallow			Wood-swallow, rather than Swallow-Shrike, is more widely used for the group. (Syn. no.982)
A. leucorynchus		White-breasted Wood-swallow			As above. (Syn. no.983)
Oriolus oriolus		Eurasian Golden Oriole			Qualifier necessary to differentiate from the African Golden Oriole. (Syn. no.952, 953)
O. chinensis		Black-naped Oriole			(Syn. no.954, 956, 957)
O. tenuirostris		Slender-billed Oriole			Note: Was earlier treated as a race of O. chinensis. (Syn. no.955)
O. xanthornus		Black-hooded Oriole			Black of head extends up to neck and gives the appearance of a hood. (Syn. no.958-960a)
O. traillii		Maroon Oriole			(Syn. no.961)
Coracina macei		Large Cuckoo-shrike			Note: Separate species now from C. novaehollandiae (Australian Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike). (Syn. no.1072-1075)
C. striata		Bar-bellied Cuckoo-shrike			The belly, and not the whole bird (as the old name suggests), is barred. (Syn. no.1076)
C. melaschistos		Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike			Name Smaller Grey Cuckoo-shrike too long and ambiguous. New name apt for males. (Syn. no.1077)
C. melanoptera		Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike			(Syn. no.1078, 1079)
Lalage nigra		Pied Triller			Comes under the Triller group. (Syn. no.1079a)
Pericrocotus roseus		Rosy Minivet			(Syn. no.1089)
P. divaricatus		Ashy Minivet			(Syn. no.1089a)
P. cinnamomeus		Small Minivet			Already an alternate name. Used by early Indian ornithologists. (Syn. no.1090-1095)
P. erythropygius		White-bellied Minivet			(Syn. no.1096)
P. solaris		Grey-chinned Minivet			Old name is after the female - unlike for other species. New name is after the male for uniformity. (Syn. no.1088)
P. ethologus		Long-tailed Minivet			(Syn. no.1085-1087)
P. brevirostris		Short-billed Minivet			(Syn. no.1084)
P. flammeus		Scarlet Minivet			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1080-1083)
Hemipus picatus		Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike			Not all the races have black backs to be named Pied. The white bars on wings conspicuous for both the sexes. Acts as a differentiating name with Black-winged Flycatcher-shrike. (Syn. no.1064-1066)
Rhipidura hypoxantha		Yellow-bellied Fantail			A Corvid and not a flycatcher, so better to delete tag Flycatcher. (Syn. no.1450)
R. albicollis		White-throated Fantail			As above. (Syn. no.1454-1459)
R. aureola		White-browed Fantail			As above. (Syn. no.1451-1453)
Dicrurus macrocercus		Black Drongo			Note: Separate species now from D. adsimilis ( Fork-tailed Drongo). (Syn. no.962-964)
D. leucophaeus		Ashy Drongo			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.965-966b)
D. caerulescens		White-bellied Drongo			Already an alternate name and apt. (Syn. no.967-969)
D. annectans		Crow-billed Drongo			(Syn. no.970)
D. aeneus		Bronzed Drongo			(Syn. no.971)
D. remifer		Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo			(Syn. no.972)
D. hottentottus		Spangled Drongo			Hairs on crest rarely visible in the field, while the iridescence of neck and breast give a spangled effect. Note: Some split the species into Hair-crested Drongo D. hottentottus (Syn. no.973) and the extralimital Spangled Drongo D. bracteatus.
D. andamanensis		Andaman Drongo			(Syn. no.974, 975)
D. paradiseus		Greater Racket-tailed Drongo			Acts as an opposing name to Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo. Note: Not apt for the Sri Lankan form though, which does not have the racket-tail. (Syn. no.976-981)
Hypothymis azurea		Black-naped Monarch			Comes under the Monarch group - not a true Flycatcher. (Syn. no.1465, 1469)
Terpsiphone paradisi		Asian Paradise-Flycatcher			Qualifier added to a group (Paradise-Flycatcher) name. (Syn. no.1460-1464)
Aegithina tiphia		Common Iora			(Syn. no.1097-1101)
A. nigrolutea		Marshall’s Iora			Proper to honour Marshall. Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1102)
Tephrodornis gularis		Large Woodshrike			Note: Not a true shrike, so compound name. (Syn. no.1067, 1068)
T. pondicerianus		Lesser Woodshrike			Common regionally biased, unlike Lesser Woodshrike (one of its known alternate names). (Syn. no.1069, 1071)
Bombycillidae
Bombycilla garrulus		Bohemian Waxwing			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1062)
Cinclidae
Cinclus cinclus		White-throated Dipper			Qualifier added to a group name. Suits all the populations, unlike White-breasted. (Syn. no.1772-1774)
C. pallasii		Brown Dipper			(Syn. no.1775, 1776)
Muscicapidae
Monticola saxatilis		Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush			Qualifier added to a group name. Apt. (Syn. no.1772)
M. cinclorhynchus		Blue-headed Rock-Thrush			Most of the head is blue - why change it to Blue-capped? (Syn. no.1723)
M. rufiventris		Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush			(Syn. no.1724)
M. solitarius		Blue Rock-Thrush			(Syn. no.1725, 1726)
Myiophonus blighi		Ceylon Whistling-Thrush			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1727)
M. horsfieldii		Malabar Whistling-Thrush			(Syn. no.1728)
M. caeruleus		Blue Whistling-Thrush			(Syn. no.1729, 1730)
Zoothera wardii		Pied Thrush			Additional qualifier (Ground) unnecessary. (Syn. no.1731)
Z. citrina	Orange-headed Thrush		As above. (Syn. no.1733-1736)
Z. sibirica		Siberian Thrush			As above. (Syn. no.1732, 1732a)
Z. spiloptera		Spot-winged Thrush			As for above species. Spot, rather than Spotted, easier to say. (Syn. no.1737)
Z. mollissima		Plain-backed Thrush			Additional qualifier Mountain unnecessary. (Syn. no.1738, 1739)
Z. dixoni		Long-tailed Thrush			As above. (Syn. no.1740)
Z. dauma		Scaly Thrush			A more apt name - plumage is scaly all over. (Syn. no.1741-1744)
Z. monticola		Larger Long-billed Thrush			Both this and the species below have markedly long bills, look similar and are of the same genus. Qualifier of Larger and Lesser ideal to point out their similarity to each other. (Syn. no.1745)
Z. marginata		Lesser Long-billed Thrush			See for above species. (Syn. no.1746)
Turdus unicolor		Tickell’s Thrush			Already an alternate name. Well established. (Syn. no.1748)
T. dissimilis		Black-breasted Thrush			(Syn. no.1747)
T. albocinctus		White-collared Blackbird			(Syn. no.1749)
T. boulboul		Grey-winged Blackbird			(Syn. no.1750)
T. merula		Eurasian Blackbird			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1751-1757)
T. rubrocanus		Chestnut Thrush			It is the chestnut of the birds that is striking. The grey of the head varies in the forms (can look blackish). It is also more grey-hooded than grey-headed. (Syn. no.1758, 1759)
T. kessleri		Kessler’s Thrush			Specific name after Kessler. A well-established name without flaws. (Syn. no.1760)
T. feae		Fea’s Thrush			Justification similar to the above species. (Syn. no.1761)
T. obscurus		Eyebrowed Thrush			Not especially dark. ‘Eyebrow’ prominent. (Syn. no.1762)
T. ruficollis		Dark-throated Thrush			Races have red and black throats, so this name suits both. (Syn. no.1763, 1764)
T. naumanni		Dusky Thrush			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1765)
T. pilaris		Fieldfare			(Syn. no.1766)
T. iliacus		Redwing			(Syn. no.1767)
T. philomelos		Song Thrush			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
T. viscivorus		Mistle Thrush			(Syn. no.1768)
Brachypteryx stellata		Gould’s Shortwing			(Syn. no.1635)
B. hyperythra		Rusty-bellied Shortwing			(Syn. no.1636).
Note: The Enigmatic Shortwing B. cryptica (Syn. no.1636a) is now placed under Sylviidae (see Pellorneum tickelli).
B. major		White-bellied Shortwing			Name suits both the races unlike the old name (Rufous-bellied Shortwing). Note: Some doubt whether it is a Shortwing, and suggest it may be closer to Cinclidium - named Southern Blue Robin. (Syn. no.1637, 1638)
B. leucophrys		Lesser Shortwing			(Syn. no.1639)
B. montana		White-browed Shortwing			(Syn. no.1640)
Rhinomyias brunneata		Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher			Rhinomyias species are grouped under Jungle-Flycatcher. (Syn. no.1402)
Muscicapa striata		Spotted Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1403, 1404)
M. sibirica		Dark-sided Flycatcher			Name Sooty Flycatcher exists for an African species (M. infuscata) . Well-established extralimitally. (Syn. no.1405, 1406)
M. dauurica		Asian Brown Flycatcher			Asian added to differentiate from Sumba Brown Flycatcher. (Syn. no.1407)
M. ruficauda		Rusty-tailed Flycatcher			Rufous-tailed is used for an American species. (Syn. no.1409)
M. muttui		Brown-breasted Flycatcher			Already an alternate name. Apt and fairly well-established. (Syn. no.1408)
M. ferruginea		Ferruginous Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1410)
Ficedula zanthopygia		Yellow-rumped Flycatcher			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
F. hodgsonii		Slaty-backed Flycatcher			Many Ficedula species have rufous breasts. Slaty-backed somewhat diagnostic. (Syn. no.1418)
F. strophiata		Orange-gorgeted Flycatcher			The gorget is orange, not rufous (basis of new name). (Syn. no.1414)
F. parva		Red-throated Flycatcher			The eastern race has the red restricted to the throat. (Syn. no.1411, 1412)
F. subrubra		Kashmir Flycatcher			Name shortened. (Syn. no.1413)
F. monileger		White-gorgeted Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1415, 1416)
F. hyperythra		Snowy-browed Flycatcher			Too many Ficedula species with rufous/rusty breasts. Snowy-browed highlights a distinctive feature. (Syn. no.1417)
F. westermanni		Little Pied Flycatcher			Already an alternate name, appropriate. (Syn. no.1419, 1420)
F. superciliaris		Ultramarine Flycatcher			The race aestigma does not have a white brow. Highlights the bird’s distinctive colour. (Syn. no.1421, 1422)
F. tricolor		Slaty-blue Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1423-1425)
F. sapphira		Sapphire Flycatcher			Blue (sapphire colour) not confined to head as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1426)
F. nigrorufa		Black-and-Orange Flycatcher			No need for change from Orange to Rufous - it is orange anyway! An Indian endemic - let us have our say! (Syn. no.1427)
Eumyias thalassina		Verditer Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1445)
E. sordida		Ceylon Flycatcher			Dusky-blue Flycatcher is used for an African species. Endemic to Sri Lanka. (Syn. no.1444)
E. albicaudata		Nilgiri Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1446)
Niltava grandis		Large Niltava			(Syn. no.1428)
N. macgrigoriae		Small Niltava			(Syn. no.1429, 1430)
N. sundara		Rufous-bellied Niltava			(Syn. no.1431, 1432)
N. vivida		Vivid Niltava			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1433)
Cyornis concretus		White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher			Blue is useful as there are so many flycatchers. (Syn. no.1434)
C. pallipes		White-bellied Blue-Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1435)
C. poliogenys		Pale-chinned Flycatcher			Alternate name, but tag of Blue deleted since the male of only one race has a bluish wash. (Syn. no.1436-1438)
C. unicolor		Pale Blue-Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1439)
C. rubeculoides		Blue-throated Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1440)
C. banyumas		Hill Blue-Flycatcher			The large bill is not present in all the races. (Syn. no.1441)
C. tickelliae		Tickell’s Blue-Flycatcher			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1442, 1443)
Muscicapella hodgsoni		Pygmy Blue-Flycatcher			(Syn. no.1447)
Culicicapa ceylonensis		Grey-headed Flycatcher			Note: Tag Canary necessary only if the two species of Culicicapa are transferred to family Eopsaltriidae, as sometimes suggested. (Syn. no.1448, 1449)
Luscinia megarhynchos		Common Nightingale			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1642)
L. calliope		Siberian Rubythroat			Qualifier added to a group name. Well established. (Syn. no.1643)
L. pectoralis		White-tailed Rubythroat			Not restricted to the Himalayas as the old name suggests. Apt. (Syn. no.1647-1649)
L. svecica		Bluethroat			(Syn. no.1644-1646a)
L. pectardens		Firethroat			(Syn. no.1652)
L. brunnea		Indian Blue Robin			Robin preferred over Chat to bring this in line with congeners. (Syn. no.1650, 1651)
L. cyane		Siberian Blue Robin			Same as above. The name is well established extralimitally. (Syn. no.1653)
Tarsiger cyanurus		Orange-flanked Bush-Robin			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1654-1656)
T. chrysaeus		Golden Bush-Robin			(Syn. no.1657, 1658)
T. indicus		White-browed Bush-Robin			(Syn. no.1659)
T. hyperythrus		Rufous-breasted Bush-Robin			The breast is rufous, not the belly (part is white) as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1660)
Cercotrichas galactotes		Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin.			Tail, not the bird (as old name says), is rufous. Cercotrichas species are grouped under Scrub-Robin, not Chat. (Syn. no.1641)
Copsychus saularis		Oriental Magpie-Robin			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1661-1664)
C. malabaricus		White-rumped Shama			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1665-1668)
Saxicoloides fulicata		Indian Robin			Already an alternate name. An Indian endemic. (Syn. no.1717-1721)
Phoenicurus erythronota		Eversmann’s Redstart			Why change a widely used ‘non-problematic’ name? Let the honour given to Eversmann remain. (Syn. no.1669)
P. coeruleocephalus		Blue-capped Redstart			The crown, and not the whole head, is blue, so new name more apt. Note: Not caeruleocephalus. (Syn. no.1670)
P. ochruros		Black Redstart			(Syn. no.1671. 1672)
P. phoenicurus		Common Redstart			Qualifier added to a group name. The alternate name of White-fronted Redstart is used for a South American species of the Fringillidae family! (Syn. no.1673)
P. hodgsoni		Hodgson’s Redstart			(Syn. no.1674)
P. schisticeps		White-throated Redstart			(Syn. no.1676)
P. auroreus		Daurian Redstart			(Syn. no.1677)
P. erythrogaster		Guldenstadt’s Redstart			Several redstarts have white on wings. Why change a widely used ‘non-problematic’ name? (Syn. no.1678)
P. frontalis		Blue-fronted Redstart			(Syn. no.1675)
Chaimarrornis leucocephalus		White-capped Redstart			Qualifier Water unnecessary. No need to link Chaimarrornis and Rhyacornis together with this tag. (Syn. no.1716)
Rhyacornis fuliginosus		Plumbeous Redstart			See for above species. (Syn. no.1679)
Hodgsonius phaenicuroides		Hodgson’s Redstart			A redstart, not shortwing. No need to coin a new name, instead use the qualifier of the old name. (Syn. no.1680)
Myiomela leucura		White-tailed Robin			Name shortened. Other blue coloured robins do not have the tag Blue. (Syn. no.1681)
Cinclidium frontale		Blue-fronted Robin			(Syn. no.1682)
Grandala coelicolor		Grandala			There is only one Grandala the world over, so qualifier of Hodgson’s unnecessary. (Syn. no.1683)
Enicurus scouleri		Little Forktail			(Syn. no.1684)
E. immaculatus		Black-backed Forktail			(Syn. no.1685)
E. schistaceus		Slaty-backed Forktail			(Syn. no.1686)
E. leschenaulti		Leschenault’s Forktail			Specific name after Leschenault. Other forktails do have white crowns. (Syn. no.1687)
E. maculatus		Spotted Forktail			(Syn. no.1688, 1689)
Cochoa purpurea		Purple Cochoa			(Syn. no.1690)
C. viridis		Green Cochoa			(Syn. no.1691)
Saxicola macrorhyncha		Stoliczka’s Bushchat			Why not retain the more widely used ‘non-problematic’ name? The white brow is present in other species and it may be off-white for adult males. (Syn. no.1693)
S. insignis		Hodgson’s Bushchat			Hodgson discovered the species - let him have the credit. A few other bushchats have white throats. (Syn. no.1694)
S. torquata		Common Stonechat			Note: Some split the species into Common Stonechat S. torquata (Syn. no.1696-1698) and Siberian Stonechat S. maura. (Syn. no.1695).
S. leucura		White-tailed Stonechat			Already an alternate name. Clearly closer to Stonechat than to Bushchat. (Syn. no.1699)
S. caprata		Pied Bushchat			(Syn. no.1700-1703)
S. jerdoni		Jerdon’s Bushchat			(Syn. no.1704)
S. ferrea		Grey Bushchat			Name shortened - no real necessity of adding Dark. (Syn. no.1705)
Oenanthe monacha		Hooded Wheatear			Comes under the Wheatear, not Chat group. (Syn. no.1713)
O. alboniger		Hume’s Wheatear			As above. (Syn. no.1714)
O. oenanthe		Northern Wheatear			Qualifier added to a group name. The most northern of its genus. (Syn. no.1708)
O. finschii		Finsch’s Wheatear			Comes under the Wheatear group. Specific name after Finsch. Widespread use extralimitally. (Syn. no.1711)
O. picata		Variable Wheatear			Apt name - a polymorphic species. Comes under the Wheatear group. (Syn. no.1712)
O. pleschanka		Pied Wheatear			Comes under the Wheatear, not Chat group. (Syn. no.1715)
O. xanthoprymna		Rufous-tailed Wheatear			Tail rufous, not red as the earlier name denoted. In widespread use extralimitally. (Syn. no.1707)
O. deserti		Desert Wheatear			(Syn. no.1709, 1710)
O. isabellina		Isabelline Wheatear			Comes under the Wheatear, not Chat, group. (Syn. no.1706)
Cercomela fusca		Brown Rock Chat			Apt, no need to change the long-accepted ‘non-problematic’ name. (Syn. no.1692)
Sturnidae
Aplonis panayensis		Asian Glossy Starling			Asian necessary to differentiate from other Glossy Starlings. (Syn. no.985-986a)
Saroglossa spiloptera		Spot-winged Starling			Comes under the Starling group. Spot easier to say than Spotted. (Syn. no.984)
Sturnus senex		Ceylon Starling			Comes under the Starling group. Endemic. White-headed unnecessary as there is only one Ceylon Starling. (Syn. no.993)
S. malabaricus		Chestnut-tailed Starling			Comes under the Starling group. Some forms have white heads, so Grey-headed inappropriate. (Syn. no.987-989)
S. erythropygius		White-headed Starling			Comes under the Starling group. (Syn. no.990-992)
S. pagodarum		Brahminy Starling			As above. (Syn. no.994)
S. sturninus		Daurian Starling			Not necessary to change to a more descriptive name - widespread usage and quite attractive too. (Syn. no.995)
S. sinensis		White-shouldered Starling			Bird is grey all over, not only on the back; nor is it restricted to China. White ‘shoulders’ prominent. (Syn. no.1005)
S. roseus		Rosy Starling			Already an alternate name. Pastor is meaningless here. (Syn. no.996)
S. vulgaris		Common Starling			Qualifier added to a group name. Apt and extremely well known. (Syn. no.997-1001)
S. contra		Asian Pied Starling			Should have the group name Starling as other Sturnid species. Asian necessary to differentiate from African Pied Starling. (Syn. no.1002-1004)
Acridotheres tristis		Common Myna			Already an alternate name. Myna, not Mynah, is more widely used. (Syn. no.1006, 1007)
A. ginginianus		Bank Myna			(Syn. no.1008)
A. fuscus		Jungle Myna			(Syn. no.1009-1011)
A. cinereus		White-vented Myna			Many mynas have yellow bills. Apt descriptive name. Note: There is disagreement on the taxonomic status of cinereus, javanicus and grandis. (Syn. no.1012)
A. albocinctus		Collared Myna			(Syn. no.1013)
Ampeliceps coronatus		Gold-crested Myna			No need to lengthen to Golden. (Syn. no.1014)
Gracula ptilogenys		Ceylon Myna			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1019)
G. religiosa		Hill Myna			Already an alternate name of worldwide usage. Not a grackle, which are a group of American birds. (Syn. no.1015-1018)
Sittidae
Sitta europaea		Eurasian Nuthatch			Distributed in Europe and Asia. (Syn. no.1825)
S. nagaensis		Chestnut-vented Nuthatch			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with S. europaea. (Syn. no.1826)
S. cashmirensis		Kashmir Nuthatch			As above. (Syn. no.1824)
S. castanea		Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch			(Syn. no.1827-1831)
S. himalayensis		White-tailed Nuthatch			(Syn. no.1834, 1835)
S. leucopsis		White-cheeked Nuthatch			(Syn. no.1832, 1833)
S. tephronota		Eastern Rock Nuthatch			(Syn. no.1836)
S. frontalis		Velvet-fronted Nuthatch			Additional qualifier Blue unnecessary. Widespread usage. (Syn. no.1838)
S. formosa		Beautiful Nuthatch			(Syn. no.1837)
Tichodroma muraria		Wallcreeper			Not a true creeper (Certhiidae), so compound name. (Syn. no.1839)
Certhiidae
Certhia familiaris		Eurasian Tree-Creeper			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1842-1844)
C. himalayana		Bar-tailed Tree-Creeper			Not restricted to the Himalayas as the old name suggests. Bars on tail distinctive. (Syn. no.1845-1848)
C. nipalensis		Rusty-flanked Tree-Creeper			Not restricted to Nepal as the old name suggests. Highlights a distinctive feature. (Syn. no.1851)
C. discolor		Brown-throated Tree-Creeper			Not restricted to Sikkim as the old name suggests. Highlights a distinctive feature. (Syn. no.1849, 1850)
Salpornis spilonotus		Spotted Creeper			The nominate race is more brownish than grey. Spotted apt and descriptive. (Syn. no.1840, 1841)
Troglodytes troglodytes		Northern Wren			A bird of the temperate region. (Syn. no.1769, 1771)
Paridae
Remiz coronatus		White-crowned Penduline-Tit			Note: Separate species now from extralimital R. pendulinus (Eurasian Penduline-Tit). (Syn. no.1817)
Cephalopyrus flammiceps		Fire-capped Tit			(Syn. no.1815, 1816)
Parus palustris		Marsh Tit			Note: The Black-bibbed Tit P. hypermelaena (Syn. no.1801) has now been downgraded to a race of P. palustris.
P. rufonuchalis		Rufous-naped Tit			Name more or less appropriate and unique. A few other species are also dark grey. (Syn. no.1804)
P. rubidiventris		Rufous-vented Tit			Vent, and not the belly, rufous in all the races. (Syn. no.1805-1806a)
P. melanolophus		Spot-winged Tit			Already an alternate name. Spot-winged distinctive, unlike Black-crested (many tits have black crests). (Syn. no.1802)
P. ater		Coal Tit			(Syn. no.1803)
P. dichrous		Brown Crested Tit			Apt, it is brown and crested. Most American tits have grey crests, so new name not recommended. (Syn. no.1807, 1808)
P. major		Great Tit			Worldwide familiarity. Grey inappropriate as there is a race with much yellow. (Syn. no.1790-1797)
P. monticolus		Green-backed Tit			(Syn. no.1799)
P. nuchalis		Pied Tit			A very apt name for this black and white bird. Many other species have white napes or white in wings. An Indian endemic - let us have our say! (Syn. no.1798)
P. xanthogenys		Black-lored Yellow Tit			Black lores very prominent. Retaining Yellow helpful. (Syn. no.1809-1811)
P. spilonotus		Black-spotted Yellow Tit			An apt and distinctive name only when tag Yellow is included. (Syn. no.1812, 1812a)
P. cyanus		Azure Tit			(Syn. no.1800a)
P. flavipectus		Yellow-breasted Tit			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. cyanus. (Syn. no.1800)
Sylviparus modestus		Yellow-browed Tit			(Syn. no.1813, 1814)
Melanochlora sultanea		Sultan Tit			(Syn. no.1789)
Aegithalidae
Aegithalos leucogenys		White-cheeked Tit			(Syn. no.1821)
A. concinnus		Chestnut-capped Tit			Only the crown is chestnut (not red), not the head as the old name suggests. Black-throated not recommended as many tits have black throats. (Syn. no.1818-1820)
A. niveogularis		White-throated Tit			(Syn. no.1822)
A. iouschistos		Silver-throated Tit			Many other species have black brows and rufous fronts. The silver throat is a very distinctive feature. (Syn. no.1823)
Hirundinidae
Riparia riparia		Sand Martin			(Syn. no.911)
R. diluta		Pale Martin			Note: Some treat diluta as conspecific with R. riparia. (Syn. no.910)
R. paludicola		Plain Martin			No need for additional qualifier for R. riparia after shortening Plain Sand Martin to Sand Martin. (Syn. no.912)
Hirundo rupestris		Eurasian Crag-Martin			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.913)
H. fuligula		Rock Martin			Note: Some split the species into Pale Crag-Martin H.obsoleta (Syn. no.915) and the extralimital Rock Martin H. fuligula.
H. concolor		Dusky Crag-Martin			(Syn. no.914)
H. rustica		Barn Swallow			Name not regionally biased as Common Swallow. May not be apt, but it is a widely used name. (Syn. no.916-918)
H. tahitica		Pacific Swallow			Pacific inappropriate, but then, so is House. Note: Some split species into Pacific Swallow H. tahitica (Syn. no.920) and Hill Swallow H. domicola (Syn. no.919).
H. smithii		Wire-tailed Swallow			(Syn. no.921)
H. daurica		Red-rumped Swallow			Already an alternate name. Worldwide usage. (Syn. no.923-928)
H. striolata		Striated Swallow			Qualifier Larger unnecessary on accepting name Red-rumped Swallow (and not Striated Swallow) for H. daurica. (Syn. no.929)
H. fluvicola		Streak-throated Swallow			An apt descriptive name for the species. Does not frequent cliffs as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.922)
Delichon urbica		Northern House-Martin			(Syn. no.930)
D. dasypus		Asian House-Martin			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with D. urbica. (Syn. no.931)
D. nipalensis		Nepal House-Martin			Belongs to the House-Martin (not Martin) group. Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.932)
Regulidae
Regulus regulus		Common Goldcrest			Note: The necessity of qualifier Common will depend on whether R. teneriffae is named Tenerife Goldcrest or Canary Islands Kinglet. If the latter, then Goldcrest only. (Syn. no.1628-1631)
Pycnonotidae
Spizixos canifrons		Crested Finchbilled Bulbul			Qualifier necessary to distinguish it from Collared Finchbilled Bulbul S. semitorques. It is a bulbul - retain the group name. (Syn. no.1111)
Pycnonotus striatus		Striated Bulbul			Name shortened, Green unnecessary - many are green. (Syn. no.1133, 1134)
P. priocephalus		Grey-headed Bulbul			(Syn. no.1114)
P. atriceps		Black-headed Bulbul			(Syn. no.1112, 1113)
P. melanicterus		Variable Bulbul			Apt name as the races are highly variable and none of the existing names suits all the races together. Note: Name stays unless the forms are upgraded to species as suggested by some taxonomists. (Syn. no.1115-1117)
P. jocosus		Red-whiskered Bulbul			(Syn. no.1118-1122)
P. leucotis		White-eared Bulbul			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. leucogenys. (Syn. no.1123, 1124)
P. leucogenys		Himalayan Bulbul			(Syn. no.1125)
P. cafer		Red-vented Bulbul			(Syn. no.1126-1132)
P. xantholaemus		Yellow-throated Bulbul			(Syn. no.1135)
P. penicillatus		Yellow-eared Bulbul			(Syn. no.1136)
P. flavescens		Flavescent Bulbul			Flavescent fairly well-established extralimitally - primarily non-Indian. Name agrees with the specific name. (Syn. no.1137)
P. luteolus		White-browed Bulbul			(Syn. no.1138, 1139)
Alophoixus flaveolus		White-throated Bulbul			(Syn. no.1140)
Iole virescens		Olive Bulbul			(Syn. no.1141)
I. indica		Yellow-browed Bulbul			(Syn. no.1143-1145
Hemixos flavala		Ashy Bulbul			Brown ‘ears’ (basis of old name) not prominent in all the races. (Syn. no.1147)
Hypsipetes mcclellandii		Mountain Bulbul			A bird of the hills. Rufous-bellied not apt as the belly is not much rufous (the breast is). (Syn. no.1146)
H. leucocephalus		Black Bulbul			Note: Separate species now from H. madagascariensis (Madagascar Bulbul). (Syn. no.1148-1151)
H. nicobariensis		Nicobar Bulbul			(Syn. no.1142)
Hypocoliidae
Hypocolius ampelinus		Hypocolius			There is only one Hypocolius worldwide, so no need for qualifier. An existing name. (Syn. no.1063)
Cisticolidae
Cisticola juncidis		Zitting Cisticola			Comes under the Cisticola group. The name Fantail Warbler is used for a Central American species (Syn. no.1498-1500a)
C. exilis		Golden-capped Cisticola			The crown, not the head, is golden (rufous or orange-yellow). (Syn. no.1496, 1497)
Scotocerca inquieta		Streaked Scrub-Warbler			(Syn. no.1533)
Prinia burnesii		Swamp Prinia			Both old name (most prinias have long tails) and new name (only one race has the rufous vent) are inappropriate. Swamp Prinia (used in some texts) appropriate - defines their habitat and applies to both the species. Note: Some split species into Rufous-vented Prinia P. burnesii (Syn. no.1531) and Grey Prinia P. cinerascens. (Syn. no.1532)
P. criniger		Brown Hill Prinia			Appropriate and requires minimal change - except for change from Warbler to Prinia. (Syn. no.1526-1528)
P. atrogularis		Black-throated Prinia			Where the black throat exists, it is highly distinctive. Comes under the Prinia group. (Syn. no.1529, 1530)
P. cinereocapilla		Hodgson’s Prinia			Requires minimal change - Warbler to Prinia. Many prinias have grey crowns. (Syn. no.1507)
P. buchanani		Rufous-fronted Prinia			Comes under the Prinia group. (Syn. no.1506)
P. rufescens		Rufescent Prinia			Minor change - Rufous to Rufescent. Well known extralimitally. (Syn. no.1501)
P. hodgsonii		Grey-breasted Prinia			New name suits the species well and points out an obvious feature for this difficult group. (Syn. no.1502-1505)
P. gracilis		Graceful Prinia			Well established extralimitally and agrees with specific name. (Syn. no.1508, 1509)
P. sylvatica		Jungle Prinia			Already an alternate name, with group name (Prinia) added. Large inappropriate - many are larger. (Syn. no.1519-1523)
P. flaviventris		Yellow-bellied Prinia			Comes under the Prinia group. (Syn. no.1524, 1525)
P. socialis		Ashy Prinia			As above. (Syn. no.1515-1518)
P. inornata		Plain Prinia			Note: Separate species now from P. subflava.. (Syn. no.1510-1514)
Zosteropidae
Zosterops ceylonensis		Ceylon White-eye			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1937)
Z. palpebrosus		Oriental White-eye			Qualifier added to a group name. In widespread use and appropriate. (Syn. no.1933-1936)
Sylviidae
Tesia castaneocoronata		Chestnut-headed Tesia			Comes under the Tesia group. (Syn. no.1473)
T. olivea		Slaty-bellied Tesia			As above. (Syn. no.1472)
T. cyaniventer		Grey-bellied Tesia			As above, and Dull-slaty shortened to Grey. (Syn. no.1471)
Urosphena squameiceps		Asian Stubtail			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
Cettia pallidipes		Pale-footed Bush-Warbler			(Syn. no.1474, 1475)
C. diphone		Japanese Bush-Warbler			Chinese Bush-Warbler is used for Bradypterus tacsanowskius also in the Synopsis. Note: Some split the species into Manchurian Bush-Warbler C. canturians and Japanese Bush-Warbler C. diphone. If valid, our species is the Manchurian Bush-Warbler (Syn. no.1476)
C. fortipes		Brown-flanked Bush-Warbler			Already an alternate name, ‘ish’ in Brown unnecessary. (Syn. no.1477, 1478)
C. major		Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warbler			Not large (as old name says) compared to some. One of just a few with chestnut crowns. (Syn. no.1479, 1480)
C. flavolivacea		Aberrant Bush-Warbler			(Syn. no.1481-1483)
C. acanthizoides		Yellow-bellied Bush-Warbler			Already an alternate name, ‘ish’ in Yellow unnecessary. (Syn. no.1484)
C. brunnifrons		Grey-sided Bush-Warbler			The grey sides distinctive for the species and suits all the races. (Syn. no.1485-1487)
C. cetti		Cetti’s Bush-Warbler			Comes under the Bush-Warbler group. (Syn. no.1488)
Bradypterus thoracicus		Spotted Bush-Warbler			(Syn. no.1489, 1490)
B. major		Long-billed Bush-Warbler			Minor change - Large-billed to a more correct Long-billed.. (Syn. no.1491)
B. tacsanowskius		Chinese Bush-Warbler			(Syn. no.1492)
B. luteoventris		Brown Bush-Warbler			(Syn. no.1493)
B. seebohmi		Russet Bush-Warbler			New record for the Indian subcontinent
B. palliseri		Ceylon Bush-Warbler			Ceylon, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1494)
Locustella lanceolata	Lanceolated Warbler		Tag Grasshopper in the genus Locustella has been dropped - see notes for Leaf Warblers - and the only Grasshopper Warbler now is L. naevia, which ‘sings’ like a grasshopper. Widespread usage elsewhere. (Syn. no.1544)
L. naevia		Grasshopper Warbler			Name shortened, widespread use. (Syn. no.1545)
L. certhiola		Rusty-rumped Warbler			See for L. lanceolata. Name used (coined?) by Inskipp et. al (1996). Appropriate. (Syn. no.1542, 1543)
Acrocephalus melanopogon		Moustached Warbler			By dropping Sedge, modification of A. schoenobaenus (Sedge Warbler) made unnecessary. (Syn. no.1495)
A. schoenobaenus		Sedge Warbler			New record for the Indian subcontinent. Note: Not schoenabaenus
A. bistrigiceps		Black-browed Reed-Warbler			(Syn. no.1555)
A. agricola		Paddyfield Warbler			(Syn. no.1557, 1558)
A. concinens		Blunt-winged Warbler			By dropping Paddyfield modification of A. agricola (Paddyfield Warbler) unnecessary. (Syn. no.1559, 1560)
A. scirpaceus		Eurasian Reed-Warbler			Qualifier added to a group name. Note: Not definitely an Indian species. (Syn. no.1555a)
A. dumetorum		Blyth’s Reed-Warbler			(Syn. no.1556)
A. arundinaceus		Great Reed-Warbler			Name shortened. (Syn. no.1553)
A. orientalis		Oriental Reed-Warbler			Name shortened. Scientific name says orientalis. (Syn. no.1554)
A. stentoreus		Clamorous Reed-Warbler			Widely know by this name elsewhere. Too many Reed-Warblers with tag Great. (Syn. no.1550-1552, 1561)
A. aedon		Thick-billed Warbler			(Syn. no.1549)
Hippolais caligata		Booted Warbler			Note: Some split the species into Booted Warbler H. caligata (Syn. no.1562) and Sykes’s Warbler H. rama (Syn. no.1563).
H. pallida		Olivaceous Warbler			New record for the Indian subcontinent (?) - not accepted by some.
H. languida		Upcher’s Warbler			(Syn. no.1564)
Orthotomus cuculatus		Mountain Tailorbird			Too many tailorbirds with golden heads to be named as such. New name apt as it is restricted to hills. (Syn. no.1541)
O. sutorius		Common Tailorbird			Qualifier added to a group name. (Syn. no.1535-1539)
O. atrogularis		Dark-necked Tailorbird			Neck not really black (dark rather), so old name rejected. Name familiar elsewhere. (Syn. no.1540)
Leptopoecile sophiae		Stoliczka’s Tit-Warbler			Why deprive the credit that was given to Stoliczka. Has historical value. (Syn. no.1633, 1634)
L. elegans		Crested Tit-Warbler			Note: Not definitely an Indian species. (Syn. no.1632)
Note: The Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (Syn. no.1572, 1573) has been deleted from the Indian subcontinent checklist. There are doubts about the veracity of the records and also possible wrong identification of P. trochiloides.
Phylloscopus collybita		Common Chiffchaff			The more common of the two chiffchaffs. (Syn. no.1574, 1575)
P. sindianus		Mountain Chiffchaff			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. collybita. (Syn. no.1576)
Note: There has been no uniformity in the use of tag Leaf for the Phylloscopus group. Strictly speaking, all the forty odd species of this group should have the tag Leaf - as should the relevant tags be used for the other broad-based warbler groups (e.g. Reed and Bush), but this has not been followed for various reasons. As members of this group are only migrants to our region, let others have their say with regard to the use of Leaf. Additionally, tags of the subgroups (Willow, Grasshopper and Flycatcher) within these broad groups have been done away with in the new names, which we have followed accordingly.
P. neglectus		Plain Leaf-Warbler			(Syn. no.1577)
P. fuscatus		Dusky Warbler			See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1584-1586)
P. fuligiventer		Smoky Warbler			Tag Willow dropped, and conflicts with P. trochilus. (Syn. no.1582, 1583)
P. affinis		Tickell’s Leaf-Warbler			(Syn. no.1579)
P. subaffinis		Buff-throated Warbler			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. affinis. See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1580)
P. griseolus		Sulphur-bellied Warbler			Distinctive - it is more yellow below than others. See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1581).
P. schwarzi		Radde’s Warbler			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
P. pulcher		Buff-barred Warbler			Bars not always orange, so buff better. See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1587-1589)
P. maculipennis		Ashy-throated Warbler			It is the throat, not the face, that is distinctively grey in all the races. See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1597-1599)
P. chloronotus	Lemon-rumped Warbler		Note: Separate species now from extralimital P. proregulus (Pallas’s Leaf Warbler). (Syn. no.1594-1596)
P. subviridis		Brooks’s Leaf-Warbler			(Syn. no.1593)
P. inornatus		Yellow-browed Warbler			(Syn. no.1591, 1592)
P. humei		Hume’s Warbler			Note: Some treat humei as conspecific with P. inornatus. (Syn. no.1590)
P. borealis		Arctic Warbler			See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1600)
P. trochiloides		Greenish Warbler			Dull Green shortened to Greenish. See note on use of Leaf. Note: Some split the species into Greenish Warbler P. trochiloides (Syn. no.1602-1604) and Yellowish-breasted Warbler P. nitidus (Syn. no.1605).
P. tenellipes		Pale-legged Leaf-Warbler			(Syn. no.1605a)
P. magnirostris		Large-billed Leaf-Warbler			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1601)
P. tytleri		Tytler’s Leaf-Warbler			As above. (Syn. no.1578)
P. occipitalis		Western Crowned Warbler			Not logical to treat Crowned as a group name for only two species, when tags such Grasshopper, Flycatcher, etc., have been done away with, which has many species. So, we have not hyphenated Crowned Warbler, (Syn. no.1606)
P. coronatus		Eastern Crowned Warbler			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. occipitalis. See for above species. (Syn. no.1607)
P. reguloides		Blyth’s Leaf-Warbler			(Syn. no.1608-1611)
P. cantator		Yellow-vented Warbler			The yellow vent separates it from most other Phylloscopus (the black brow and yellow face do not). See note on use of Leaf. (Syn. no.1612)
Seicercus burkii		Gold-spectacled Warbler			Tag of Flycatcher dropped. The gold ‘spectacle’ distinguishing - many species have black brows. Note: ‘en’ in Golden unnecessary. (Syn. no.1614-1615a)
S. xanthoschistos		Grey-hooded Warbler			Grey-headed is used for an American species. Note: Not xanthoschistus. (Syn. no.1616-1619)
S. affinis		White-spectacled Warbler			Tag of Flycatcher dropped. Name acts as an differentiating name to S. burkii. Allied not at all helpful. (Syn. no.1613)
S. poliogenys		Grey-cheeked Warbler			As above. (Syn. no.1620)
S. castaniceps		Chestnut-crowned Warbler			As above. Only the crown, and not the head, is chestnut in colour. (Syn. no.1621)
Tickellia hodgsoni		Broad-billed Warbler			Tag of Flycatcher dropped. (Syn. no.1627)
Abroscopus albogularis		Rufous-faced Warbler			As above. The rufous face is distinguishing. White-throated is a misnomer. (Syn. no.1626)
A. schisticeps		Black-faced Warbler			Tag of Flycatcher dropped. (Syn. no. 1624, 1625)
A. superciliaris		Yellow-bellied Warbler			As above. (Syn. no.1622, 1623)
Megalurus palustris		Striated Grassbird			Grassbird used for many species of the subfamily Megalurinae. Grass-Warbler is used (and more applicable) for some species of the subfamily Acrocephalinae. (Syn. no.1548).
Chaetornis striatus		Bristled Grassbird			As above. (Syn. no.1547)
Graminicola bengalensis		Rufous-rumped Grassbird			As above. Additionally, Large is a misnomer, with Megalurus being so big. (Syn. no.1534)
Schoenicola platyura		Broad-tailed Grassbird			As for M. palustris. (Syn. no.1546)
Garrulax cinereifrons		Ashy-headed Laughingthrush			Already an alternate name. Note: Laughing and thrush combined as it is not a true thrush (Muscicapidae). (Syn. no.1272)
G. albogularis		White-throated Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1273, 1274)
G. leucolophus		White-crested Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1283, 1284)
G. monileger		Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush			Acts as an opposing name to Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, a similar looking species. (Syn. no.1275, 1276)
G. pectoralis		Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush			See for above species. (Syn. no.1277, 1278)
G. striatus		Striated Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1279- 1282)
G. ruficollis		Rufous-necked Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1303)
G. nuchalis		Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1285)
G. galbanus		Yellow-throated Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1286)
G. delesserti		Wynaad Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1287)
G. gularis		Rufous-vented Laughingthrush			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with G. delesserti. (Syn. no.1288)
G. cineraceus		Moustached Laughingthrush			‘Moustache’ distinctive for the species. (Syn. no.1291)
G. rufogularis		Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1292-1296)
G. ocellatus		Spotted Laughingthrush			Name shortened. Additionally, spots are not only white. (Syn. no.1297-1299)
G. caerulatus		Grey-sided Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1300-1302)
G. merulinus		Spot-breasted Laughingthrush			Minor change, Spotted to Spot. (Syn. no.1304-1305)
G. sannio		White-browed Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1306)
G. cachinnans		Nilgiri Laughingthrush			Endemic to the Nilgiri hills. (Syn. no.1307, 1308)
G. jerdoni		Jerdon’s Laughingthrush			Specific name after Jerdon, so we suggest it.. Also, the races have grey, or in one case, a mainly white breast, so old (White-breasted) and new (Grey-breasted) names are better avoided. (Syn. no.1309-1311)
G. lineatus		Streaked Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1312-1316)
G. virgatus		Striped Laughingthrush			Former name (Manipur Streaked Laughingthrush) too lengthy and conflicts with G. lineatus. (Syn. no.1317)
G. austeni		Brown-capped Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1318)
G. squamatus		Blue-winged Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1319)
G. subunicolor		Scaly Laughingthrush			Scale-like pattern all over. A few others scaly too, but this name better as it cannot be definitely termed Plain. (Syn. no.1320)
G. elliotii		Elliot’s Laughingthrush			New record for the Indian subcontinent.
G. variegatus		Variegated Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1289, 1290)
G. henrici		Henri’s Laughingthrush			Name shortened by deleting title Prince. (Syn. no.1321)
G. affinis		Black-faced Laughingthrush			(Syn. no.1322, 1323)
G. erythrocephalus		Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush			Crown chestnut in color, not the whole head as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1324-1330)
Liocichla phoenicea		Red-faced Liocichla			Comes under the group of Liocichla. The red ‘face’ very prominent in the species. (Syn. no.1331, 1332)
Malacocincla abbotti		Abbott’s Babbler			(Syn. no.1167)
Pellorneum tickelli		Tickell’s Babbler			Buff-breasted unmemorable and confusing - many have buff breasts. Let the existing, ‘non-problematic’ name stay. (Syn. no.1166, 1636a). Note: 1636a was listed as Enigmatic Shortwing Bradypterix cryptica in Synopsis.
P. albiventre		Spot-throated Babbler			Too many brown coloured babblers to name this as Brown Babber. (Syn. no.1164, 1165)
P. palustre		Marsh Babbler			Name shortened - Spotted unnecessary since there is only one Marsh Babbler. (Syn. no.1160)
P. ruficeps		Puff-throated Babbler			Many babblers are spotted. Named due to its habit of puffing out the throats at times. (Syn. no.1152-1159)
P. fuscocapillum		Brown-capped Babbler			(Syn. no.1161-1163)
Pomatorhinus hypoleucos		Large Scimitar-Babbler			(Syn. no.1185)
P. erythrocnemis		Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. erythrogenys. (Syn. no.1183, 1184 ? )
P. erythrogenys		Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler			(Syn. no.1181-1182 ? )
P. horsfieldii		Indian Scimitar-Babbler			(Syn. no.1172-1177)
P. schisticeps		White-browed Scimitar-Babbler			Note: Was earlier treated as conspecific with P. horsfieldii. (Syn. no.1168-1171)
P. ruficollis	Rufous-necked Scimitar-Babbler		Neither old nor new name distinguishing. So, better to let the old name stand. (Syn. no.1178-1180)
P. ochraceiceps	Long-billed Scimitar-Babbler		Bill orange (not red) in some races. The long bill is a notable feature of the bird. (Syn. no.1189-1190)
P. ferruginosus		Coral-billed Scimitar-Babbler			(Syn. no.1186-1188)
Xiphirhynchus superciliaris		Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler			(Syn. no.1191, 1192)
Rimator malacoptilus		Long-billed Wren-Babbler			(Syn. no.1193)
Napothera brevicaudata		Streaked Wren-Babbler			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1194)
N. epilepidota		Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler			Points out a prominent feature of the species. There are smaller wren-babblers. (Syn. no.1195, 1196)
Pnoepyga albiventer		Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler			Already an alternate name. (Syn. no.1197, 1198)
P. pusilla		Pygmy Wren-Babbler			Fits well for this very small species. (Syn. no.1199)
P. immaculata		Nepal Wren-Babbler			New record for the Indian subcontinent - a newly described species.
Spelaeornis caudatus	Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler		Name Tailed Wren-Babbler inappropriate - all are ‘tailed’! Rufous-throated points to a distinctive characteristic. (Syn. no.1200)
S. badeigularis	Mishmi Wren-Babbler		Only known from the Mishmi hills, so very apt. (Syn. no.1201)
S. troglodytoides	Bar-winged Wren-Babbler		Previous name (Long-tailed Spotted Wren-Babbler) too long and confusing. (Syn. no.1205)
S. formosus		Spotted Wren-Babbler			(Syn. no.1206)
S. chocolatinus		Austen’s Wren-Babbler			Old and new names are not really distinguishing. Better to resort to this sometimes used alternate name. (Syn. no.1203, 1204)
S. longicaudatus		Tawny-breasted Wren-Babbler			An apt name. Long ‘tail’ present in a few other ‘long-tailed’ Wren-Babblers. (Syn. no.1202)
Sphenocichla humei		Wedge-billed Wren-Babbler			Comes under the Wren-Babbler group. (Syn. no.1207, 1208)
Stachyris rufifrons		Rufous-fronted Babbler			The ‘front’ is rufous, not red. Note: Some split the species into Buff-chested Babbler S. ambigua and Rufous-fronted Babbler S. rufifrons. If valid, our species is the Buff-chested Babbler. (Syn. no.1209)
S. ruficeps		Rufous-capped Babbler			Crown, and not the head (as old name denotes), is rufous. (Syn. no.1210)
S. pyrrhops		Black-chinned Babbler			Bill is not red (but dark brown) as the old name suggests. Black chin is present only in this species. (Syn. no.1211)
S. chrysaea		Golden Babbler			Bird is golden all over, not only on head as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1212, 1213)
S. nigriceps		Grey-throated Babbler			Throat is grey, not black as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1214-1217)
S. oglei		Austen’s Babbler			Why take away the credit that was given to Godwin-Austen, a major pioneer in the region? (Syn. no.1218)
Dumetia hyperythra		Tawny-bellied Babbler			Belly tawny, not rufous as the old name suggests. (Syn. no.1219-1223)
Rhopocichla atriceps		Dark-fronted Babbler			Head not black in all the races. This name suits all the forms. (Syn. no.1224-1227)
Macronous gularis		Striped Tit-Babbler			Comes under the Tit-Babblers group. Widely used name. (Syn. no.1228)
Timalia pileata		Chestnut-capped Babbler			Crown chestnut in colour, not red. (Syn. no.1229)
Chrysomma sinense		Yellow-eyed Babbler			(Syn. no.1230-1232)
C. altirostre		Jerdon’s Babbler			(Syn. no.1233, 1234)
Turdoides nipalensis		Spiny Babbler			(Syn. no.1269)
T. caudatus		Common Babbler			(Syn. no.1253, 1254)
T. earlei		Striated Babbler			(Syn. no.1255, 1256)
T. longirostris		Slender-billed Babbler			(Syn. no.1257)
T. malcolmi		Large Grey Babbler			(Syn. no.1258)
T. subrufus		Rufous Babbler			(Syn. no.1259, 1260)
T. striatus		Jungle Babbler			(Syn. no.1261-1265)
T. rufescens		Ceylon Babbler			Endemic to Sri Lanka. Bill is bright yellow, and not orange as the new name suggests. Rufous deleted, otherwise T. subrufus will need an additional qualifier. Ceylon retained, instead of Sri Lanka - see text. (Syn. no.1266)
T. affinis		Pale-capped Babbler			A few other species have yellow bills, so new name not suited. Crown, rather than the head, is whitish. Pale, instead of White, more appropriate as the crown is not always white. (Syn. no.1267, 1268)
Babax lanceolatus		Chinese Babax			(Syn. no.1270)
B. waddelli		Giant Babax			Additional qualifier of Tibetan unnecessary as there is only one Giant Babax. (Syn. no.1271)
Leiothrix argentauris		Silver-eared Leiothrix			It should have the group name Leiothrix (in use earlier) as for the species below. If to be called Mesia, then qualifier Silver-eared unnecessary as there will be only one Mesia. (Syn. no.1333-1334)
L. lutea		Red-billed Leiothrix			If L. argentauris is called Mesia, then Red-billed unnecessary as there will be only one Leiothrix. (Syn. no.1335-1337)