We had a pre-dawn start driving around 25km south and then walking the last few kilometers of the road that passed through regenerating forest until reaching Chidiya Tapu forest reserve that opens at 9am. It was eerily quiet at first despite beautiful calm sunny weather. Jijo had just warned us that there is a very low density of birds in the Andaman forests when a flock of Brown-throated Needletails zoomed into view just before the first Green Imperial Pigeons started to take to the air. The early morning spent walking through the regenerating forest then produced a procession of endemics including Andaman Drongos, a fruiting tree playing host to a flock of Andaman Green-Pigeons, Andaman Bulbuls, Andaman White-headed Starlings, a superb Andaman Woodpecker, several Andaman Bar-bellied Cuckooshrikes, an Andaman Plain Flowerpecker and a couple of small flocks of Andaman Treepies. Entering the reserve proper, we were treated to seeing a trio of excellent species being Andaman Serpent-Eagle, a pair of Andaman Crakes walking around on the forest floor and an Andaman Shama. As dusk fell it wasn't long before we were watching a pair of Walden's Oriental Scops Owl and a pair of Andaman Hawk-Owls in the same tree and then a couple of Hume's Hawk-Owls nearby. A very enjoyable and productive first full day with Jijo on the Andamans!
Lesser Whistling-Duck h
ANDAMAN SERPENT-EAGLE 2
Changeable Hawk-Eagle 4
White-bellied Sea-Eagle 2
ANDAMAN CRAKE 2
Common Sandpiper 2
Rock Dove 20
Green Imperial Pigeon 25
Red Collared Dove 6
Emerald Dove 2
ANDAMAN GREEN-PIGEON 8
Vernal Hanging-Parrot 1
Alexandrine Parakeet 20
Red-breasted Parakeet 2
Long-tailed Parakeet 8
Andaman Brown Coucal 4
ANDAMAN HAWK-OWL 2
HUME'S HAWK-OWL 1
Walden's Oriental Scops Owl 2
Plume-toed (White-bellied) Swiftlet 20
Brown-throated Needletail 25
Dollarbird 1
White-throated Kingfisher 10
Common Kingfisher 2
ANDAMAN WOODPECKER 1
Pacific Swallow 2
White-breasted Woodswallow 2
ANDAMAN BAR-BELLIED CUCKOOSHRIKE 4
Scarlet Minivet 2
Small Minivet 6
Red-whiskered Bulbul 20
ANDAMAN BULBUL 6
Asian Fairy Bluebird 1
Brown Shrike 6
Black-naped Blue Monarch 2
Orange-headed Ground-Thrush 3
ANDAMAN SHAMA 1
Oriental Magpie-Robin 1
ANDAMAN PLAIN FLOWERPECKER 1
Olive-backed Sunbird 1
House Sparrow 2
Black-naped Oriole 1
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 6
ANDAMAN DRONGO 15
ANDAMAN WHITE-HEADED STARLING 10
Common Myna 10
House Crow 2
EASTERN JUNGLE CROW 3
ANDAMAN TREEPIE 15
Brown-throated Needletail over Chidiya Tapu
typically only feeding low over the forest in the early morning or late evening they were an exciting start to our day
Andaman Drongo at Chidiya Tapu
Pair of Andaman Green-Pigeons at Chidiya Tapu
Birdlife consider this recently-split species to be Near Threatened being restricted to a number of mostly small subpopulations on islands. It is inferred as undergoing declines owing to the effects of hunting and habitat loss.
Andaman Bulbul at Chidiya Tapu
Andaman White-headed Starling at Chidiya Tapu
Andaman Coucal at Chidiya Tapu
Illustration of Andaman Coucal by Joseph Smit that was published in Lord Walden on a Collection of Birds from the Andaman Islands in the Ibis Ser.3 Vol. 3 1873.
Andaman Woodpecker at Chidiya Tapu
This species is considered Vulnerable by Birdlife as restricted to the lowlands of the Andaman Islands, this species is likely to be declining as a result of habitat loss and degradation.
Red-whiskered Bulbul at
Black-naped Oriole at Chidiya Tapu
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo at Chidiya Tapu
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo 6
ANDAMAN DRONGO 15
ANDAMAN WHITE-HEADED STARLING 10
Common Myna 10
House Crow 2
EASTERN JUNGLE CROW 3
ANDAMAN TREEPIE 15
birding the road through regenerating forest with Jijo at Chidiya Tapu, South Andaman
typically only feeding low over the forest in the early morning or late evening they were an exciting start to our day
Birdlife consider this recently-split species to be Near Threatened being restricted to a number of mostly small subpopulations on islands. It is inferred as undergoing declines owing to the effects of hunting and habitat loss.
Andaman White-headed Starling at Chidiya Tapu
Illustration of Andaman Coucal by Joseph Smit that was published in Lord Walden on a Collection of Birds from the Andaman Islands in the Ibis Ser.3 Vol. 3 1873.
This species is considered Vulnerable by Birdlife as restricted to the lowlands of the Andaman Islands, this species is likely to be declining as a result of habitat loss and degradation.
Orange-headed Ground-Thrush at Chidiya Tapu
Presumably a female that was feeding two fledged young so of the endemic form being one of the proposed four-way split of the species.
Female Andaman Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike at Chidiya Tapu
Andaman Treepie at Chidiya Tapu
Birdlife list this species Vulnerable as it is considered to have a very small population size, and is likely declining as a result of habitat loss within its range.
Juvenile Changeable Hawk-Eagle at Chidiya Tapu
view of the bay from the Chidiya Tapu tea stalls where we enjoyed breakfast waiting for the forest reserve to open
Common Sandpiper at Chidiya Tapu
White-throated Kingfisher at Chidiya Tapu
Alexandrine Parakeet at Chidiya Tapu
of the Andamans form magnirostris is characterised by its huge swollen bill
Long-tailed Parakeet at Chidiya Tapu
Rasmussen (2005) notes that the Andamans form tytleri may not be conspecific with nominate as it differs distinctly in morphology and vocalisations.
Oriental Magpie-Robin at Chidiya Tapu
Asian Fairy Bluebird at Chidiya Tapu
of the Andamans form magnirostris is characterised by its huge swollen bill
Rasmussen (2005) notes that the Andamans form tytleri may not be conspecific with nominate as it differs distinctly in morphology and vocalisations.
Red-whiskered Bulbul at
Andaman Serpent-Eagle at Chidiya Tapu
Birdlife consider this species has a small range, in which it is thought to be quite common, but may have a very small population with a fragmented subpopulation structure. The forests of the interior of the Andaman Islands are coming under increasing pressure from agriculture and development schemes and this species is likely to decline concurrently. It is therefore listed as Vulnerable.
Andaman Crake at Chidya Tapu
Seeing Andaman Serpent-Eagle and Andaman Crake one after the other it almost felt that we were following in Robert Tytler's (after whom Tytler's Leaf-Warbler is named) footsteps as he was first to discover both species as described in Ibis in 1863. It was my final Rallina, that is, until Great Nicobar Crake is formerly described and recognised by the IOC et al.
An illustration of Andaman Crake by Edward Neale from The Game Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon (1890).
Andaman Shama at Chidya Tapu
Walden's Oriental Scops Owl at Chidya Tapu
Whilst currently lumped with Oriental Scops Owl the Andamans form modestus has previously been treated as distinct named as Walden's Scops Owl. Interestingly, rufipennis Oriental Scops Owls present in peninsula India failed to respond to the playback of the calls of Walden's Oriental Scops Owls.
Andaman Hawk-Owl at Chidiya Tapu
Illustration of Andaman Hawk-Owl by Keulemans that accompanied Walden's On a further collection of birds made by Ramsay in the Andaman Islands in The Ibis Ser. 3 Vol. 4 1874
Hume's Hawk-Owl at Chidiya Tapu
Illustration of Andaman Hawk-Owl by Keulemans that accompanied Walden's On a further collection of birds made by Ramsay in the Andaman Islands in The Ibis Ser. 3 Vol. 4 1874
