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| Water Birds of India Chart |
Spectrum Chart - 748 : Water Birds of India
1. Red Wattled Lapwing – Red
wattled lapwing is a lapwing or large plover, a wader in the family
Charadriidae. It has characteristic loud alarm calls. Usually seen in
pairs or small groups not far from water but may form large flocks in
the non-breeding season. Red-wattled lapwings are large waders, about
35 cm long. The wings and back are light brown with a purple sheen,
but head and chest and front part of neck are black. Prominently
white patch runs between these two colours, from belly and tail,
flanking the neck to the sides of crown. Short tail is tipped black.
A red fleshy wattle in front of each eye, black-tipped red bill, and
the long legs are yellow.
2. Darter – Darters are mainly
tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae having a single genus
Anhinga. Darters are large birds, they measure about 80 to 100 cm
(2.6 to 3.3 ft) in length, with a wingspan around 120 cm (3.9 ft) and
weigh some 1,050 to 1,350 grams. The males have black and dark-brown
plumage, a short erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than
the female. The females have much paler plumage, on the neck and
underparts and are a bit larger overall. Both have grey stippling on
long scapulars and upper wing coverts. The darters have completely
webbed feet and their legs are short and set far back on the body.
Darters are mostly tropical in distribution, ranging into subtropical
and barely into warm temperate regions. They typically inhabit fresh
water lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps etc. Darters feed mainly on
mid-sized fish.
3. Flamingo – Flamingo are a
type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, the only bird
family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. Flamingos are pink or red.
This is because of small bacteria that live in water which the
flamingos eat. They also eat small crayfish and algae. Baby flamingos
are gray. Flamingos are very tall birds and they have long legs. They
often stand on only one leg. Scientists do not know why flamingos do
this. Flamingos have a curved bill that is shaped like a banana. This
is because they feed in the mud on the bottom of lakes. Flamingos can
weigh up to 4 kg and be up to 145cm tall. They live up to around 47
years.
4. Swan – Swans are birds of
the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus. Swans are among the
largest flying birds. They can range in extreme cases from 125 to 170
cm (49 to 67 in), with a 200 to 240 cm (79 to 94 in) wingspan. Males
are larger than females and have a larger knob on their bill. Swans
feed in the water and on land. They are almost entirely herbivorous,
although they may eat small amounts of aquatic animals. In the water,
food is obtained by up-ending or dabbling, and their diet is composed
of the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of aquatic and submerged
plants. Swans are known to aggressively protect their nests.
5. Oystercatcher –
Oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family
Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found
on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical
regions of Africa and South East Asia. The different species of
oystercatcher show little variation in shape or appearance. They
range from 39–50 cm (15–20 in) in length and 72–91 cm (28–36
in) in wingspan. They usually eat shellfishes that are found on
beaches and mud. Oystercatcher uses its sharp bill to open the shells
of oysters and mussels. Oystercatcher has the heaviest bill (beak) of
any living wader. With bills like that, oystercatchers are dangerous
opponents for other birds. They can fight off predators, and often
raid other birds to steal their catches. They get as much as 60% of
their food by theft. Oystercatchers may live to 35 years.
6. Eurasian Curlew - Eurasian
curlew is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the
most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and
Asia. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back, greyish-blue
legs and a very long curved bill. Males and females look identical,
but the bill is longest in the adult female. Curlew exists as a
migratory species over most of its range, wintering in Africa,
southern Europe and south Asia.
7. Eurasian Wigeon - Eurasian
wigeon is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus
Mareca. Eurasian wigeon is 42–52 cm (17–20 in) long with a 71–80
cm (28–31 in) wingspan and a weight of 500–1,073 g. Eurasian
wigeon is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes
with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant
food or grazing, which it does very readily. It nests on the ground,
near water and under cover. It is highly gregarious outside of the
breeding season and will form large flocks. It breeds in the
northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. It is strongly migratory and
winters further south than its breeding range. It migrates to
southern Asia and Africa.
8. Glossy Ibis - Glossy ibis is
a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. This is the most
widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions
of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Atlantic and Caribbean
regions of the Americas. Glossy Ibis has a brownish bill, dark facial
skin bordered above and below in blue-gray to cobalt blue and
red-brown legs. Unlike herons, ibises fly with necks outstretched,
their flight being graceful and often in V formation. It also has
shiny feathers. They have a preference for marshes at the margins of
lakes and rivers but can also be found at lagoons, flood-plains, wet
meadows, swamps, reservoirs, sewage ponds, paddies and irrigated
farmland. The diet of the glossy ibis includes adult and larval
insects such as aquatic beetles, dragonflies, damselflies,
grasshoppers, crickets, flies and caddisflies, including leeches,
molluscs and occasionally fish, amphibians, lizards, small snakes and
nestling birds.
9. Pelican – Pelicans are a
genus of large water birds of the family Pelecanidae. They have a
long beak and a large throat pouch. They drain water from the
contents before swallowing the fish. Pelicans have mainly
light-coloured plumage. The bills, pouches and bare facial skin of
all species become brighter before breeding season commences.
Pelicans are found on all continents except Antarctica. They
primarily inhabit warm regions. Pelicans swim well with their strong
legs and their webbed feet. They rub the backs of their heads on
their preen glands to pick up an oily secretion, which they transfer
to their plumage to waterproof it. The diet of pelicans usually
consists of fish, but occasionally amphibians, turtles, crustaceans,
insects, birds and mammals are also eaten.
10. Painted Stork - Painted
Stork is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the
wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the
Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their
distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name.
They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They
immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to
side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch.
As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush
hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other
waterbirds.
11. Crane – Crane is a type of
tall wading birds from the family Gruidae. Cranes have long neck and
straight beak. Cranes vary in size between 8.8 to 26.5 pounds in
weight and between 3 and 7 feet in length. These birds can be found
on all continents except on the Antarctica and the South America.
Crane prefers life in marshes and plains. Cranes eat whatever they
can find in their habitat. Amphibians, fish, insects and small
rodents, along with seed, berries and different plants. Cranes are
social birds that live in large groups called flocks. Cranes that
live in Europe and Asia are able to reach the height of 32 800 feet
while flying. That is the record in the world of birds. Average
lifespan of the crane in the wild is between 20 and 30 years.
12. Bronze Winged Jacana -
Bronze-winged jacana is a wader in the family Jacanidae. It is the
only member of the genus Metopidius. It has huge feet and claws which
enables it to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes that are
its preferred habitat. It is found in south and east Asia within the
tropical zone. They are 29 cm (11 in) long, but the females are
larger than the males. They are mainly black, although the inner
wings are very dark brown and the tail is red. There is a striking
white eyestripe. The yellow bill extends up as a red coot-like
frontal shield and the legs and very long toes are grey.
13. Tern – Terns are seabirds
in the family Sternidae. They are normally found near the sea,
rivers, or wetlands. They are slender, lightly built birds with long,
forked tails, narrow wings, long bills, and short legs. Most species
are pale grey above and white below, with a contrasting black cap to
the head, but some have dark plumage for part of the year. Terns have
a worldwide distribution, breeding on all continents including
Antarctica. The terns are birds of open habitats that typically breed
in noisy colonies and lay their eggs on bare ground with little or no
nest material. Terns are long-lived birds and are relatively free
from natural predators and parasites; most species are declining in
numbers due directly or indirectly to human activities.
14. Goose - Goose is
domesticated type of waterfowl. There are dozens of types of domestic
geese today. Goose has orange bill, long neck, short legs and wide
rear end. Goose cannot fly, but it can lift the body few feet above
the ground when startled. Goose likes to swim and spend plenty of
time in the water. Goose is an omnivore. Its diet is based on worms,
corn, wheat, sunflower seed, weed, leaves and grass. It needs to
drink lots of water during the meal to prevent choking. Goose is
social bird that likes to be part of a group. It lives in harmony
with other geese and ducks in the captivity. Goose has an average
lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
15. Egret – Egret is any of
several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which
develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Egret is a large
heron with all-white plumage. Standing up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, this
species can measure 80 to 104 cm (31 to 41 in) in length and have a
wingspan of 131 to 170 cm (52 to 67 in). Egret feeds in shallow water
or drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, small mammals and
occasionally small reptiles and insects, spearing them with its long,
sharp bill most of the time by standing still and allowing the prey
to come within its striking distance of its bill which it uses as a
spear.
16. Eurasian Spoonbill -
Eurasian spoonbill or common spoonbill is a wading bird of the ibis
and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. Eurasian spoonbills show a
preference for extensive shallow, wetlands with muddy, clay or fine
sandy beds. They may inhabit any type of marsh, river, lake, flooded
area and mangrove swamp, whether fresh, brackish or saline, but
especially those with islands for nesting or dense emergent
vegetation and scattered trees or shrubs. The diet consists of
aquatic insects, mollusks, newts, crustaceans, worms, leeches, frogs,
tadpoles and small fish up to 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) long.
17. Great Cormorant - Great
cormorant, is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. The great
cormorant is a large black bird. Males are typically larger and
heavier than females. This is a very common and widespread bird
species. It feeds on the sea, in estuaries and on freshwater lakes
and rivers. Northern birds migrate south and winter along any coast
that is well-supplied with fish. Great cormorant feeds on fish caught
through diving. This bird feeds primarily on wrasses, but it also
takes sand smelt and common soles. Many fishermen see in the great
cormorant a competitor for fish. Because of this, it was hunted
nearly to extinction in the past. Thanks to conservation efforts, its
numbers increased.
18. Grey Heron - Grey heron is a
long-legged predatory wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae,
native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa.
A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds,
marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures
which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water or
stalking its prey through the shallows. Grey heron is a large bird,
standing up to 100 cm (39 in) tall and measuring 84–102 cm (33–40
in) long with a 155–195 cm (61–77 in) wingspan. The body weight
can range from 1.02–2.08 kg. The plumage is largely ashy-grey
above, and greyish-white below with some black on the flanks. Adults
have the head and neck white with a broad black supercilium that
terminates in the slender, dangling crest, and bluish-black streaks
on the front of the neck.
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