Black Winged Stilt- they are white with black wings and long reddish pink legs and

a black beak. They

are about 12 inches long and are found to be near waste or sewage water. There is found to be
plenty of dirty water visible to the naked eye and the stilts are found near it.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Recurvirostridae

Genus: Himantopus

Species: H. himantopus

Cattle egret- they are completely white with orange beaks. They are about a foot and half in height.
Their natural habitat is grasslands and farmlands where they eat insects such as spiders, worms, etc.
that are displaced from the ground by other animals, like cows and such (hence they are called cattle
egret). Now the birds have adapted to living on water hyacinths and on the edge of the lake, where
there are insects available aboveground. Hence they are found to be in abundance.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Bubulcus

species – ibis

Common coot- they are black in colour, and some birds have a whitish patch on their head. They are
about 12 inches long and can swim, walk, and fly. They occasionally take a short flight above the
surface to reach the spot quickly and catch insects just below the surface of the lake. Coots are
found to be feeding both in the lake and on the water hyacinths. They are found in moderate
amount.
Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Gruiformes

Family: Rallidae

Genus: Fulica

Species: atra

Common Moorhen- they are observed to be black in colour with some traces of white at back in
some birds and reddish beak in every bird. It is about 9 to 10 inches long and has yellowish brown
feet. It was found to be feeding on small insects on a shallow part of water near water hyacinths
where they have not yet invaded. It is found to be walking on plants and on the edge of water and
plucking out insects like a hen.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Gruiformes

Family: Rallidae

Genus: Gallinula

Species: chloropus

Common Sandpiper- it is sand brown in colour with small black eyes. It is a small bird, about 7 inches
long. It was found on water hyacinths. It was found on the edge of the lake invaded by the water
hyacinths. Its natural habitat is also found to be ponds and lakes. Due to the lack of shallow water,
the number of birds observed of this species is very low.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Actitis

Species: A. hypoleucos

Common snipe- it is a small bird, and its most prominent feature is its long beak largely out of
proportion to its body size. It is light brown in colour with some dark brown patches. It is observed
on the edge of water. The common snipe feeds by probing the ground underneath the shallow water
surface for various insects. Thus, it requires plenty of shallow water to live. Due to the lack of
shallow water, this species is also not found to be in abundance.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Gallinago

Species: G. gallinago
Copper smith barbet- this species has various colours on its body. Some of them are red, green and
black. This bird’s natural habitat is in trees which have dead wood, i.e., they are arboreal, and hence
there number is not much.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Piciformes

Family: Megalaimidae

Genus: Psilopogon

Species: P. haemacephalus

Glossy ibis- it is a black bird with a shiny sheen to it. It has a long beak and found to be about 16
inches long. It feeds on insects at the bottom of a shallow water body. In Salim Ali Lake, it is
observed to have adapted to live on the water hyacinths. It eats the insects that are found on the
plant due to the stagnant nature of water. Due to the abundance of insects found on the water
hyacinth, this bird is also found to be in abundance.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Ciconiiformes

Family Threskiornithidae

Genus Plegadis

Species- falcinellus
Lesser whistling Teals- they are small birds, about 9 inches long. They are brown in colour and are
also called as lesser whistling ducks. They are found in deep water as well as in shallow waters. They
are adept swimmers and dive deep inside the lake to eat the plants at the lake bed. They are found
in abundance because there is plenty of deep water and some shallow water where they can feed.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Dendrocygna

Species: D. javanica

Little grebe- it is a small bird, about 8 inches long. From a distance, it appears to be black in colour,
but when viewed closely through binoculars, it appears to be brown in colour. It is found only in
deep water and not near the water hyacinths, because of the lack of fish there. It was found to be in
moderate amount.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Podicipediformes

Family Podicipedidae

Genus Tachybaptus

Species- ruficollis
Long-tailed shrike- this bird has a long tail, as the name suggests, a black head and an orange and
white body. As this bird prefers dry habitats with scrubs and bushes, this species is not in a great
number.

Classification-
 Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Laniidae

Genus: Lanius

Species: L. schach

Myna- the bird is black and brown in colour with a yellow beak. It is found to be emitting various
sounds. It was found on trees. It is not greatly affected by water hyacinths as it eats a large variety of
food and can be found all over the city.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Passeriformes

Family Sturnidae

Genus Acridotheres

Species-tristis

Northern Shoveler- it is a swimming bird of a mottled brown colour. It is about 16 inches long. It is
naturally found in areas of open water where there is plenty of vegetation. They have a flat tapering
bill. They were found near the edge of the lake, where it is not too deep. The habitat of Salim Ali
Lake is relatively suitable for them and hence they are found in a moderate amount.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia
 Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Anas (disputed)

Species: A. clypeata

Pheasant-tailed Jacana- this bird is black and white in colour with a prominent tail. It is about 17
inches in length. It is found to be scarce in Salim Ali Lake. It may be due to the lack of shallow water.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Jacanidae

Genus: Hydrophasianus

Species: H. chirurgus

Pond Heron- this bird is white-grey in colour and is about 18 inches in length. Its appearance is
stocky and large, and was mostly found on trees. Its natural habitat includes a wide range including
rivers, lake, pond, wetland, marshes, etc. like the black winged stilt, its presence indicates dirty
water.

Classification-
 Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Pelecaniformes

Family: Ardeidae

Genus: Ardeola

Species: A. grayii

Purple Moorhen- these birds are purple-blue in colour with a red beak. These birds are extensively
found on the water hyacinths, feeding on the insects breeding there. This birds has adapted to this
lifestyle. Its natural habitat is in marshes and wetlands, where tall grass, usually reed grass, and
shallow water is there.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Gruiformes

Family: Rallidae

Genus: Porphyrio

Species: P. poliocephalus
Red-Breasted Flycatcher- this bird is not a wter bird. It is an arboreal bird with white underside, red
front and greyish white back. It is a small bird, only 4-5 inches in length. The reason this bird is scarce
is because trees are it natural habitat in dry areas.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Passeriformes

Family Muscicapidae

Genus Ficedula

Species- parva

Red-vented bulbul- this bird has a black head, brown body, with scale-like appearance (as in a fish),
and the part below its tail is red. it is about 7 inches in length. This bird cannot swim and is most
commonly found on shrubs and mall trees. There is an adequate amount of small trees and shrubs;
hence these birds’ population is mild.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Passeriformes

Family Pycnonotidae

Genus Pycnonotus

Species- cafer

Red-wattled lapwing- these birds have red beak and eyes, a black head and a brown body. These are
about 12 inches in length and most commonly identified by a variety of “tee-tee-too-doo-eet”
sounds. These birds prefer to live on the edge of open water and hence are found in moderate
amount of Salim ali lake.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata
 Class Aves

Order Charadriiformes

Family Charadriidae

Genus Vanellus

Species-indicus
Rock pigeon- this bird is a city bird. It is found all over the city. it is grey in colour. It is about 11
inches long. Its distinctive mark is the stripes on its wings that are noticeable when it is not flying. It
eats a variety of foods and so isn’t particularly dependent on the resources at Salim Ali lake, so there
aren’t many birds found here of this particular species.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Genus: Columba

Species: C. livia

Rosy starling- these birds are about 4 inches in size, with their underside pink. They are commonly
identified when they are in a flock. Each starling follows seven starlings around itself, so they appear
as a whole rather than individuals. They are migratory birds and were observed to look for a place to
roost for the night. They aren’t particularly affected by the conditions at Salim ali lake, because they
stay only for some of the winter season. As birds migrate in large flocks, the starlings were also
found to be in a very large number.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia
 Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Passeriformes

Family Sturnidae

Genus Sturnus

Species- roseus

Ruff- about 11 inches long, this bird has a distinctive plumage, a long neck, and a pot belly like
appearance. It is a migratory bird that rarely visits india, and hence is less in number.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Philomachus
Merrem, 1804

Species: P. pugnax

Shikra- this bird is a bird of prey. It has grey head and a brown underside. It is arboreal in nature,
and hence is not usually found in the lake, hence not found in a great number.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Falconiformes
 Family Accipitridae

Genus Accipiter

Species-badius
Spot-billed ducks- this bird is about 23 inches in length. These are usually grey with black beaks with
yellow spots. They were found mainly in deep waters. Its habitat is freshwater lake, so the salim ali
lake is a quite adequate habitat for it to live in.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Anas

Species: A. poecilorhyncha

Wagtail-this bird is about 4 inches long, with black and white colour. It feeds on insects in shallow
waters and hence due to the lack of shallow water, the bird is greatly diminished.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves
 Order: Passeriformes

Family: Motacillidae

Genus: Motacilla

Species: M. maderaspatensis

White-breasted water hen- it is about 11 inches long with dark brown back and head, while it has a
white face and underside. It is commonly found near shore of wetlands, ponds, and lakes. It is also
found to be near sewage water, and hence can be taken as a sign of sewage water. As there is a lack
of shallow water, very less number of this species can be observed at the Lake.

Classification-

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Aves

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Genus Amaurornis

Species- phoenicurus
Wire-tailed swallow- these are about 5 inches in length. They have wire-like tail and are found over
the surface of the water, trying to eat insects. The abundance of insects over the surface of the
water has provided a natural habitat for the swallows.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Hirundinidae
 Genus: Hirundo

Species: H. smithii

Wood sandpiper- this species has a light brown body with dark brown mottles or spots. They are
about 4 inches in length. Its natural habitat is living in shallow water where there is plenty of tall
grass, much like the purple moorhen. Also, like the purple moorhen, it has adapted itself to eating
insects on the water hyacinths, and therefore it is found in abundance.

Classification-

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Scolopacidae

Genus: Tringa

Species: T. glareola