Vol.

15 (3 ) 2017
MALABAR

Newsletter of Malabar Natural History Society

നിലനില്പ്‌ഉറപ്പാക്കാനും വരാനിരിക്കുന്ന തലമുറകൾക്ക് ‌ അടിസ്ഥാന

ജീവഭദ്രതയെങ്കിലും ഉറപ്പാക്കാനുമുള്ള തിരുത്തലുകൾക്ക്‌ഏറ്റവും നല്ല
സാഹചര്യമാണ്‌ഈ കടന്നുപ�ോയ പ്രളയകാലം നമുക്ക്‌നൽകുന്നത്‌. ‌
ഈ പുതിയ ജീവനപാഠത്തിന്റെ ആദ്യാക്ഷരങ്ങൾ വെള്ളത്തിൽ ‌
നിന്നുതന്നെ തുടങ്ങണം.
- ഡ�ോ. എസ്‌. സതീശ്‌ചന്ദ്രൻ നായർ

Art: Sathyan Meppayur

MALABAR TROGON 01
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Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
 It’s time to Change

02 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) Sep - Dec. 2017
02
Our new face...

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
03
 Editorial

T
his South West monsoon season in Kerala was
really eventful. Reminiscent of the legendary
rains of 1924, the downpour was relentless.
All the reservoirs were full and the captive water had
to be released, creating havoc downstream. The low
lying areas of central Kerala were inundated causing
unprecedented misery to the residents. Thousands of
people had to be rescued and relocated to safer places,
a few hundreds who were not so lucky, perished. The
people in the hills were not spared either; landslides
wiped out several houses and roads. It will take quite
a long while for the lives of the survivors to become
normal.

So, what is the takeaway from this disastrous

experience, to the people of Kerala? Do we continue
to ravage the forests, dam the remaining rivers, mine
away all the sand and rocks and encroach the wetlands,
backwaters and paddyfields?

04 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
 Aldo Leopold
The man who told
us about
“Land Ethics”

It was Aldo Leopold who told us about “Land Ethics”. He

wrote, “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity
belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which
we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect…A
land ethic changes the role of the homo sapiens from
conqueror of the land-community to plain member and
citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members,
and also respect for the community as such….A thing is
right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends
otherwise.” (A Sand County Almanac, 1949)

Will our community and decision makers ever understand

this vision? Probably, it is not too late to realize this . But,
we have to learn our lessons.

W
 rite us...
Send your suggestions and articles to
editortrogon@gmail.com C. Sashikumar

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
05
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017

Executive Committee
President
Contents
Mr. Sathyan Meppayur

Secretary
Dr. Muhamed Jafer Palot

09 W
 asp (Families Scoliidae,
Vice President
Mr. S. Arjun
Vespidae and Sphecidae)
Jt. Secretary
Mr. K.G. Bimalnath diversity of Kannapuram
Treasurer
mangroves of Kannur district,
Dr. Muhamed Rafeek A.P. M. Kerala State
Members
Dr.T.N. Vijayakumar
Mr. C.J. Thomas

26
Dr. Dinesan Cheruvat
Dr. K. Kishorekumar I dentification of Sand Martins
Mr. V. Syam
Mr. T. Ajithkumar
Riparia riparia in
Dr. Vijayanthi southern India
Dr. K. Fousy
Mr. Muralikrishnan. V.P
Dr. Rajesh K.P
Mr. Abdul Riyaz. K

36
Mr. Balakrishnan Valappil
Mr. V. Ramakrishnan
 lue-and-white Flycatcher
B
Mr. Vijesh Valikunnu Cynoptila cynomelana
Mr. Hameedali Vazhakkad
- A photographic record
Mr. Naveenlal. P
Dr. Vineeth Viswanathan from Kerala
Mr. Abhilash Ravindran
Mr. Navaneeth Nair
Mr. Sandeep Das

38
Editor
Mr. C. Sashikumar  ighting of a Leucistic
S
Editorial Board Spot-billed Duck
Dr. Dinesan Cheruvat Anas poecilorhyncha
Dr. P.V. Karunakaran
Dr. K.P. Rajesh
at Karingali Puncha
Dr.P. Pramod Pathanamthitta district
Mr. Praveen. J
Nature Education Officer
Dr. K. Kishore kumar
Editorial Assistant
Ms. Poornima Viswanathan
Cover Photo:
Art by: Sathyan Meppayur

06
Layout:
Team Kili
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
09 26

50

46 40

38 36
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
07
 Contents

40
K
 erala Heronry Survey 2016
– A Summary

46 S
 ighting of Eurasian Hobby at
Gumpe Hills, Kasaragod district

48 B
 lack Tern
Chlidonias niger in Kerala

50 E
 yebrowed Thrush
Turdus obscurus
at Iringole Kavu
– A new bird for Kerala

51  ook
B
Shelf

ò Photo: Sandeep Das

08 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Wasp (Families Scoliidae,
Vespidae and Sphecidae)
diversity of Kannapuram mangroves
of Kannur district, Kerala State

P. Girish Kumar*, Muhamed Jafer Palot and C. Charesh Western Ghats Regional Centre,
Zoological Survey of India, Eranhipalam, Kozhikode, Kerala- 673006, India
*
Corresponding author E-mail: kpgiris@gmail.com

Introduction biodiversity is well known for the larger

M
angrove ecosystem ecologically
functions as a complex ecotone or
interface zone between the land
and sea water, providing diverse habitats
that host rich association of fauna. Mangrove
animals and plants and poorly known for
microorganisms and insects (Kulkarni and
Macadam, 2015). Mangrove entomofauna
have remained a neglected field of study in
different parts of the world, including India.
Only very little information is available on

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
09
 Hymenoptera of mangrove ecosystems.
Insects act as the major pollinators of
mangrove plants and among them bees and
wasps are the dominant groups. Mangroves
offer best habitats of the colonisation of
honeybees and provide a high yield of
honey and wax. Insect predators and
parasitoids also play important role in the
mangrove ecosystem helping to control
the populations of destructive insects. In
this paper, we report a detailed systematic
account of wasps of Kannapuram mangroves
of Kannur district of Kerala.
The present study is based on a sequence
of collections made from Kannapuram
mangroves of Kannur district for a period
of one year from September 2017 to August
2018. The entire materials studied here
are added to the “National Zoological
Collections” of the Western Ghats Regional
Centre of Zoological Survey of India,
Kozhikode (ZSIK).
Kannapuram mangroves are located about
15 km north of Kannur town in north Kerala
in Kannapuram Grama Panchayath. Two
major areas of mangroves were selected in
Kannapuram Panchayath for the study of
wasp fauna. The details of the collection
localities are given below.
Ayyoth wetlands (Lat. 11.5832’N and Long.
75.1857E) : It is located about 3 km west
of Kannapuram town. The mangrove
vegetation is dominated with Avicennia
officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Acanthus
ilicifolius and Excoecarai agallocha. The
other plant species observed to attract wasp
species were Premna latifolia, Clerodendrum
inerme and some herbaceous plants
10 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
surrounding the wetlands.
Edakkepuram wetlands (Lat. 11.5836’N and
Long. 75.1816E): It is just 500 m south west
of Ayyoth wetlands. The area is primarily
a paddy field and bordered with small
mangrove trees of Avicennia officinalis and
Excoecaria agallocha on the bunds. The other
mangrove associated species observed were
Premna latifolia, Derris trifoliata, Ipomoea
companulata, etc.
The following abbreviations used in the
text for the Museums: BMNH — The Natural
History Museum, London SW7 5BD, England;
DEI — Deutsche Entomologische Institut,
Müncheberg, Germany; HMUG — Hunterian
Museum, University of Glasgow, Scotland,
UK; MCZ — Museum of Comparative
Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge,
USA; MHN — Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle,
Genéve, Switzerland; MNHN — Museum
National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France;
MSNG—Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di
Genova Giacomo Doria, Genova, Italy; NZC —
National Zoological Collections, Zoological
survey of India, Kolkata, India; OXUM
— Hope Department of Zoology, Oxford,
Great Britain; USNM — National Museum
of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA;
UZMC — Universitetets Zoologiske Museum,
Copenhagen, Denmark; ZMB — Zoologisches
Museum der Humboldt Universität, Berlin,
Germany; ZMUC — Universitets København,
Zoologisk Museum, København, Denmark;
ZMUK — Zoological Museum, University
of Kiel, Germany; ZSIK — Western Ghats
Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India,
Kozhikode, India.
Results
Altogether 27 species of wasps under 22
genera in 3 families were recorded from
the area. The family Vespidae (paper wasps,
potter wasps and hornets) dominated with
17 species followed by five species each from
the family Scoliidae (flower wasps) and the
Sphecidae (thread-waisted wasps). The
major stinging hornets like Vespa tropica
and Vespa affinis were fairly well distributed
in the region. The significant find of the
study was the record of vespid wasp Zethus
ceylonicus, which is a first report for Kerala.
The detailed systematic account of the
species observed from the area is listed
below.
Systematic Account
Family Scoliidae
(1). Campsomeriella (Campsomeriella)
collaris collaris (Fabricius, 1775)
Tiphia collaris Fabricius, 1775: 354. Type ♀,
India: coast of Malabar (ZMUC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 5♂, 29-
30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11350–11352 & 11403–
11404.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka.
Remarks: This species is one of the most
widely distributed species found in the
Indian subcontinent. The male and female
of this species shows extreme sexual
dimorphism.
(2). Colpacampsomeris indica
decccanensis Gupta & Jonathan, 2003
Colpacampsomeris indica deccanensis Gupta
& Jonathan, 2003: 28. Holotype ♀, India:
Mudigere (NZC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9920.
Distribution: India: Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra.
Remarks: This subspecies is distributed
in southern India and extended to
Maharashtra.
(3). Micromeriella marginella marginella
(Klug, 1810)
Scolia marginella Klug, 1810 : 214. Type ♂,
India- Orient (ZMB).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ & 1♂,
29-30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd.
Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11348 & 11349; 2♀,
13-14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd.
Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11418 & 11419.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Delhi, Diu, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Pondicherry,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Sri Lanka.
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
11
 Remarks: This species is widely distributed
in India. The male and female of this species
shows extreme sexual dimorphism. Male of
this species are smallest (minimum length
5-6 mm) among Indian scoliid wasps.
(4). Phalerimeris phalerata turneri
(Betrem, 1928)
Campsomeris (Dielis) phalerata turneri
Betrem, 1928: 104, ♀, ♂, Sri Lanka, southern
India.
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11420.
Distribution: India: Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry,
Tamil Nadu. Elsewhere: Sri Lanka.
Remarks: The distribution of this subspecies
is restricted to southern India and Andaman
& Nicobar Islands.
(5). Scolia (Discolia) binotata binotata
Fabricius, 1804
Scolia binotata Fabricius, 1804: 244. ♂,
Tranquebar (ZMUC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11462.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Diu,
Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Bhutan, Sri Lanka.
12 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Remarks: This is a widely distributed species
in India.
Family Vespidae
(6). Polistes (Polistella) stigma tamulus
(Fabricius, 1798)
Vespa tamula Fabricius, 1798: 263. Type ♀,
“in India Orientali, Dom Daldorff” (ZMUK).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9917; 2♀, 29-30.iv.2018, Coll.
C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-
INV.11353 & 11354; 2♀, 13-14.v.2018, Coll. C.
Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-
INV.11421 & 11463.
Distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha,
Pondicherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam.
Remarks: This paper wasp is widely
distributed in India. It is one of the dominant
species in Kannapuram mangroves.
(7). Polistes (Polistella) sagittarius
sagittarius de Saussure, 1853
Polistes sagittarius de Saussure, 1853: 56, ♀,
“Les Indes-Orientales, la Chine” (Syntypes
in BMNH & MHN).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 2♀,
19.viii.2017 & 3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh,
Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9819 & 9916;
1♀, 29-30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK
Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11355; 3♀, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11422-11424.
Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh. Elsewhere: China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
Remarks: This paper wasp is not common
in Kannapuram mangroves. They usually
make paper nests on the buildings and on
the plants.
(8). Ropalidia brevita Das & Gupta, 1989
Ropalidia (Anthreneida) brevita Das & Gupta,
1989: 121. Holotype ♂, Delhi: University ridge
(NZC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 3♀ &
2♂, 29-30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK
Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11356–11357
& 11405–11407.
Distribution: India: Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal. Elsewhere: Pakistan.
Remarks: This species is one of the most
widely distributed species found in India.
(9). Vespa affinis continentalis
Bequaert, 1936
Vespa affinis continentalis Bequaert, 1936:
350. Type ♀, Mangalore (USNM).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9918.
Distribution: India: Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand.
Remarks: This species usually making large
aerial nests on trees, buildings, etc. The
stinging of this species is fatal to human
beings and other animals.
(10). Vespa tropica haematodes
Bequaert, 1936
Vespa tropica var. haematodes Bequaert,
1936: 336, 338. Holotype ♀, India: “Kooloo”
(MCZ).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9919; 2♀, 13-14.v.2018, Coll.
C. Charesh, Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-
INV.11425 & 11464.
Distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,
Pondicherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal. Elsewhere: China,
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam.
Remarks: This species making underground
nests. The stinging of this species is fatal to
human beings and other animals.
(11). Allorhynchium argentatum
(Fabricius, 1804)
Vespa argentata Fabricius, 1804: 260. Type
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
13
 ♂, “Sumatra” (UZMC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂,
16.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9630; 4♀, 29-30.iv.2018,
Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/
I.R.-INV.11358 & 11408–11410; 1♀ & 1♂, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11426 & 11465.
Distribution: India: Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal. Elsewhere: Bhutan, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand.
Remarks: This is one of the most common
potter wasps in India.
(12). Antepipona ovalis
(de Saussure, 1853)
Odynerus ovalis de Saussure, 1853: 215, pl.
XIX fig. 4, ♂ (in subgenus Leionotus) – “Les
Indes Orientales. Pondichery” (MSNG).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀, 29-
30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11411.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Pondicherry, Tamil
Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal. Elsewhere: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Remarks: This is not a common species in
mangroves.
14 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
(13). Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium)
abdominale (Illiger, 1802)
There are 2 subspecies under this species
and both are reported from Kannapuram
mangroves.
(13a). Anterhynchium (A.) abdominale
abdominale (Illiger, 1802)
Vespa abdominalis Illiger, 1802: 192. Type:
“Bengalen” (?ZMB).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂,
16.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9631; 1♀, 29-30.iv.2018, Coll.
C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-
INV.11412; 1♂, 13-14.v.2018, Coll. C.K. Charesh,
Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.11466.
Distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Delhi,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Vietnam.
Remarks: This subspecies is commonly
occurring in Kannapuram mangroves.
(13b). Anterhynchium (A.) abdominale
bengalense (de Saussure, 1855)
Rhynchium bengalense de Saussure, 1855: 176.
Type: “Le Bengale” (MNHN).
Colour description: ♂. Body black except
clypeus almost entirely yellow and scape in
front yellow. Wings dark fuscous with violet
reflections.
Size (H+M+T1+T2): ♂, 11 mm.
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂,
16.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9632.
Distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Nepal, Pakistan.
Remarks: This subspecies is not commonly
occurring in Kannapuram mangroves.
(14). Antodynerus flavescens flavescens
(Fabricius, 1775)
Vespa flavescens Fabricius, 1775: 370.
Lectotype ♂, “In India Orientali” (ZMUC).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ & 1♂,
16–23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9628 & 9629; 1♀, 29–30.
iv.2018, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.11413; 1♂, 13–14.v.2018, Coll.
C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-
INV.11427.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa,
Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha,
Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere:
Bangladesh, Pakistan.
Remarks: We observed the strepsipteran
parasitisation in one female wasp. This is
one of the common potter wasp species
occurring in India.
(15). Delta esuriens (Fabricius, 1787)
Vespa esuriens Fabricius, 1787 : 293. Syntype,
Sex not mentioned, India (BMNH).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9633; Kannapuram
Mangroves, 1♀, 19.viii.2017, Coll. C.K.
Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9820.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh,
Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Laos,
Mauritius, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Oman,
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Sri
Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.
Remarks: This is one of the most common
potter wasp species which is widely
distributed in India.
(16). Delta pyriforme pyriforme
(Fabricius, 1775)
Vespa pyriformis Fabricius, 1775: 371. Type:
China (?).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 2♂, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. Nos. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.11428 & 11429.
Distribution: India: Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat,
Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Odisha, Pondicherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar
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Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
15
 Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Bhutan,
Cambodia, China, Hawaii, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Moluccas, Myanmar,
Laos, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.
Remarks: This is one of the most common
potter wasp species which is widely
distributed in India.
(17). Eumenes belli Giordani Soika, 1973
Eumenes belli Giordani Soika, 1973: 125, ♀,
♂, “India meridionale: Mysore, N. Kanara”
(holotype ♀ BMNH).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9634.
Distribution: India: Karnataka, Kerala.
Remarks: This species is recorded from
southern India only. This is not a common
species in Kannapuram mangroves.
(18). Eumenes macrops
de Saussure, 1852
Eumenes macrops de Saussure, 1852: 41, ♂,
“La Caroline du nord” (BMNH).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ &
1♂, 16–23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd.
Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9635 & 9636; 1♂, 13–
14.v.2018, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.11430.
Distribution: India: Assam, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Nagaland,
Pondicherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar.
Remarks: This is a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
16 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
(19). Phimenes flavopictum
(Blanchard, 1840)
Eumenes flavopictus Blanchard, in Ch.
d’Orbigny, 1840, vol. 2, Ins., Hym., pl. 2, fig.
21, Type locality Unknown (?MNHN).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ & 1♂,
23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. Nos. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9637 & 9638; Kannapuram
Mangroves, 1♂, 19.viii.2017, Coll. C.K.
Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9821;
1♀, 13-14.v.2018, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd.
No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.11431.
Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Bhutan, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.
Remarks: This is a widely distributed
species in India and a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
(20). Rhynchium brunneum brunneum
(Fabricius, 1793)
Vespa brunnea Fabricius, 1793: 264. Syntype:
sex not mentioned, “Tranquebariae, India
(HMUG)”.
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ &
1♂, 23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd.
Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9639 & 9640; 1♂,
19.viii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9822; 2♂, 13-14.v.2018,
Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/
I.R-INV.11432 & 11467.
Distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.
Elsewhere: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Guam, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Laos, Malaysia, Marianus,
Marquesas Island, Myanmar, Nepal, New
Britain, Pakistan, Palau, Seychelles, Society
Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand,
Vietnam.
Remarks: This is a widely distributed
species in India and a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
(21). Subancistrocerus sichelii
(de Saussure, 1856)
Odynerus sichelii de Saussure, 1855 : 206.
Type ♂, Indes Orientales (MHN).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀, 29-
30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11359.
Distribution: India: Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya,
Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West
Bengal. Elsewhere: Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Chagos archipelago, Seychelles, Mauritius,
Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Vietnam.
Remarks: This is a rarely occurring species
in Kannapuram mangroves.
(22). Zethus ceylonicus
de Saussure, 1867
Zethus ceylonicus de Saussure, 1867: 5, female
(in subgenus Calligaster), “Ceylon” (MHN).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♂, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11433.
Distribution: India: Karnataka, Kerala (new
record), West Bengal. Elsewhere: Sri Lanka.
Remarks: This is a very rare species. It
is originally described from Sri Lanka. In
India, this species recorded from Karnataka
and West Bengal only. We collected a male
specimen of this species from Kannapuram
mangrove which is the first record from
Kerala.
Family Sphecidae
(23). Chlorion lobatum (Fabricius, 1775)
Sphex lobatus Fabricius, 1775: 348, sex not
indicated (as lobata, incorrect original
termination). Lectotype ♀, Africa, actually
India or China: no specific locality,
designated by Vecht, 1961: 37 (BMNH).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 2♂, 13-
14.v.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11434 & 11435.
Distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu,
Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal. Elsewhere: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Nepal, China, Indonesia,
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Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
17
 Malaysia, Vietnam, West Indies.
Remarks: This is a rarely occurring species
in Kannapuram mangroves.
(24). Chalybion bengalense
(Dahlbom, 1845)
Pelopoeus bengalensis Dahlbom, 1845: 433, ♀,
♂. Holotype or syntypes, India: Bengal; no
specific locality (LUND).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 3♂, 29-
30.iv.2018, Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos.
ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-INV.11360–11362.
Distribution: India: Kerala, Odisha, Tamil
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Elsewhere:
widely distributed.
Remarks: This is a widely distributed
species in India and a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
(25). Sceliphron (Sceliphron) javanum
nalandicum Strand, 1915
Sceliphron javanum nalandicum Strand,
1915: 93, ♀. Syntypes ♀, Sri Lanka: Nalanda
and Kandy (DEI).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9921; 1♂, 13-14.v.2018, Coll.
C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-
INV.11436.
Distribution: India: Kerala, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Sri
Lanka, Indonesia.
Remarks: This is a rarely occurring species
in Kannapuram mangroves.
18 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
(26). Sceliphron (Sceliphron)
madraspatanum madraspatanum
(Fabricius, 1781)
Sphex madraspatanus Fabricius, 1781:
445, sex not indicated (as madraspatana,
incorrect original termination). Lectotype
♂, India: Malabar (BMNH), designated by
van der Vecht, 1961: 43.
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀ &
1♂, 16–23.vii.2017, Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd.
Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9641 & 9642;
Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀, 19.viii.2017,
Coll. C.K. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/
I.R-INV.9823; Kannapuram Mangroves, 1♀,
3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh, Regd. No. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R-INV.9922; 1♀ & 1♂, 29-30.iv.2018,
Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. Nos. ZSI/
WGRC/I.R.-INV.11363–11364; 1♀, 13-14.v.2018,
Coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/
I.R.-INV.11468.
Distribution: India: Assam, Andhra
Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir,
Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Meghalaya, Pondicherry, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West
Bengal. Elsewhere: Myanmar, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam,
Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia.
Remarks: This is a widely distributed
species in India and a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
(27). Sphex praedator
Smith, 1858
Sphex praedator Smith, 1858: 14, ♂. Holotype
or syntypes: ♂, Indonesia: Sulawesi: no
specific locality (OXUM).
Material examined: INDIA: Kerala, Kannur
district, Kannapuram Mangroves, 2♀,
23.vii.2017 & 3.ix.2017, Coll. C. Charesh,
Regd. Nos. ZSI/WGRC/I.R-INV.9643 & 9923.
Distribution: India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal. Elsewhere: Sri
Lanka to China and Malaysia, Indonesia,
Philippines.
Remarks: This is not a common species in
Kannapuram mangroves.
References
Bequaert, J.C. 1936. The common Oriental
hornets, Vespa tropica and Vespa affinis and their
color forms. Treubia, 15: 329- 351.
Betrem, J.G. 1928. Monographie der Indo-
Australischen Scoliiden mit zoogeographischen
Betrachtugen. Treubia, 9 (suppl.): 1-388, 5 plates.
Blanchard, E. (1840). Classe des Insectes. In :
d’Orbigny, C., Dictionnaire universel d’Histoire
naturelle. Atlas, Tome II, Zoologie. Abel, Pilon et
Cie, Éditeurs, Paris, pp. 9-22.
Dahlbom, A.G. 1843-1845. Hymenoptera
Europaea praecipue borealia; formis typicis
nonnullis Specierum Generumve Exoticorum
aut Extraneorum propter nexum systematicus
associatis; per Familias, Genera, Species et
Varietates disposita atque descripta. Tomus:
Sphex in sensu Linneano. Officina Lundbergiana,
Lund (in certain copies: Prostat in Libraria
Friderici Nicolai, Berolini [= Berlin]). XLIV + 528
pp.
Das, B.P. and Gupta, V.K. 1989. The social wasps of
India and the adjacent countries (Hymenoptera:
Vespidae). Orient. Ins. Monograph, 11:1-292.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Dr. Kailash
Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of
India, Kolkata, and Dr. P.M. Sureshan,
Officer-in-Charge, Western Ghats Regional
Centre, Zoological Survey of India,
Kozhikode for providing facilities and
encouragements.
Fabricius, J.C.F. 1775. Systema Entomolgiae, etc.
xxviii + 832 pp. Kortii, Flensburgi et Lipsiae.
Fabricius, J.C. 1781. Species Insectorum exhibentes
eorum differentias specificas, synonyma
auctorum, loca natalia, metamorphosin adiectis
observationibus, descriptionibus, 1. Carol.
Ernest. Bohnii, Hamburgi et Kilonii [= Hamburg
and Kiel]. I-VIII, 1-517 pp.
Fabricius, J.C.F. 1787. Mantissa Insectorum sistens
eorum species nuper detectas adiectis characteribus
genericis, differentis specificis, emendationibus,
observationibus, Vol. 1, Christ. Gottl. Proft, Hafniae
[ = Copenhagen]. I-XX+ 1-384 pp.
Fabricius, J.C.F. 1793. Entomologia Systematica
Emendate et acuta. Secundum, Classes, Ordines,
Genera, Species, Adiectis Synonymis, Locis,
Observationibus, Descriptionibus 2. Hafniae,
viii+519pp.
Fabricius, J.C.F. 1798. Supplementum entomologiae
systematicae. [2]+572 pp. Hafniae.
Fabricius, J.C.F. 1804. Systema Piezatorum
Secundum, Ordines, Genera, Species,
Adiectis Synonymis, Locis, Observationibus,
MALABAR TROGON
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Descriptionibus. Brunschweig, XIV+[15]-[440]+[1]-
30pp.
Giordani Soika, A. 1973. Descrizione di nuovi
Eumenidi. Boll. Mus. civ. Stor.nat. Venezia, 24:
97–131.
Gupta, S.K. and Jonathan, J.K. 2003. Fauna of
India and the adjacent countries, Hymenoptera:
Scoliidae, 1-277 (Published by the director,
Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata).
Illiger, K. 1802. Neue Insekten. Magazin für
Insektenkunde, 1(1-2): 163-208.
Klug, J.C.F. 1810. Fortsetzung des im vorigen
Bande abgebrochenen Versuchs uber die
Gattungen Scolia und Tiphia. Beitr. Naturkunde,
2: 167- 215.
Kulkarni, A. and Mukadam, M. 2015. Insect fauna
in mangrove ecosystems of Bhatye estuarine
region. International journal of Current Research
20 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
ò map of collection locality
and Academic Review, 3(5): 248-251.
Saussure, H. De. 1852-1858. Etudes sur la famille
des vespides. Vols. 1-3. V. Masson & Cherbuliez,
Paris & Geneva.
Saussure, H. de. 1867. Reise der Österreichischen
Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den jahren
1857, 1858, 1859., Zool. Teil, 2 Band 1. Abteil A. 2.
Hymenoptera. 142 pages. Wein.
Smith, F. 1858. Notes on aculeate Hymenoptera,
with some observations on their economy. The
Entomologist’s Annual, 1858: 34-46.
Strand, E. 1915. Ueber einige orientalische un
paläarktische Crabroniden der Gattungen
Sphex, Sceliphron und Ammophila im Deutschen
Entomologischen Museum. Arch. Naturgesch.,
Abteilung A, 81(5): 88-97.
Vecht, J. van der. 1961. Hymenoptera Sphecoidea
Fabriciana. Zool. Verhandel., 48: 1-85.
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 Identification of
Sand Martins
Riparia riparia

in southern
India

Abhinand Chandran,
Ashirvad, Thiruvangoor P.O, Kozhikode, Kerala 673304.
abhinandc87@gmail.com

26 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
 Introduction

S
and Martins (Genus: Riparia) are passerine
birds (Family: Hirundinidae) closely related
to swallows (Genus: Hirundo & Cecropis)
with brown body and shorter tail, without any
white spots which is commonly seen in Crag-martins
(Genus: Ptyonoprogne). Three species occur in India:
The resident Grey-throated Martin (Asian Plain Martin)
Riparia chinensis, migratory Common Sand Martin (Sand
Martin, Bank Swallow) R. riparia and Pale Martin (Pale
Sand Martin) R. diluta (Praveen et al., 2018). Sand Martin
breeds in the Holarctic and winters in Africa through
Middle East, south Asia to Indonesia and south America
while Grey-throated Martin is a resident and race indica
of Pale Martin is probably a resident augmented with
migrant population (Rasmussen & Anderton, 2012).
Though state checklists of Kerala (Praveen, 2015) and
Karnataka (Praveen et al., 2016) listed Grey-throated,
reports of Sand and Pale Martins from Kerala were not
considered due to the difficulties in identification and
separating them to species level.

Here I attempt to separate the Sand Martins from Pale

Martins by analysing the morphological features using
pictures in public domain with the help of Schweizer et
al. (2018). I also try to establish that there were several
records of Martins in Kerala that are almost certainly
Sand Martins. There may be several photos in private
collection that has not been analysed here.
ò Sand Martin
Loc: Kadamakudy
Photo: Abhinand Chandran

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
27
 Taxonomy

The taxonomy of Sand and Pale Martins is complex, both R. diluta and
R. riparia were treated conspecific (Table 1). R. riparia split from R.
diluta around 3.07 Mya (millions of years ago). Despite having wide
zone of overlap, their mixed colonies were observed without any
evidence of interbreeding. Molecular analysis clearly separates them
as two species. They differ in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data.
No clear separation between the subspecies of R. riparia and R. diluta
was found in morphometric analysis. Different taxa of R. diluta are
morphometrically similar, though they show strong genetic differences.

On current evidence Schweizer et al. (2018) has synonymised several

currently recognised races of both Pale and Sand Martins with other
known subspecies. They treated the race eilata of Sand Martin as a
synonym of race shelleyi. The paler race innominata which breeds in
Iran and southern Central Asia, morphologically similar to Pale Martin,
is also included in the nominate form of Sand Martin. Also the validity
of subspecies gavrilovi and transbaykalica are questioned and they
included in the nominate for Pale Martin. Table 1 shows the details of
subspecies of Sand and Pale Martins.

Table 1: Taxonomy of Sand and Pale Martins

English Name Scientific Name
Sand Martin Riparia riparia
Riparia riparia riparia
Riparia riparia ijimae
Riparia riparia shelleyi
Pale Martin Riparia diluta
Riparia diluta diluta
Riparia diluta indica
Riparia diluta tibetana
Riparia diluta fohkienensis

28 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Identification
Riparia martins are often found within
the group of swallows and it will create
problem in separating them from juvenile
swallows. A juvenile Barn Swallow Hirundo
rustica (Fig: 1) is overall duller in appearance
with darker upperparts and buffy rufous
forehead and throat while Riparia martins
shows brownish upperparts, lack any
colour difference on forehead. Except
Grey-throated, others show paler throat
and white half collar. A juvenile Streak-
throated Swallow Petrochelidon fluvicola can
be distinguished from martins by heavily
Fig. 1 Juvenile Barn Swallow | Loc: Kadamakudy, Kerala | 01.10.2017
streaked throat and breast, finely streaked
flanks, rufous brown head and glossy mantle.
Structurally a martin looks smaller and
slimmer compared with a juvenile swallow.
When it comes to identification of regionally
occurring Riparia martins, Grey-throated
Martin shows pale greyish-brown throat
and lacks any breast band (Fig: 2) while the
other two martins shows white throat with
breast bands. Identification of Sand and
Pale Martins are further complicated. In
morphometric analysis, characters like size,
structure, wing length, tail length, tail fork
etc. shows no clear separation between the
different subspecies of Sand and Pale Martins
Photo: Dilip K.G.
ò Fig. 2
Grey-throated Martin.
Loc: Nameri, Assam
27.11.2016
Photo:
Govind Vijayakumar
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
29
 Table 2: Morphological differences between Sand and Pale Martins based on
Schweizer et al. (2018)
Sand Martin Riparia riparia Pale Martin Riparia diluta
Morphological features
riparia ijimae shelleyi diluta indica tibetana fohkienensis

Dark brown X X (X) X

Upper
parts Medium to pale grey-
(X) X X X
brown

dark, contrasting
X X X X
Cheek with white head side
patch
pale, grading into
X X X
white head side

dark and contrasting X X X

Breast
band pale with diffuse
(X) X X X X
borders

< 100mm X X
Wing 95-108mm X X
110-115mm X X X
Very shallow
X X X
(c. 2-6mm)
`Tail Rather shallow
X X X
fork (c. 4-9mm)
Well-marked
X X
(c. 7-14mm)
Feathered
(X) X X X X X
(> 1/2 of rear edge)
Tarsi
Unfeathered or
X X
nearly so

Chin & uniformly pale X X X X X X

Upper
throat finely spotted dark (X) (X)

Dark brown and thus

dark eye-surround X X X
less obvious

Head Pale brown making

dark eye-surround
X X X X
more obvious
(‘sunglasses effect’)

X= Character is present (X) = Some variation in the presence of this character

30 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
and show similarity in plumage features.
Smaller and paler individuals of R. r. shelleyi
resemble R. diluta in some aspects. R. d.
tibetana is the largest and darkest subspecies
of Pale Martin which resemble a R. riparia.
Based on Table 1 in Schweizer et al. (2018), the
main morphological differences of different
subspecies of Sand and Pale Martins are
tabled (Table 2) below. X indicates character
is present while (X) indicates there is some
variation in the presence of this character.
It must however be cautioned that all these
characters are rather variable and no
identification should be made based only on
one or two characters.
Observations and
Discussion
First photographic record of a Sand/Pale
Martin from Kerala was from Vembanad
by Tim Inskipp & Sathyan Meppayur on
December 2006 (Sashikumar et al., 2011).
After that Riparia Martins have been
photographed at least ten times from
different wetlands of Kerala. I made an
Table 3: Identification keys of Riparia Martins in south India
Features riparia
Breast Band dark and contrasting
Cheek Patch dark, contrasting with white head side pale, grading into white head side
Tail-fork Well-marked (c.7-14mm)
Tarsi Unfeathered or nearly so
attempt to analyse the photographs available
in public domain with the help of above table
(Table 2). During morphological analysis of
the photographs from south India, it was
observed that wintering martins showed
dark brown upperparts with strongly
contrasting breast bands. Based on the
current range statements (Rasmussen &
Anderton, 2012), the most likely taxon that
would occurs in southern India are nominate
race of Sand Martin and tibetana race of
Pale Martin. The identification keys of birds
normally observed in south India are listed
in Table 3. Observations with photographs
showing sufficient morphological features
are given in Table 4 (wing length which
cannot be assessed using photographs
was not considered here). I provide a list
of photographs from my collection of the
bird I recorded from Kadamakudy on 13
November 2014, illustrating some of the
points that confirm the identification (Fig:
3-7). Additional photographs from other
observers are used to illustrate further
identification details (Fig: 8-10).
tibetana
pale with diffuse borders
Rather shallow (c. 4-9mm)
Feathered (> 1/2 of rear edge)
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
31
 Table 4: Morphological analysis of photographs
Sl Observer Location Date Features Match % Suggested ID Link
No
1 Abhinand Kadamakudy- 13 Nov 1- Dark brown upperparts. 86 riparia https://
Chandran Puthussery 2014 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch with ebird.org/
Pokkali Fields white half collar. ebird/view/
3- Dark and contrasting breast band. checklist/
4- Well marked tail fork. S21727728
5- Uniformly pale chin and upper throat.
6-Dark brown head and less obvious eye
surround.
7- Tarsal feathering invisible.
6 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia
2 Abhijith Changaram 01 Jan 1-Contrasting cheek patch. 57 riparia https://
Surendran, wetlands- 2017 2-Dark and contrasting breast band. ebird.org/
Mukundan Ezhupunna ebird/view/
3-Well marked tail fork.
Kizhakke checklist/
madham, 4-Uniformly pale chin and upper throat. S33364722
Sandeep 5-Dark eye surround more obvious.
Sathyan, 6-Upperparts not visible.
Sudheesh 7-Tarsal feathering invisible.
Mohan,
4 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
Vaishnav S
riparia
3 Harikumar Kuttanad 10 Jan 1-Dark brown upperparts. 100 riparia https://
Mannar wetlands- 2017 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch. ebird.org/
Vallomkadavu ebird/view/
3- Dark and contrasting breast band.
checklist/
4-Well marked tail fork. S33616701
5-Feathered tarsi.
6-Uniformly pale chin and upper throat.
7-Dark brown head and less obvious eye
surround.
7 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia

4 Premchand Kadamakudy- 02 Oct 1-Dark brown upperparts. 100 riparia https://

Reghuvaran Puthussery 2017 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch. ebird.org/
Pokkali Fields india/view/
3- Dark and contrasting breast band.
checklist/
4-Well marked tail fork. S40129724
5-Feathered tarsi.
6-Finely spotted chin and upper throat.
7-Dark brown head and less obvious eye
surround.
7 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia Additionally, finely spotted throat
indicates a first winter bird.

5 Manoj K. & Kole wetlands- 15 Dec 1-Dark brown upperparts. 67 riparia https://ebird.
Jameela P. Manakodi 2017 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch with org/view/
checklist/
white head side showing half collar.
S44296767
3-Dark and contrasting breast band.
4-Eye surround not so obvious.
5-Uniformly pale chin and upper throat.
6-Tail fork not assessing.
7-Tarsal feathering invisible.
5 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia

32 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
6 Mike Prince, Hessargetta 30 Mar 1-Dark brown upperparts. 100 riparia https://ebird.
Praveen Lake- 2008 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch with org/view/
J, Sachin Karnataka white half collar. checklist/
Shurpali 3- Dark and contrasting breast band. S19421971
4-Well marked tail fork.
5-Feathered tarsi.
6-Uniformly pale chin and upper throat.
7-Dark brown head and less obvious eye
surround.
7 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia

7 Praveen Hoskote Lake- 26 Mar 1-Dark brown upperparts. 86 riparia https://

J, Dipu Karnataka 2017 2-Strongly contrasting cheek patch. ebird.org/
Karuthedathu, 3- Dark and contrasting breast band. india/view/
Krishna 4-Feathered tarsi. checklist/
Murthy 5-Uniformly pale chin and upper throat. S35434142
6-Dark brown head and less obvious eye
surround.
7- Tail fork not assessing.
6 out of 7 features are favourable to R. r.
riparia

Dark Brown
head and less ò Fig. 3
obvious eyes Loc: Kadamakudy
surround 13.11.2014

Strongly
contrasting
cheek patch
with white
half collar

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
33
 Dark brown
upperparts

Dark and
contrasting
breast band

ò Fig. 4 ò Fig. 5

Loc Kadamakudy
Photo : Premchand Raghuvaran 
Well marked More than half
tail fork Uniformly pale of the tarsi is
chin and upper unfeathered
ò Fig. 6 throat ò Fig. 7 ò Fig. 8

Dark Brown head

Loc Kuttanad wetlands

Loc Kadamakudy
and less obvious
eyes surround

Photo : Premchand Raghuvaran 

Photo : Harikumar Mannar 

Finely spotted chin

and upper throat,
which idicates
Strongly 1st winter bird
ò Fig. 9 contrasting
cheek patch
ò Fig. 10

34 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Based on the above analysis, at least on five tarsi are unfeathered and there are chances
occasions in Kerala and two occasions in that tarsal feathers may wear off. It is
Karnataka the Riparia martins wintering always recommended to provide sufficient
showed features that match well with the photographs showing as many views as
nominate race of Sand Martin. Hence, it is possible that can be useful for establishing
recommended that Sand Martin be included and the identifying the birds.
in the list of birds of Kerala and Karnataka.
Remaining reports, with insufficient Acknowledgements
photographs to analyse the morphological
features, can be considered as Sand/Pale My sincere gratitude to Praveen J. for
Martin. As identification of martins is a encouraging and guiding me for writing
complex process, extreme caution must be this paper and commenting on an earlier
taken while identifying them. Birds in moult draft. I would like to thank Dilip K.G.,
may show intermediate plumage, colour Govind Vijayakumar, Harikumar Mannar
shade and tail fork depth may vary, breast and Premchand Reghuvaran for providing
band can be ruffled and may show diffuse photographs. I am extremely grateful to all
borders. In most cases more than half of the who has uploaded their observations online.

� (Fig.3 to 7) Photos: Abhinand chandran

References

Chandran, A., 2014. Website URL: https://
ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S21727728
[Accessed on 19 July 2018]
Clements, J. F., Schulenberg, T. S., Iliff, M.
J., Roberson, D., Fredericks, T. A., Sullivan,
B. L., and Wood, C. L., 2017. The eBird/
Clements checklist of birds of the world:
v2017. Website URL: http://www.birds.
cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ .
Accessed on 18 July 2018.
Karingamadathil, M., & Jameela, P., 2017.
Website URL: https://ebird.org/view/
checklist/S44296767 [Accessed on 19 July
2018]
Mannar, H., 2017. Website URL: https://
ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33616701
[Accessed on 19 July 2018]
Praveen, J.,  2015. A checklist of birds
of Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened
Ta x a   8 0 0 9 –7 9 83   : )13 (7 ;   h tt p : //d x . d o i .
org/10.11609/JoTT.2001.7.13.7983-8009
Praveen, J., 2017. Website URL: https://
ebird.org/india/view/checklist/S35434142
[Accessed on 19 July 2018]
Praveen, J. Jayapal, R. & Pittie, A., 2016. A
checklist of the birds of India. Indian BIRDS
11: (5&6): 113-170
Praveen J., Subramanya, S., Raj, Vijay
Mohan 2016.. A checklist of the birds of
Karnataka. Indian BIRDS. 12: (4&5): 89–118
Prince, M., 2008. Website URL: https://ebird.org/
view/checklist/S19421971 [Accessed on 19 July 2018]
Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C.,
2012a. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide:
field guide. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C. and
Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and
Lynx Edicions. Vol. 1 of 2 vols. Pp. 1–378.
Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C.,
2012b. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide:
attributes and status. 2nd ed. Washington,
D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution
and Lynx Edicions. Vol. 2 of 2 vols. Pp. 1–683.
Reghuvaran, P., 2017. Website URL: https://
ebird.org/india/view/checklist/S40129724
[Accessed on 19 July 2018]
Sashikumar, C.;Praveen J.,;Palot, Muhamed
Jafer;Nameer, P. O. 2011. Birds of Kerala:
status and distribution. 1–835. DC Books.
Kottayam, Kerala.
Schweizer, M., Liu, Y., Olsson, U.,Shirihai,
H., Huang, Q., Leader, P.J., Luis Copete,
J., Kirwan, G.M., Chen, G., Svenson, L.,
Contrasting patterns of diversification
in two sister species of martins (Aves:
Hirundinidae): the Sand Martin Riparia
riparia and the Pale Martin R.diluta,
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
(2018), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
ympev.2018.02.026
Surendran, A., 2017. Website URL: https://
ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33364722
[Accessed on 19 July 2018]

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
35
 Blue-and-white Flycatcher
Cynoptila cynomelana
- A photographic record
from Kerala
Mathew Thekkethala  drtimathew@gmail.com
O
n 5 February 2017 I was going
to Nelliyampathy, watching the
birds seen along the ghat road
and photographing them. At
around 8 am I noticed a bird sitting alone on
a tree beside the road. I was able to take only
two pictures of the bird before it flew off.
Praveen J., after consultation with several
experts, identified the bird as a second cycle
male Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cynoptila
cynomelana, a new addition to the list of
birds occurring in Kerala. The dark blue
feathers on the sides of the breast ruled
out the possibility of the similar looking
Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula supecilaris
or Zappey’s Flycatcher C. cumatilis; Dave
Bakewell additionally commented that this
is a second calendar year bird (Praveen,
pers. comm.).
Blue-and-White Flycatcher has been
reported from the Western Ghats are
during the month of March mostly (Barve
& Kamath, 2016); they might be on their
spring migration from the wintering
36 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
grounds in Taiwan, SE China and SE Asia to
their breeding areas of north eastern Asia.
It is assumed that, while returning, some of
these birds take a detour through Andaman
& Nicobar Islands and the mainland Indian
subcontinent (Rajeshkumar et al., 2014).
Thanks to editors of eBird India for
suggesting the species, Yong Ding Li, James
Eaton and Dave Bakewell for confirming the
id. I want to express my gratitude to Praveen
for persuading me to write this note.
References
Barve, M., & Kamath, R., 2016. More records
of Blue-and-white Flycatcher Cyanoptila
cyanomelana from the Western Ghats, India.
Indian BIRDS 11 (1): 24.
Rajeshkumar, S., Raghunathan, C., &
Maheswaran, G., 2014. Blue-and-white
Flycatcher Cyanoptila cyanomelana: First
record for Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
India. Indian BIRDS 9 (4): 104–105
 Blue
and white
Flycatcher
from`
Nelliyampathy
hills

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
37
 Sighting of a Leucistic
Spot-billed Duck
Anas poecilorhyncha
at Karingali Puncha
Pathanamthitta district

Sajan Raju sajanraju89@gmail.com

38 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017

K
aringali Puncha is a vast wetland
spread over the districts of
Pathanamthitta and Alapuzha.
This wetland is considered as
a one of the best birding spots of these
districts. Over 130 bird species have been
reported from this hotspot, including
residents and migrants (https://ebird.
org/india/hotspot/L4078824). On 27 Dec
2017, around 5:00 pm, as I was doing my
evening bird walk at the Cherikal side of
this wetland, I noticed flocks of Glossy
Ibis Plegadis falcinellus, Painted Stork
Mycteria leucocephala, Lesser Whistling
Ducks Dendrocygna javanica and Indian
Spot-billed Ducks Anas poecilorhyncha
feeding. Suddenly an unusual white duck
caught my attention. I first thought it
was a domestic duck. Once I could move
closer, I took some photographs of the
duck. On examining the photographs
closely, I could clearly see the typical
yellow tipped black bill with red basal
spots, the diagnostic feature of Spot-
billed Duck. Then I realized it was a
Leucistic Spot-billed Duck . The bird was
seen feeding separately, away from the
other bird flocks. I stayed around for 15
minutes watching the bird and tried to
move closer to get some close up pictures.
Once the bird noticed my movements, it
flew away.
Leucism is an abnormal plumage
condition, caused by loss of feather
pigment making the plumage look pale
but normal body colours are retained.
This is different from true albinism in
which pigment is absent throughout the
body, resulting in red eyes and pale pink
legs and bill, in addition to pale plumage
(Campbell & Lack, 1985).
Reference
Campbell B. & Lack, E (eds). 1985. A
Dictionary of Birds. Calton (Poyser) and
Vermillion (Buteo).
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
39
 Kerala Heronry Survey 2016
– A Summary
R. Roshnath, C. Sashikumar, P. Greeshma C, Harikumar Mannar, B. Sreekumar.,
Hari Mavelikara, and A.K. Sivakumar | Common Bird Monitoring Program, Green
Partners Programme
roshnath.r@gmail.com

Abstract Nine species of heronry birds were found

to breed during the year of which Little

K erala heronry survey for the year 2016

covered eight districts where a total
of 9496 nests from 93 sites were recorded.
cormorant (36%) and Indian Pond Heron
(25%) shared highest percentage of nest
abundance.

40 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Introduction
Heronries are nesting colonies of colonial
waterbirds such as herons, egrets,
cormorants, storks etc. which shows
temporal and spatial clumping of nest
during breeding season. In Kerala, these
birds breed during the South-West monsoon
( June-September) when the wetlands are
productive. This group of birds play vital
role in pest control and enhance nutrient
cycle by guano deposits thus enhancing our
agricultural ecosystem (Green & Elmberg,
2014).

Table 1:

District wise breeding record of

different species during 2016 heronry survey

Pathanamthitta
Trivandrum

Alappuzha

Kasaragod
Species Kottayam

Thrissur

Kannur
Kollam

Total
Little Cormorant
86 135 139 1014 1481 268 296 3419
Microcarbo niger
Indian Pond-Heron
143 11 99 243 177 31 1262 361 2327
Ardeola grayii
Little Egret
46 39 15 69 59 228
Egretta garzetta
Oriental Darter
172 121 763 902 1958
Anhinga melanogaster
Indian Cormorant
2 90 7 738 104 11 148 1100
Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Black-crowned Night-Heron
26 2 53 0 59 30 37 207
Nycticorax nycticorax
Intermediate Egret
22 117 21 5 64 229
Ardea intermedia
Great Egret
8 7 15
Ardea alba
Purple Heron
12 1 13
Ardea purpurea

MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
41
 During 2015 heronry survey in Kerala, a
total of 11,550 nests belonging to 16 species
of waterbirds from 194 sites were counted.
Even though they are wetland dependent
birds, most of their breeding sites are found
near human habitations such as roadside
(57%), non-residential area (13%) and
residential areas (7%) making most heronries
in Kerala exposed to various anthropogenic
disturbances (Roshnath et al., 2017). Also,
these heronry sites are scattered across
different human habitations and are not
protected. Thus protection of heronries is
very important for the conservation and
management of these species (Sashikumar
et al., 2015). Thus maintaining inventories of
heronry site is of prior concern.
Methodology
The survey was done following the Heronry
42 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Census of Kerala Protocol (Sashikumar et al.,
2015). The survey was done during last week
of July and first week of August which was
presumed to be the peak breeding season
for heronry birds in Kerala. Sites for the
survey were selected from the data gathered
in the previous surveys and also in some
of the districts press notes were released
before the survey to gather information on
new sites, if any.
Results
A total of 9496 nests were recorded from
93 heronry sites across eight districts
during the 2016 Kerala heronry survey
(Fig 1). Trivandrum, Kollam, Kottayam,
Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Thrissur,
Kannur and Kasaragod were the seven
districts surveyed, of which Alappuzha had
highest number of nest (2713 nest in 12 sites)
followed by Thrissur (2651 nest in 5 sites)
whereas Kollam recorded the least number
(50 nest in a single site). Nine species of
heronry birds were recorded during 2016
survey (Table 1). Little cormorant (36%) and
Indian Pond Heron (25%) shared highest
percentage of nest abundance followed by
Oriental Darter (21%), Indian Cormorant
(12%; Fig 2).
Discussion
No data was available from six districts
namely Ernakulum, Idukki, Palakkad,
Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad,
hence comparative analysis was not
possible. With the limited data available, we
compared the nest abundance in respective
districts. Thrissur showed highest increase
in nest abundance (64%), where only 943
nest were recorded from 8 sites during 2015
survey, 2016 survey recorded a total of 2651
nest from 5 sites (Greeshma, unpublished).
Likewise, compared with 2015 survey (2181
nest from 15 sites), even though three sites
were not surveyed, Alappuzha showed 20%
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
43
 increase in the number of nests during 2016
(2713 nest from 12 sites). Pathanamthitta
(with additional one site) and Kasaragod
(additional 3 sites) also showed 51% and
16% increase in nest density during present
survey.
As in the other years, Little Cormorant
(3419 nest) and Indian Pond-Heron (2327
nest) shared the major portion (61%) of the
nest abundance, thus forming the principal
nesting species in the heronries. Globally
Threatened Oriental Darter (IUCN Redlist
Category: Near Threatened) was found to
breed in the highest number in Thrissur
district (902 nests) followed by the south
Kerala districts of Alappuzha (763 nests),
Kottayam (172 nests) and Pathanamthitta
(121). Great Egret and Purple Heron nests
were recorded in Kottayam and Kannur
districts (Tabel 1). No nest of Grey Heron
was encountered in Koduvally mangrove of
Kannur district during the heronry survey,
but it was known to breed there before
the survey period. Increased number of
Indian Cormorant nests was noted in most
of the districts while the number of Black-
crowned Night-Heron nests was found to
be decreasing in number.
Heronries to heritage sites.
The maintenance of established heronries
and associated feeding areas is essential
to ensure the stability of the breeding
populations of herons and egrets (Bowman
& Siderius, 1984). Since, a declining trend in
the population of nesting heronry birds was
found in north Kerala districts (Sashikumar
44 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
et al. 2015) experts in the filed have pointed
out the need for protecting the nesting
sites and nesting trees to conserve these
water birds. As an initiative, Kannur district
administration and Social Forestry, Kannur
have showed concern in protecting the
nesting sites in public areas, declaring them
as heritage sites for birds. Posters were put
up under nesting trees to create awareness
among the general public (Fig. 3). As most
of the foraging sites i.e. wetlands are under
anthropogenic pressure, along with nesting
habitat loss, these birds are under severe
threat. Hence more action orientated work
involving the stakeholders are to be planned
to conserve the breeding sites for the
conservation of these waterbirds.
Acknowledgment
\We thank Ashli Jose, Giju Kumarakom,
Govind Girija, Jaichand Johnson, Jeffin John,
Rajeesh R.,Sachin Chandran, Saju Vasan,
Sethu Dinesh, Shiby Mossess, Sudeep R.,
Unnikrishnan N and all the participants of
the survey. We also thank Kerala Forest &
Wildlife Department for facilitating and
arranging the logistics for the survey. We
are grateful to Praveen J. and P.O. Nameer
for coordinating the survey.
Reference
Green AJ, and Elmberg J. 2014. Ecosystem
services provided by waterbirds. Biological
reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
89(1):105-22
ò One of the Heronry observed
Roshnath, R., C. Sashikumar, C.K.
Vishnudas, Jafer Palot, S. Raju, Harikumar
Mannar, B. Sreekumar., Hari Mavelikara,
A.K. Sivakumar and Sathyan Meppayur 2017.
Heronries of Kerala, 2015 – A summary of
the Heronry Census. Malabar Trogon 15:35-
40
Sashikumar C., Bimalnath KG, Hari
Mavelikara, Harikumar Mannar, ES Praveen,
Raju S, Roshnath R, Sathyan Meppayur, B
Sreekumar, A K Sivakumar, CK Vishnudas,
Praveen J and Nameer P O. 2015. Heronries
of Kerala – 2014. Malabar Trogon 13(2&3):2-
11.
ò Fig 3: District Collector of
Kannur inaugurating the
public awareness boards
placed in Caltex junction
heronry, Kannur
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
45
 Sighting of
Eurasian Hobby
at Gumpe Hills,
Kasaragod district
Prashantha Krishna M C, Sri Durga Prasada Mani. Post Permude. Kasaragod, Kerala 671324
pkmcmani@gmail.com
E
urasian Hobby Falco subbuteo is
a migratory falcon that breeds
across Eurasia and winters
in south and central Africa, southern
and south eastern Asia including India
and south China (Brazil 2009). The first
photographic documentation of Eurasian
Hobby from Kerala was by Abhilash Arjunan
from Punchakkari, Thiruvananthapuram
on 14 December 2015 (https://ebird.org/
view/checklist/S26328154). Here, I report
the second sighting of the species at Gumpe
hills, Kasaragod on 5 November 2016.
Gumpe (12.67° N, 75.00° E) is a small hillock
located in Kasaragod district of Kerala,
which is known for its raptor diversity in the
wintering season (my personal observations
since 2014). At 3.45 pm, I sighted a small
46 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
raptor sitting on an isolated tree about 15
feet above the ground. I first thought it was
an Amur Falcon Falco amurensis, the photos
taken confirmed it to be a Eurasian Hobby.
The bird was a compact sized falcon with
greyish black wings and pale brownish
breast with thick long dark streaks on the
breast, down the sides and up to the legs. It
had a distinct facial pattern: black head with
broad black roundish moustachial stripes
which protruded on either side of the white
neck and throat. The bird had a thin white
eyebrow and blackish blue beak with yellow
base. The legs were deep yellow in color, the
tail was short with thin horizontal barring
and wing tips extended beyond the tail tip.
These diagnostic features confirmed the
identification of this raptor as Eurasian
ò Eurasian hobby
Hobby (Brazil, 2009, Grimmett et al., 2011.).
The absence of rufous thighs and under
tail-coverts indicated it to be a sub adult
individual (Grimmett et al., 2011, Franke-
Bryson, 2016).
Hobbies are world travellers and are found
in areas far beyond their breeding range
but their distribution in the southern part
of Indian subcontinent is scarce (Grimmett
References
• BirdLife International. 2016. Falco subbuteo.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2016: e.T22696460A93564381. http://
dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.
T22696460A93564381.en. Downloaded on 17
September 2018
• Brazil M 2009. Birds of East Asia: China,
Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Russia. Princeton
field guides. Princeton University press.
et al., 2011, eBird range map) There were
sightings of this falcon from nearby
Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka and
immediately after the sighting from Gumpe
hills and there was one more sighting from
Kole wetlands, Thrissur (eBird range map).
As per the IUCN red list of threatened
species, this falcon is categorized as of least
concern (LC).
• eBird range map of Eurasian Hobby, accessed
on 17 September 2018: https://goo.gl/QNFH76
• Franke- Bryson U 2016.Swifter than swifts:
Second Eurasian Hobby ringed in Namibia.
url: https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/BOJ/
article/view/379/420
• Grimmett, Richard ., Carol Inskipp, Tim
Inskipp. Birds of the Indian subcontinent. 2011.
Second edition. Oxford University press.
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
47
 Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
in Kerala

ò Black Tern

Premchand Reghuvaran, Govind Girija, Jayadev Menon, Jude Kurishinkal and

Navin Antony
premchand.reghu@gmail.com

O
n Sunday 19 November 2017, from 7:45 am, we
were birding at Aniyil Beach, Edavanakkad,
Ernakulam, where fishing activities were on
full swing. Walking along the beach for more
than one hour, we saw a large group of Whiskered Terns
Chlidonias hybrida feeding near the shore.
Among the terns, we noticed one bird, distinct from others
in the group, with blackish upper wings. We concentrated
on this particular tern, trying to get the maximum number
of clear photographs. Later we sent the images for review

48 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
in the Kerala Bird Monitoring WhatsApp
group. Adithyan and Praveen J identified the
bird as Black Tern Chlidonias niger pointing
out the following diagnostic features: long
pointed bill, black on ear converts extending
below the eye, black legs and black shoulder
patch. Praveen checked with Bill Harvey, a
British ornithologist, who confirmed that
the photographs were of an adult in winter
plumage.
This is the fourth confirmed record of this
species from India and the first for Kerala.
Earlier, there were two reports from Gujarat
(Bhatt et al. , 2014) and one from Karwar
Coast, Karnataka ( Jamalabad, 2016).
The authors thank Praveen J, Adithyan and
Bill Harvey for identifying the tern.
References
• Bhatt, N., Ganpule, P., & Vora,
G., 2014. Sighting of Black Tern
Chlidonias niger in Gujarat, India,
with notes on identification
of marsh terns occurring in
western India. Indian BIRDS 9 (5&6):
142–146
• Jamalabad, A., 2016. Records of
a White-eyed Gull Ichthyaetus
leucophthalmus and a Black
Tern Chlidonias niger from the
Karwar coast, Karnataka, India.
Indian BIRDS 12 (1): 12–14.
ò Black Tern
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
49
 Eyebrowed Thrush
Turdus obscurus
at Iringole Kavu
– A new bird for Kerala
P.B. Samkumar, ‘Daiveekom’, Manjapra P.O, Ernakulam - 683581
samssus@gmail.com
S
ree Bhagavathi Kavu at Iringole, in
Pattal Village near Perumbavoor,
popularly known as Iringole Kavu,
is a sacred grove devoutly protected
and preserved by its believers. Iringole Kavu
is an evergreen forest patch with an area of
over 20 hectares and is home to many avian,
reptilian and mammalian species including
endemic species also. Chandrashekara &
Sankar (1998) found that, when compared
with the evergreen forests of the Western
Ghats for parameters like stem density,
basal area and species diversity of trees, the
values obtained for this sacred grove, with
51 species of trees, is within the range of
50 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
those obtained for other forests.
On 10 December 2017, I reached Iringole
Kavu at 11.30 am for birding. There was a
pond in the Kavu, where almost all birds
in the Kavu come to drink water and at
12.40 pm, I was birding near the pond.
Suddenly, a bird of the size of a Malabar
Woodshrike Tephrodornis sylvicola flew in
from the woods and momentarily perched
on a branch of a small tree on the other
side of a mud path. I managed to take a
photograph of this bird before it flew away.
It had a prominent white supercilium and a
white crescent-shaped mark under the eye.
The orange breast and the white under-
ò Eyebrowed Thrush 
belly also were conspicuous. When the
picture was posted in the Whatsapp group
named ‘Birders Sans Borders’, the bird was
identified as Eyebrowed Thrush Turdus
obscurus by Aadhithyan, another member
of this group and was later confirmed by
Sathyan Meppayur, an experienced birder.
Raphy Kallettumkara, Abhilash Raveendran
and I combed the place thoroughly on the
| Photo: P.B. Samkumar
next day but could not find the thrush.
Despite checking the area several times
in the two succeeding weeks there was no
trace of the bird.
This is the first sighting of this species
from Kerala though it had been recorded
elsewhere from peninsular India before.
This bird was reported as early as in
1924 from Belgaum (Baker1924); in 1983
MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
51
 from Northwest Karnataka (Ali & Ripley
1983); in1984 by C. Robson at Ootacamund
(Harrap & Redman 1987); in 1985 from
Point Calimere (Kodiakkarai), Tamil Nadu
(Harrap & Redman 1987) in 1985 from
Chennai (Santharam 1985) and from Goa in
2007 (Birdquest: Goa 2007). More recently,
it had been reported in 2016 from the Indian
Institute of Science campus at Bengaluru
(Sridhar & Bhat 2016).
References:
Ali S. & Repley S. D. 1983. Handbook of the
birds of India and Pakistan. Compact Edition,
Oxford University Press, Delhi.
Baker, E. C. S. 1924. The fauna of British India,
including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. 2nd ed.
London: Taylor and Francis. Vol. II of 8 vols.
Birdquest- Goa 2007 http://www.birdquest-
tours.com/pdfs/report/GOA%20REP%20
07%20.pdf (downloaded on 30 December
2018)
Chandrashekara, U.M. and S. Sankar 1998.
Ecology and management of sacred groves
52 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017
Eyebrowed Thrush is a common winter
visitor to the Indian Subcontinent from
Bangladesh eastwards (Ali & Ripley 1983)
and, as the abovementioned records
indicate, a straggler to further south of the
subcontinent.
Thanks to Aadhithyan and Sathyan
Meppayur for identifying the bird and
to Praveen J. for promptly providing the
reference material for preparing this note.
in Kerala, India. Elsevier Journal for Forest
Ecology and Management, Volume 112, Issues
1–2, 14 December 1998, Pages 165-177.
Harrap, S. C.;Redman, N. J. 1990. Some
observations of scarce birds in Kerala and
Tamil Nadu. Journal of the Bombay Natural
History Society. 86: (3) 460–461.
Santharam, V. 1985. New records - Ashy
Minivet and Eyebrowed Thrush in Madras.
Newsletter for Birdwatchers. 25: (5-6) 9–11
Sridhar, Aditi;Bhat, Shubha 2016. Eyebrowed
Thrush Turdus obscurus in Bengaluru,
India. Indian BIRDS. 11: (4) 100–101.
 Book
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Bryophytes of Wayanad in Western Ghats

Author: Manju.C.Nair.Rajesh.K.P and P.V.Madhusoodanan
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106 species including marine mammals
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Its “RAINING”
LESSER CUCKOOS
2017-18

Lesser Cuckoo
Cuculus poliocephalus

54 MALABAR TROGON
Vol. 15 (3 ) 2017  Abhilash Ravindran