3. Birds with a very short tail

1. The Nuthatches (23 and 24).
2. The Munias (74-79). (Fairly short).
3. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105).
4. The Indian Pitta (109).
5. The Woodpeckers (110 and 111). (Fairly short.)
6. The Barbets (113 and 114).
7. The Kingfishers (118-120).
8. The Common Indian Swift (124).
9. The Spotted Owlet (135).
10. The Scops Owl (138).
11. The Vultures (140-142). (Fairly short.)
12. The Common Quail (171).
13. The Partridges (172 and 173).
14. The White-breasted Water-hen (174).
15. The Purple Coot (175).
16. The Coot (176).
17. The Plovers (185 and 186).
18. The Avocet (188).
19. The Black-tailed Godwit (191).
20. The Sandpipers (192-194).
21. The Little Stint (195).
22. The Pelicans (207 and 208).
23. The Cormorants (209-211).
24. The Ibises (212-214).
25. The Spoonbill (215).
26. The Egrets (223).
27. The Paddy Bird (224).
28. The Night Heron (225).
29. The Common Flamingo (226).
30. The Geese (227 and 228).
31. The Ducks (229 and 230).
32. The Little Grebe (231). (No tail at all.)

4. Birds in which a part of the tail feathers are prolonged beyond the rest as bristles

(a) Median pair prolonged
1. (Cock) Tailor Bird (in hot weather).
2. The Bee-eaters (116 and 117).
(b) Outer pair prolonged
1. The Larger Racket-tailed Drongo (27). (The web reappears at the tip, so as to form a disc at the terminal part of the feather.)
2. The Wire-tailed Swallow.

V. SEXUAL DIMORPHISM

Birds in which the sexes differ greatly in appearance

1. The Common Iora (13).
2. The Minivets (39-41).
3. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42).
4. The Orioles (44 and 45).
5. The Rose-coloured Starling (48).
6. The Indian Paradise Flycatcher (57).
7. The Pied Bush Chats (61 and 62).
8. The Indian Bush Chat (63).
9. The Indian Redstart (65).
10. The Indian Robins (66 and 67).
11. The Magpie Robin (68).
12. The Shama (69).
13. The Weaver Birds (70-73). (In breeding season only.)
14. The Indian Red Munia (79). (Particularly in breeding season.)
15. The Common Rose-Finch (80).
16. The Common Sparrow (82).
17. The Buntings (84 and 85).
18. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105).
19. The Sunbirds (106-108).
20. The Koel (130).
21. The Blossom-headed Paroquet (134).
22. The Harriers (153-157).
23. The Red Turtle Dove (169).
24. The Common Peafowl (170).
25. The Black Partridge (172).
26. The Shoveller (230). (In breeding plumage.)


C. CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO COLOUR

I. Black.
II. Blue.
III. Brown.
IV. Coffee or fawn colour.
V. Green.
VI. Grey.
VII. Pink.
VIII. Red.
IX. White.
X. Yellow.
XI. Birds of many colours.

Colour affords the easiest means of identifying the great majority of birds, but in many cases the colours displayed, although conspicuous and easily recognised, are not of a nature to admit of strict classification. Take, for example, the blues—various species display almost every known shade from slaty grey to turquoise, from purple to ultramarine and indigo. To attempt to distinguish in the lists between the many shades of blue would have led to inevitable confusion. I have, therefore, divided my blues into bright blue, dark blue, and slaty blue. My method is probably inartistic, but it will, I hope, facilitate the task of identification.

Again, it is no easy matter to draw the line between greyish and brownish birds, hence I have included some species under both heads. The reader should bear in mind that, while nothing is easier than to identify some birds by their colour, in the case of others colour is at the best a rough guide—one, but only one, of the clues which have to be followed up before the identity of the species can be established. In the case of Raptorial birds colour is of very little assistance, since the great majority of them are of the same colour, moreover, individuals vary greatly in colouration at different stages of their existence.

I. BLACK

1. Birds with a quantity of black in their plumage

(a) All Black
1. The Indian Corby (1).
2. The Raven (2).
3. The King Crow (25).
4. The Large Racket-tailed Drongo (27).
5. (Cock) Sunbirds (106 and 107). (These are really dark purple, but sometimes look black from a distance.)
6. (Cock) Koel (bill green, eyes red) (130).
7. (Young) Scavenger Vultures (144 and 145).
8. Coot (176). (White bill and shield on forehead.)
9. The Indian Shag (210).
(b) Mainly Black
1. The Indian House Crow (3). This and (4) have grey necks, darker in (4).
2. The Burmese House Crow (4).
3. The Malabar Whistling Thrush (11). (Patches of cobalt-blue.)
4. The Grackles (46 and 47). (Yellow wattles and white bar in wing.)
5. The Indian Starling (49). (With small yellow or whitish spots.)
6. The Common Indian Swift (124). (Smoky brown, with white bar across rump.)
7. The Palm Swift (125). (Brownish black.)
8. The Crow-Pheasant (131). (Wings chestnut brown.)
9. The Black Vulture (141). (Red head, white breast and patch on each thigh.)
10. The White-backed Vulture (143). (Very dark grey, with white back.)
11. (Cock) Black Partridge (172). (With narrow white bars and broad chestnut collar.)
12. White-breasted Water-hen (174). (Very dark grey, with white face, throat, and chest, and red under tail.)
13. The Large and Little Cormorants (209 and 211). (White throat.)
14. Black Ibis (213). (Top of head red, white patch on wing.)

2. Black-headed birds

1. The Indian Tree-Pie (5).
2. (Cock) Iora (13).
3. The Red-vented Bulbuls (15-19). (Small crest.)
4. The Red-whiskered Bulbuls (20 and 21). (Large pointed crest.)
5. The Minivets (39 and 40).
6. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42).
7. The Black-headed Oriole (45).
8. The Rose-coloured Starling (48).
9. The Black-headed Myna (51).
10. The Common Myna (52). (With yellow patch of skin behind eye.)
11. The Paradise Flycatcher (57).
12. The Indian Redstart (cock in spring) (65).
13. The Magpie Robin (cock) (68).
14. The Shama (69).
15. The Black-headed Munia (74).
16. The Chestnut-bellied Munia (75).
17. The Black-headed Bunting (in spring) (84).
18. The Purple-rumped Sunbird (108). (The head and breast are not black in this species, but look black from a distance.)
19. The Crow-Pheasant (131).
20. (Male) Pied Harrier (156).
21. The Bronze-winged Jaçana (181).
22. The Red-wattled Lapwing (183). (Red wattle and sides of neck white.)
23. The Yellow-wattled Lapwing (184). (Yellow wattle, back of neck white.)
24. The Terns (especially in summer) (200-205).
25. The White Ibis (212).
26. The White-necked Stork (217). (Neck white.)
27. The Black-necked Stork (218).
28. The Night Heron (225).
29. The Indian Spur-winged Plover (184a).

3. Black collaret or gorget or band across the breast

1. The Bengal Red-whiskered Bulbul (20).
2. The Southern Red-whiskered Bulbul (21). (Collaret interrupted.)
3. The White Wagtail (patch on breast) (91).
4. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105). (Black cross on throat.)
5. The Common Indian Bee-eater (116).
6. Some of the Bustards. (Not dealt with in this book.)
7. The Pheasant-tailed Jaçana (182).
8. The Little Ringed Plover (186).
9. The Painted Stork (220).

4. Black streak through the eye (i.e. from beak to back of head)

1. The Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (23).
2. The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (24).
3. The Shrikes (34-37).
4. The Indian Oriole (44). (Rather a patch than a streak.)
5. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105).
6. The Indian Pitta (109).
7. The Bee-eaters (116 and 117).

5. Black and another colour

(a) Black and blue
1. The Malabar Whistling Thrush (11).
2. The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (24). (Whitish throat, lower parts greyish.)
3. The Indian Blue Rock Pigeon (165). (Slaty blue, with black wing bars and red legs.)
(b) Black and brown (chestnut)
1. The Indian Tree-Pie (5). (Silver-grey on wings, grey bars on tail, which is long.)
2. The Common Myna (52). (White in wings and tail, yellow legs, and patch of skin behind eye.)
3. (Hen and young) Indian Paradise Flycatcher (57).
4. (Cock) Brown-backed Indian Robin (66). (Red patch under tail.)
5. The Chestnut-bellied Munia (75).
6. The Crow-Pheasant (131). (A black bird with brown wings).
(c) Black and coffee or fawn colour
The Rose-coloured Starling (48).
(d) Black and grey
1. The Indian House Crow (3).
2. The Burmese House Crow (4).
3. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42). (Lower abdomen white and white tip to tail.)
4. The Large Cuckoo-Shrike (43).
5. The Bank Myna (53). (Red patch of skin on side of head and buff wing bar.)
6. The Open-bill (221). (When not in breeding plumage.)
(e) Black and pink
The Rose-coloured Starling (cock) (48).
(f) Black and red
1. The Indian Scarlet Minivet (cock) (41).
2. The Short-billed Minivet (cock) (42).
3. The Indian Redstart (cock in spring) (65). (Red is dull; outer tail feathers brown.)
4. The Black-backed Indian Robin (cock) (67). (A black bird with red patch under tail.)
5. The Common Swallow (88). (Upper plumage has bluish tinge; some white in tail.)
6. The Red-rumped Swallow (90). (Upper plumage has bluish tinge.)
7. The Black Vulture (141). (White breast and patch on thigh.)
8. The Black Ibis (213). (Small white patch on wing.)
(g) Black and white
1. The White-bellied Drongo (26).
2. The Grackles (46 and 47). (Black birds with white wing bar, yellow wattles, bills, and legs.)
3. The Pied Myna (54). (Orange bill and patch behind eye.)
4. (Cock) Paradise Flycatcher (57). (White bird with long tail and black head and crest.)
5. The Fantail Flycatchers (58-60).
6. (Cock) Pied Bush Chats (61 and 62).
7. The Magpie Robin (68).
8. The Large Pied Wagtail (92).
9. The Indian Pied Kingfisher (118). (Spotted black and white like a Hamburgh fowl.)
10. The Common Indian Swift (124). (Very dark brown, with white bar across back.)
11. The Pied-crested Cuckoo (129).
12. The Indian White-backed Vulture (143). (Very dark grey, with white back.)
13. (Cock) Pied Harrier (155).
14. The Coot (176).
15. (Cock) Black-winged Stilt (187). (Long-legged white bird with black back and wings.)
16. The Avocet (188). (White wading bird with black markings.)
17. The Indian Skimmer (206). (Dark brown and white.)
18. The Cormorants (209 and 211). (Black birds with white throat.)
19. The White Ibis (212). (White bird with black head.)
20. The White Stork (216). (White bird with black in wings; red bill and legs.)
21. The White-necked Stork (217). (Black bird with white neck and lower parts.)
22. The Black-necked Stork (218).
23. The Painted Stork (220).
24. The Open-bill (221).
(h) Black and yellow
1. (Cock) Iora (in summer) (13). (Two white bars in wing.)
2. (Hen) Scarlet and Short-billed Minivets (39 and 40).
3. The Orioles (44 and 45).
4. The Grackles (46 and 47). (Black birds with yellow bill, wattles, and legs, and white wing bar.)

6. Black and two other colours

(a) Black, blue, and white
The Velvet-fronted Blue Nuthatch (24). (The white is greyish.)
(b) Black, brown, and white
1. The Black-tailed Godwit (191).
2. The Barred-headed Goose (228). (Plumage greyish brown; bill and legs yellow.)
3. The Indian Spur-winged Plover (184a).
(c) Black, chestnut, and white
1. (Cock) Indian Bush Chat (63).
2. The Shama (69).
3. The Black-headed Munia (74).
4. The Chestnut-bellied Munia (75).
5. (Cock) Black Partridge (172).
6. The Bronze-winged Jaçana (181).
(d) Black, fawn-colour, and white
The Indian Hoopoe (123).
(e) Black, grey, and white
1. The Indian Grey Shrike (34).
2. The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike (42).
3. The White Wagtail (91).
4. The Ashy-crowned Finch-Lark (105).
5. The Gulls* (196-199)
6. The Terns* (200-205)
7. The Night Heron (225).
8. The Barred-headed Goose (228). (Greyish brown; bill and legs yellow.)

* Wings very pale grey

(f) Black, pink, and white
The Common Flamingo (226).

II. BLUE

Birds with blue in their plumage

(a) Bright blue
1. The Common Green Bulbul (14). (Bright green bird with blue moustache.)
2. The Indian Pitta (109).
3. The Indian Roller or “Blue Jay” (115). (Wings and tail composed of light and dark blue bars.)
4. The Common Indian Bee-eater (116). (A green bird with turquoise throat, black streak through eye, and two long bristle-like feathers in tail.)
5. The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (117).
6. The Common Kingfisher (119).
7. The White-breasted Kingfisher (120).
8. The Green Parrots (132-134). (Green birds with blue in their long tails.)
9. The Common Peafowl (170).
10. The Purple Coot (175). (A large purple-blue bird with red bill, legs, and frontal shield.)
(b) Dark blue
1. The Malabar Whistling Thrush (11). (A black bird with cobalt patches.)
2. The Nuthatches (23 and 24). (Little short-tailed birds which go about in small flocks and pick insects off the bark of trees.)
3. The Swallows (88-90). (Upper parts glossy, dark blue.)
4. The Indian Roller or “Blue Jay” (115). (Wings and tail composed of light and dark blue bars.)
(c) Slaty or greyish blue
The Indian Blue Rock Pigeon (165).
(d) Blue and black birds

(Vide Black and blue birds.)