A
§ Aberrant
Abnormal or Unusual
§ Accidental
Vagrant
§ Adult
Mature or Capable of Breeding
§ Aerial Making use of the open
sky
§ Allopatric Relating to two
or more related species whose range do not overlap
§ Altitudinal migrant Moving between high mountains and lower foothills, especially breeding higher in the mountains and wintering lower down
§ Altricial Blind and helpless
when hatched
§ Apical Outer
extremities, particularly of the tail
§ Aquatic Living on or in
water
§ Arboreal Living in trees
§ Arm
The base of the wing from the carpal joint to
where it joins the body, especially used in describing the seabirds and birds
of prey.
§ Ashy Greyish Color
§ Avian
Pertaining to birds
§ Avifauna
The community of birds found in a given region
§ Axillaries Underwing feathers at the base of the wings, forming ‘armpits’
B
§ Back Loosely applied to the mantle
scapulars and rump
§ Bamboo
Plant family related to grasses but usually thick
woody stems
§ Banyan Type of fig tree
§ Bare
Parts Those parts bird not covered
with fathers
§ Barring
‘Sideway’ lines such as on tail or breast
§ Basal Relate to the base,
particularly of the tail or bill
§ Bheel Shallow lake or
wetland
§ Biosphere The part of
earth that is inhabited by life
§ Biotope Area of uniform
environmental conditions and inhabited by a particular flora and fauna
§ Bird
Wave Mixed flocks or mixed
hunting party
§ Bristles Sensory feathers
near beak
§ Brood Young hatched
from a single clutch
§ Brood
Parasitism Depositing of eggs by one species in the nest of an
another
§ Buff A very pale yellow-brownish color
§ Bulrushes
Perennial grass like herbs with thick triangular
stems found in the marsh area
§ Bund Man-made mud
embankment
C
§ Canopy Leafy foliage of
treetops
§ Cap Upper part of
head
§ Carpal Bend of a closed
wing, sometimes called shoulder
§ Casque An extension of upper side of the bill, especially growth above bill of hornbills
§ Cere Patch of bare fleshy skin on upper
base of bill of raptors
§ Cheek Area on the sides of head, below the eye or on ear coverts
§ Chevrons V-shaped contrasting
marks on wings or bands across breast
§ Cinnamon Light
yellowish-brown color
§ Clutch Complete set of
eggs laid by a single female
§ Collar Distinctive band
of color that encircles or partly encircles the neck
§ Colonial Roosting or nesting in groups
§ Confiding Not shy
§ Conspecific
Belongs to the same species
§ Commensal Living together
with man for mutual benefit
§ Corvid
Bird of the crow family
§ Coverts Small feathers covering wings and base of tail
§ Covey Small group, usually applied to the 'Game' birds
§ Crepuscular Active during the twilight of dusk and dawn
§ Crest Extended
feathers on head
§ Crop Pouch-like
enlargement of gullet in some birds where food is partially digested
§ Crown Upper part of
head
§ Crown-stripe Distinct line
from forehead along centre of crow
§ Cryptic Hidden - having
protective coloring and/ or behavior
§ Culmen Ridge on upper
mandible of bill
§ Cursorial Ground running
D
§ Deciduous Trees that shed
their leaves annually
§ Decurved Curving downwards
§ Diagnostic Sufficient to
identify a species or subspecies
§ Dimorphic(Dichromatic) Having two distinct plumage types, usually relate to gender
§ Disjunct
Completely separated, usually referring to
distribution range
§ Distal Part feather away from the body
§ Diurnal Active during
daytime
§ Down Small soft
feathers close to body of chicks
§ Drake Male duck
§ Drumming Rhythmic
territorial hammering on trees by woodpeckers
§ Duar The Eastern part of the terai from West Bengal eastwards
E
§ Ear-coverts Feathers covering the ear
opening. Often distinctly colored
§ Ear
tufts Feathers protruding near ears
§ Echolocate Navigate by sound
§ Eclipse
Plumage New dull post breeding plumage, especially
in ducks
§ Endemic Restricted to given country or region
§ Endangered Species facing
high risk of extinction
Epiphyte A plant which grows on another plant
§ Eurasian Of both Europe
and Asia
§ Evergreen Forests that always have leaves
§ Eye-ring Contrasting ring
around the eye
§ Eye-stripe Stripe through
eye
§ Extinct No longer in
existence
§ Extirpated Locally extinct
§ Extralimital Not existing in
the region
F
§ Facial Disc Heart shaped arrangement of feathers as in some owls and harriers
§ Facies Subdivision of region or biotope
§ Fallow Cultivated land
after cultivation and before ploughing
§ Family Specified group
of genera
§ Forage Search for food
§ Ferruginous Rusty-brown color
§ Feral Domestic species but have escaped, and
living and breeding in the wild
§ Filoplume Hair-like feathers like in
breeding egrets
§ First-winter
Plumage Plumage worn by a bird in
the winter of its first calendar year
§ Flank Side of body
§ Fledged Having just
acquired feathers and ready to leave nest
§ Fledglings Young birds
which have just acquired feathers
§ Flight
feathers Primary and secondary wing feathers
§ Flushed When disturbed
into flight at close quarters
§ Foreneck The lower throat
§ Form Sub-species
§ Frons Forehead
§ Frugivorous Fruit-eating
§ Fulvous Brownish-yellow
G
§ Game
birds Pheasants, partridges and allied species
§ Gape Basal part of
the beak (mainly for young birds and raptors)
§ Genera Plural of genus
§ Genus Group of closely related
species
§ Ghats Hills parallel
to the east and west coast of India
§ Gonydeal Related to the gonys
§ Gonys
The angle of the bottom edge of the lower
mandible, especially in case of Gulls and Terns
§ Gorget A band (with color) across the throat or upper breast
§ Granivorous Grain or seed eating
§ Gregarious Associating in communities or flocks
§ Gular
On or of the throat
§ Gular
pouch Loose area of skin extending from throat as in pelicans and
hornbills
§ Gular
stripe Narrow and often dark stripe down the centre of throat
§ Guttural From the throat
H
§ Hand The outer part of the wing from the carpal joint to the wing-tip, basically describing the seabirds and the birds of prey
§ Hackles Long and pointed neck feathers
§ Hawking Catching insects in flight
§ Hepatic Rust or liver colored (reddish-brown morph) plumage phase, mainly in female cuckoos
§ Hood Dark-colored
head and throat
§ Hunting
party Group of birds usually of different species, seeking food
§ Hybridization Cross-breeding
between two different species
I
§ Immature Plumage phases prior to adult
§ Incubate Giving warmth
for eggs to hatch
§ Iris Colored eye
membrane surrounding pupil
§ Irruption Mass movement of
a population from one place to another
J
§ Jheel Shallow lake or
wetland
§ Jizz Essence or
striking characteristics of a species
§ Juvenile Immature bird
immediately after leaving nest
L
§ Lamellae Small stiff comb-like membrane
on inner edge of bill used for sieving food
§ Lantana Invasive aggressive shrub with small pink, red and white flowers, introduced from tropical America, which spread uncontrollably, replacing the native undergrowth throughout large parts of the subcontinent
§ Leading
edge Front edge of wing
§ Lek Sociable
courtship gatherings
§ Littoral
Pertaining to the sea-shore
§ Lobe Fleshy
extensions to side-edges of toes of some birds
§ Local Unevenly
distributed with a region
§ Loranthus Parasitical bush that grows on tress, such as mistletoe, the fruits of which are much loved by flowerpeckers
§ Lores Area between eye and bill base
§ Lump Treatment of one
or more forms previously treated as distinct species as race of a
single species
M
§ Malar Stripe on side
of throat
§ Mandible One of the two parts that form the bill, which are upper mandible and lower mandible
§ Mangrove Coastal
salt-resistant trees or bushes
§ Mantle Back, between
wings
§ Mask Dark plumage
round eye and ear-coverts
§ Melanistic
A individual bird which looks like more dark
due to the excessive pigment of melanin in the plumage
§ Mesial
Stripe Central throat stripe, found on some raptors
§ Migration Seasonal
movement between distant places
§ Mirror White
spots in wing-tips, mainly of gulls
§ Monotypic Of a single form
with no subspecies
§ Montane Pertaining to mountains
§ Monsoon Rainy season in
India
§ Morph One of several
distinct types of plumage in the same species
§ Moult Seasonal shedding of plumage
N
§ Nail Hook on tip of
upper mandible
§ Nape Back of neck
§ Nares Nostril openings
§ Near-endemic
A species, whose majority of its range lies
within the subcontinent
§ Necklace Narrow line
round neck
§ Nictitating
Membrane Transparent fold of skin forming a third eyelid
§ Nidicolous Chicks that
remain in nests for a long duration after hatching
§ Nidifugous Chicks that
leave the nests soon after hatching
§ Nidification Relating to
nests or nesting
§ Nocturnal Active at night
§ Nomadic Species without
specific territory except when breeding
§ Nominate First
sub-species to be formally named
§ Non-passerine All order of
birds except for Passerines
§ Notch Indentations in
outline of feathers, wing or tail
§ Nuchal
Of or on the nape
§ Nuchal
Crest Crest along back of neck
§ Nullah Dry or wet
stream bed or ditch
§ Nuptial
Plumage Breeding plumage
O
§ Ocelli Brightly-colored
‘eye-like’ spots as on peacocks
§ Occipital Back of head
§ Oology Study of bird’s
eggs
§ Orbital
ring Narrow ring of skin or feathers round the eye
§ Order Group of related families
P
§ Paddy-fields Rice fields
often flooded
§ Palearctic Old World and
arctic zone
§ Parasitic Deriving
sustenance or taking advantage of others, like cuckoos laying eggs in
other bird’s nest
§ Passage
migrant A species which occurs on
migrant between its breeding grounds to the north and its wintering grounds to
the south
§ Passerines Perching and
song birds
§ Patagial
A pale bar visible on the lesser under wing
coverts parallel to, and between, the leading edge of the wing and the pale bar
along the centre of the under wing coverts, especially in vultures
§ Pectoral Breast area
§ Pelagic Ocean-going
§ Pellet Indigested
material regurgitated by owls
§ Phase Color form of a
species
§ Pied Black and white
§ Plumage Feathers of a
bird
§ Plumes Long, showy
feathers, acquired during the breeding season
§ Polyandrous Female having more than one mate i a single breeding seasons
§ Polygynous Male with more
than one mate
§ Polymorphic Taking several forms
§ Postocular Area behind the
eye
§ Precocial Young hatched
sighted and down covered, e.g. ducklings
§ Predator Who feeds on
other birds or animals
§ Primaries Outer flight
feathers in wing
§ Proximal
The part nearer to the body e.g. bill and tail
R
§ Race Signify sub-species
§ Rachis Central shaft of
a feather
§ Range Geographical
area or areas inhabited by a species
§ Raptors Birds of prey
and Vultures, except owls
§ Record Published, or
otherwise broadcast, occurrence
§ Rectrices Tail feathers
§ Remiges The primaries
and secondaries combined
§ Rictal Around the bill
§ Resident Non-migratory and breeding in same place
§ Riparian Along creeks, streams, rivers and waterways
§ Roost Resting or sleeping space
§ Rufescent Inclining to redness
§ Rufous Reddish brown
§ Rump Lower back
S
§ Sal Dominant tree of North Indian forests
§ Sallies Short flights and returning to perch as in bee-eaters
and flycatchers
§ Salt
pans Shallow reservoirs for drying out salt
§ Savanna Open flat land with grass and scattered bushes
§ Sedentary Staying in the same area throughout the year
§ Scalloped Curved markings on edges of feathers
§ Scapulars Feathers along edge of mantle
§ Scrape Shallow depression made by birds to serve as nest
§ Scree
A steeply sloping mass of loose stones and
rocks
§ Secondaries Inner wing feathers
§ Sedentary Confined with a particular area
§ Shaft Central stem of a feather,
often hidden
§ Shank Bare parts of a leg
§ Sholas Small forests in SW Indian
valleys
§ Shoulder Where the wing meets the body
§ Shorebird Long-legged bird living near water
§ Skins Bird specimens prepared for scientific studies
§ Skulker Bird that mostly remains within vegetation cover
§ Slaty Dull bluish-grey
§ Soar Rising flight on still extending wings using thermals
§ Speculum Area of color on secondary feathers of wings
§ Streamers Long extensions to feathers, usually of tail
§ Spangles Distinctive white or shimmering spots in plumage
§ Species Groups of birds reproductively isolated from other such
groups
§ Speculum Shiny, colorful patch on secondary feathers of the wing
of some ducks
§ Storey Level of the tree or forest
§ Spur Sharp horny growth on legs of some birds
§ Straw Pale yellow color
§ Streaks ‘Lengthwise’ lines on breasts or tail
§ Streamers Long extension of tail feathers
§ Striated Marked with fine streaks
§ Sooty Blackish Color
§ Sub-adult Immature moulting into adult plumage
§ Sub-montane Hills below highest mountains
§ Sub-song Subdued version of normal territorial song
§ Sub-species Distinct form that does not have specific status
§ Sub-terminal
band Broad band on outer part of feather
§ Supercilia Plural of supercilium
§ Supercilium Streak above eye
§ Supraloral
Above the lores
§ Symbiotic Interdependence between different species
§ Sympatric
Refers to species occurring together in the
same area i.e. ranges overlap
T
§ Tail
Streamers Elongated ribbon-like tail feathers
§ Talons Strong sharp claws used to seize or kill prey
§ Tank Water reservoir
§ Tarsus Lower part of a bird’s legs
§ Tawny
Yellowish-brown
§ Taxon
Subdivision in the classification of organisms,
e.g. species or race
§ Taxonomy Science of classifying organisms
§ Teak Dominant tree of South Indian forests
§ Terai Alluvial stretch of land south of the Himalayas
§ Terminal
band Broad band on tip of feather or tail
§ Terrestrial Ground living
§ Tertials Innermost wing coverts, often covering secondaries
§ Totipalmate All four toes connected to a single web
§ Trailing
edge Rear edge of wing
§ Trinomial
System Scientific system of giving
three latinized name of the bird population, where first name is the genus,
second is the species and third is the sub-species
§ Trousers
Loose feathering on the tibia of some birds
U
§ Underparts Under surface of a bird from throat to vent
§ Underwing Undersurface of a wing including the linings and flight
feathers
§ Upperparts Upper surface of a bird
including wings, back and tail
§ Upperstorey Canopy of a tree
V
§ Vagrant Accidental, irregular
§ Vent Undertail area
§ Ventral Undersurface of body
§ Vermiculations Wavy (worm-like) markings
§ Vinaceous Red wine colored warm pink
§ Vocal
mimicry Imitating the sounds of other birds
W
§ Waders Shorebirds. Usually, the smaller, long-legged waterbirds
§ Washed Suffused with a particular color
§ Wattle Bare skin, often colored, on part of head
§ Web Skin stretched between toes
§ Wildfowl Ducks and geese
§ Wing-bar visible line of color at tip on wing coverts
§ Wing-coverts Small feathers on wing at base of primaries and
secondaries
§ Wing-span Length from one wing tip to the other when fully extended
§ Winter
plumage Plumage seen during the nonbreeding winter
months
Z
§ Zygodactylous Having two toes directed forward and two backward
