List of birds of India


This is a list of the bird species of India and includes extant and recently extinct species recorded within the political limits of the Republic of India as defined by the Indian government. There have been 1396 species recorded as of 2025, of which 84 are endemic to the country. 98 species are globally threatened. The Indian peacock is the national bird of India. This list does not cover species in Indian jurisdiction areas such as Dakshin Gangotri and oceanic species are delineated by an arbitrary cutoff distance. The list does not include fossil bird species or escapees from captivity.
This list's taxonomic treatment and nomenclature follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List, version 13.1. This list also uses British English throughout. Any bird names or other wording follows that convention.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fit within any of these categories.
  • Vagrant - Also known as a rarity, it refers to a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in India-typically less than ten confirmed records.
  • Endemic - a species endemic to India
  • Local extinction - a species that no longer occurs in India although populations exist elsewhere

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 45 species which have been recorded in India.
Common nameBinomialComments
Fulvous whistling duckDendrocygna bicolor
Lesser whistling duckDendrocygna javanica
Red-breasted gooseBranta ruficollis; vulnerable
Barnacle gooseBranta leucopsis
Bar-headed gooseAnser indicus
Greylag gooseAnser anser
Taiga bean gooseAnser fabalis
Tundra bean gooseAnser serrirostris; by some authorities considered a variety of Anser fabalis
Greater white-fronted gooseAnser albifrons
Lesser white-fronted gooseAnser erythropus; vulnerable
Mute swanCygnus olor
Tundra swanCygnus columbianus; race bewickii sometimes treated as a species
Whooper swanCygnus cygnus
Knob-billed duckSarkidiornis melanotos
Common shelduckTadorna tadorna
Ruddy shelduckTadorna ferruginea
White-winged duckAsarcornis scutulataCritically endangered
Mandarin duckAix galericulata
Cotton pygmy gooseNettapus coromandelianus
Baikal tealSibirionetta formosa
GarganeySpatula querquedula
Northern shovelerSpatula clypeata
GadwallMareca strepera
Falcated duckMareca falcata
Eurasian wigeonMareca penelope
Indian spot-billed duckAnas poecilorhyncha
Eastern spot-billed duckAnas zonorhyncha
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Northern pintailAnas acuta
Eurasian tealAnas crecca
Andaman tealAnas albogularis; near threatened
Marbled duckMarmaronetta angustirostrisNear threatened
Pink-headed duckRhodonessa caryophyllacea; critically endangered
Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
Common pochardAythya ferinaVulnerable
Baer's pochardAythya baeriCritically endangered
Ferruginous duckAythya nyrocaNear threatened
Tufted duckAythya fuligula
Greater scaupAythya marila
Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalis; vulnerable
Common goldeneyeBucephala clangula
SmewMergellus albellus
Common merganserMergus merganser
Red-breasted merganserMergus serrator
White-headed duckOxyura leucocephalaEndangered

Megapodes

Order: GalliformesFamily: Megapodiidae
The Megapodiidae are stocky, medium-large chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet. All but the malleefowl occupy jungle habitats and most have brown or black colouring. There is one species within India.
Common nameBinomialStatus
Nicobar megapodeMegapodius nicobariensis; vulnerable

Pheasants and allies

Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quail, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowl, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowl and jungle fowl. In general, they are plump and have broad, relatively short wings.
Common nameBinomialComments
Snow partridgeLerwa lerwa
Himalayan snowcockTetraogallus himalayensis
Tibetan snowcockTetraogallus tibetanus
Chukar partridgeAlectoris chukar
Black francolinFrancolinus francolinus
Painted francolinFrancolinus pictus
Chinese francolinFrancolinus pintadeanus
Grey francolinOrtygornis pondicerianus
Swamp francolinOrtygornis gularisNear threatened
Tibetan partridgePerdix hodgsoniae
Common quailCoturnix coturnix
Japanese quailCoturnix japonicaNear threatened
Rain quailCoturnix coromandelica
King quailSynoicus chinensis
Jungle bush quailPerdicula asiatica
Rock bush quailPerdicula argoondah
Painted bush quailPerdicula erythrorhyncha
Manipur bush quailPerdicula manipurensis; endangered
Himalayan quailOphrysia superciliosa; critically endangered
Hill partridgeArborophila torqueola
Rufous-throated partridgeArborophila rufogularis
White-cheeked partridgeArborophila atrogularis
Chestnut-breasted partridgeArborophila mandelliiNear threatened
Mountain bamboo partridgeBambusicola fytchii
Red spurfowlGalloperdix spadicea
Painted spurfowlGalloperdix lunulata
Blood pheasantIthaginis cruentus
Western tragopanTragopan melanocephalusVulnerable
Satyr tragopanTragopan satyra
Blyth's tragopanTragopan blythiiVulnerable
Temminck's tragopanTragopan temminckii
Koklass pheasantPucrasia macrolopha
Himalayan monalLophophorus impejanus
Sclater's monalLophophorus sclateri
Red junglefowlGallus gallus
Grey junglefowlGallus sonneratii
Kalij pheasantLophura leucomelanos
Cheer pheasantCatreus wallichiiVulnerable
Mrs. Hume's pheasantSyrmaticus humiaeVulnerable
Tibetan eared pheasantCrossoptilon harmani
Grey peacock-pheasantPolyplectron bicalcaratum
Indian peafowlPavo cristatus
Green peafowlPavo muticus; endangered

Frogmouths

Order: PodargiformesFamily: Podargidae
The frogmouths are a group of nocturnal birds related to the nightjars. They are named for their large flattened hooked bill and huge frog-like gape, which they use to take insects. There are two species which have been recorded in India.
Common nameBinomialComments
Sri Lanka frogmouthBatrachostomus moniligerssp. roonwali in India
Hodgson's frogmouthBatrachostomus hodgsoni