Birds of Pakistan

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are 20 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Pakistan. Little grebe,  Tachybaptus ruficollis Little Grebe - Kallar Kahar Little grebe - Shah Allahditta, Islamabad Red-necked grebe,  Podiceps grisegena Great crested grebe,  Podiceps cristatus Horned grebe,  Podiceps auritus Eared grebe,  Podiceps nigricollis

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. Orange-headed thrush,  Geokichla citrina Orange-Headed Thrush - Margalla Hills (Oct 17) Alpine thrush,  Zoothera mollissima Scaly thrush,  Zoothera dauma Tickell's thrush,  Turdus unicolor Tickell's thrush (Female) - Gilgit Tickell's thrush (Male) - Margalla Black-breasted thrush,  Turdus dissimilis White-collared blackbird,  Turdus albocinctus Grey-winged blackbird,  Turdus boulboul Grey-winged blackbird (Male) - Margalla Grey-winged blackbird (Female) - Margalla Tibetan blackbird,  Turdus maximus Chestnut thrush,  Turdus rubrocanus Chestnut thrush - Margalla Hills Dark-throated thrush,  Turdus ruficollis Dusky thrush,  Turdus naumanni Redwin...

Common pochard,  Aythya ferina Common pochard - Indus River (D.I.Khan) Ferruginous pochard,  Aythya nyroca Ferruginous Pochard - Indus River (D.I.Khan) Northern Pintail,  Anas acuta Northern Pintail --- Rawal Lake (March 2018) Northern Pintail - Indus River (D.I.Khan) Fulvous whistling duck,  Dendrocygna bicolor Lesser whistling duck,  Dendrocygna javanica Eurasian wigeon Islamabad  Ruddy shelduck,  Tadorna ferruginea Ruddy shelduck --- Head Marala, Sialkot Ruddy shelduck  Common shelduck,  Tadorna tadorna Knob-billed duck,  Sarkidiornis melanotos Falcated duck,  Mareca falcata  (A) Spot-billed duck,  Anas poecilorhyncha Tufted duck,  Aythya fuligula Long-tailed duck,  Clangula hyemalis  (A) White-headed duck,  Oxyura leucocephala Greater white-fronted goose,  Anser albifrons Lesser white-fronted goose,  Anser erythrop...

The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints. They have long forked tails, and some Asian species have elaborate tail decorations. They have short legs and sit very upright when perched, like a shrike. They flycatch or take prey from the ground. There are 24 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in Pakistan. Black drongo,  Dicrurus macrocercus Black drongo - Bhalwal & Margalla Ashy drongo,  Dicrurus leucophaeus Ashy drongo - Margalla Hills

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. Orange-breasted Green Pigeon ( First Photographic Record in Pakistan ) Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Female) - H-9, Islamabad Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Female) - H-9, Islamabad Rock pigeon,  Columba livia Rock Pigeon - Rawalpindi Hill pigeon,  Columba rupestris Snow pigeon,  Columba leuconota Yellow-eyed pigeon,  Columba eversmanni Common wood pigeon,  Columba palumbus Speckled wood pigeon,  Columba hodgsonii European turtle dove,  Streptopelia turtur  (A) Oriental turtle dove,  Streptopelia orientalis Oriental Turtle Dove - Margalla Eurasian collared dove,  Streptopelia decaocto Eurasian collared dove - H-9, Islamabad Red collared-dove,  Streptopelia tranquebarica Spotted dove,  Spilopelia chinensis Spotted dove - H-9, Islamabad Laughing dove,...

Red-billed chough,  Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Red-billed chough - Khunjrab Top Yellow-billed chough,  Pyrrhocorax graculus Yellow-billed chough - Khunjrab Top House crow,  Corvus splendens House crow - Bhalwal Carrion crow,  Corvus corone Large-billed crow,  Corvus macrorhynchos Large-Billed Crow - Margalla Hooded crow,  Corvus cornix Eurasian jackdaw,  Corvus monedula Balakot - KPK Rook,  Corvus frugilegus Rook - Gulberg, Islamabad Brown-necked raven,  Corvus ruficollis Common raven,  Corvus corax

The wallcreeper is a small bird related to the nuthatch family, which has stunning crimson, grey and black plumage. Wallcreeper,  Tichodroma muraria Wallcreeper - Margalla Hills Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees. Hodgson's treecreeper,  Certhia hodgsoni Bar-tailed treecreeper,  Certhia himalayana Bar-tailed treecreeper - Margalla Bar-tailed treecreeper - Murree

Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". There are 15 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Pakistan i.e. Demoiselle and common cranes which are migratory and the sarus crane which is resident. In this country numbers have declined as they are sought after as pet birds and hunted in the North-West in particular. The sarus crane which is found in abuntant numbers in India has almost disappeared in Pakistan although a lone pair was sighted in 2011 in the tharparker area after 10 years. This decline is due to hunting. Demoiselle crane,  Anthropoides virgo Demoiselle crane - Bird Aviary Siberian crane,  Grus leucogeranus Sarus crane,  Grus antigone Tibetan crane,  Grus nigricollis Common crane,  Grus grus

White-browed bushchat,  Saxicola macrorhynchus Pied bushchat,  Saxicola caprata Pied bushchat - Gojar Khan Pied Bushchat (Female) - Park Enclave Grey bushchat,  Saxicola ferreus Grey bushchat (Male) - Margalla Hills Grey Bushchat (Female) - Margalla Hills Grey Bushchat (Female) - Margalla Hills