Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Birding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India. Informally, the territory’s name is often abbreviated to A & N Islands, or ANI. It is located in the Indian Ocean, in the southern reaches of the Bay of Bengal, near Myanmar and Indonesia.It comprises two island groups – the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands – which separate the Andaman Sea to the east from the Indian Ocean. These two groups are separated by the 10° N parallel, the Andamans lying to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south. The capital of this territory is the Andamanese town of Port Blair.The territory’s population as per the most recent (2001) Census of India was 356,152. Added together, the total land area of the territory is approximately 6,496 km² or 2,508 sq mi.There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only some 38 are permanently inhabited. Most of the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group, 26 of which are inhabited. The smaller Nicobars comprise some 22 main islands (10 inhabited). The Andamans and Nicobars are separated by a channel (the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km wide.The reserves and protected forests extend over 86% area of the territory and forest covers more than 92%. About half of the forests has been set aside as Tribal Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, which are inviolate. Mangroves occupy nearly 12% of the territory. There are more than 150 endemic plant and animals species. It is a birding paradise with around 271 species of which 39 are endemic.
ANI has also 270 species of birds (including endemics); the Nicobar island group has a higher endemicity than the Andamans and there are a total of 14 species endemic to ANI. The State Bird of the Andamans is the Andaman Wood pigeon.
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Wikipedia
GNU Free Documentation License
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands
Number of endemics: 29
16 Species endemic to the Andaman islands:
Andaman Serpent-eagle Spilornis elgini,
Andaman Crake Rallina canningi,
Brown Coucal Centropus andamanensis,
Andaman Scops Owl Otus balli,
Hume’s Boobook Ninox balli,
Andaman Barn Owl Tyto dereopstorffi,Andaman Nightjat Caprimulgas andamanicus
Narcondam Hornbill Aceros narcondami,
Andaman Woodpecker Dryocopus hodgei,
Andaman Drongo Dicrurus andamanensis,
Andaman Treepie Dendrocitta bayleyi,
Andaman Sharma Copsychus albiventris,
Andaman Cuckooshrike Coracina dobsoni,
Andaman Flowerpecker Dicaeum viriscens
8 Species endemic to the Nicobar islands:
Nicobar Scrubfowl Megapodius nicobariensis,
Nicobar Imperial-pigeon Ducular nicobarica,
South Nicobar Serpent-eagle Spilornis minimus,
Nicobar Sparrowhawk Accipiter butleri,
Nicobar Scops Owl Otus alius,
Nicobar Parakeet Psittacula caniceps,
Nicobar Bulbul Hypsipetes nicobariensis,
Nicobar Jungle Flycatcher Cyornis nicobaricus
5 Species endemic to the two island groups:
Andaman Woodpigeon Columba palumboides,
Andaman Green PigeonMegapodius nicobariensis,
Andaman Cuckoo-dove Macropygia rufipennis,
Andaman Boobook Ninox affinis
White-headed Starling Sturnia erythropygia
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iGoTerra Checklist
iGoTerra ChecklistFatbirder Associate iGoTerra offers the most comprehensive and up to date birds lists on the web
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Birds of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
| By Chandrakasan Sivaperuman, G Gokulakrishnan, J Dinesh & PT Rajan | Zoological Survey of India | 2016 | hardback | 110 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9788181714312 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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List of National Parks in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
WebpageSatellite ViewTotal number of National Parks in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Nine (9). “National Park” means an area declared, whether under sec.35. or sec.38 or deemed, under sub-section (3) of sec.66. to be declared, as a National Park.
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Asian Adventures
Tour OperatorThis tour is designed to see the endemics of Andaman Islands. One can expect to see Andaman crake, Andaman coucal, Andaman treepie, Andaman serpent eagle, Andaman wood pegion, Andaman scops owl, Andaman brown hawk owl, Andaman cuckoo dove, Andaman woodpecker, Andaman drongo, white-headed starling, Black-headed Bulbul, Andaman Shama…
Click on WAND to see Fatbirder’s Trip Report Repository…
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2010 [11 November] - Steve Lister
ReportI visited South Andaman for four days in November 2010 along with Les Colley and Andrew and Ann Duff. The visit was arranged for us as part of a more extensive southern India trip… -
2013 [02 February] - John & Jane Hopkins
PDF ReportThis was an 'add-on' for my wife and myself after we had spent a couple of weeks birding S. India with Dave and Jacquie Bridges. The whole trip was very well organised by Jo Thomas of Wild about Travel (http://www.wildabouttravel.co.uk/ )Our guide on the Andamans,Vikram Shil, was enthusiastic, tireless and determined to show us as many of the birds in the Andamans as he could. -
2013 [02 February] - New Horizons
Report…By 7.30am we were at a feeding station set up by Eldhose, almost immediately enjoying fabulous views of Malabar Grey Hornbills, White-cheeked Barbets, a couple of little Black-throated Munias, a dozen or so fabulously smart Grey Junglefowl and a male Black-rumped Flameback, as well as Jungle Babbler, Common Myna, Ashy Drongo, an iridescent blue Bronzed Drongo and the extravagantly coiffured Red-whiskered Bulbul…. -
2016 [03 March] - James Eaton - Kashmir, Andamans & Western Ghats
PDF ReportFrom the north-westernmost tip of the subcontinent to the south-east islands of the Andamans and finishing offin the southwest of the peninsula, this custom tour covered a vast area of India in search of some of the mostsought-after endemics. -
2016 [10 October] - Oscar Campbell
PDF Report... Only Walden’s Scops-Owl was calling on the north side of the forest and none were close; two very early mornings both produced good looks at Hume’s Hawk-Owl (common on voice up until 0500) but only a distantly vocalising Andaman Hawk-Owl. Buses stopped running at about 1800 and the road through the forest was rather busy with traffic between dusk (1700) and then, meaning a long pre-dawn walk was necessary. However, this did yield singing Andaman Nightjars.... -
2017 [12 December] - Anjana
ReportWe spent two weeks covering all the important bird areas of both the Andaman and Nicobar islands and while the weather was generally against us, we still managed to spot almost all the island endemic birds including some interesting winter migrants and several butterfly species. -
2017 [12 December] - Ian Merrill - Andaman Islands and Western Ghats
PDF ReportThe obvious addition to complete a two-week itinerary are the Andaman Islands, a somewhat remote Indian Territory, which is well served by cost-effective and flexible flight options. -
2018 [02 February] - James Eaton - Andamans & Western Ghats
PDF ReportThough recording 309 species, a respectable total on a typical two-week Asian tour, it was the quality within that that makes Southern India such a mouth-watering, must-do tour. Included in the total, we saw all possible 21 endemics that are shared between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and some 30 Indian endemics, most of which are found only the Western Ghat states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. -
2018 [04 April] - Mark Lopez
PDF ReportI had long wanted to visit the Andamans, with its relatively long list of endemics and Indian Subcontinent specialities considering the size of the islands. As I had a work trip to Pune, I used the opportunity to tag on the best part of five days on South Andaman. -
2018 [12 December] - Dave Farrow - Southern India with Andamans Islands
PDF ReportThis years’ tour to Southern India and Sri Lanka was once again a very successful and enjoyable affair. A heady brew of wonderful birdlife was seen, rich in endemics, beginning with our extension to the Andaman Islands where we were able to find 20 of the 21 endemics in just three and a half days, with Andaman Masked Owl, Andaman Scops and Walden’s Scops Owls, Andaman and Hume’s Hawk Owls leading the way, Andaman Cuckoo Dove, great looks at Andaman Crake, plus all the others with the title ‘Andaman’ (with the fairly predictable exception of the Woodpigeon!) and a rich suite of other birds such as Long-tailed Parakeets and Mangrove Whistler. -
2020 [01 January] - James Eaton
PDF ReportIncluded in the total, we saw all bar one of the 21 endemics that are shared between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and some 30 Indian endemics, most of which are found only the Western Ghat states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. -
2021 [04 April] - Aseem Kumar Kothiala
Report...Over the two visits to the region we saw Andaman Nightjar, Hume’s Boobook, Andaman Boobook and Oriental scops Owls (Walden’s) during the night and to our joy the endemic Andaman Crake during the day...