This is a lists the birds of Chennai, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Over 130 species of birds have been spotted there.[1] The list includes the local Tamil name.
Grebes[edit | edit source]
- Little grebe, mukkulippan
Cormorants[edit | edit source]
- Little cormorant, chinna neer kagam
Darters[edit | edit source]
- Darter, pambu thara
Bitterns, herons and egrets[edit | edit source]
- Grey heron, sambal narai
- Purple heron, sen narai
- Indian pond heron, kuruttu kokku
- Cattle egret, unni kokku
- Striated heron, dhosi kokku
- Great egret, peria kokku
- Black bittern, karunkurugu
- Little egret, chinna kokku
- Chestnut bittern, sengurugu
- Yellow bittern, manal naarai
- Intermediate egret, vellai kokku
- Black-crowned night heron, erakokku or vakkaa
Storks[edit | edit source]
- Painted stork, manjal mooku naarai or sanguvalai naarai
- Asian open-billed stork, nathai kuthi naarai
Ibises and spoonbills[edit | edit source]
- Glossy ibis, arival mookan or anril
- Black-headed ibis, vellai arival mookkan or thaalaikothi chondan
Flamingos and pelicans[edit | edit source]
- Greater flamingo, poo narai
- Spot-billed pelican
Ducks[edit | edit source]
- Northern pintail, maarkaliyan
- Indian spot-billed duck, pulli mookku vathu
- Lesser whistling duck, cheezhkai siragi or chilli thaaraa
Hawks, kites and eagles[edit | edit source]
- Shikra, valluru
- Eurasian sparrowhawk, kuruvi valluru
- Besra, chinna valluru
- Black-winged kite, siria karum parundhu or karuntholl parundhu
- Brahminy kite, semparundhu or garudan
- Black kite, kalla parundhu
- Egyptian vulture, manjal thirudi kazhugu
- Crested honey buzzard, thaen parundhu
- Crested serpent eagle, paambu parundhu
- White-bellied sea eagle
- White-rumped vulture
- Short-toed snake eagle
- Booted eagle at Pallikaranai wetland
Falcons[edit | edit source]
- Common kestrel, sivappu valluru
Pheasants and partridges[edit | edit source]
- Grey francolin, kowdhari
- Indian peafowl, neela mayil
- White-breasted waterhen, kaanang kozhi
Rails, crakes and coots[edit | edit source]
- Common coot, naamak kozhi
- Common moorhen, thaazhai kozhi
- Grey-headed swamphen, neela thazhai kozhi or neerk kozhi
Jacanas[edit | edit source]
- Pheasant-tailed jacana, neela vaal ilai kozhi
Plovers and lapwings[edit | edit source]
- Kentish plover, chinna kottan
- Little ringed plover, pattani uppukkothi or sinna kottan
- Pacific golden plover, kalporukki uppukkothi or uppukkothi
- Red-wattled lapwing, sivappu mookku aalkatti
- Yellow-wattled lapwing, manjhal mookku aalkatti
Sandpipers and allies[edit | edit source]
- Common sandpiper, ullan or kottan
- Little stint, kosu ullan
- Black-tailed godwit, karuvaal mukkan
- Ruff, pedhai ullan
- Wood sandpiper, pori ullan or vayal ullaan
- Common greenshank, pachai kaali or periya kottaan
- Marsh sandpiper, chinna pachai kaali
- Common redshank, pavazha kaali or sigappukkaal ullan
Snipes and curlew[edit | edit source]
- Common snipe, visirivaal ullan or korai kuthi
- Eurasian curlew, peria kottan or kuthiraimalai kottan
- Black-winged stilt, pavazhakkaal ullaan
- Stone curlew, kankiledi or kannadi aalkaatti
Gulls[edit | edit source]
- Black-headed gull, kadal kaakkai
Terns[edit | edit source]
- Gull-billed tern, parutha alagu aala or kadal kuruvi
- river tern, aatru aala
Doves and pigeons[edit | edit source]
- Blue rock pigeon, mada pura
- Spotted dove, pulli pura or mani pura
- Little brown dove, chinna thavittu pura
Parrots and parakeets[edit | edit source]
- Rose-ringed parakeet, senthaar pynkili or kili
Cuckoos[edit | edit source]
- Greater coucal, shenbagam or kalli kaakka
- Red-winged crested cuckoo, sevviragu kondai kuyil or kondai kuyil
- Jacobin cuckoo, sudalai kuyil or paruthi kuyil
- Asian koel, kokilam or kuyil
- Brainfever bird, akka kuyil parundhu kuyil
- Blue-faced malkoha, pachai vayan kuyil
Barn owls[edit | edit source]
- Barn owl, koogai andhai or saavu kuruvi
Typical owls[edit | edit source]
- Short-eared owl, kuttai kaadhu aandhai or aandhai
- Spotted owlet, pulli aandhai
- Eurasian eagle owl, komban aandhai
Nightjars[edit | edit source]
- Indian nightjar, chinna pakki or pakki
Swifts[edit | edit source]
- House swift, nattu uzhavaran
- Asian palm swift, panai uzhavaran or uzhavaarakkuruvi
Kingfishers[edit | edit source]
- Small blue kingfisher, siraal meenkothi
- Pied kingfisher, karuppu vellai meenkothi
- Stork-billed kingfisher, peria alagu meenkothi
- Black-capped kingfisher, karunthalai meenkothi
- White-throated kingfisher, venthondai meenkothi
Bee-eaters[edit | edit source]
- Green bee-eater, pachai panchuruttan or panchuruttan
- Blue-tailed bee-eater, neelawal panchuruttan
Rollers and hoopoe[edit | edit source]
- Indian roller, panangadai
- Hoopoe, kondalathi
Barbets[edit | edit source]
- Coppersmith barbet, semmaarbu kukkuruvaan or kalutharuppan
Woodpeckers[edit | edit source]
- Lesser golden-backed woodpecker, ponmudhugu maram kothi
Pitta and larks[edit | edit source]
- Indian pitta, thottakkallan or arumani kuruvi
- Oriental skylark, chinna vaanambadi
- Ashy-crowned sparrow lark, sambalthalai vaanambadi
- Jerdon's bushlark, pudhar vaanambadi
Swallows and martins[edit | edit source]
- Barn swallow, thagaivilaan or thaampaadi
Wagtails and pipits[edit | edit source]
- Paddyfield pipit, pullu porukki
- Grey wagtail, kodikkaal vaalatti
- yellow wagtail, manjal vaalatti
- White-browed wagtail, kulathu kuruvi
Cuckooshrikes[edit | edit source]
- Black-headed cuckooshrike, karunthalai kuyil keechaan
- Small minivet, chinna minchittu
Bulbuls[edit | edit source]
- Red-vented bulbul, kondai kuruvi
- Red-whiskered bulbul, thondai koluthi
- White-browed bulbul, manjal thondaikuruvi
- Common iora, maambazha kuruvi
Thrushes and allies[edit | edit source]
- Orange-headed thrush, senthalai poonkuruvi
Prinias[edit | edit source]
- Plain prinia, thinu kuruvi
- Ashy prinia, saambal kadhirkuruvi
Cisticolas[edit | edit source]
- Common tailorbird, thaiyal chittu
Acrocephalid warblers[edit | edit source]
- Blyth's reed warbler, kadhirkuruvi
Old World warblers[edit | edit source]
- Yellow-billed babbler, thavittu kuruvi
Old World flycatchers[edit | edit source]
- Indian robin, vannaathi kuruvi
- Oriental magpie robin, vannathi kuruvi
- Indian paradise flycatcher, vethi vaalkuruvi
- Pied bushchat, pudhar chittu
Laughingthrushes[edit | edit source]
- Common babbler, thavittu chilamban
- Large grey babbler, periya saambal silamban
- Jungle babbler, kaattu silamban
Sunbirds[edit | edit source]
- Purple sunbird, thaen chittu
- Loten's sunbird
- Purple-rumped sunbird
Old World orioles[edit | edit source]
- Indian golden oriole, maangkuyil
Shrikes[edit | edit source]
- Brown shrike, pazhuppu keechaan
- Long-tailed shrike, kattukuruvi or pey kuruvi
Woodshrikes[edit | edit source]
- Common woodshrike, kattu keechaan
Drongos[edit | edit source]
- Black drongo, karichchaan
Woodswallows[edit | edit source]
- Ashy woodswallow, madam puraa
Crows and treepies[edit | edit source]
- Jungle crow, andan kakkai or karun kakkai
- House crow, kakkai
- Rufous treepie, vaal kakkai
Starlings[edit | edit source]
- Common myna, naahanavaai
- Brahminy starling, pappathi naahanavai
- Rosy starling, chola kuruvi
Weavers[edit | edit source]
- Streaked weaver, Karungeetru Thookkanam kuruvi
- Baya weaver, Thookanaan kuruvi
Munias[edit | edit source]
- Tricoloured munia, thinaikuruvi
- Scaly-breasted munia, nellu kuruvi
- White-rumped munia, venmudhugu chillai
Sparrows[edit | edit source]
- House sparrow, oor kuruvi
- Indian silverbill, nellu kuruvi
References[edit | edit source]
- ā G. Thirumalai and S. Krishnan (July 2005). Pictorial Handbook: Birds Of Chennai. Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India.