Birds Periyar National Park
320 species of birds are so far check listed from Periyar. The birds include raptors, water birds, galliform birds, pigeons, wood peckers and passerines. The reserve has a good distribution of southern western ghat endemics. All disjunct species, that occur in the eastern Himalaya but absent in between are reported from Periyar. A third of all the birds found in Periyar are trans-asian migrants.
The great pied hornbill
Buceros bicornis, enjoys a wide distribution in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forest tracts at all elevations. Their distribution appears to be related to the occurrence of old growth forest patches of trees belonging to Moraceae and Lauraceae.
The ceylon frogmouth Batracostomus moniliger, a nocturnal bird is commonly found in the moist forests of the reserve.
Western ghat endemics found in Periyar :
- Malabar grey hornbill [Tockus griseus]
- Nilgiri wood pigeon [Columba elphinstoni]
- Blue winged parakeet [Pscittacula columboides]
- Crimson throated barbet [Megalaima rubricapilla]
- Rufous babbler [Turdoides subrufus]
- White breasted laughting thrush [Garrulax jerdoni]
- Black & orange flycatcher [Muscicapa nigrorufa]
- Nilgiri flycatcher [Megalaima albicaudata]
- White bellied blue flycatcher [M. pallipes]
- Broad tailed grass warbler [Schoericola platyura]
- Nilgiri pipit [Anthus nilgiriensis]
- White bellied shortwing [Brachypteryx major]
- Small sunbird [Nectarinia minima]
Disjunct species :
- Black baza [Aviceda leuphotes]
- Rufous bellied hawk eagle [Lophotriorchis kienerii]
- Great pied hornbill [Buceros bicornis]
- Forest eagle owl [Bubo nipalensis]
- Ceylon frogmouth [Batrachostomus moniliger]
- Great eared nightjar [Eurostopodus macrotis]
- Broad billed roller [Eurystomus orientalis]
- Nilgiri thrush [Zoothera dauma]
- Little spider hunter [Arachnothera longipennis]
