Endemic Animals of India

The Indian giant squirrel (Ratufa indica) is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel. It is the state animal of the state of Maharashtra in western India and in there in local language (Marathi) it is called shekaru. Less

The Nilgiri langur (Semnopithecus johnii ) is a langur (a type of Old World monkey). This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head. It is similar in size and long-tailed like the gray langurs. Females have a white patch of fur on the inner thigh. It typically lives in troops of nine to ten monkeys. Its diet consists of fruits, shoots and leaves. The species is classified as vulnerable due to habitat destruction ...
and poaching for its fur and flesh, the latter believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Less

The Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii ) is the only marten species native to southern India. It lives in the hills of the Nilgiris and parts of the Western Ghats. With only around a thousand members left it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Less

The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the genus Ovis than the ibex and wild goats of the genus Capra. Less

The purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis ), Indian purple frog, or pignose frog is a frog species of the genus Nasikabatrachus. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in India. Although the adult frog was formally described in October 2003, the juvenile form of the species was described earlier in 1917. Less

The Grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii) is one of the wild ancestors of the domestic chicken. The species has been bred domestically in England since 1862 and the feathers of these birds have been commercially supplied from domestic U.K. stocks for fly tying since 1978. Less

The Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur ), also called the Indian onager or, in the local Gujarati language, Ghudkhur and Khur, is a subspecies of the onager native to South Asia.It is currently listed as Near Threatened by IUCN. The previous census in 2009 estimated a population of 4,038 Indian wild asses. However, the population was still growing. In December 2014, the population was estimated at 4,451 individuals. As of 2015, the current ...
Indian wild ass population has increased to around 4800 individuals in and outside of the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary of India. The population has risen by 37% since 2014, reveals data released by the Gujarat forest department. The population has reached 6,082, according to the census conducted in March 2020. Less

The forest owlet (Athene blewitti ) is endemic to the forests of central India. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2018, as the population is estimated at less than 1,000 mature individuals. It is threatened foremost by deforestation.It is a member of the typical owl family Strigidae, and was first described in 1873. As it was not sighted after 1884, it was considered extinct for many years. In 1997, it was rediscovered by ...
Pamela Rasmussen. Searches in the locality mentioned on the label of the last collected specimen failed, and it turned out that the specimen had been stolen from the British Museum by Richard Meinertzhagen and resubmitted with a label bearing false locality information. Less

Jerdon's courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus ) is a nocturnal bird belonging to the pratincole and courser family Glareolidae endemic to India. The bird was discovered by the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon in 1848 but not seen again until its rediscovery in 1986. This courser is a restricted-range endemic found locally in India in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. It is currently known only from the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, ...
where it inhabits sparse scrub forest with patches of bare ground. Less

The Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa ) or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations (and 12 specimens) in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India. The last verifiable record was in 1876 near the hill station of Mussoorie. Less

The Malabar grey hornbill (Ocyceros griseus ) is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They are found mainly in dense forest and around rubber, arecanut or coffee plantations. They move around in pairs or small groups, feeding on figs and other forest fruits. Their loud cackling and laughing call makes them ...
familiar to people living in the region. Less

The white-cheeked barbet or small green barbet (Psilopogon viridis ) is a species of Asian barbet found in southern India. It is very similar to the more widespread brown-headed barbet (or large green barbet, Psilopogon zeylanicus ), but this species has a distinctive supercilium and a broad white cheek stripe below the eye and is found in the forest areas of the Western Ghats, parts of the Eastern Ghats and adjoining hills. The brown-headed ...
barbet has an orange eye-ring but the calls are very similar and the two species occur together in some of the drier forests to the east of the Western Ghats. Like all other Asian barbets, they are mainly frugivorous (although they may sometimes eat insects), and use their bills to excavate nest cavities in trees. Less

The Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) is a rare species of flying squirrel native to India. It was the sole member in the genus Biswamoyopterus until the description of the Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis) in 2013. In 2018, Quan Li from the Kunming Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered a new squirrel in the same genus while studying specimens in their collection called the ...
Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis), based on the region it was discovered in. Less

Indian spotted chevrotains (Moschiola indica) are even-toed ungulates found in South Asia. Chevrotains or mouse-deer are the smallest hoofed mammals in the world. Despite their common name of "mouse deer", they are not closely related to true deer. Less

The flame-throated bulbul (Rubigula gularis ) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds and the state bird of Goa. It is found only in the forests of the Western Ghats in southern India. Formerly included as a subspecies of Pycnonotus flaviventris it has since been elevated to the status of a full species. They are olive-backed with yellow undersides, a triangular orange-red throat and a white iris that stands out against the ...
contrasting black head. They are usually seen foraging in groups in the forest canopy for berries and small insects. They have a call often with two or three tinkling notes that can sound similar to those produced by the red-whiskered bulbul. The species has been referred to in the past by names such as ruby-throated bulbul and black-headed bulbul, but these are ambiguous and could apply to other species such as Rubigula flaviventris and R. dispar. Less

The Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga) is a freshwater turtle native to South Asia. Historically, this turtle was found in central Nepal, northeastern India, Bangladesh, and probably Burma, but it has suffered declines in population due to various factors. Currently the International Union for Conservation of Nature rates this turtle as being "critically endangered". Less

The Malabar gliding frog or Malabar flying frog is a rhacophorid tree frog species found in the Western Ghats of India. Less

The blue-winged parakeet, also known as the Malabar parakeet (Psittacula columboides ) is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screeching calls that differ from those of other parakeet species within their distribution range. Their long blue tails tipped in yellow and the dark wings with blue contrast with the dull grey of their head and ...
body. Adult males and females can be easily told apart from the colour of their beak. Less

The mottled wood owl (Strix ocellata ) is a species of large owl found in India. They are found in gardens and thin deciduous forests adjacent to dry thorn forests or farmland. They are easily detected by their distinctive tremulous eerie calls at dawn and dusk. The characteristic call is a duet of the male and female while other notes include a low hoot and a screech. Their large size, lack of "ear" tufts and the concentric barring on the face ...
make them easy to identify. Less

The brown palm civet (Paradoxurus jerdoni ) also called the Jerdon's palm civet is a palm civet endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Less

The Narcondam hornbill (Rhyticeros narcondami ) is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to the Indian island of Narcondam in the Andamans. Males and females have a distinct plumage. The Narcondam hornbill has the smallest home range out of all the species of Asian hornbills. Less

The Malabar whistling thrush (Myophonus horsfieldii ) is a whistling thrush in the family Muscicapidae . The bird has been called whistling schoolboy for the whistling calls that they make at dawn that have a very human quality. The species is a resident in the Western Ghats and associated hills of peninsular India including central India and parts of the Eastern Ghats. Less

The Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum ) is a passerine bird species from the family Leiothrichidae closely related to the Emei Shan liocichla. First spotted in 1995 in Arunachal Pradesh, India, it was described as a new species in 2006. The description was made without the collection of a type specimen as they were too few to risk killing one. It is thought to be an endangered species, with a small population, and a very restricted ...
distribution range within which commercial development threatens the habitat. Less

The red spurfowl (Galloperdix spadicea ) is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed partridge. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The legs of both males and females have one or two spurs, which give them ...
their name. Less

The Nicobar megapode or Nicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius nicobariensis ) is a megapode found in some of the Nicobar Islands (India). Like other megapode relatives, it builds a large mound nest with soil and vegetation, with the eggs hatched by the heat produced by decomposition. Newly hatched chicks climb out of the loose soil of the mound and being fully feathered are capable of flight. The Nicobar Islands are on the edge of the distribution of ...
megapodes, well separated from the nearest ranges of other megapode species. Being restricted to small islands and threatened by hunting, the species is vulnerable to extinction. The 2004 tsunami is believed to have wiped out populations on some islands and reduced populations on several others. Less

The bare-bellied hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris ), also known as the Madras hedgehog, is a species of hedgehog that is endemic to dry arid regions and scrubby jungles in southeastern India. As it was believed to be rare, it was formerly listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. It is now known to be locally common in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, resulting in its new listing as a species of Least Concern. Hedgehogs are protected ...
species under schedule IV of Wildlife Protection Act (1972).It was also found in Kottayam and Palakkad districts of Kerala.Madras hedgehogs are hunted locally in India for subsistence food and medicinal purposes. They are wildly perceived to be a cure for tuberculosis and asthma, as well as offer relief against coughs. Less

The Nilgiri wood pigeon (Columba elphinstonii ) is large pigeon found in the moist deciduous forests and sholas of the Western Ghats in southwestern India. They are mainly frugivorous and forage in the canopy of dense hill forests. They are best identified in the field by their large size, dark colours and the distinctive checkerboard pattern on their nape. Less

The yellow-throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus ) is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is endemic to southern peninsular India. They are found on scrub habitats on steep, rocky hills many of which are threatened by granite quarrying. It is confusable only with the white-browed bulbul with which its range overlaps but is distinctively yellow on the head and throat apart from the yellow vent. The calls ...
of this species are very similar to that of the white-browed bulbul. Less

The green avadavat or green munia (Amandava formosa ) is a species of Estrildid finch with green and yellow on the body, a bright red bill and black "zebra stripes" on the flanks. They are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and were formerly popular as cagebirds. The name "avadavat" is a corruption of the name the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, which was a centre of bird trade. They have a restricted distribution and populations are ...
threatened by the bird trade. Less

The white-bellied treepie (Dendrocitta leucogastra ) is a bird of the crow family endemic to the forests of southern India. They overlap in distribution in some areas with the rufous treepie but are easy to tell apart both from appearance and call. Less

The rufous babbler (Argya subrufa ) is an endemic species of bird found in the Western Ghats of southern India of the family Leiothrichidae It is dark brown and long tailed, and is usually seen foraging in noisy groups along open hillsides with a mixture of grass, bracken and forest. Less

The Nilgiri flycatcher (Eumyias albicaudatus ) is an Old World flycatcher with a very restricted range in the hills of southern India. It was formerly referred to as the Nilgiri verditer flycatcher because of its similarity to the verditer flycatcher, a winter migrant to the Nilgiris, which, however, has distinct dark lores and a lighter shade of blue. There are two small white patches at the base of the tail. It is found mainly in the higher ...
altitude shola forests of the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris. Less

The Nilgiri pipit (Anthus nilghiriensis ) is a distinctive species of pipit that is endemic to the high altitude hills of southern India. Richer brown in colour than other pipits in the region, it is distinctive in having the streaking on the breast continuing along the flanks. It is non-migratory and has a tendency to fly into low trees when disturbed and is closely related to the tree pipits Anthus hodgsoni and Anthus trivialis. Less

The black-and-orange flycatcher or black-and-rufous flycatcher is a species of flycatcher endemic to the central and southern Western Ghats, the Nilgiris and Palni hill ranges in southern India. It is unique among the Ficedula flycatchers in having rufous coloration on its back and prior to molecular studies was suggested to be related to the chats and thrushes. Less

The Manipur bush quail (Perdicula manipurensis ) is a species of quail found in northeastern India and Bangladesh inhabiting damp grassland, particularly stands of tall grass. It was first collected and described by Allan Octavian Hume on an ornithological expedition to Manipur in 1881.P. manipurensis is listed as Endangered on the IUCN's Red List, as its habitat is small, fragmented, and rapidly shrinking.There was no confirmed sighting of the ...
bird from 1932 until June 2006, when Anwaruddin Choudhury reported spotting the quail in Assam.BBC News quoted the conservation director of the Wildlife Trust of India, Rahul Kaul, as saying, "This creature has almost literally returned from the dead." Less

The Great Nicobar serpent eagle (Spilornis klossi ), also known as the South Nicobar serpent eagle, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is probably the smallest known eagle, with a weight of about 450 g (0.99 lb), a wingspan of 85 to 95 cm (33 to 37 in) and a body length of about 38 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in). It is endemic to forest on the Indian island of Great Nicobar. It is threatened by habitat loss.All major authorities now t ...
reat the Great Nicobar serpent eagle as a species, but in the past it was sometimes considered a subspecies of S. minimus. Today S. minimus is either considered a subspecies of the crested serpent eagle or a monotypic species from the central Nicobar Islands, the Central Nicobar serpent eagle. Less

The Nicobar parakeet (Psittacula caniceps ), also known as the Blyth's parakeet, is a parrot in the genus Psittacula, endemic to the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean. It is one of the largest parakeets, measuring 56 to 60 cm from the top of the head to the tip of the tail and weighing about 224 g. Less

The Indian scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus horsfieldii ) is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive calls which include an antiphonal duet by a pair of birds. They are often hard to see as they forage through dense vegetation. The long curved yellow, scimitar-shaped bills give them their name. It has been treated in the past as subspecies of the ...
white-browed scimitar babbler which is found along the Himalayas but now separated into two species, the peninsular Indian species and the Sri Lanka scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus melanurus ). Less

The Andaman woodpecker (Dryocopus hodgei ) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands in India. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. Less

The Nilgiri flowerpecker (Dicaeum concolor ) is a tiny bird in the flowerpecker family. Formerly a subspecies of what used to be termed as the plain flowerpecker although that name is now reserved for Dicaeum minullum. Like others of the group, it feeds predominantly on nectar and fruits. They forage within the canopy of forests and are found in India. They are non-migratory and the widespread distribution range includes several populations that ...
are non-overlapping and morphologically distinct, some of which are recognized as full species. They are important pollinators and dispersers of mistletoes in forests. Less

The Nilgiri thrush (Zoothera neilgherriensis ) is a member of the thrush family. Less

The white-browed bush chat (Saxicola macrorhynchus ), also known as Stoliczka's bushchat, is an Old World flycatcher in the genus Saxicola. The alternative name is after the discoverer, geologist and explorer Ferdinand Stoliczka.This desert specialist has a small, declining population because of agricultural intensification and encroachment, which qualifies it as vulnerable.The white-browed bush chat is found in an area of semi-arid country in ...
north-western India and eastern Pakistan. It has apparently strayed as far east as the Bharatpur area of Rajasthan and as far south as Goa and Pune, with two simultaneous historical records from southern Afghanistan. Less