106 BirdingASIA 31 (2019): 106–114
COUNTRY FIRSTS
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator:
first record for Bangladesh
SAYAM U. CHOWDHURY, MD. FOYSAL & NAZIM UDDIN PRINCE
The Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator has year Red-breasted Merganser based on its striped
a wide distribution, breeding across northern loral pattern, up-curved bill, ill-defined white
North America and northern Eurasia from Iceland throat, and short straggly feathers on its crown
to northern Japan. It winters on the Atlantic and and upper-nape. The adult male is very distinctive,
Pacific coasts of North America, in parts of central whilst adult female has a less-strongly patterned
Europe and the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian face and a shaggier head. The lack of a distinct
Seas, the southern coastlines of Iran and Pakistan, border between the reddish-brown head and
and the coasts of China, Korea and Japan in east whitish breast distinguished it from Goosander
Asia (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012, Carboneras M. merganser. The nearest record of Red-breasted
& Kirwan 2019). Red-breasted Merganser has Merganser that we could trace was on eBird, of
recently been included in the Indian checklist a bird at Teesta Barrage, Gajoldoba, Jalpaiguri,
as a vagrant, after two records in the winter of West Bengal, India, on 9 December 2018 by
2016–2017 from Siliguri, West Bengal (Das & Das Soumik Biswas (https://ebird.org/view/checklist/
2017) and Vasai, Maharashtra (Ghadi et al. 2017). S50640125).
Rashid (1967) and Sarker & Sarker (1988) [Editors’ note: There are several images of
listed Red-breasted Merganser as a possible winter female/first-winter Red-breasted Merganser taken
visitor to Bangladesh, but in the absence of any at the two locations in India in 2016 and 2017 on
further details and of any published reports, its Oriental Bird Images http://orientalbirdimages.
presence was considered to be unconfirmed and org/sea rch.php?Bi rd _ ID=193& Bi rd _ Image_
the species was added to the list of hypothetical ID=136501&Location=]
and unconfirmed birds (Siddiqui et al. 2008).
On 18 December 2018, on the Bakkhali River Acknowledgements
estuary, Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, we We thank the numerous donors and supporters
found a first-year Red-breasted Merganser during of t he Ba ng ladesh Spoon-billed Sa ndpiper
the monthly waterbird survey by the Bangladesh Conservation Project and Jonathan Martinez
Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project and Paul Thompson for their comments on
(Plates 1 & 2). The bird was identified as a first- identification.
Plates 1 & 2. First-year Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator, Bakkhali River estuary, Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh,
18 December 2018.
SAYAM U. CHOWDHURY
SAYAM U. CHOWDHURY
BirdingASIA 31 (2019) 107
References Siddiqui, K. U., Islam, M. A., Kabir, S. M. H., Ahmad, M., Ahmed, A. T. A.,
Carboneras, C. & Kirwan, G. M. (2019) Red-breasted Merganser Rahman, A. K. A., Haque, E. U., Ahmed, Z. U., Begum, Z. N. T., Hassan,
Mergus serrator. HBW Alive. Accessed at https://www.hbw.com/ M. A., Khondker, M. & Rahman, M. M., eds. (2008) Encyclopedia of
node/52929 on 28/05/2019. flora and fauna of Bangladesh, 26: birds. Dhaka: Asiatic Society of
Das, S. & Das, M. (2017) Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator in Bangladesh.
Gajaldoba, Silguri, West Bengal. Indian BIRDS 12(6): 166.
Ghadi, R., Prabhulkar, M. & Main, S. (2017) Sighting of Red-breasted Sayam U. CHOWDHURY, Md. FOYSAL &
Merganser Mergus serrator from Vasai, Maharashtra, India. Indian Nazim Uddin PRINCE
BIRDS 12(6): 165. Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Rashid, H. (1967) Systematic list of birds of East Pakistan, 20. Pakistan: The Conservation Project
Asiatic Society of Pakistan. House - 16/C, Flat – 501, Tallabag, Sobhanbag
Rasmussen, P. C. & Anderton, J. C. (2012) Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Dhaka - 1207, Bangladesh
guide. Second edition. Washington DC, Michigan & Barcelona: Email: sayam_uc@yahoo.com
Smithsonian Institution, Michigan State University & Lynx Edicions.
Sarker, S. U. & Sarker, N. J. (1988) Wildlife of Bangladesh: a systematic list.
Dhaka: Rico Printer.
First record of Finsch’s Wheatear
Oenanthe finschii for India
MUKUL BALKRISHNA WASNIK, SURAT SINGH POONIA, MANOJ SHARMA, C. ABHINAV, ATUL JAIN,
SUDHIR GARG & ANTAR SINGH
At about 09h00 on 20 December 2018, MBW, SSP, and the tail with a broad black ‘T-pattern’ (Plate 1),
SG and AS were looking for Great Indian Bustard providing further confirmation of the identification
Ardeotis nigriceps near Sudasri, Desert National (Ali & Ripley 1998, Rasmussen & Anderton 2012).
Park, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. Close to a corner On 26 December the bird was seen again at the
of a bustard enclosure (26.658°N 70.593°E) MBW same location by CA, who also obtained images
saw and obtained images of a black-and-white (Plates 2 & 3).
wheatear with a white crown, that appeared at It appeared that the bird was utilising an area
first glance to be a Variable Wheatear Oenanthe with a radius of about 60–70 m in the sparsely
picata capistrata. The image was shown to SSP vegetated desert habitat. It spent most of the
who disagreed with the identification because time on the ground, perching on and pecking at
the white colouration of the cap continued onto dry camel and goat droppings, possibly taking
the mantle, which is not a feature of that species; small invertebrates or extracting and feeding on
he speculated that the bird could be a Finsch’s undigested seeds. It was also seen to pick up small
Wheatear O. finschii. On the same day at about insects from the ground, and on one occasion it
16h00, probably the same bird was seen again was seen to dig a hole in the sandy ground, finally
about 2 km away, at another corner of the same
bustard enclosure (26.674°N 70.603°E) and this Plate 1. Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii in flight, showing
time images were obtained by MBW, SSP and SG. the tail with the broad black ‘T’ pattern, Desert National Park,
Rajasthan, India, 21 December 2018.
An image was sent for verification to MS. The
bird had a slim black bill; white crown, mantle
and upper back; black throat and side of the
head, broadly connected to black wings; black
scapulars and a dark tail with a hint of white in
the outermost rectrices. Based on these features,
MS confirmed the identification as a male Finsch’s
Wheatear in worn plumage. On the following day
at about 15h30, MS, AJ, SSP and AS found what
was probably the same bird at the same location
MANOJ SHARMA
where it had last been seen. MS obtained some
images of the bird in flight, which showed the
white of the mantle and upper back continuing
onto the lower back, rump and base of the tail,
