ENDEMISM AND RESTRICTED BIRDS SPECIES OF KERALA
The Birdlife International identified Western Ghats as one of Endemic Bird Area (EBA) because of the presents of certain restricted range species. This identification pointed the importance of bird life of this mountain range. The EBA are identified for habitat based conservation. The EBA consists of 66 Important Bird Area (IBA) sites extend along the Ghats comprising Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. It is about 508 species of birds reported from Western Ghats and Malabar Coast. The number of restricted range species is 16 (BLI statistics). Certain Ornithologists have split few species of birds and opined that the western ghats possess 21 species of endemic birds.The bird life of Western Ghats includes many endangered and critically endangered species like Nilgiri Woodpigeon, Yellow-throated Bulbul, broad tailed grass bird, White rumped vulture etc .
RESTRICTED RANGE SPECIES (BLI)
Nilgiri Woodpigeon (Columba elphinstonii) , Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) , Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus), White-bellied Treepie (Dendrocitta leucogastra) , Grey-headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus) ,Broad-tailed Grassbird (Schoenicola platyurus), Rufous Babbler (Turdoides subrufa), Wayanad Laughing thrush (Garrulax delesserti), Nilgiri Laughing thrush- black chinned (Garrulax cachinnans), Kerala laughing thrush(Garrulax fairbanki), Black-and-rufous Flycatcher (Ficedula nigrorufa), Nilgiri Flycatcher (Eumyias albicaudatus), White-bellied Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis pallipes) , Crimson-backed Sunbird (Nectarinia minima), Nilgiri Pipit (Anthus nilghiriensis), Nilgiri thrush (Zoothera neilgherriensis).
SPECIES RECENTLY SPLIT AND RECOMMENDED AS ENDEMIC
Orange minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus), Squire tailed Bulbul (Hypsipetes ganeesa), Malabar Barbet (Megalaima malabarica), White cheeked barbet (Megalaima virids) , Malabar wood shrike (Tephrodornis sylvicola), Hill Swallow (Hirundo domicola), Malabar lark (Galerida malabarica), Flame throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus gularis), Yellow throated Bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus), Yellow Browed Bulbul (Acrytillas indica), Dark fronted Babbler (Rhopocichla atriceps), Lesser Hill Mynah (Gracula indica), Malabar Whistling Thrush (Myophonus horsfieldii), Nilgiri Blue Robin (White bellied short wing) (Myiomela major), White Bellied Blue Robin (Myiomela albiventris), Nilgiri flower pecker (Dicaeum concolor)