A bird study conducted at Nelliampathies, southern Western Ghats came up with a total checklist of 197 species with seven Red List and 13 Range Restricted species. A comprehensive checklist of 233 species, which includes observations from several previous studies, is provided. Range extension is reported in two subspecies, Grey-breasted Laughingthrush (Garrulax jerdoni fairbanki) and Brown Rock Pipit (Anthus similis travancoriensis) found in the southern Western Ghats. Moreover, 16 species of birds that were recorded by A.P. Kinloch in late 1920s could not be located during the present study. In comparison with earlier studies by A.P. Kinloch, there is a general down trend in birds occupying the under storey vegetation which is of great concern.

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Abstract:Following the first publication on vertebrates of India (Blanford 1888-1890), a huge wealth of information has been compiled on the vertebrate fauna of various biogeographic zones of the country, especially the Western Ghats. The state of Kerala comprising of a land area of 38,863km 2 , 590km coastline, an intricate system of backwaters along the coast, tropical moist forests of the Western Ghats, the highly undulating terrain, and the tropical monsoon is a unique geographical and environmental entity rich in biodiversity. A regionspecific checklist that summarises and documents the current status of vertebrate diversity provides benchmark data for documentation and appreciation of biodiversity at regional level. Further, with the current rate of global biodiversity loss and concordant conservation efforts, the taxonomic community has a greater responsibility to make scientific information available to scientists, policy makers, politicians, research students and all relevant stakeholders, an attempt that has been made in the present paper. The State of Kerala has 1847 species of vertebrates in 330 families and 81 orders, of which 386 are endemic to the Western Ghats region (of the Western GhatsSri Lanka Hotspot), and 205 species as threatened. Six hundred and eighty species of vertebrates of Kerala have been listed in the various schedules of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, while 148 are listed in the different appendices of CITES.

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<p>A checklist of birds of Kerala State is presented in this paper.  Accepted English names, scientific binomen, prevalent vernacular names in Malayalam, IUCN conservation status, endemism, Wildlife (Protection) Act schedules, and the appendices in the CITES, pertaining to the birds of Kerala are also given.  The State of Kerala has 500 species of birds, 17 of which are endemic to Western Ghats, and 24 species fall under the various threatened categories of IUCN.</p><div> </div>