Thattekad, Munnar and the Nilgiris: an Expedition Through Parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu Part-2

 Trip Summary

We went to Thattekad, Munnar and the Nilgiris from 5-9 June 2026 and found 12 lifers and 110 birds. We covered all types of habitat from the scrublands of Mettupalayam to the high-altitude shola forests of Munnar. This is a blog about all our 12 lifers and how I saw them.

Part-2: Thattekad Bird Sanctuary

1.    Common Flameback

A mid-sized woodpecker which looks similar to the Black Rumped and Malabar Flamebacks. It has 2 stripes on its head while Malabar and Black Rumped Flamebacks only have 1. One stripe runs from the tip of its golden wings through the eye and the other stripe runs parallelly below the first one. We saw it on the dry banks of the Periyar river while it was climbing up a tree.

2.    Heart Spotted Woodpecker  

Another mid-sized woodpecker with a completely different built to all the other woodpeckers. Its back is broader making it look unique in that sense. It has a black crest and we observed a white forehead. We also saw the remarkable heart spots on the back of its wing. We saw it on a tree on some rocky slopes.

3.    White Bellied Treepie

A bird which we saw on our own in a flock of Rufous Treepies and Jungle Babblers. We attempted a trail which we noticed while climbing the rocky slopes where we saw the heart spotted woodpecker. Our naturalist decided to stay on the slopes while we attempted the trail and saw the beautiful bird which looks like a Grey Treepie but, instead of the grey parts of the belly and head it was a bright white.

Notes: we also saw it on the banks of the Periyar river. Grey treepies are only found in north India (for Indian borders) 

 

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