The Indian subcontinent supports many species of birds owing to the rich diversity of plant life, varied climate and altitude ranges in the different biogeographic zones. As many as thirteen per cent of the world's birds have been recorded in India, and new species are continuously being identified. Elliot's Laughingthrush and the Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush are some of the newer species identified in Arunachal Pradesh. Jerdon's Courser was rediscovered in 1986, after a previous sighting in 1900 and the Forest Owlett Athene blewetti was seen again in 1997 after 113 years! But other species such as the Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea and the Himalayan Quail Ophrysia superciliosa are now feared extinct.

Click here to download the checklist of Birds in India.