LADAKHI WILDLIFE
Life persists in Ladakh, despite the geographically inhospitable terrain of Ladakh - barren and arid for most of the year and cloaked in snow through winter. The survivors are diverse and unified by their ability to survive such terrain.
From the Bactrian double humped camels to the mysterious and solitary snow leopard, Ladakh is host to some of the most versatile survivors.

SNOW LEOPARD
The Snow Leopard, the 'grey ghost' of the Himalayas, is the main attraction for wildlife enthusiasts in Ladakh. Renowned for its reclusion, the 200 odd snow leopards of Ladakh are becoming increasingly tolerant of people. Each year sightings are breaking records, partly because of conservation efforts, partly thanks to the cunning of wildlife travel agents and their increasingly innovative ways to spot and track.
Snow Leopards cover vast, unforgiving terrain - stalking across glaciers on their own, for much of the year at extremely high altitudes. Males track the scents of females and they unite in February and March for mating season at lower altitudes which provides a good opportunity for sighings.
In Ladakh, snow leopard sighting season is from October to mid March.
MAMMALS OF LADAKH
Between the Indus valley, Hemis National Park, the wetlands of Tso Miriri and surrounding high altitude lakes, Ladakh has a surprising and varied selection of mammals.
Amongst these are the exceptional Bactrian double humped camels. They were not native to Ladakh but were used widely along the silk route as well as by the armies of Alexander the Great. Their extra hump provides them with extra stamina which was useful in trade and war. 10 minutes walk from camp is a Double Humped Camel Conservation project run by the government. The camels are treated well and there are very few tourists so you can experience them without any distraction.
The Hemis National Park is home to the most varied selection of species including Marmots, Blue Sheep (neither blue nor sheep), Red Foxes, Ibex, Tibetan Antelopes, Pallas's cats, Tibetan Wild Asses amongst others.
The Markha Valley trek is the perfect way to experience this wildlife amidst breathtaking scenery.
BIRDS OF LADAKH
Despite the territory, Ladakh has an incredible diversity of birds, with over 300 species recorded. Many are breeding migrants and so their presence is highly seasonal while others breed at high altitude and descend in winter when Ladakh faces brutal temperatures as cold as -30 degrees.
The Indus River, Tso Miriri and the other high altitude water bodies give life to the birds of Ladakh. The patch of the Indus river between Choglamsar and Shey that our camp lies on is regarded as one of the best birdwatching spots. The best months for birding in Ladakh are March to May when the breeding summer migrants arrive but you can expect a wide variety of bird species in Ladakh until October/November.
Ladakh was shut off for many years to outsiders and even then it remained fairly inaccessible. Otto Pfister recently provided the first comprehensive inventory of wildlife in his excellent book Birds and Mammals of Ladakh. Below is an exhaustive list of birds spotted in the region by Otto Pfister from the link here
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Snow partridge (Lerwa lerwa)
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Tibetan snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus)
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Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis)
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Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar)
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Tibetan partridge (Perdix hodgsoniae)
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Common quail (Coturnix coturnix)
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Rain quail (Coturnix coromandelica)
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Greylag goose (Anser anser)
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Bar-headed goose (Anser indicus)
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Brahminy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
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Gadwall (Anas strepera)
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Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope)
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Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
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Northern shoveller (Anas clypeata)
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Garganey (Anas querquedula)
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Common teal (Anas crecca)
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Red-crested pochard (Rhodonessa rufina)
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Common pochard (Aythya ferina)
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Ferruginous pochard (Aythya nyroca)
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Tufted pochard (Aythya fuligula)
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Common merganser (Mergus merganser)
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Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
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Large scaly-bellied green woodpecker (Picus squamatus)
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Common hoopoe (Upupa epops)
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European roller (Coracias garrulus)
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Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis)
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Small blue kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
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Blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus)
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European bee-eater (Merops apiaster)
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Pied crested cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
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Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
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Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
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Alpine swift (Tachymarptis melba)
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Common swift (Apus apus)
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Pacific swift (Apus pacificus)
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House swift (Apus affinis)
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Pallid scops owl (Otus brucei)
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Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo)
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Little owl (Athene noctua)
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Long-eared owl (Asio otus)
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Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus)
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European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)
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Blue rock pigeon (Columba livia)
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Hill pigeon (Columba rupestris)
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Snow pigeon (Columba leuconota)
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Eastern stock pigeon (Columba eversmanni)
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European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur)
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Oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
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Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)
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Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
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Red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
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Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
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Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus)
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Demoiselle crane (Grus virgo)
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Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis)
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Water rail (Rallus aquaticus)
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Corn crake (Crex crex)
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Baillon's crake (Porzana pusilla)
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Spotted crake (Porzana porzana)
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Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
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Common coot (Fulica atra)
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Tibetan sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes tibetanus)
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Solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria)
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Pintail snipe (Gallinago stenura)
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Common snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
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Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)
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Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
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Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata)
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Common redshank (Tringa totanus)
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Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
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Common greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
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Green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
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Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
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Terek sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)
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Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
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Little stint (Calidris minuta)
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Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii)
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Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
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Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
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Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
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Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
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Red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
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Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
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Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii)
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Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
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Pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
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Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva)
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Grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
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Common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
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Little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius)
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Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
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Lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus)
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Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
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Collared pratincole (Glareola pratincola)
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Parasitic jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
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Pallas's gull (Larus ichthyaetus)
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Brown-headed gull (Larus brunnicephalus)
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Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)
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Little gull (Larus minutus)
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Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
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Common tern (Sterna hirundo)
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Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea)
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Little tern (Sterna albifrons)
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Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
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White-winged black tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)
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Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
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Oriental honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus)
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Black-shouldered kite (Elanus caeruleus)
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Black kite (Milvus migrans)
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Pallas's fish-eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
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Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)
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Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
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Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
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Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus)
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Short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
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Western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
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Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)
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Pallid harrier (Circus macrourus)
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Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus)
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Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
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Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
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Long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
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Upland buzzard (Buteo hemilasius)
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Lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina)
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Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga)
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Steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
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Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
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Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
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Merlin (Falco columbarius)
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Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo)
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Saker falcon (Falco cherrug)
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Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
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Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
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Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
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Little egret (Egretta garzetta)
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Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)
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Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
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Little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus)
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Great bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
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Rufous-backed shrike (Lanius schach)
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Southern grey shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
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Black-billed magpie (Pica pica)
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Hume's groundpecker (Pseudopodoces humilis)
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Red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
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Yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
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Eurasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
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Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
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Common raven (Corvus corax)
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Black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
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White-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus)
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Brown dipper (Cinclus pallasii)
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Rufous-tailed rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
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Blue whistling thrush (Myiophonus caeruleus)
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Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula)
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Dark-throated thrush (Turdus ruficollis)
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Dusky thrush (Turdus naumanni)
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Sooty flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica)
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Asian brown flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)
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Rusty-tailed flycatcher (Muscicapa ruficauda)
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Red-throated flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
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Himalayan rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis)
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Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
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Rufous-tailed scrub robin (Cercotrichas galactotes)
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Eversmann's redstart (Phoenicurus erythronotus)
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Blue-capped redstart (Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus)
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Guldenstadt's redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogaster)
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Blue-fronted redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
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White-capped redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
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Little forktail (Enicurus scouleri)
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Hume's wheatear (Oenanthe alboniger)
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Variable wheatear (Oenanthe picata)
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Pied wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)
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Desert wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
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Isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
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Brahminy starling (Sturnus pagodarum)
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Rosy starling (Sturnus roseus)
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Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
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Bar-tailed treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)
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Winter wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
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Eurasian penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus)
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Fire-capped tit (Cephalopyrus flammiceps)
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Simla crested tit (Parus rufonuchalis)
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Great tit (Parus major)
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Green-backed tit (Parus monticolus)
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Yellow-browed tit (Sylviparus modestus)
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Plain martin (Riparia paludicola)
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Eurasian crag martin (Hirundo rupestris)
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Common swallow (Hirundo rustica)
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Red-rumped swallow (Hirundo daurica)
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Northern house martin (Delichon urbica)
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Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)
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Stoliczka's tit-warbler (Leptopoecile sophiae)
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Common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
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Mountain chiffchaff (Phylloscopus sindianus)
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Plain leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus neglectus)
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Tickell's leaf warbler (Phylloscopus affinis)
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Greenish leaf warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
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Large-billed leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus magnirostris)
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Tytler's leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus tytleri)
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Streaked laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus)
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Variegated laughingthrush (Garrulax variegatus)
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Garden warbler (Sylvia borin)
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Greater whitethroat (Sylvia communis)
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Eastern calandra-lark (Melanocorypha bimaculata)
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Long-billed calandra-lark (Melanocorypha maxima)
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Greater short-toed lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)
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Hume's short-toed lark (Calandrella acutirostris)
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Asian short-toed lark (Alaudala cheleensis)
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Horned lark (Eremophila alpestris)
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House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
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Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)
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Tibetan snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi)
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Mandelli's snowfinch (Pyrgilauda taczanowskii)
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Plain-backed snowfinch (Pyrgilauda blanfordi)
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Forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)
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White wagtail (Motacilla alba)
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Large pied wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)
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Yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava)
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Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
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Red-throated pipit (Anthus cervinus)
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Rosy pipit (Anthus roseatus)
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Alpine accentor (Prunella collaris)
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Altai accentor (Prunella himalayana)
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Robin accentor (Prunella rubeculoides)
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Siberian accentor (Prunella montanella)
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Brown accentor (Prunella fulvescens)
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Black-throated accentor (Prunella atrogularis)
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Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)
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Fire-fronted serin (Serinus pusillus)
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Twite (Carduelis flavirostris)
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Eurasian linnet (Carduelis cannabina)
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Hodgson's mountain finch (Leucosticte nemoricola)
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Black-headed mountain finch (Leucosticte brandti)
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Black-headed mountain finch (Leucosticte brandti)
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Crimson-winged finch (Rhodopechys sanguinea)
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Mongolian finch (Bucanetes mongolicus)
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Common rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
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White-browed rosefinch (Carpodacus thura)
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Red-mantled rosefinch (Carpodacus rhodochlamys)
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Streaked great rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilloides)
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Common great rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilla)
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Red-fronted rosefinch (Carpodacus puniceus)
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Pine bunting (Emberiza leucocephalus)
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Rock bunting (Emberiza cia)
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Grey-necked bunting (Emberiza buchanani)
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Ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana)
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Little bunting (Emberiza pusilla)
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Little bunting (Emberiza pusilla)
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Chestnut bunting (Emberiza rutila)
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Red-headed bunting (Emberiza bruniceps)
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Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)