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Two Black-winged Cuckooshrikes Provided the First Known Record for the Kashmir Valley

Black-winged cuckooshrike perched among branches in Kolakham, India
Conservation · Population & status

Two black-winged cuckooshrikes (Lalage melaschistos) observed near Sangrama in Baramulla District have provided the first known record of the species from the Kashmir Valley. The observation was published on 9 May 2026 in Indian BIRDS.

The two birds were seen at about 1,640 metres elevation on 29 April 2025. They were moving between flowering black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and apple (Malus domestica) canopies. Photographs showed the combination of uniform grey plumage, contrasting black wings, a black bill and a white-tipped tail, and the identification was subsequently confirmed by another observer.

Author Ab. Qayoom Sofi reviewed available literature and online databases and found no earlier records of black-winged cuckooshrike from the Kashmir Valley. The absence of previous records was also checked with the regional eBird editor and lead author of a Jammu & Kashmir bird checklist. The nearest previously documented locality was Mendhar in Poonch District.

Sources and image credit

  1. Sofi, A. Q. (2026). A Black-winged Cuckooshrike Lalage melaschistos from the Kashmir Valley, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Indian BIRDS, 22(1), 31–32.
  2. Indian BIRDS. (2026). Vol. 22 No. 1.

Image: Tisha Mukherjee / Wikimedia Commons — wild black-winged cuckooshrike in Kolakham, West Bengal, India, 10 May 2025. Representative image, not one of the Kashmir Valley birds. Cropped to 16:9. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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