Karyological study of one charadriiform and two passerine Indian birds

The karyotypes of one charadriiform bird, Himantopus himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus) (Recurvirostridae) and two passerine birds, Chloropsis cochinchinensis jerdoni (Blyth) (Irenidae) and Melophus lathami (Gray) (Emberizidae), hithertho cytologically unknown have been studied. The diploid chromosome number (2n) is 82 ± in H. h. himantopus and 80 ± in both C. c. jerdoni and M. lathami. The Z and W chromosomes were identified except in H. h. himantopus. C-banding analysis in C. c. jerdoni shows almost the entire W chromosome and the short arm of the 5th chromosome to be completely heterochromatic. Possible karyological relationships among congeneric and confamilial species are discussed.