Birds in Sanskrit Literature

[Stephen Hodge]

Thanks for the prompt replies.

G.J. Meulenbeld wrote:

> All the sources mentioned on kaara.n.dava agree that the cakravaaka is the 
> ruddy sheldrake, Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas), described in vol. 1, 
> 141--144 of the work by S. Ali and S.D. Ripley.

The information provided tends to confirm my suspicions: the text I am 
studying has multiple authorship, with one person treating kaara.n.dava as a 
distinct bird, and another person who definiteley identifies kaara.n.dava 
with cakravaaka, going so far as to refer to "sa.mvaasa-kaara.n.da" after 
the well-known myth about cakravaalas.

Many thanks,

Stephen Hodge