Which of the following is not a bird?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Golden Mahseer
Golden Mahseer is a fish, not a bird. Tor putitora is a freshwater fish of Himalayan rivers, assessed Endangered by the IUCN. The nightjar, spoonbill and ibis are all birds.
- ✓ (a) The Wildlife Institute of India lists the Golden Mahaseer (Tor putitora) in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes, and calls it a column-feeding freshwater fish.
- ✗ (b) The Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) is a bird; it appears in the bird checklist of an Indian Ramsar wetland.
- ✗ (c) Spoonbills, such as the Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), are wading birds of class Aves.
- ✗ (d) The White Ibis is a wading bird. Ibises belong to the same family, Threskiornithidae, as the spoonbills.
Remember · Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) is a Himalayan freshwater fish, IUCN Endangered. Nightjar, spoonbill and ibis are birds.
Sources
- Wildlife Institute of India (MoEFCC), Golden Mahaseer, Tor putitora (Internet Archive copy) ↗ “Golden Mahaseer Tor putitora Common Names: Putitor Mahseer, Golden Mahaseer Taxonomy: Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Actinopterygii”
- Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS), Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia ↗ “Assessment Information IUCN Status: Least concern Taxonomy Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Threskiornithidae”
- Ramsar Sites Information Service, bird checklist of an Indian Ramsar site (IN2458) ↗ “Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus LC RB”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·