Must Visit Bird Sanctuaries For Avian Lovers

Peacock, the national bird of India is a visual treat to the bird lovers. When a peacock fans out its wings, its full grandeur is put on display with its magnificent iridescent plumage- spotted with deep blue, violet eyes.
Peacock, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Asian Blue Quail White Eared-Pheasant, Bar-headed Goose, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Black-necked Stork, Coal Tit and many other are part of rich bio-diversity of bird life in India, a paradise for avian lovers.

with onset of winter, country starts to buzz with the chirping of winged guests, these include Kingfisher, Rosy, Pelican, Wood Sandpiper, Starling Bluethroat, Long billed Pipit birds 'Brahmini' Duck, Bar-Headed Geese and many more, altogether enthralling the bird watchers.
If you want to savor the sight of these flying beauties, which substantiates Wordsworth's quote, "A thing of beauty is joy forever."

1. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

It is one of the oldest bird parks in the country and is home to many Indian and international migratory birds. Vedanthankal Bird Sanctuary is a 30-hectare (74-acre) protected area located in the Kancheepuram District of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The sanctuary is about 75 kilometres (47 mi) from Chennai on National Highway 45 (NH45), south of Chengalpattu. More than 40,000 birds, including 26 rare species, from various parts of the world visit the sanctuary during the migratory season every year.

Some easily found bird species include Cormorants, Darter, Grebes, Large Egret, Little Egrets, Moorhen, Night Herons, Paddy Bird, Painted Stork, Pintails, Pond Heron, Sandpiper, Shovellers, Terns, White Ibis and many more. The migratory birds include Garganey Teals Canada, Snake Bird Sri Lanka, Grey Pelican Australia, Grey Heron Bangladesh, Open-billed Stork Bangladesh, Glossy Ibis Sri Lanka, Painted Stork Siberia, Spoonbill Burma and the Spot Bill Duck.

2. Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (Keoladeo Ghana National Park)

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary also known as Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park, located in Rajasthan, is a famous avifauna sanctuary that plays host to thousands of birds during the summer and winter seasons.

Over 230 species of birds are known to have made the National Park their home. It is a major tourist centre with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. It is also a declared World Heritage Site. The 29 km (18 mi) reserve is locally known as Ghana, and is a mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands, woodland swamps, and wetlands.


Every year thousands of migratory waterfowl visit the park for wintering breeding. The Sanctuary is one of the richest bird areas in the world. It is known for nesting of its resident birds and visiting migratory birds including water birds. The rare Siberian cranes used visit the place in the winter to this park, but this central population of Siberian Cranes is now extinct. According to Sir Peter Scott, British ornithologist, said that Keoladeo Sanctuary is the world's best bird area.

3. Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

It is a popular national park located in Gurgaon, Haryana. Bird Sanctuary, ideal for birding and bird watchers, is best visited in winters when a large number of migratory birds come here. Approximately 250 species of Birds are found at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary. Some of them are resident, while others come from distant regions like Siberia, Europe and Afghanistan.

Name of some of the resident birds: Common Hoopoe, Paddyfield Pipit, Purple Sunbird, Little Cormorant, Eurasian Thick-knee, Gray Francolin, Black Francolin, Indian Roller, White-throated Kingfisher, Spot billed Duck, Painted Stork, White Ibis, Black headed Ibis, Little Egret, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, India Crested Lark.

Every year more than 100 migratory bird species arrive at Sultanpur in search of feeding grounds and to pass the winter. In winter Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary provides a picturesque panorama of migratory birds such as Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Ruff, Black winged Stilt, Common Teal, Common Greenshank, Northern Pintail, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Northern Shoveler, Rosy Pelican.

4. Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, consisting primarily of a huge lake and ambient marshes, is situated about 64 km to the West of Ahmadabad, Gujarat. Mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India.

The lake measures 123 square kilo miters, attracts over 210 species of birds in the winter, and harbors a variety of flora and fauna. Thousands of migratory waterfowl flock to this sanctuary just after the Indian monsoon season. The shallow area and ponds on the outer fringes of the lake attract the wading birds that feed in the shallow waters.

5. Kaundinya Bird Santuary

Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and an elephant reserve situated in Andhra Pradesh. However it also home to large number of native birds and gets a lot of visiting birds in the month of October to May. Spread over 358 square kilometres, this bird sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh plays host to birds such as Grey Pelicans, Peacocks, Painted Storks and Pied Horn bills.