Bird Sanctuaries of Rajasthan

All India Travel Tourism > Wildlife > Sanctuaries > Rajasthan

Few places in the world have such teeming diversity of winged life as the bird sanctuaries of Rajasthan.

Different parts of Rajasthan have varying climatic and geographical conditions. On the one side are the Aravalis, one of the oldest mountain ranges while on the other side is the Thar desert. Marshlands and salt and fresh water lakes are also spread throughout the state. The best colony of birds in the world, Keoladeo Ghana is situated in the marshlands of Rajasthan. Jaisamand is a famous fresh water lake, while Sambhar and Pachpadra are the better known salt water lakes.

Probably it is because of these diversities that Rajasthan is so rich in its bird-life. One can find around 450 species of birds here, including some rare species. Most of the birds are resident, while some are migratory which come here to spend the winters and return to their homeland in summer.

The Aravalis

One of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, the Aravalis are about 900 kms. in length, ranging from Idar in Gujarat to Delhi.

The Aravali hills have always been abundant in forest wealth. The famous forests of Sariska, Ranthambhor, Raoli Tatgarh, Kumbhalgarh and Mt. Abu are situated in the Aravalis.

There are several hundred species of birds which inhabit or visit these forests. Owl, drongo, minivet, oriole, sunbird, hornbill, bulbul, peacock, flycatcher, woodpecker, bee-eater, kingfisher, mynas, swallow, swift, partridge, quail, sandgrouse, pigeon, doves, parakeet, night jar, roller, barbet, shrike, tree pie, warbler, chat robin etc. are the birds usually found here. But it is not as though all of these birds are found everywhere. A few of them are found in the Northern Aravalis while the others in the Southern part of the range. Besides, in forests like Sitamata, which are spread from Aravalis to Vindhyas, birds of Central India can also be seen.

Birds of Wetlands

Lakes and ponds of various sizes and marshlands spread over the state, are the best places to watch the activities of the birds. The major wetlands and lakes of the state include Ghana and Bund Beratha of Bharatpur, Siliserh and Jaisamand in Alwar, Mansarovar near Sariska, Kukas, Kalakah, Akeda, Chandlai, Chhaparwara, Bund Buchara and Ramgarh in Jaipur, Ana Sagar and Faisagar in Ajmer, Meja and Karai in Bhilwara, Pichola, Jaisamand and Badi Ka Talab in Udaipur, Sardar Samand in Jodhpur, Bassi Dam in Chittaurgarh, Mansarovar, Glaisagar and Rajbag lake in Ranthambhor.

There are mainly two seasons to watch the activities of birds in the wetlands. The first one starts from summers to monsoons when the birds are busy in their breeding activity. It is a delight to watch the birds breed in colonies. Forty to fifty nests can be found on a single tree. These birds usually breed in such marshlands where there is sufficient water and fauna. Heron, egret, stork, ibis and spoonbill are such birds. Cattle egret and saras prefer to breed near villages in less water. Often, colonies of cattle egret can be found near villages.

The second season starts with the onset of winters, when these marshlands are inhabited by migratory birds alongwith the resident birds. The sounds of birds like greyland and bar-headed geese, pintail, teal, shoveler, ruddy shelduck, mallard, gadwall, garganey, plover, sandpiper, guels and tern echo through the marshland.

Birds of prey like greater and lesser spotted eagle, tawny and steppe eagle, fishing eagle, imperial eagle, pale and marsh harrier, goshawk, sparrow hawk, kestrel etc. are also visible. In these wetlands water is widespread, but in water with a depth of upto 6 inches, one can also see small but colourful wedder birds.

Golden and ringed plover, spotted and common redshank, marsh and green sandpiper, fantail and jack-snipe, turnstone, little slint, dunlin, curlew sandpiper, reff and reeve are also found in the wetlands.

In salt water lakes besides wedder, flamingoes are also found, like in Pachpadra near Barmer and Sambhar near Jaipur. Flamingoes breed on small mounds made in shallow water in Sambhar lake.

Birds of Grasslands

Flat, plain and semi arid zones of Rajasthan are interspersed with grassy stretches. Some of them are saline depressions. During monsoons, these depressions are filled with water but gradually dry up. In the centre of these depressions where salt encrustations are present, nothing grows. Outside this zone, however, grasses and hedges of varying species are found. Grasslands are extremely productive, with rich ecosystems. So the birds found here are such that suit the environment.

The grassland is full of insects. Various types of spiders, scorpions, centipedes, locusts and beetles are found there and they are a source of food for many species of birds. Grasslands big or small, are found almost in the whole of Rajasthan. Sorsan near Kota, Sonkalia near Ajmer, Tal Chhapar in Churu, several grasslands in the canal areas of Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts and the flat plains of Pali and Sirohi districts are ideal for bird watching.

Several species of larks and pipits which are common birds of grasslands are found here. The abundant crested lark, skylark, short-toed lark, shycrowned finch lark and the common paddy field pipit inhabit grasslands to feed on insects. Partridge, jungle bush quail, grey quail, rain quail and common quail, grey shrike, bay-backed shrike, rufous-backed shrike, black drongo and the common myna also inhabit the grasslands. But the most famous of these are lesser florican, houbara bustard and the great Indian bustard. These birds prefer dry grasslands. The great Indian bustard is a resident bird but floricans visit Rajasthan's grasslands during the rains and houbara come here in winters.

Many raptors also prefer these dry grasslands and harriers are common in these areas. Eagle, falcon, hawk, kestrel and kite are the other raptors which prefer grasslands.
  These raptors seem to prefer grasslands, since their open nature provides a good view of the prey.

Besides these species, many other small birds also prefer grasslands. Bulbul, babbler, flycatcher, chat, pipit and warbler inhabit these areas.

Birds of the Thar desert

The Thar desert is spread over a large area, west of Aravalis. Districts like Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Bikaner are entirely desert lands, while certain parts of Pali and Jalore districts also fall under desert lands. Moving sand dunes and craggy rocks, both form parts of the desert. At certain places, there are plains of sevan grass while small depressions of saline water can be found at other places. In such varied geographical features, different varieties of fauna can be found.

The desert is home to numerous animals and birds. The flocks of demoiselle crane, which arrive in village Khichan near Phalodi, are worth seeing. Due to the protection given by the villagers, these birds have been coming here in thousands. They stay for about 4-5 months and in March, return to their breeding grounds.

The avifauna of desert is rich both in species and population. Among the desert's most remarkable sights are flocks of hundreds of sandgrouse congregating at any Talab, Nadi or other water points. The flights of imperial, spotted, pintail and Indian sandgrouse start coming to waterpoints, after sunrise.

One can also hear the morning call of grey partridge, blue tailed and green bee-eaters, drongos, common and bush quail and Indian rollers are other birds commonly found around the water-holes. They attract many birds of prey, resident and migratory.

The birds of prey commonly seen in the desert are tawny eagle, steppe eagle, laggar falcon, honey buzzard, long legged buzzard, shikra, goshawk, kestrel, oriental hobby, lanner and peregrine falcon. There are also vultures which scavenge dead cattle and fauna. Common among them are the white-back long-billed Egyptian vulture, one of the least gregarious of vultures. The king vulture is present in small numbers, mostly in pairs. But the most outstanding of the avifauna is the great Indian bustard. This tall, heavy bird can be seen walking with confidence and grace in the desert. The female bird is comparatively smaller than the male. It is a common sight to see 5-6 big and small birds near a water hole.

Houbara can also be seen in winters, but the most common visitors are demoiselle cranes and common cranes which pass through the desert on their way to and from winter migration spots. These cranes are mostly seen in grassy depressions and along salt flats.

Birds of the Southern Region

The forest area of Sitamata-Pratapgarh, Bhainsroadgarh and Darrah spreads through the hills of Aravali touching Central India. Thus the birds found here are of a wide variety, a few of which are not found anywhere else in Rajasthan. For example Lorikit is a bird of Central India and in Rajasthan it is found only in the Sitamata-Pratapgarh area.

Similarly, Alexandine parakeet of Darrah is very famous. Since the forests of Bhainsroadgarh are around the Chambal river, a large number of water birds are also found here.

The species which commonly inhabit these forests are rollers, hoopoes, hornbills, barbets, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, orioles and drongos among others.

Raptors are also found in these dry deciduous forests. Commonly seen in these areas are shikra, white-eyed buzzard, tawny and spotted eagle and black wingkite.                                                                                       

Nocturnal raptor, the owl, spotted owlet, scops owl, collared scops owl, dusky horned owl, brown fishing owl and the biggest of all these, the great horned owl also inhabit these forests.

Bird Paradise - Bharatpur

Although small in size, 29 sq. kms. only, Bharatpur has an amazing species of birds. About 376 species of birds are found here and more than 132 of them breed inside the Keoladeo Ghana National Park and nearly every year new ones are added to the list.

Before the monsoon, hundreds of these birds roost and start their nests on the babool trees. With the onset of rains, the park turns green. Water coming through the Ajan Bandh starts filling the various lakes of the Park.When assured of food, hundreds of large, medium and little cormorant, darter, purple and greyheron, various species of egret such as little, intermediate and large; painted, open-billed, white-necked and black-necked stork, white ibis, spoonbill, night heron and other birds get busy courting and mating. Nests of hatching are shared by both female and male birds of most of the species, but different species differ in their breeding activities. One can see as many as fifty to sixty nests on one tree where different birds look after their young ones.

Fully exposed in the open are the nests of the saras crane. Both partners share the responsibility of hatching. While changing incubating duties, the two come together, raise their neck and give out shrill trumpetic calls in unison and at the same time fan their feathers. The new-born chick is about 10 cms. in size but grows to over one metre in height within a year. Soon it attains a height of 1.6 metres to become the tallest flight bird. Migratory water-fowls and cranes, including the rare Siberian cranes, are an integral part of the Park. Water-fowl come in thousands, every year during the month of October. Rosy starling mark the beginning of the arrival of migratory birds. Most prominent water-fowl coming to the park are bar-headed and greylag geese. The ducks spotted here are pintail, common teal, ruddy shelduck, mallard, widgeon, shoveler, common shelduck, redcrested pochard, gadwall etc.

The heavy influx of water-fowl attracts predatory birds like imperial eagle, steppe and tawny eagle, spotted eagle, marsh harrier and laggar falcon. Some of them, like short-toed eagle, lesser spotted eagle and shikra are resident here. Two pairs of ring-tailed fishing eagle have been breeding here every year from November to March. Spotted owlet, ducky horned and collared scops owl also breed here.

Other breeding birds of the park are grey and black partridge, common and jungle bush quail, red and yellow-wattled lapwing etc.

The story of the bird paradise ecosystem is unending where nature provides in abudance.

Birds of Sariska and Ranthambhor

The Sariska and Ranthambhor National Parks, situated in the Aravali mountain ranges, have a thick forest with nullahs and waterfalls. These forests are dominated by dhok which is typical of the tropical dry deciduous forest. These dhok dominated forests are rich in avifauna.

Sariska Reserve deserves a special mention for its birds. Peafowl is the most common bird here and the population density of this species is the highest, compared to any other reserve of India.

A drive along the roads gives an impression of Sariska being a breeding centre or a farm of grey partridge, bush quail and black partridge. Flocks of bulbul, green pigeon, rosering and blossom-headed parakeet feeding on berries make themselves conspicuous. At night, the rising of night jar from the road gives a pleasant feeling. The horned owl, fishing owl and spotted owlets are often seen at night.

The dry deciduous Sanctuary of Ranthambhor is situated in the Aravali and Vindhyachal mountain ranges. The availability of natural water resources has played a crucial role in the development of a rich avifauna. There are a number of lakes and tanks like Mansarovar, Galai Sagar, Padam Talab, Rajbag.

Malik Talab and some of them perennial in nature. There are some rock pools and puddles along the valley like the Baghola. Ranthambhor is known for a variety of birds inhabitating it. By now, more than 300 species have been recorded.

The residents include ground birds like red spur fowl, peafowl, three varieties of parakeet, bee-eater, shrike, quail, partridge, kingfisher including rare stork-billed kingfisher, woodpecker and bulbul. During winters, a large number of migratory birds like sandpiper, the black stork, lapwing, duck, the geese and others come here. The birds of prey include crested hawk eagle, short-toed eagle, bonelli's eagle, crested serpent eagle and laggar falcon. Some of them are rare and exotic birds of prey like the black eagle which has been sighted for the first time.

Birds of Tal Chhapar

Although Tal Chhapar Sanctuary in Churu district is famous for black-buck, it is also popular with bird lovers.

Tal Chhapar, actually a flat saline depression, has a unique ecosystem. It is situated in North-Western Rajasthan and thus lies on the way of the migratory passage of many birds. The most spectacular migration seen from here is that of harriers. These birds pass through this area during the month of September in distinct groups of male, female and immature. Montagur's and marsh harrier are more common, while pale harrier and hen harrier are found in lesser numbers.

Besides these imperial eagle, tawny eagle, short-toed eagle, sparrow hawk are common here. These winter visitors can be seen sitting on the sand, mud or a bush looking for gerbil and large insects. Hundreds of birds pass through this place for a short stop over, to feed themselves with fresh food in the form of insects. Kashmir rollers pass through during September and October, whereas skylark, crested lark, ring dove, brown dove and blue jay can be found throughout the year. Blue checked bee-eaters and green bee-eaters are commonly found, for this is their breeding place. The black ibis is frequently seen here. The most typical phenomenon is that of the demoiselle cranes which arrive in the first week of September and stay till March.

Birds of Desert National Park

Desert National Park, spread over 3100 sq. kms., partly in Jaisalmer and partly in Barmer districts, has natural landscape and typical vegetation. The desert sanctuary being a fragile ecosystem has its own flora and fauna.

Hugh Whistler (1938), while surveying the avifauna during a short visit to the desert states, has listed 300 species of birds. Raptorial birds dominate the avifauna of the desert. One can see many eagles, harriers, falcons, buzzards, kestrel and vultures. Short- toed eagles, tawny eagles, spotted eagles, lagger falcons and kestrels are the commonest of these. Sandgrouse are spotted near small ponds or lakes.

The great Indian bustard is another magnificent bird found in relatively fair numbers. It migrates locally in different seasons. Grey partridges and quails are commonly found in scrub vegetated areas and around villages. The region is a haven for certain migratory birds. Lark, flycatcher, warbler, starling and sandgrouse arrive in the desert from European countries, the Himalayan region and Tibet, soon after the rains.

Jaisamand Lake

Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary, fifty kms. south of Udaipur, includes the Jaisamand Lake, the second largest artificial lake in Asia, with a water spread area of 90 sq. kms.

This lake was made by blocking a narrow gap in the Aravali hills. That is why the bigger hills inside the lake look like islands. The water near these islands and other hills is shallow and attracts

Cormorants different varieties of water birds. Far away from human interference, these water birds move freely.

A special feature of the birds of this lake is that the resident water birds start their breeding activities in the last week of June because the lake is full of water throughout the year unlike Keoladeo. Most of the birds make their nests in the vegetation around the lake. The breeding birds can be observed only while moving around in the lake by boat.

The main breeding birds of Jaisamand lake are darter, open-bill stork, pond heron, little cormorant, Indian shag, egret, a few grey and purple heron and night heron etc. Soon after the resident birds start breeding, the migrant birds come in successive waves. Among the early arrivals are rosy pastor and starling. Ducks of many kind like pintail, teal, mallard, shoveler, pochard, gadwall and few geese also come here. Indigenous ducks like comb duck or nukhta and the spot-bill also inhabit the lake. Sometimes larger migrants such as rosy and Dalmatian pelicans visit the sanctuary.

The lake's rich avifauna also attracts many varieties of birds of prey. Eagles, buzzards, hawks, falcons and kestrels can all be seen here. There are a number of ground birds - peafowl, spur fowl, grey and painted partridge, bulbul, tree pie and babbler are common in and around the sanctuary.

Birds in Abu

Mount Abu is the highest point in the Aravalis, so the forest here is different from the others in this mountain range. This region abounds in trees of mango, karonda and date. Sighting of animals is not easy in this forest because the vegetation provides effective cover. But one finds birds which are not found in other regions of the Aravalis. From February to April, when trees, white ibis flower, the activities of the birds are an interesting sight. The valley echoes with the sweet voice of green barbet while the shrill tone of brain fever bird signals the advent of monsoons.

Mount Abu is the home of grey jungle fowl. In Rajasthan, this species is confined to the southern part of the state. Oriole, minivet, woodpecker, flycatcher, drongo, myna, ioro, bulbul and warbler are also commonly found in these forests.

Birds of Sorsan

Sorsan grassland, notified as a closed area, is about 45 kms. to the east of Kota city in southern Rajasthan. It is situated in the newly constituted district of Baran. Famous for its birds, the grassland is surrounded by right bank main canal of the Chambal and the Parvan rivers.

The grassland of Sorsan which extends over 35 sq. kms., is a treeless area of deciduous bushes of jhar ber growing in patches on shallow soil. During monsoons, the grass and vegetative cover becomes an ideal habitat for insects and consequently becomes a paradise for resident and migratory birds. Insectivorous birds like lark, shrike, bulbul, drongo, myna, oriole, flycatcher, babbler, chat, quail, partridge, robin, weaver bird and munia enrich the avifauna of Sorsan. The rich food supply and sunny days of Sorsan attract many varieties of migratory birds. Kashmir rollers can be seen in the month of October. Flocks of migratory lark, warbler, flycatcher, starling and rosy pastors arrive by October and stay till March. But the main attraction for bird watchers at Sorsan is the Godawan - the great Indian bustard. It weighs eight to fourteen kgs. and stands 16" high. This tall, heavy bird can be seen walking with confidence and grace in the grassland. It lives in a family of five to eight but at times more birds can assemble on a breeding ground. The Godawan has been seen nesting in the Barda area of the grassland as well as in Jawar fields of the cultivated areas.

Besides the birds found in the grassland, one can also see water birds in the canal, in river Parvan and in the lakes of Sorsan and Manpur village, saras crane and cattle egret are common near these lakes. Among the ducks and geese that come to these water bodies are pintail, common teal, ruddy shelduck, gadwall, shoveler, common pochard, barheaded goose, greylag goose etc.

Travel Information

How to get there

Air: Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur lie on the Indian Airlines route that links Delhi to Bombay.

Rail: Most of Rajasthan is accessible by a network of rail services. An excellent connection to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, from Delhi is the Pink City Express (5 hour run) which is a vestibuled, chair-seating rail service. Other places too are linked by passenger and express trains. Since rail journeys are usually long because of the distances involved, it is advisable to carry light snacks and water bottles as most stations enroute do not serve much by way of food.

Rajasthan State Roadways coaches link most tourist places and business centres in and around the state. Chauffeur-driven air-conditioned cars can be hired through the State Tourist Offices and other approved operators.

Some important road distances from Jaipur are Agra 240 kms, Delhi 261 kms, Jodhpur 332 kms, Ajmer 131 kms, Nathdwara 355 kms, Alwar 142 kms, Bikaner 321 kms, Jaisalmer 654 kms and Bharatpur 176 kms.