Bird Watching in India

 The Indian subcontinent has more than 1300 species of birds but when you add the subspecies the number goes up to 2200. This number is more than other continents or countries of the world. However, the number does not count all the time. Birders' visit is dependent upon the species and experience that the country offers.

India does not lag behind in all these aspects and is rich in the diversity of avifauna. We have an affinity with three zoogeographical zones.

• Pale Arctic
• Ethiopian
• Indo Malayan   

If we add our own zoogeographical zone the number rises to four. There are many subregions that India has an affinity with and this explains the immense diversity in terms of a number of avian species. The birding spots in the country are famous for ornithological quests. Some are home to endemic, rare, and targetted species. Not forgetting the common species which though common differ somewhat in morphological and behavioral aspects.

Most of the birds in India are under serious threat like the Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Sarus Crane, Black-necked stork,  White Winged Wood Duck, and Indian skimmer to name a few. The greatest threat arises from cement structures being built and advancing urbanization. Lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and other water bodies are shrinking fast. Natural habitats are being into urban structures leaving little space for wetland and shore birds. Deforestation is another big culprit which is fast reducing space for the forest birds.

Like in the case of mammals avians too are facing an existential threat and what will remain in the future is anybody's guess.

Birding in India

It is not a one-way story and conservation initiatives are being used to stem the rot.

Some of the best birding spots in India are

• Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
• Little Rann of Kutch    
• Chilika Lake
• Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary
• Cold Deserts of Ladakh
• Pangot
• SatTal
• Nal Sarover
• Tal Chhaper
• Chopta Mandal
• Dandeli
• Desert National Park
• Latpancher
• Thor

The spots can be extended with more spots added to the list. If we add the tiger reserves the scope for bird watching in India expands immensely. Tiger reserves, numerous water bodies, and rivers all house a wide variety of avian species. The birding spots are well organized with tourist infrastructure in place.  Transportation is not a problem my advice is to hire a birding guide local or pan India to make the trip a great success.