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India India Ramsar wetland

Bhitarkanika Mangroves

177 bird species recorded; the most from December to January.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec143at the peak
Species recorded in each month · tap a month

Smitha G S · CC BY-SA 4.0

This month here

143 species in January.

The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.

Pied Kingfisher
Pied KingfisherCeryle rudisWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
White-breasted Kingfisher
White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensisWinter visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Indian Pond-Heron
Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayiiWinter visitorVivek Puliyeri · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bar-headed Goose
Bar-headed GooseAnser indicusWinter visitorDr. Raju Kasambe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Asian Open-bill Stork
Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitansWinter visitorJJ Harrison ( https://www.jjharrison.com.au/ ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Common Greenshank
Common GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorCharles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grey Heron
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorVassilios Vescoukis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Black Drongo
Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercusWinter visitorFabian Roudra Baroi · CC BY-SA 4.0
Little Cormorant
Little CormorantMicrocarbo nigerWinter visitorshankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates · CC BY 2.0
Barn swallow
Barn swallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorAndreas Trepte · CC BY-SA 2.5
Redshank
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorZeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red-wattled Lapwing
Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicusWinter visitorRed-wattled_Lapwing_cropped.jpg : * Red-wattled_Lapwing.jpg : Karunakar Rayker from India · CC BY 2.0
White-bellied Sea-Eagle
White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogasterWinter visitorThe original uploader was Djambalawa at English Wikipedia . · CC BY 3.0
Asian Green Bee-eater
Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalisWinter visitorVivek Puliyeri · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lesser Adjutant StorkNT
Lesser Adjutant StorkLeptoptilos javanicusWinter visitorJason Thompson · CC BY 2.0
Common Sandpiper
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosWinter visitorChristoph Müller · CC BY-SA 4.0
Great White Egret
Great White EgretArdea albaWinter visitorCalibas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wood Sandpiper
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaWinter visitorKoshy Koshy from Faridabad, Haryana, India · CC BY 2.0
Purple heron
Purple heronArdea purpureaWinter visitorYathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bronze-winged Jacana
Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicusWinter visitorTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0
Common Myna
Common MynaAcridotheres tristisWinter visitorTisha Mukherjee · CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epopsWinter visitorKeta · CC BY-SA 2.5
Indian Pied Myna
Indian Pied MynaGracupica contraWinter visitorJ.M.Garg · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Resident all year
  • Summer visitor comes to breed
  • Winter visitor comes for the winter
  • Passage migrant in spring and autumn

In numbers

177 species, counted.

69out of 100

Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).

  • 177Speciesrecorded more than once
  • 91Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
  • 3ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
  • 2,799Recordsopen records within 6 km
  • 13Raptors
  • 2Owls
  • 29Waders
  • 2Gulls & seabirds
  • 16Ducks & geese
  • 15Herons, ibises & grebes
  • 4Storks & cranes
  • 52Songbirds
  • 44Other birds

From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.

The checklist

All 177 species.

By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.

Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
  • Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
  • Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
  • Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
  • Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
  • Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
  • Red-headed FalconFalco chicqueraNT
  • Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
  • Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
  • Black KiteMilvus migrans
  • Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
  • OspreyPandion haliaetus
  • Pied HarrierCircus melanoleucos
Owls2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Spotted OwletAthene brama
  • Oriental Scops-owlOtus sunia
Waders29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
  • RedshankTringa totanus
  • Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
  • Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
  • Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
  • Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
  • Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
  • Grey-headed LapwingVanellus cinereus
  • Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
  • Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
  • Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
  • Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
  • Little StintCalidris minuta
  • Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
  • RuffCalidris pugnax
  • Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
  • Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
  • Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
  • Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
  • Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
  • DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
  • Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
  • Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
  • Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
  • Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
  • Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
  • Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
  • Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
  • River LapwingVanellus duvauceliiNT
Gulls & seabirds2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
  • Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
Ducks & geese16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Northern PintailAnas acuta
  • Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
  • Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
  • Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
  • Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
  • GadwallMareca strepera
  • Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
  • Eurasian TealAnas crecca
  • Anas poecilorhynchaAnas poecilorhyncha
  • Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
  • GarganeySpatula querquedula
  • Greylag GooseAnser anser
  • Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
  • Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
  • Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
  • Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
  • Grey HeronArdea cinerea
  • Little EgretEgretta garzetta
  • Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
  • Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
  • Great White EgretArdea alba
  • Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
  • Purple heronArdea purpurea
  • Striated HeronButorides striata
  • Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
  • Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
  • Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
  • Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
  • Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
  • Red-naped IbisPseudibis papillosa
Storks & cranes4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
  • Lesser Adjutant StorkLeptoptilos javanicusNT
  • Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
  • Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
Songbirds52 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
  • Barn swallowHirundo rustica
  • Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
  • Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
  • Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
  • House CrowCorvus splendens
  • Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
  • Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
  • Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
  • Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
  • Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
  • Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
  • Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
  • Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
  • Jungle MynaAcridotheres fuscus
  • Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
  • Indian Pied MynaGracupica contra
  • Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
  • Purple-rumped SunbirdLeptocoma zeylonica
  • Mangrove PittaPitta megarhynchaNT
  • Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
  • Oriental SkylarkAlauda gulgula
  • Streak-throated SwallowPetrochelidon fluvicola
  • Chestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabarica
  • Ashy-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix griseus
  • Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
  • Indian White-eyeZosterops palpebrosus
  • House SparrowPasser domesticus
  • Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisi
  • Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
  • Taiga FlycatcherFicedula albicilla
  • Common IoraAegithina tiphia
  • Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
  • Verditer FlycatcherEumyias thalassinus
  • Black-naped MonarchHypothymis azurea
  • Striped Tit BabblerMacronus gularis
  • Black-headed Cuckoo-shrikeCoracina melanoptera
  • Chestnut-capped BabblerTimalia pileata
  • Orange-headed ThrushGeokichla citrina
  • Cinereous TitParus cinereus
  • Oriolus kundooOriolus kundoo
  • Small MinivetPericrocotus cinnamomeus
  • Tickell's ThrushTurdus unicolor
  • Blue-throated Blue FlycatcherCyornis rubeculoides
  • White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis
  • Indian RobinSaxicoloides fulicatus
  • Brahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarum
  • Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
  • Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
  • White-browed BulbulPycnonotus luteolus
  • Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
  • Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
Other birds44 species
JFMAMJJASOND
  • Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
  • Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
  • White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
  • White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
  • Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
  • Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
  • Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
  • Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
  • Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
  • White-collared KingfisherTodiramphus chloris
  • Brown-winged KingfisherPelargopsis amauropteraNT
  • Rock DoveColumba livia
  • Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
  • Black-capped KingfisherHalcyon pileataVU
  • Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
  • Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
  • Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
  • Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
  • Rhopodytes tristisRhopodytes tristis
  • Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
  • Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
  • Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
  • Black-rumped FlamebackDinopium benghalense
  • Greater FlamebackChrysocolaptes guttacristatus
  • Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
  • Large-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus macrurus
  • Fulvous-breasted WoodpeckerDendrocopos macei
  • Cuculus sparverioidesCuculus sparverioides
  • Ortygornis pondicerianusOrtygornis pondicerianus
  • Slaty-breasted RailGallirallus striatus
  • Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
  • Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
  • Little SwiftApus affinis
  • Cuculus variusCuculus varius
  • CootFulica atra
  • Oriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalis
  • Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
  • Rufous WoodpeckerMicropternus brachyurus
  • Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
  • WatercockGallicrex cinerea
  • Orange-breasted Green-pigeonTreron bicinctus
  • Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinus
  • Indian NightjarCaprimulgus asiaticus
  • Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus

Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.

When to go

The most species from December to January.

Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.

  1. Jan14325°/19°13 mm
  2. Feb8328°/21°18 mm
  3. Mar9731°/24°30 mm
  4. Apr733°/26°69 mm
  5. May032°/28°173 mm
  6. Jun031°/28°280 mm
  7. Jul030°/28°378 mm
  8. Aug2330°/27°346 mm
  9. Sep830°/27°314 mm
  10. Oct029°/26°185 mm
  11. Nov027°/23°34 mm
  12. Dec13725°/20°13 mm
  • Bar: species recorded that month.
  • Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
  • Rain: monthly total.

The place

Bhitarkanika Mangroves.

Mangrove wetland in India's Odisha state, covering an area of 650 km/square in the river delta of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers

Bhitarkanika Mangroves is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.

177 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,799 open records.

The most recorded are the Indian Pond-Heron, the Eastern Spotted Dove and the Grey Heron.

9 species come for the summer, 79 for the winter and 3 only pass through.

3 are threatened worldwide, including Black-capped Kingfisher, Curlew Sandpiper and Common Pochard.

The most species are recorded from December to January.

Mangroveforest5
Smitha G S · CC BY-SA 4.0

Get there and watch

Plan the visit

A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

From above

The place and its surroundings.

The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.

Bhitarkanika Mangroves seen from above (Sentinel-2)
Seen from above: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6 × 6 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around, in OpenStreetMap

    • bird hides within 6 km
    • observation towers within 6 km
    • marked trails within 4 km
    • visitor centres within 6 km
    • viewpoints within 5 km
    • car parks within 3 km
    • restaurants and cafés within 3 km
    • campsites within 10 km
    • places to stay within 10 km

    Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.

    Other places nearby.

    Bhitarkanika Mangroves

    India

    • 69Birdyas Score
    • 177Species
    • 91Migrants
    • 3Threatened

    Anshupa Lake

    India · 137 km

    • 63Birdyas Score
    • 182Species
    • 71Migrants
    • 2Threatened

    See the guide

    Nalbana Bird Sanctuary

    India · 197 km

    • 72Birdyas Score
    • 149Species
    • 96Migrants
    • 4Threatened

    See the guide

    Chilika Lake

    India · 195 km

    • 70Birdyas Score
    • 157Species
    • 91Migrants
    • 4Threatened

    See the guide

    Where these figures come from

    Name and typeWikidata (Q4901841) · CC0
    Birds2,799 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
    See these recordsgbif.org
    SpeciesGBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons
    AltitudeCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
    Temperature and rainNASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2)
    What is around© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
    ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

    Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

    The family

    Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?

    Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.