India Ramsar wetland
East Kolkata Wetlands
264 bird species recorded; the most from December to March.
Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0
This month here
201 species in January.192 species in February.188 species in March.178 species in April.134 species in May.115 species in June.114 species in July.121 species in August.149 species in September.171 species in October.185 species in November.191 species in December.
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.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
264 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 264Speciesrecorded more than once
- 130Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 124,960Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 20Raptors
- 6Owls
- 20Waders
- 6Gulls & seabirds
- 16Ducks & geese
- 18Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 115Songbirds
- 59Other 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 264 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Indian spotted eagleAquila hastata
- White-rumped VultureGyps bengalensisCR
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Long-legged BuzzardButeo rufinus
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- ShikraAccipiter badius
- Pallas’s fish eagleHaliaeetus leucoryphus
- Red-headed FalconFalco chicqueraNT
- Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Pied HarrierCircus melanoleucos
- Indian VultureGyps indicusCR
- Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
- Eastern Marsh-harrierCircus spilonotus
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted OwletAthene brama
- Collared Scops-owlOtus lettia
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Brown BoobookNinox scutulata
- Brown Fish OwlKetupa zeylonensis
- Indian Scops OwlOtus bakkamoena
Waders20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Grey-headed LapwingVanellus cinereus
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- River LapwingVanellus duvauceliiNT
- Indian Thick-kneeBurhinus indicus
Gulls & seabirds6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
- Red-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon rubricauda
- Christmas FrigatebirdFregata andrewsiVU
Ducks & geese16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Anas poecilorhynchaAnas poecilorhyncha
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Herons, ibises & grebes18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Chinese Pond HeronArdeola bacchus
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
- Lesser Adjutant StorkLeptoptilos javanicusNT
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds115 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Indian Pied MynaGracupica contra
- Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
- Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- Lanius schachLanius schach
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- Chestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabarica
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Striated GrassbirdMegalurus palustris
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Jungle MynaAcridotheres fuscus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Taiga FlycatcherFicedula albicilla
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Red AvadavatAmandava amandava
- Yellow-bellied PriniaPrinia flaviventris
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- Dusky warblerPhylloscopus fuscatus
- Ashy Wood SwallowArtamus fuscus
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
- Purple-rumped SunbirdLeptocoma zeylonica
- Pallas’s grasshopper warblerLocustella certhiola
- Oriolus kundooOriolus kundoo
- Pale-billed FlowerpeckerDicaeum erythrorhynchos
- Oriental SkylarkAlauda gulgula
- Oriolus chinensisOriolus chinensis
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix griseus
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Cinereous TitParus cinereus
- Indian SilverbillEuodice malabarica
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Siberian RubythroatLuscinia calliope
- Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapilla
- Bronzed DrongoDicrurus aeneus
- Thick-billed WarblerIduna aedon
- White-rumped MuniaLonchura striata
- Orange-headed ThrushGeokichla citrina
- Black-breasted WeaverPloceus benghalensis
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Paddyfield WarblerAcrocephalus agricola
- Common IoraAegithina tiphia
- Streaked WeaverPloceus manyar
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisi
- Olive-backed PipitAnthus hodgsoni
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Verditer FlycatcherEumyias thalassinus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- Grey-backed ShrikeLanius tephronotus
- Booted WarblerIduna caligata
- Ashy PriniaPrinia socialis
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Streak-throated SwallowPetrochelidon fluvicola
- Bank MynaAcridotheres ginginianus
- Indian White-eyeZosterops palpebrosus
- Blue-throated Blue FlycatcherCyornis rubeculoides
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Hair-crested DrongoDicrurus hottentottus
- Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
- Blue Rock ThrushMonticola solitarius
- Lesser Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus remifer
- Black-throated Dark-throated ThrushTurdus atrogularis
- White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis
- Grey-throated MartinRiparia chinensis
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Black-headed Cuckoo-shrikeCoracina melanoptera
- Bay-backed ShrikeLanius vittatus
- Brahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarum
- Black-browed Reed WarblerAcrocephalus bistrigiceps
- Forest WagtailDendronanthus indicus
- Sykes's WarblerIduna rama
- Bristled grassbirdChaetornis striata
- Brown-breasted FlycatcherMuscicapa muttui
- Large-billed Leaf-warblerPhylloscopus magnirostris
- Black-winged CuckooshrikeCoracina melaschistos
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Dicrurus leucophaeusDicrurus leucophaeus
- Black-naped MonarchHypothymis azurea
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Scaly ThrushZoothera dauma
- Green-crowned Warbler or Golden-spectacled WarblerSeicercus burkii
- Oriental Reed WarblerAcrocephalus orientalis
- Common WoodshrikeTephrodornis pondicerianus
- Common Hill MynaGracula religiosa
- Tickell's ThrushTurdus unicolor
- Striated BabblerTurdoides earlei
- Muscicapa latirostrisMuscicapa latirostris
- Desert wheatearOenanthe deserti
- Indian PittaPitta brachyura
- Blyth’s PipitAnthus godlewskii
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- Hume’s Short-toed LarkCalandrella acutirostris
- Common BabblerTurdoides caudata
- Hume’s leaf-warblerPhylloscopus humei
- Baikal Bush WarblerLocustella davidi
- Locustella thoracicaLocustella thoracica
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
Other birds59 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Black-rumped FlamebackDinopium benghalense
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- Blue-throated barbetPsilopogon asiaticus
- Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
- Yellow-footed Green-pigeonTreron phoenicopterus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Alexandrine ParakeetPsittacula eupatria
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Lesser CoucalCentropus bengalensis
- Cuculus variusCuculus varius
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- WatercockGallicrex cinerea
- Lineated BarbetPsilopogon lineatus
- Plaintive CuckooCacomantis merulinus
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Fulvous-breasted WoodpeckerDendrocopos macei
- Rufous WoodpeckerMicropternus brachyurus
- Streak-throated WoodpeckerPicus xanthopygaeus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Violet CuckooChrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
- Coracias affinisCoracias affinis
- Slaty-breasted RailGallirallus striatus
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Oriental DollarbirdEurystomus orientalis
- Large-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus macrurus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- CootFulica atra
- Thick-billed Green PigeonTreron curvirostra
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinus
- Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus
- Greater FlamebackChrysocolaptes guttacristatus
- Barred ButtonquailTurnix suscitator
- Red Collared DoveStreptopelia tranquebarica
- Red-breasted ParakeetPsittacula alexandriNT
- Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
- House SwiftApus nipalensis
- Plum-headed ParakeetPsittacula cyanocephala
- Slaty-legged CrakeRallina eurizonoides
- Chestnut-headed Bee-eaterMerops leschenaulti
- Oriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalis
- Chestnut-winged CuckooClamator coromandus
- Lesser CuckooCuculus poliocephalus
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 March.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan25°/11°12 mm
- Feb31°/15°22 mm
- Mar35°/20°34 mm
- Apr38°/24°55 mm
- May36°/26°161 mm
- Jun32°/27°256 mm
- Jul31°/26°370 mm
- Aug31°/26°338 mm
- Sep30°/25°266 mm
- Oct30°/23°165 mm
- Nov28°/17°29 mm
- Dec25°/12°10 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
East Kolkata Wetlands.
Complex of natural and human-made wetlands lying east of Kolkata, West Bengal, India
East Kolkata Wetlands is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.
264 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 124,960 open records.
The most recorded are the Common Myna, the House Crow and the Eastern Spotted Dove.
23 species come for the summer, 102 for the winter and 5 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including White-rumped Vulture, Common Pochard and Christmas Frigatebird.
The most species are recorded from December to March.
Get there and watch
- Indismart Hotelplace to stay · 2.7 km · 197 within 10 km
- Kolkatanearest town · 9.0 km in a straight line
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 11 km in a straight lineCar hire at CCU airport (Kolkata)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
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.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 6car parks within 3 km
- 20restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 197places to stay within 10 kmIndismart Hotel, ICAR-CAU Guest House, Novotel and 194 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- campsites within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around East Kolkata Wetlands.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmRabindra Sarobar0.2 km² · 10 km
Darkskyas2 dark-sky places within 30 kmM. P. Birla PlanetariumBortle 9 · 11 kmHowrah Planetarium and Astronomical Research CentreBortle 9 · 13 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
East Kolkata Wetlands
India
- 76Birdyas Score
- 264Species
- 130Migrants
- 4Threatened
Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary
India · 15 km
- 62Birdyas Score
- 209Species
- 77Migrants
- 1Threatened
Sundarbans Reserved Forest
Bangladesh · 124 km
- 53Birdyas Score
- 127Species
- 46Migrants
- 1Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q3348702) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 124,960 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
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.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit