India bird sanctuary
Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary
105 bird species recorded; the most in January.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
88 species in January.58 species in February.46 species in March.34 species in April.0 species in May.14 species in June.15 species in July.9 species in August.7 species in September.46 species in October.10 species in November.41 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.
NT
NT
NT
No records for this month.
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
105 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).
- 105Speciesrecorded more than once
- 44Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 0ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 1,169Recordsopen records within 4 km
- 58 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 9Raptors
- 1Owls
- 7Waders
- 2Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 15Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 31Songbirds
- 27Other 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 105 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Egyptian vultureNeophron percnopterus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted OwletAthene brama
Waders7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Indian Thick-kneeBurhinus indicus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
Gulls & seabirds2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Little TernSternula albifrons
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Anas poecilorhynchaAnas poecilorhyncha
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-naped IbisPseudibis papillosa
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Grey PelicanPelecanus philippensisNT
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
- Yellow-billed BabblerTurdoides affinis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Bay-backed ShrikeLanius vittatus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Indian RobinSaxicoloides fulicatus
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- Blyth’s PipitAnthus godlewskii
- Indian SilverbillEuodice malabarica
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Lanius schachLanius schach
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- Jungle PriniaPrinia sylvatica
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix griseus
- Purple-rumped SunbirdLeptocoma zeylonica
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisi
- Ashy PriniaPrinia socialis
- Brahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarum
- Loten's SunbirdCinnyris lotenius
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
Other birds27 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Ortygornis pondicerianusOrtygornis pondicerianus
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Red Collared DoveStreptopelia tranquebarica
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Laughing DoveSpilopelia senegalensis
- CootFulica atra
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Pterocles exustusPterocles exustus
- Rhopodytes viridirostrisRhopodytes viridirostris
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Rain QuailCoturnix coromandelica
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Little SwiftApus affinis
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan29°/19°13 mm
- Feb32°/20°16 mm
- Mar34°/22°42 mm
- Apr34°/24°90 mm
- May31°/24°136 mm
- Jun29°/23°136 mm
- Jul28°/22°110 mm
- Aug29°/22°85 mm
- Sep29°/22°137 mm
- Oct29°/22°246 mm
- Nov28°/21°220 mm
- Dec27°/20°61 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary.
Protected area in Tamil Nadu, India
Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in India.
105 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,169 open records.
The most recorded are the Common Myna, the House Crow and the Black Drongo.
7 species come for the summer, 33 for the winter and 4 only pass through.
The most species are recorded in January.
Get there and watch
- Mūlaikkaraippattinearest town · 4.0 km in a straight line
- Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 93 km in a straight lineCar hire at COK airport (Kochi)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
- 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.
Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary
India
- 48Birdyas Score
- 105Species
- 44Migrants
- 0Threatened
Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary
India · 115 km
- 51Birdyas Score
- 104Species
- 59Migrants
- 0Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2253195) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 1,169 open bird records within 4 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 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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