India Ramsar wetland
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary
149 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
141 species in January.112 species in February.88 species in March.58 species in April.30 species in May.0 species in June.5 species in July.0 species in August.21 species in September.62 species in October.91 species in November.102 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
VU
NT
VU
NT
NTNT
NT
VU
VUNT
No records for this month.
NTNo records for this month.
VUNT
NTVU
VUNT
VU
VU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
149 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).
- 149Speciesrecorded more than once
- 96Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 7,999Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 12Raptors
- 33Waders
- 11Gulls & seabirds
- 19Ducks & geese
- 15Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 2Flamingos
- 35Songbirds
- 19Other 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 149 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Pallas’s fish eagleHaliaeetus leucoryphus
- Pied HarrierCircus melanoleucos
- Eastern Marsh-harrierCircus spilonotus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Waders33 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Little PratincoleGlareola lactea
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
- Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Asian DowitcherLimnodromus semipalmatusNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
- Grey-headed LapwingVanellus cinereus
Gulls & seabirds11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- River TernSterna aurantiaVU
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
Ducks & geese19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Bar-headed GooseAnser indicus
- GadwallMareca strepera
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Anas poecilorhynchaAnas poecilorhyncha
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Falcated DuckMareca falcata
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Grey PelicanPelecanus philippensisNT
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Black-necked StorkEphippiorhynchus asiaticus
Flamingos2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
- Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorNT
Songbirds35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Oriental SkylarkAlauda gulgula
- Wire-tailed SwallowHirundo smithii
- Indian Pied MynaGracupica contra
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Streak-throated SwallowPetrochelidon fluvicola
- Jungle MynaAcridotheres fuscus
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix griseus
Other birds19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- CootFulica atra
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
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.
- Jan26°/18°10 mm
- Feb30°/20°16 mm
- Mar33°/24°22 mm
- Apr36°/26°39 mm
- May35°/28°100 mm
- Jun32°/28°194 mm
- Jul30°/26°305 mm
- Aug30°/26°300 mm
- Sep30°/26°267 mm
- Oct29°/25°186 mm
- Nov27°/21°36 mm
- Dec26°/18°14 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary.
Bird sanctuary, core area of the Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika Lake
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.
149 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 7,999 open records.
The most recorded are the Brahminy Kite, the Little Cormorant and the Whiskered Tern.
5 species come for the summer, 86 for the winter and 5 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including River Tern, Common Pochard and Curlew Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded in January.
Get there and watch
- Hawa Mahalplace to stay · 11 km · 1 within 10 km
- Bālugānnearest town · 10 km in a straight line
- Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 82 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
- 1places to stay within 10 kmHawa Mahal
- 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
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Nalbana Bird Sanctuary.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary
India
- 72Birdyas Score
- 149Species
- 96Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q15650265) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 7,999 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 |
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.
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Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
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Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
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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