India Ramsar wetland
Chilika Lake
157 bird species recorded; the most in January.
Krupasindhu Muduli · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
139 species in January.113 species in February.87 species in March.58 species in April.30 species in May.0 species in June.5 species in July.0 species in August.19 species in September.47 species in October.78 species in November.103 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
VU
VU
VU
NT
VU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
157 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).
- 157Speciesrecorded more than once
- 91Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 7,823Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 12Raptors
- 1Owls
- 34Waders
- 12Gulls & seabirds
- 19Ducks & geese
- 15Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 2Flamingos
- 36Songbirds
- 23Other 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 157 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
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted OwletAthene brama
Waders34 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
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Little PratincoleGlareola lactea
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
- 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
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
Gulls & seabirds12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- River TernSterna aurantiaVU
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black-bellied TernSterna acuticauda
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
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Falcated DuckMareca falcata
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
Herons, ibises & grebes15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- 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
Songbirds36 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
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Indian Pied MynaGracupica contra
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Streak-throated SwallowPetrochelidon fluvicola
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
- Jungle MynaAcridotheres fuscus
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- White-browed BulbulPycnonotus luteolus
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Australasian PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
- Rufous-winged LarkMirafra assamica
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- White-bellied DrongoDicrurus caerulescens
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
Other birds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- CootFulica atra
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- Brown-headed BarbetPsilopogon zeylanicus
- Black-rumped FlamebackDinopium benghalense
- Cuculus variusCuculus varius
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.
- Jan25°/21°12 mm
- Feb27°/23°16 mm
- Mar30°/26°23 mm
- Apr31°/27°47 mm
- May31°/29°113 mm
- Jun31°/29°204 mm
- Jul30°/28°324 mm
- Aug29°/28°319 mm
- Sep29°/28°274 mm
- Oct29°/27°193 mm
- Nov27°/24°36 mm
- Dec25°/22°16 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Chilika Lake.
Lagoon in India
Chilika Lake is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.
157 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 7,823 open records.
The most recorded are the Brahminy Kite, the Little Cormorant and the Whiskered Tern.
5 species come for the summer, 82 for the winter and 4 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
- Bālugānnearest town · 11 km in a straight line
- Biju Patnaik International Airport (BBI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 79 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
- 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.
In our other atlases
Around Chilika Lake.
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.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Chilika Lake
India
- 70Birdyas Score
- 157Species
- 91Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2047322) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 7,823 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?
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
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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
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