India Ramsar wetland
Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary
115 bird species recorded; the most in February and in December.
Mausam Nandan · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
1 species in January.87 species in February.50 species in March.33 species in April.9 species in May.0 species in June.9 species in July.0 species in August.7 species in September.44 species in October.55 species in November.86 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
NT
NT
NTNo records for this month.
No records for this month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
115 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).
- 115Speciesrecorded more than once
- 63Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 0ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 1,177Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 8Raptors
- 1Owls
- 9Waders
- 9Ducks & geese
- 13Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 44Songbirds
- 29Other 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 115 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Greater spotted eagleAquila clanga
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Pied HarrierCircus melanoleucos
- White-eyed BuzzardButastur teesa
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Spotted OwletAthene brama
Waders9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- Ferruginous DuckAythya nyrocaNT
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
Herons, ibises & grebes13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Red-naped IbisPseudibis papillosa
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Lesser Adjutant StorkLeptoptilos javanicusNT
Songbirds44 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- Cinereous TitParus cinereus
- Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
- Indian Pied MynaGracupica contra
- Oriolus kundooOriolus kundoo
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Taiga FlycatcherFicedula albicilla
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Bank MynaAcridotheres ginginianus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- Rosy PipitAnthus roseatus
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Red AvadavatAmandava amandava
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- White-throated FantailRhipidura albicollis
- Indian SilverbillEuodice malabarica
- Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
- Chestnut-tailed StarlingSturnia malabarica
- Common IoraAegithina tiphia
- Small MinivetPericrocotus cinnamomeus
- Olive-backed PipitAnthus hodgsoni
- Ashy PriniaPrinia socialis
- Bronzed DrongoDicrurus aeneus
- Striated GrassbirdMegalurus palustris
- Dicrurus leucophaeusDicrurus leucophaeus
Other birds29 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Indian grey hornbillOcyceros birostris
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Yellow-footed Green-pigeonTreron phoenicopterus
- Black-rumped FlamebackDinopium benghalense
- Brown-headed BarbetPsilopogon zeylanicus
- CootFulica atra
- Cuculus variusCuculus varius
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- Ortygornis pondicerianusOrtygornis pondicerianus
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Plum-headed ParakeetPsittacula cyanocephala
- 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 in February and in December.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan23°/8°10 mm
- Feb28°/12°12 mm
- Mar35°/18°12 mm
- Apr40°/24°23 mm
- May41°/27°62 mm
- Jun38°/29°158 mm
- Jul33°/27°286 mm
- Aug32°/26°210 mm
- Sep31°/25°194 mm
- Oct30°/21°56 mm
- Nov28°/15°2 mm
- Dec24°/10°2 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary.
Asia's largest freshwater oxbow lake
Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.
115 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,177 open records.
The most recorded are the Asian Open-bill Stork, the Common Myna and the White-breasted Kingfisher.
11 species come for the summer, 49 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
The most species are recorded in February and in December.
Get there and watch
- Bakhrinearest town · 12 km in a straight line
- Darbhanga Airport (DBR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 69 km in a straight lineCar hire at KTM airport (Kathmandu)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.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary
India
- 54Birdyas Score
- 115Species
- 63Migrants
- 0Threatened
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve
Nepal · 144 km
- 92Birdyas Score
- 425Species
- 255Migrants
- 10Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q6365748) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 1,177 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 |
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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