India Ramsar wetland
Kerala backwaters
152 bird species recorded; the most in February.
Jubair meeran · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
107 species in January.124 species in February.101 species in March.85 species in April.68 species in May.68 species in June.68 species in July.76 species in August.87 species in September.79 species in October.79 species in November.94 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
152 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).
- 152Speciesrecorded more than once
- 60Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 31,398Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 7Raptors
- 6Owls
- 16Waders
- 8Gulls & seabirds
- 4Ducks & geese
- 17Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 55Songbirds
- 36Other 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 152 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela
- White-eyed BuzzardButastur teesa
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Jungle OwletGlaucidium radiatum
- Spotted OwletAthene brama
- Indian Scops OwlOtus bakkamoena
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Mottled Wood-OwlStrix ocellata
- Brown BoobookNinox scutulata
Waders16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Bronze-winged JacanaMetopidius indicus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
- Charadrius atrifronsCharadrius atrifrons
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
Gulls & seabirds8 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- River TernSterna aurantiaVU
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- Slender-billed GullChroicocephalus genei
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Ducks & geese4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- Anas poecilorhynchaAnas poecilorhyncha
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
Herons, ibises & grebes17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Grey PelicanPelecanus philippensisNT
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
Songbirds55 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Purple-rumped SunbirdLeptocoma zeylonica
- Black DrongoDicrurus macrocercus
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Rufous TreepieDendrocitta vagabunda
- Pale-billed FlowerpeckerDicaeum erythrorhynchos
- Greater Racket-tailed DrongoDicrurus paradiseus
- Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- Ashy PriniaPrinia socialis
- Loten's SunbirdCinnyris lotenius
- Jungle babblerTurdoides striata
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisi
- Oriolus kundooOriolus kundoo
- Red-whiskered BulbulPycnonotus jocosus
- White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis
- Ashy Wood SwallowArtamus fuscus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- White-rumped MuniaLonchura striata
- Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Jungle MynaAcridotheres fuscus
- Phylloscopus nitidusPhylloscopus nitidus
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- Cinereous TitParus cinereus
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Muscicapa latirostrisMuscicapa latirostris
- Dicrurus leucophaeusDicrurus leucophaeus
- Bronzed DrongoDicrurus aeneus
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- Greenish WarblerPhylloscopus trochiloides
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Indian PittaPitta brachyura
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Indian RobinSaxicoloides fulicatus
- Small MinivetPericrocotus cinnamomeus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Oriolus chinensisOriolus chinensis
- Common IoraAegithina tiphia
- Large CuckooshrikeCoracina macei
- Forest WagtailDendronanthus indicus
- Streaked WeaverPloceus manyar
- Jerdon's LeafbirdChloropsis jerdoni
- Malabar StarlingSturnia blythii
- Orange-headed ThrushGeokichla citrina
- Golden-fronted LeafbirdChloropsis aurifrons
Other birds36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- White-cheeked BarbetPsilopogon viridis
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- Black-rumped FlamebackDinopium benghalense
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Rufous WoodpeckerMicropternus brachyurus
- Cuculus variusCuculus varius
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- Malabar flamebackChrysocolaptes socialis
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- WatercockGallicrex cinerea
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Plum-headed ParakeetPsittacula cyanocephala
- Black-capped KingfisherHalcyon pileataVU
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Indian SwiftletAerodramus unicolor
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- CootFulica atra
- Chestnut-headed Bee-eaterMerops leschenaulti
- Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
- Grey-fronted Green-pigeonTreron affinis
- Brown-capped Pygmy WoodpeckerYungipicus nanus
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.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan32°/23°13 mm
- Feb33°/24°27 mm
- Mar33°/26°54 mm
- Apr32°/26°129 mm
- May30°/26°284 mm
- Jun28°/26°494 mm
- Jul27°/25°439 mm
- Aug27°/24°350 mm
- Sep28°/25°293 mm
- Oct28°/25°358 mm
- Nov29°/24°174 mm
- Dec30°/24°38 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Kerala backwaters.
Water Bodies and Lagoons of Kerala, a southern state of India.
Kerala backwaters is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in India.
152 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 31,398 open records.
The most recorded are the Brahminy Kite, the House Crow and the Common Myna.
17 species come for the summer, 40 for the winter and 3 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including Black-capped Kingfisher and River Tern.
The most species are recorded in February.
Get there and watch
- NEW STAR FC GROUNDcampsite · 4.9 km · 5 within 10 km
- എരിവും പുളിയൂംplace to stay · 4.8 km · 140 within 10 km
- Arukuttinearest town · 1.1 km in a straight line
- Cochin International Airport (COK)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 32 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
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 3car parks within 3 km
- 3restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 5campsites within 10 kmNEW STAR FC GROUND, THOSKANA COLONY, MADAVANA M N COLONY and 2 more
- 140places to stay within 10 kmഎരിവും പുളിയൂം, New Aswathy - Hotel Nirmalyam, Malabar Hotel and 137 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 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 Kerala backwaters.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas1 mountains within 25 kmKodasseri Kūmban · 19 km
Islandyasthe islandPerumbalam
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.
Kerala backwaters
India
- 60Birdyas Score
- 152Species
- 60Migrants
- 2Threatened
Thrissur-Ponnani Kole Wetlands
India · 77 km
- 78Birdyas Score
- 263Species
- 121Migrants
- 5Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q666519) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 31,398 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 | Peakyas, Islandyas |
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
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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 
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