Van Vihar National Park - A Rich Birding Spot

Van Vihar National Park is located on a hill adjacent to the Upper Lake. Wildlife watchers can view a variety of herbivorous and carnivorous species, in these natural surroundings. This 445 hectares park has tigers, crocodiles, bear, leopards and a wide variety of birds.

A separate area has been allocated in the park as bird's habitat that includes ponds, bushes and grasslands that attract birds. Many migratory birds arrive here during winters. Birding area of van vihar includes almost the entire area alongside the main road but prominently the bird sanctuary.

Van vihars richness in avifauna lies in the fact that in a single day about 40-50 bird species can be spotted. Right from the gate you can start seeing wagtails, hoopoes, prinias and as you enter warblers, coucals and bulbuls welcome you. As we move further, water birds start appearing as you see herons, cormorants and waterhens.

Pied kingfisher hovering above the water and Indian rollers with their fantastic courtship displays provide moments that are always cherished by the birders. A good binocular enables you to see birds on the other side of the lake or flying above. Terns can be seen covering a large area over the lake.

Click here to view Map of Van vihar

Checklist of Avian Fauna of Van vihar

	Common Name	Scientific Name	Migratory Status
1	Greater coucal	Centropus sinensis	Resident
2	Greater painted snipe	Rostratula benghalensis	Local Migratory
3	Greenish leaf warbler	Phylloscopus trochiloides	Migratory
4	Grey Francolin	Francolinus pondicerianus	Resident
5	Grey headed flycatcher	Culicicapa ceylonensis	Local Migratory
6	Grey heron	Ardea cinerea linnaeus	Resident
7	Grey hornbill	Ocyceros birostris	Resident
8	Grey wagtail	Motacilla cinerea tunstall	Migratory
9	Hoopoe	Upupa epops	Resident
10	House crow	Corvus splendens	Resident
11	House sparrow	Passer domesticus	Resident
12	House swift	Apus affinis	Resident
13	Indian bush lark	Mirafra erythropetra blyth	Resident
14	Indian cormorant	Phalacrocorax fusicollis stephens	Migratory
15	Indian Courser	Corsorius coromandelicus	Resident
16	Indian Cuckoo	Cuculus micropterus	Local Migratory
17	Indian Jungle Nightjar	Caprimulgus indicus	Resident
18	Indian robin	Saxicoloides fulicata	Resident
19	Indian roller	Coracias benghalensis	Resident
20	Indian treepie	Dendrocitta Vagabunda	Resident
21	Iora	Aegithina tiphia	Resident
22	Jungle babbler	Turdoides striatus	Resident
23	Jungle crow	Corvus macrorhyncos wagler	Resident
24	Jungle prinia	Prinia sylvatica jerdon	Resident
25	Kentish Plover	Charadrius alexandrinus	Migratory
26	Large cormorant	Phalacorax carbo	Migratory
27	Large Cuckoo Shrike	Coracina macei	Resident
28	Large egret	Cosmerodius albus	Resident
29	Large grey babbler	Turdoides malcolmi	Resident
30	Laughing dove	Streptopelia Senegalensis	Resident
31	Lesser whistling teal	Dendrocygna javanica	Local Migratory
32	Lesser white throat	Sylvia curruca	Migratory
33	Little Cormorant	Phalacrocorax Niger	Local Migratory
34	Little egret	Egretta garzeta	Resident
35	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis	Migratory
36	little green heron	Butorides Striatus	Local Migratory
37	Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius	Migratory
38	Long tailed shrike	Lanius schach linnaeus	Resident
39	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Migratory
40	Marsh harrier	Circus Aeruginosus	Migratory
41	Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis	Migratory
42	Median egret	Mesophoyx intermedia	Resident
43	Mottled wood owl	Strix ocellata	Resident
44	Night heron	Nyticorax nyticorax	Resident
45	Northern pintail	Anas acuta linnaeus	Migratory
46	Open Bill Stork	Anastomus Oscitans	Local Migratory
47	Oriental magpie robin	Copsychus saularis	Resident
48	Oriental tree pipit	Anthus hodgosoni richmond	Migratory
49	Oriental white eye	Zosterops palpebrosus	Resident
50	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Migratory
51	Paddyfield pipit	Anthus rufulus vieillot	Resident
52	Paddyfield Warbler	Acrecephalus agricola	Migratory
53	Painted stork	Mycteria leucocephala	Local Migratory
54	Pariah kite	Milvus migrans	Resident
55	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Local Migratory
56	Phesant tailed jacana	Hydrophasianus chirurgus	Resident
57	Pied bushchat	Saxicola caprata	Local Migratory
58	Pied crested cuckoo	Clamator jacobinus	Migratory
59	Pied kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	Resident
60	Plain Prinia	Prinia inornata	Resident
61	Pond heron	Ardeola grayii	Resident
62	Purple heron	Aredea purpurea linnaeus	Local Migratory
63	Purple moorhen	Porphyrio porphyrio	Resident
64	Purple sunbird	Nectarinia asiatica	Resident
65	Red breasted flycatcher	Ficedula parva	Migratory
66	Red collared dove	Streptopelia tranquebarica	Resident
67	Red crested pochard	Rhodonesa rufina	Migratory
68	Red munia	Amandava amandava	Local Migratory
69	Red vented bulbul	Pycnonotus cafer	Resident
70	Red wattled lapwing	Vanellus indicus	Resident
71	River tern	Sterna aurantia	Resident
72	Rose ringed parakeet	Psittacula krameri	Resident
73	Roufous Tailed Finch Lark	Ammomanes phoenicurus	Resident
74	Sarus crane	Grus antigone	Local Migratory
75	Shikra	Accipiter badius	Resident
76	Shoveller	Anas clypeata	Migratory
77	Silver billed munia	Lonchura malabarica	Resident
78	Small blue kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	Resident
79	Small green bee-eater	Merops orientalis	Resident
80	Small minivet	Pericrocotus cinnamomeus	Resident
81	Spot billed duck	Anas poecilorhyncha	Local Migratory
82	Spotted dove	Streptopelia chinensis	Resident
83	Spotted Munia	Lonchura puctulata	Local Migratory
84	Spotted owlet	Athene brama	Resident
85	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularia	Migratory
86	Stork billed kingfisher	Halcyon capensis	Resident
87	Streak throated swallow	Hirundo fluvicola blyth	Local Migratory
88	Temmincks Stint	Claridris temminckii	Migratory
89	Thick billed flowerpecker	Dicaeum agile	Resident
90	Tickells blue flycatcher	Cyorns tickelliae	Local Migratory
91	Verditer Flycatcher	Eumyias thalassina	Migratory
92	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybridus	Migratory
93	White Bellied Minivet	Pericrocotus erythropygius	Resident
94	White breasted kingfisher	Halcyon smrnensisy	Resident
95	White breasted waterhen	Amourornis phoenicurus	Resident
96	White browed fantail flycather	Rhipidura aureola lesson	Resident
97	White browed wagtail	Motacilla maderaspatensis gmelin	Resident
98	White Ibis	Threskiornis melanocephalus	Migratory
99	White Necked Stork	Ciconia episcopus	Local Migratory
100	White Rumped Munia	Lochura striata	Local Migratory
101	White Stork	Ciconia Ciconia	Migratory
102	White wagtail	Motacilla alba linnaeus	Migratory
103	Wigeon	Anas penelope	Migratory
104	Wire tailed swallow	Hirundo smithii leach	Resident
105	Wood sandpiper	Tringa glareola	Migratory
106	Yellow Eyed Babbler	Chrysomma sinense	Resident
107	Yellow fronted pied woodpecker	Dendrocopos mahrattensis	Resident
108	Alpine Swift	Tachymarptis melba	Local Migratory
109	Ashy crowned sparrow lark	Eremopterix risea	Resident
110	Ashy prinia	Prinia socialis	Resident
111	Asian koel	Eudynamys scolopacea	Resident
112	Asian paradise flycatcher	Terpsiphone paradisi	Resident
113	Asian pied myna	Sturnus contra linnaeus	Resident
114	Bar headed goose	Anser indicus	Migratory
115	Barn owl	Tyto alba	Resident
116	Bay backed shrike	Lanius vittatus	Resident
117	Baya weaver	Ploceus philippinus	Local Migratory
118	Black Bellied Tern	Sterna acuticauda	Migratory
119	Black drongo	Dicrurus macrocercus vieillot	Resident
120	Black Headed Cuckoo Shrike	Coracena melanopetra	Resident
121	Black Ibis	Pseudibis Papillosa	Resident
122	Black redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros	Migratory
123	Black shouldered kite	Elanus caeruleus	Resident
124	Black tailed godwit	Limosa limosa	Migratory
125	Black winged stilt	Himantopus himantopus	Resident
126	Blue cheeked beeeater	Merops persicus pallas	Migratory
127	Blue rock pigeon	Columba livia Gmelin	Resident
128	Blue rock thrush	Monticola solitarius	Migratory
129	Blue Tailed Beeater	Merops philippinus	Local Migratory
130	Bluethroat	Luscinia svecica	Migratory
131	Blyths reed Warbler	Acrocephalus dumetorum blyth	Migratory
132	Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus	Migratory
133	Booted warbler	Hippolais caligata	Migratory
134	Brahminy shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	Migratory
135	Brahminy starling	Sturnus pagodarum	Resident
136	Brainfever	Hierococcyx varius vahl	Resident
137	Bristled grass bird	Chaetornis striatus	Local Migratory
138	Bronze winged jacana	Metopidious indicus	Resident
139	Brown capped pigmy woodpecker	Dendrocopos nanus	Resident
140	Brown Headed Gull	Larus brunnicephalus	Migratory
141	Brown rock chat	Cercomela fusca	Resident
142	Cattle egret	Bubulcus ibis	Resident
143	Chestnut Bittern	Ixobrychus cinnamomeus	Local Migratory
144	Chestnut Headed Beeater	Merops leschenaulti	Local Migratory
145	Citrine wagtail	Motacilla citreola pallas	Migratory
146	Clamorous Reed Warbler	Acrocephalus stentoreus	Migratory
147	Comb duck	Sarkidiornis melanotos	Local Migratory
148	Common babbler	Turdoides caudatus	Resident
149	Common Buttonquail	Turnix suscitator	Resident
150	Common Coot	Fulica atra linnaeus	Migratory
151	Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	Migratory
152	Common Grey Quail	Coturnix coturnix	Resident
153	Common Indian Nightjar	Caprimulgus asiaticus	Resident
154	Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Resident
155	Common moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Resident
156	Common myna	Acridotheres tristis	Resident
157	Common Peafowl	Pavo cristatus	Resident
158	Common pochard	Aythya ferina	Migratory
159	Common Redshank	Tringa totanus	Migratory
160	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	Migratory
161	Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	Local Migratory
162	Common stonechat	Saxicola torquata	Migratory
163	Common Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Resident
164	Common tailorbird	Orthotomus sutorius	Resident
165	Common teal	Anas creeca linnaeus	Migratory
166	Common woodshrike	Tephrodornis pondicerianus	Resident
167	Coppersmith barbet	Megalaima haemacephala	Resident
168	Cotton Teal	Nettapus coromandelianus	Local Migratory
169	Crested Bunting	Melophus lathami	Local Migratory
170	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata	Resident
171	Crested Tree Swift	Hemiprocne coronata	Resident
172	Darter	Anhinga melanogaster	Local Migratory
173	Dusky crag martin	Hirundo concolor	Resident
174	Egyptian vulture	Neophron percnopterus	Resident
175	Eurasian collored dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Resident
176	Eurasian Curlew	Numenius arquata	Migratory
177	Eurasian Eagle Owl	Bubo bubo	Resident
178	Eurasian golden oriole	Oriolus oriolus	Resident
179	Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia	Migratory
180	Eurasian wryneck	Jynx torquilla	Migratory
181	Franklins Nightjar	Caprimulgus affinis	Resident
182	Franklins Prinia	Prinia hodgsonii	Resident
183	Gadwall	Anas strepera	Migratory
184	Garganey	Anas querquedula	Migratory
185	Glossy ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	Migratory
186	Golden backed woodpecker	Dinopium benghalense	Resident
187	Great tit	Parus major linnaeus	Resident
188	Yellow throated sparrow	Petronia xanthocollis	Local Migratory
189	Yellow wagtail	Motacilla flava linnaeus	Migratory
190	Yellow Wattled Lapwing	Vanellus malabaricus	Resident
191	Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita	Migratory
192	Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	Migratory