In this article I will cover some of the top bird sanctuaries of the State of Karnataka, India. Also covered are the highlights of the place, best season & time to visit, how to get there, boating/trekking details where available, list birds you can expect to see there , entry/camera fees, of course all of the accommodations nearby and lot more. (These highlights are covered in our App – WildTrails of India – iOS is available, android is on the way, web booking is also available soon).

In the ensuing articles, I will be covering the other Southern sates of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana & Goa before I move onto Central, West, East, North and North Eastern Parts of India.

[In the mean time, if I have overlooked any bird sanctuary of Karnataka, India, please do drop me an email to [email protected] – Thanks!!]

• Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is situated at 4 Kms. from Srirangapatna and 19 Kms. from Mysore. The Bird Sanctuary is named after Sri Ranganatha Swamy, an incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu. It is an island on the river Cauvery and it is spread on an area of 40 acres. The Sanctuary includes six islands and was declared a bird sanctuary in 1940. This is an important nesting and breeding ground for the thousands of bird species. It witnesses the arrival of a large number of migratory birds of different flocks from as far as Siberia, North America and Australia. The migratory birds start arriving in December and the breeding season starts during the winter months and they finally migrate back with their nestlings in August. The islands host numerous mammals and migratory birds. Ranger-guided boat tours of the islands are available throughout the day, and are a good way to watch birds, crocodiles, otters and bats.

• Attiveri Bird Sanctuary

Attiveri Bird Sanctuary is a village in the Mundgod taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies 15 km from Mundgod and 43 km from Hubli-Dharwad. Spread over an area of about 2.23 km2, the sanctuary is located in and around the Attiveri reservoir. The part of the sanctuary surrounding the reservoir has riverine and deciduous forests.

• Bankapura Peacock Sanctuary

Karnataka has two peacock sanctuaries, one at Adichunchanagiri and an other at Bankapura fort. Bankapur Peacock sanctuary is in side the Bankapura Fort in Bankapura in Haveri District. The peacock sanctuary in Bankapur[2] is the only second sanctuary in the country that is exclusively engaged in the conservation and breeding of peacocks. Understanding the great presence of peacocks in the region, the Government of India declared Bankapura as a peacock sanctuary on June 9, 2006. Any visitor to this sanctuary will not return without seeing a flock of peacock, our national bird, happily dancing in the sprawling sanctuary, without a care in the world. This sanctuary is situated on 139 acres of land which has the remains of the historic Bankapura Fort. The high mound and deep trenches of the land have provided a perfect home for these birds. The sanctuary is located on the cattle breeding farm which was set up in 1919 after the First World War. The farm is located in 90 acres (360,000 m2), out of the total 139 acres (0.56 km2) of the sanctuary. According to a rough estimate, there are more than 1,000 peacocks and peahen in the sanctuary. Bankpura Fort is home for not only for peafowl, but also a number of other birds like wood pecker, great-horned owl, babbler, magpie, robin, green bee eater, nightjar, spotted maina, paradise flycatcher, Indian robin, spotted dove, parakeets, kingfisher, grey hornbill, blue tailed bee eater, blacked winged kite, tailor bird etc.

• Bonal Bird Sanctuary

Bonal Bird Sanctuary sometimes spelled as Bohnal Bird Sanctuary is bird sanctuary and wetland near Bonal village in the Shorapur taluk of Yadgir district in Karnataka state, India. It is the second largest bird sanctuary in the state, after Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary in Mysore, and around 21 species of birds have been recorded here, including purple heron, white-necked stork, white ibis, black ibis, brahminy duck, and bar-headed goose. The sanctuary has its origins in the Bonal tank, a water conservation tank built by the 17th century ruler of Shorapur, Pam Naik, later during the British Raj, Meadows Taylor, the British administrator at Shorapur, extended it to 1,600 acres with 12 feet average depth, as he mentions in his autobiography, The Story of My Life. It was one of largest amongst the twelve such water tanks built in the drought prone region, and gradually started attracting migratory birds. Most of these tanks were using were also used for fishing, and numerous families were dependent on it. In 1998, heeding to calls by conservationists, the state government transferred the area to the Forest Department from the Fisheries Department. Subsequently fishing was banned the tank, but it took many more years before it was formally declared a bird sanctuary.

To get the detailed info of the place, best season & time to visit, how to get there, safari / boating/ trekking details, list of animals/birds you can expect to see there , entry/camera fees, and of course all of the accommodations nearby, please download the app:

• Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary

Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary is located in Gokak taluk of Belgaum district in Karnataka. The Sanctuary is located in an area of 29.78 square kilometres, and its boundaries enclose a stretch of about 28 km of the Ghataprabha River. The sanctuary is known for its migratory birds such as the demoiselle crane, European white stork etc. The sanctuary is surrounded by agricultural fields and the best time to visit the place is between November and March, when most of the migratory bird species nest there.

• Gudavi Bird Sanctuary

Gudavi Bird Sanctuary is located in the Sorab taluk of Sagara Subdivision in the Indian state of Karnataka. Gudavi Bird Sanctuary is located on the Banavasi Road in Gudavi of Sorab Taluk which is 16 km from Sorab town. The bird sanctuary is one of the best five of Karnataka. It is spread over an area of 0.74 square km. As per survey, 217 different species of birds belonging to 48 families are found at this place. A natural lake and the trees gives shelter to this birds. The picturesque Gudavi Lake with trees all along its banks is a beautiful sight in itself. It is a small seasonal lake and is filled with water mostly in the rainy season. Various avian species migrate from across the globe in different seasons for breeding. A platform is built for bird watchers to have a closer look at the birds.

• Magadi Bird Sanctuary

Magadi Bird Sanctuary created at the Magadi tank, it is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Karnataka. The Magadi tank is located in Magadi village of Shirhatti Taluk, Gadag District. (Please note that this is not the same magadi that is close to Bangalore) From Gadag it is 26 km, it is located on Gadag-Bangalore Road, from Shirhatti it is 8 km, and from Lakshmeshwar 11 km. The bar-headed goose[2][3] is one of the birds which migrate to Magadi wetlands. Normally birds eat fish, amphibians, molluscs, snakes etc., but migratory birds eating agricultural produce is both interesting and curious too. In the winter it feeds on barley, rice and wheat and may damage crops.

• Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary

Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is located at a distance of 30 km from Shimoga on the way to Theerthahalli from Shimoga. Though Mandagadde Bird sanctuary is not considered one of the biggest of the bird sanctuaries of Karnataka, it is a habitat for a variety of birds. Mandagadde bird sanctuary is one of the few bird sanctuaries in the Malnad region which is spread about 1.14 acres and surrounded by dense forest. This picnic spot houses some of the spectacular migratory birds. A small island is formed by the flowing river Tunga, and the dense of trees on the island provide shelter for immigrating birds. The birds like Median Egret, Little Cormonant, darter or snake-bird etc., comes from different parts of the world during May for breeding. The breeding cycle will be completed by October and the migrated birds return home with their young ones.

• Adichunchunagiri Bird Sanctuary

Perched at an altitude of 700- 1000 m above sea level, the Adichunchanagiri Sanctuary was established mainly to protect peacocks in its vicinity. Besides peacock, you can spot variety of butterflies, birds especially Yellow-throated Bulbul. Other habitats include fruit bats, mongoose, hare and bonnet macaque. It is worth paying a visit this sanctuary in Mandya district.

To get the detailed info of the place, best season & time to visit, how to get there, safari / boating/ trekking details, list of animals/birds you can expect to see there , entry/camera fees, and of course all of the accommodations nearby, please download the app :

• Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary

Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka state in India. The sanctuary covers an area of 866.41 km2 (334.52 sq mi). Along with neighboring Anshi National Park (339.87 square kilometres (83,980 acres)), the sanctuary was declared part of the Anshi Dandeli Tiger Reserve in 2006. Karnataka state government has officially notified the Dandeli Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant on 4 June 2015. The elephant reserve is spread over 2,321 sq km, including 475 sq km as core and the remaining as buffer areas. This is the second elephant reserve in Karnataka after Mysuru Elephant Reserve, which was declared in 2002. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is a birdwatchers paradise, housing nearly 200 species of Birds, most famous for the Great Hornbill (Great Indian Hornbill or Great Pied Hornbill ) and the Malabar Pied Hornbill. It is also the only known Tiger Reserve in India to report frequent sightings of the elusive Black Panther. It is also know to house the Indian Sloth Bear, the Indian Pangolin, the Giant Malabar Squirell, Dhole, the Indian Jackal and the Muntjac (Barking Deer). Sightings of the Indian Elephant and the Indian Peafowl are pretty common. The King Cobra and the Maggur (Indian Crocodile) are the prime reptilians in Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. The forests in Dandeli are a mixture of dense deciduous trees interspersed with Bamboo and Teak plantations.

Some bonus Sanctuaries along with the top ten!!

• Ramanagar Vulture Sanctuary

Karnataka’s only vulture sanctuary is present near Ramnagar at Ramadevara pada and has up to 25 critically-endangered Long-billed vultures (Gyps indicus). The 346.41 hectares of hillock area, part of a reserve forest, was declared a sanctuary on January 30, 2012 and chain-link fencing was done. The hill gets its name from the temple dedicated to Lord Rama which is situated atop this hill. The hill Ramadevara pada, along with Savandurga was one of the shooting locations for David Lean’s A Passage to India. Small door like grottoes were made in the rock to resemble caves. It was also in this region that the path-breaking Hindi movie, Sholay, was shot.

• Kaggaladu Heronry

The Kaggaladu Bird Sanctuary is the second largest painted storks sanctuary in South Asia, right after KokkareBellur. The place is a must visit for bird watchers, as the beautiful birds can be seen nesting in the region all through the peak season. The season starts in February and runs through till August. In August you can see the remaining few birds, or as the locals say, the lazy birds! Kaggaladu is a village in the Sira Taluk of Tumkur District. The storks are important to the villagers, here, and in order to preserve their natural habitat, tamrind trees are mainted for the birds to roost and nest on.

• Kokkare Bellur Pelicanry

This place is famous for its Spot Billed Pelicans and the Painted Storks that can be sighted here in vast numbers during season time. This scenic village has paddy fields, cattle, water, and lots of exotic birds. The village is in the Maddur Taluka of the Mandya district of Karnataka. Kokkare is the local name for “Painted Storks” that are very famous in this region, “Bellur” meaning village of jaggery (raw sugar from sugarcane); hence, the village has derived its name from the bird. The village thrives on the bird’s droppings, which are called “guano”, as they are rich in potassium. The villagers use these bird droppings as manure for their cultivation. Indeed, the villagers believe that the birds bring in good luck and prosperity. That is the beauty of this place  the birds love the habitat and the people love the birds! The district abounds in sugarcane fields and this village is famous for having large colonies of Spot-billed Pelicans and Painted Storks nesting in trees within the village.

• Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary

Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary is located near Kollur in Udupi district. This sanctuary is spread around 247 sq. km. This sanctuary is sharing its north-western boundary with Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary. Mookambika wildlife sanctuary is located at a distance of 125 km from Mangalore. Mookambika wildlife sanctuary is divided into a core zone (114 sq. km), buffer zone (90 sq. km) and tourism zone (43 sq. Km). This sanctuary is thick with evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests of the Western Ghats. Some of the tree species found in this region includes Dipterocarpus indicus, Calophyllum tomentosum and Hopea parviflora.A rare species of climber Coscinium fenestratum are also found here. The endangered cane turtle is also found at this sanctuary.

To get the detailed info of the place, best season & time to visit, how to get there, safari / boating/ trekking details, list of animals/birds you can expect to see there , entry/camera fees, and of course all of the accommodations nearby, please download the app:

————————————–

WildTrails of India – “One Stop Destination for all Indian Wildlife Enthusiasts“

PS: Please be a responsible wildlife tourist; No littering, No sounds, No feeding, no getting down from the safari jeep (when on safari), No phone calls. Remember that we are visiting their home and when we are there, let’s follow their rules.

[The WildTrails of India app is the best way to get all the details about Indian wildlife sanctuaries (best travel times, safari details, animal sightings, forest accommodations pairing, wildlife related activities, prices, etc). Learn more about WildTrails of India here.]

————————————–

With 4 years of Sightings data + Extensive expert tracker network in jungles, our customers had the best wildlife experiences.

Shop with WildTrails

1. Book Your Trip

2. Youtube Videos