Quite a handful of national parks have been built in the northern region of Indian subcontinent. Amongst them, Keoladeo Ghana National Park is significant. The park is popularly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Through out the world it is popular for its fauna, and also for the wild mammalian species that are seen in every hook and nook of the park as well.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park is situated in the dry region of Rajasthan, covering an area of 28.73 square kilometers. It is indeed a storehouse of bird species, which has brought the fame and prestige. It has been horned with the status of World Heritage Site. It is in fact one of the five natural history sites in India to receive this honor. The story of the formation of Keoladeo Ghana National Park is quite interesting. Like many protected and reserved parks in India today, it was once upon a time the hunting preserve of the royal family. The Maharaja used to reside nearby and initiated the mammoth task of making the place suitable for the wild habitats. Thus, at the end of nineteenth century, the dry rural grounds went a face-lift. . The cyclic heavy rainfall caused huge damage due to water logging; however due to the efforts of Maharaja, an irrigational canal was built nearby for holding water and soon the ecological balance could be restored. Flow of Extra rainwater also were diverted to the existing water bodies the region turned out to be a peaceful repository of wild fauna. The real intention of the king was to make it the premium hunting preserve of aquatic birds in the whole of North Indian region. Within the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a plaque has been found near the Keoladeo Temple. It throws a record of the total number of wildlife species that are found in the park over the years. The highest figure is of 4,273 birds in November 1938, which was later killed by the people of Viceroy Lord Linlithgow of the then period. Much later, the park got recognition due to the sincere initiatives of the famous ornithologist Salim All. In the year 1956, it was acknowledged as a sanctuary. Still the park continued to be a property of the regal families. It continued with Maharaja Brijendra Singh retaining the hunting rights till the year 1972. It gained the status of national park in that very year. Then the region is an abode of more than three hundred and fifty species of birds and amongst them 125 is locally bred in the park. The breeding season starts from middle of Jul and lasts till the beginning of October.

In winter Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a refuge for waterfowl and raptors. Over 30 species are found here. These include buzzards, eagles, hawks, falcons and harriers, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Jackal, Striped Hyena, Small Indian Civet, Common Palm Civet, Common Mongoose, Sambar, Spotted Deer (Chital), Nilgai (Blue Bull), and Blackbuck. Wild Boar, Indian Porcupine, Smooth Indian Otter , also assemble here. Few endangered species too find safe refuge with in the paring area. Small numbers of the rare endangered Siberian Crane are seen here. They are only few in numbers and they are mostly seen during the summer days.

Low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water, in combination with arid tracts in some areas, Keoladeo Ghana National Park is abounded by a large number of mammalian species. Numerous reptiles such as pythons, freshwater turtles, Flap-shell Turtle, common monitor, rock python, are seen near the water bodies. An interesting thing happened few years back only. In 2001, a lonely tigress was seen and her presence creates a hulla -bulla as the park is not linked to any tiger habitat as such.

Any tourist could find it common that various aquatic animals gather in the muddy areas of river and water bodies. These include Common Crane, Black-necked Stork, Painted Stork, Asian Openbill, Woolly-necked Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Darter, Great Cormorant, Great White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Purple Swamphen, Wacercock, Bar-headed Geese, and Greylag Geese etc.

The summer time is ideal for the tourists to visit the park. There are few adventurer lovers who want to enjoy the mystery of the national park in the off-season comprising of chilly winters. The life in Keoladeo Ghana National Park is in its full glory, thus providing ample scope for the visitors go gaga.