The state of Kerala is located in the southern part of India, more specifically, on the Malabar Coast. National Geographic`s Traveler Magazine labeled Kerala as one of the "ten paradises of the world" in the year 2012. Kerala`s beaches, backwaters, lakes, mountains, hills, waterfalls, ancient ports, etc have lent beauty and popularity to this state. Apart from the above mentioned attractions, Kerala also has a number of bird sanctuaries. These bird sanctuaries are described below.
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary is located about 12 km from Kothamangalam. It was established in 1983. It is spread over an area of about 2,516 hectares and is an evergreen low-land forest area. This sanctuary was once praised as the richest bird habitat on peninsular India by Salim Ali, an ornithologist. This sanctuary welcomes both forest birds and water birds like cormorants, Indian cuckoo, Jerdon`s nightjar, oriental darter, collared scops owl and Ceylon frogmouth.
Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary
Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary is situated in Kozhikode district and is spread over a cluster of islands. The sanctuary hill is about 200 m above sea level. The Kadalundi River is located in the sanctuary which joins Arabian Sea at Kadalundi Nagaram. Over a hundred species of native birds and close to 60 species of migratory birds receive shelter in Kadalundi. Some of the migratory birds visiting this park are terns, gulls, herons, sandpipers, etc.
This sanctuary also serves as a home to fish, mussels, crabs and turtles. Notable flora of the sanctuary is mangrove vegetation, which provides protection to otters. Trekking, photography and boating are the fun filled activities in which tourists can engage themselves in the sanctuary.
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary is situated at the centre of the city of Kochi. This sanctuary is spread over a land of about 2.74 hectares. Some of the birds housed in the sanctuary are common redshank, common greenshank and brahminy kite. Apart from birds, mammals like Indian flying-foxes and three-striped palm squirrels, amphibians, butterflies, spiders and many types of mangroves can be noted in the sanctuary.
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located in Kumarakom in Kottayam district, on the banks of Vembanad Lake. The park occupies about 14 acres of land. Some of the local birds receiving shelter in the sanctuary are waterfowl, cuckoo, owl, egret, heron, cormorant and moorhen. This sanctuary also shelters parrot, teal, lark, flycatcher, etc during their migratory seasons. In 2008, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary was a centre of a two-day bird watching programme, which was arranged by WWF-India in relation with the World Wetlands Day.
