Home > Indian History > Flora & Fauna > Nalbana Bird Sanctuary
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary
Nalbana Bird Sanctuary is one of the most prominent tourist attraction spots in Odisha.

Share this Article:

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary, OdishaNalbana Bird Sanctuary is located in Odisha. The prime attraction of this wildlife sanctuary is its location. This wildlife sanctuary is located in the middle of Chilka Lake.

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary is the protected area and this area is the home of local birds and migratory birds.

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary covers the area of 15.53 square kilometres. This wildlife sanctuary is named as "Nalbana" as the word "Nalbana" is derived from Oriya dialect "Nalbana" which means weed covered island. This island is named as the Nalbana Island. Nalbana Bird Sanctuary was notified as the protected area in the year 1987 and declared a bird sanctuary in 1973 under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The island of Nalbana Bird Sanctuary gets completely submerged during the monsoon season. As the monsoon recedes in the winter and summer days, Lake of Nalbana Bird Sanctuary levels decrease and the island is gradually exposed.

The migratory and resident birds then flock to the island in large numbers to feed. During 2007, nearly 840,000 birds visited the lake, out of which 198,000 were spotted at Nalbana Island. On Jan 5, 2008, a bird census involving 85 wildlife officials counted 900,000 birds of which 450,000 were sighted in Nalabana. The recent removal of persistent fresh water weeds from Chilka Lake is stated to be a causative factor for the higher numbers of birds.

Nalbana Bird Sanctuary also attracts flocks of flamingos from Iran and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The flamingos feed in the shallow waters of the lagoon. Other long legged waders seen around Nalbana Island are the Lesser Flamingos, Grey herons, and Purple herons, Egrets, Spoonbills, Storks and White Ibis. Nalbana Bird Sanctuary is also the winter house of gregarious flocks of Brahminy Ducks, as well as Shovellers, Pintails, Gadwall, Teals, Pochards, Geese and Coots, are also seen. The raptors include the white-bellied sea eagle, osprey and peregrine falcon are also found in this wildlife sanctuary.

The threatened birds are reported in the Nalbana Bird Sanctuary. Some of the endangered species are the rare migrant Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asiatic Dowitchers also called the Snipebellied Godwit and the Goliath Heron are guests in winter months.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Flora & Fauna


Flora Of Uttarakhand
Uttaranchal falls under the west Himalayan Biogeography zone and it is well-known for floral diversity .
Flora and Fauna of Ladakh
Flora and Fauna is typical to t he kind of mountainous terrain which dominate the entire landscape of the region. Though some varieties of fauna are to be found here, the vegetation is very limited due to the dry and cold climate.
Flora and fauna in Tripura
Two-thirds of Tripura is forested where different species of trees, orchids, birds and wildlife are found. There are four sanctuaries in the state namely, Rowa wildlife sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary, Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti wildlife sanctuary.
Flora and Fauna in Meghalaya
70 percent of Meghalaya is forested. Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.
Flora and Fauna of Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is rich in flora and fauna. Flora includes thorn bush type of the arid plain to the temperate and alpine flora of the higher altitudes. Faunal species found here are leopard, cheetah and deer, wild sheep, bear, brown musk shrew, muskrat; varieties of snakes, bats, lizards etc.
Flora and fauna in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Economy of this region is primly based on agriculture. In Andaman island, paddy is the main food crop, while in Nicoabar island coconut and areca nut are the main crops. Some field crops like pulses, oilseeds and vegetables are also grown here.
Flora And Fauna Of Uttar Pradesh
Flora and Fauna of Uttar Pradesh is widely diversified and adds pride to the state.
Flora and fauna of Kerala
Flora and Fauna of Kerala are diverse. The favourable climate with heavy rainfall and good quality of the soils helps both the flora and fauna to thrive. Forest covers a large area in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Flora and fauna of Karnataka
Flora and fauna of Karnataka are diverse and comprise of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, etc. Flora of Karnataka comprises of species like eucalyptus, teak and rosewood. Fauna of Karnataka comprises of species like leopard, gaur and wild pig.
Flora and Fauna of Rajasthan
The flora and fauna of Rajasthan supports all kinds of animal species and forests. The diverse flora and fauna of Rajasthan has made it a popular tourist destination.
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh includes infinite species and is a subject of great interests for the botanists.
Flora and Fauna of Manipur
Flora and fauna of Manipur are known to be the assemblage of a huge variety including the endangered ones. The place is especially famed for orchid species which includes the most vibrant and beautiful ones of the world.