Out of the 8650 species of birds in the world, India is home to as many as 1250 (14%), out of which 141 are endemic to this region. Furthermore, out of the 27 Orders and 155 Families that bird life has been classified into, India has 20 Orders and 77 families. The Blue Peafowl, also known as the Blue Peacock, is the national bird of India.
Bird Sanctuaries and National Parks, are the best places for bird watching, mainly because these areas are isolated from human activities, and because some of the sanctuaries are established exactly because there already was a rich bird life to protect. Among the many bird watching sites in India, Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, is probably the most famous. Spread over an area of 30 sq km of marshy swamp, dense forests, woodland and shallow lakes, the sanctuary offers habitat to both nesting indigenous birds as well as migratory water birds. An amazing number of more than 330 species of birds have been spotted and identified in the sanctuary, among these the Siberian Crane, the finest and rarest of migratory birds.
The Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, on the banks of River Periyar, is a dense monsoon forest located near Cochin in Kerala. It is considered to be one of the most important bird sanctuaries in Kerala and home to nearly 350 species of birds. A boat cruise from Boothathenkeru to Thattekad is an unforgettable bird watching experience through the evergreen forests nesting migratory and indigenous birds. Another important bird watching site in Kerala is the Kamarakom Bird Sanctuary near Kottayam.
Corbett National Park, for some maybe better known for its tigers, is also noted for bird watching. Considered to be one of the best bird watching sites in the world, the park is home to some 600 species of birds. This number exceeds the total number of bird species found in Europe and is about one fourth of the diversity found in India. Corbett National Park spreads over a total area of 520 sq km, and among the species you can see at the river banks of Ramganga or along the streams are the Great Crested Grebe, White-Fronted and Graylag Geese, Bear-headed Geese and a variety of Ducks.
There are many other bird sanctuaries in India, almost in every state you would go to. So there are lots of bird watching opportunities. From the beginning of October and through winter is the right time to watch birds, as thousands of birds migrate to India for a comfortable stay.
