Last Updated on July 6, 2022 by Alpha Adventure Treks
With 886 different bird species, Nepal is gaining recognition as a paradise for bird lovers. The Spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis), a bird species found solely in Nepal, can be seen in the mid-hills of Nepal, regardless of whether one is an avid bird watcher or a practicing ornithologist. Given the variety of bird species the nation is home to; a sizable number of travelers have begun traveling to Nepal solely to observe birds. “Nepal is a birder’s paradise. Around 8% of all foreign visitors to Nepal come for the purpose of birdwatching. The protected birds of Nepal include the Himalayan Monal, Cheer Pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, Bengal and Lesser Floricans, Great Hornbill, Sarus Crane, Black Stork, and White Stork. Travelers interested in bird watching should choose Nepal. Nepal’s geographical diversity makes it a good place for a variety of bird species to live. All 12 of Nepal’s national parks, a wildlife reserve, six conservation areas, and other Ramsar sites are good places for bird watchers to visit because the country is home to close to 900 different bird species. Five of these are prime locations for bird watching:
Chitwan National Park:
In the region of the Chitwan National Park, there are 549 different kinds of birds. The oldest national park in the nation is home to several grassland species, such as the Bengal Florican, Grey-crowned Prinia Prinia cinereocapilla, and Slender-billed Babbler Turdoides longirostris. The main birding locations in Chitwan are Bisha Hazari Lake, the Narayani and Rapti rivers, and the forests around the national park. Due of its proximity to Pokhara and Kathmandu, the national capital, many bird lovers travel to Chitwan. The Royal Bengal Tiger and the critically endangered one-horned rhinoceros both call this park home. Four percent of all visitors to Chitwan National Park, according to estimates, go there to watch birds. In a given year, the national park welcomes about 200,000 visitors from both domestic and foreign countries.
Koshi Tappu:
According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Koshi Tappu, located in the eastern Tarai districts of Sunsari, Saptari, and Udayapur, is home to 441 different bird species. In the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, you can see falcated ducks, greater and smaller adjutants, and bar-headed geese. The main locations for bird watching in the reserve are the Koshi river, Nandan pond, Indian camp pond, and Kamaldaha pond. However, as a result of habitat loss, particularly after the Koshi river breached its barrier in August 2008, the number of bird species in the reserve fell. To protect birds, it is important to preserve current wetlands and create new ones.
Bardiya National Park:
The park is home to 542 bird species, some of which are endangered globally. The park, which is located in Province 5, is famous for housing Bengal Floricans, a bird species that is in grave risk of extinction. More than half of Nepal’s nearly threatened bird species reside in Bardiya. The common birds found in this protected area are the crow, myna, dove, vulture, crane, kingfisher, sparrow, parrot, eagle, pigeon, hummingbird, woodpecker, kite, cookoo, egrets, black ibis, warbler, duck, francolins, and hornbills. The primary locations for birding in the protected area are along the banks of the Karnali River, Badhaiya Lake, Satkhalauwa Lake, and the Babai River’s buffer zone.
Shuklaphanta National Park:
Shuklaphanta, a region in the Tarai of Sudurpaschim Province, is home to 450 different species of birds. This protected region is home to several critically endangered, including the Lesser Adjutant, Bengal Florican, White-rumped Vulture, Sarus Crane, and Finn’s Weaver. Every Friday, the park hosts a program where citizens and staff members participate in bird watching activities. “In this manner, the inhabitants have the opportunity to interact with the park, which is home to a wide range of species and birds. They will then become a part of a wider ecosystem where they will take action to safeguard the avian, apiary, and animal life. They’ll learn to live together,”
Birdwatching in Kathmandu Valley
Bird watching is common in the hills that surround the Kathmandu Valley, including Nagarjun, Godawari, and Taudaha. For bird lovers, the Kathmandu Valley is a great area to go bird watching. With elevations ranging from 1300 m to 2675 m, Phulchoki Hill offers more than 400 distinct species of birds, including Cutia, Spanish Babblers, various types of laughthrushes, Tesia, Long Tail Broad Bill Babblers, and other migrating Winter Birds, Warblers. In the area, it’s common to see tits, minivets, shrikes, yuhinas, fulvettas, sun birds, certain water birds, and many more bird species. During the holidays, a sizable number of people travel to these regions to see birds. By Birdlife International, this is the region that is best for bird watching in all of Nepal. The Tibetan Siskin, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, and Yellow-Throated Minivet are a few examples of the rear birds that can be spotted.
Bird Watching Tour in Nepal: FAQ’s
The Narayani and Rapti rivers, the jungles around Chitwan National Park, the Kathmandu Valley, including Pokhara, and Bisha Hazari Lake are the main locations for birding in Nepal.
Ramsar is the only wetland in Nepal that houses such an incredible variety of birds, including wetland migratory species that move according to the season, earning it the nickname “birders’ paradise.
The only species of bird that is rare to this region is the Spiny Babbler (Turdoides nipalensis) and it is also the smallest bird found in Nepal.
The largest bird found in Nepal is the Himalayan Monal. Additionally, it is Nepal’s national bird.
