Bird watching

The park region is rich in avifauna due to the variety of habitats with abundant sources of avian nourishment. Over 330 of the 1300 species of the Indian subcontinent’s birdlife can be located in the region at different seasons with monsoon and winter being special periods for tourists and nature lovers. The perfect palaces to watch birds are Padam Talav,, Rajbagh talav, Malik lake, Jhalara & Bagada inside the park. The park has one of the world’s most spectacular heronry which hosts a large number of migratory and resident birds.

There are some great birding spots outside the park and here you can walk around. In fact, some of the best birding areas are on the outskirts of the park.
For bird watchers, Ranthambhore¹s specialties are the Nightjars, Indian courser,Woodpeckers, Painted spurfowl, Indian Gray Hornbills, Indian skimmer, quails, larks, pipits,Ibis, prinias and Finches etc.

A good time to visit Ranthambore National Park is in November and May when the nature of the dry deciduous forests makes sightings common. Its deciduous forests were once a part of the magnificent jungles of Central India.

The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambore; although it is the one park resident that people come to see. A variety of birds including Owlets, the ubiquitous Langur (monkey), Leopard, Caracal, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat, marsh Crocodiles, Wild Boar, Bears and various species of Deer are the other attractions.

Ranthambore is plagued by the typical problems encountered by all game reserves in India - people living in and around the parks and grazing by livestock! Between 1976-1979, 12 villages within Ranthambore National Park were resettled outside the designated park area with only a few people now residing in scattered hamlets within the park. Of course poachers continue their activities with increasing demand from China for Tiger parts. There are no accurate figures on how many tigers and poachers kill other species, but on occasion evidence appears in the form of large numbers of skins and other body parts found on couriers. The park is well staffed and the folk who man the centres and the mandatory guides - one for every vehicle, are knowledgeable of the terrain and some even know the Latin names of most species.

The tiger is not the only attraction at Ranthambore; although it is the one park resident people come to see. We were lucky to see several varieties of birds including these owlets peering through their burrow pictured here on the right and of course the ubiquitous langur monkey. Other animals in the reserve include leopard, caracal, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, marsh crocodiles, wild boar, bears and various species of deer. The main food source for the tiger is the swamp deer like Barasinsga and on occasion the wild buffalo and also wild boar etc. If you wish to stay near the park, the facilities on offer are superb. The park gates open a half hour before sunrise and close half hour after sunset. The timings are vigorously imposed and no exceptions are made to this rule.