Bharatpur Wetlands · Walls · Living Heritage
A Painted Stork feeding her chicks in a treetop nest at Keoladeo

Bird species

When the cranes arrive.

A month-by-month seasonality grid for the headline species of the Bharatpur wetlands.

Calendar

The seasonality grid.

Migration peak is November to February. Resident species — Sarus Crane, Oriental Darter, the kingfishers — keep the trails busy year-round. Hover or tap a row to see the species detail.

Species JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Nov Present in Dec
Sarus Crane Antigone antigone Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Common Crane Grus grus Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Siberian Crane Leucogeranus leucogeranus Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Dec
Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Northern Pintail Anas acuta Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Nov Present in Dec
Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri Present in Jan Present in Feb Present in Mar Present in Apr Present in May Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep Present in Oct Present in Nov Present in Dec
Black Bittern Ixobrychus flavicollis Present in Jun Present in Jul Present in Aug Present in Sep

Field guide

Species detail.

Headphones up where you see "Listen" — the four species with permissive Xeno-canto recordings have their calls embedded.

Painted Stork in flight at Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala

Pink-tertials, yellow-bill, downcurved at the tip. Keoladeo's Block L heronry holds north India's largest colony — roughly 2,500 nests built in Acacia trees, peaking September–October.

common August–December

Listen on Xeno-canto Halyn Betchkal · Sultanpur NP, Haryana · CC0 / Public Domain · Xeno-canto XC1087478

Photo: Giles Laurent / Wikimedia Commons

Great White Pelican head close-up showing the curved bill and pouch

Great White Pelican

Pelecanus onocrotalus

Migratory; arrives in flocks. Spectacular synchronised cooperative fishing in the deeper pools of the central marsh — birds form a horseshoe and drive fish into shallows.

common November–February

Photo: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons

A Sarus Crane at Keoladeo — the world's tallest flying bird

Sarus Crane

Antigone antigone

World's tallest flying bird (~1.8 m). Resident and pair-bonded for life. Locally venerated as a marriage symbol; population paradoxically growing in India while declining elsewhere.

uncommon January–December

Photo: Giles Laurent / Wikimedia Commons

Demoiselle Cranes wintering in Rajasthan after their trans-Himalayan migration

Demoiselle Crane

Grus virgo

Smaller, more elegant crane. Crosses the Himalayas at brutal altitudes from Mongolia. Called koonj or kurjaa in Indian poetry — the symbol of lovers' separation.

uncommon November–March

Listen on Xeno-canto Sudipto Roy · Tal Chapar, Rajasthan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Xeno-canto XC156368

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

A Common Crane in winter plumage with the red crown patch

Common Crane

Grus grus

Grey crane with red crown patch; trumpets in flight. Recent satellite-tracking from Keoladeo confirmed migration routes to SW Siberian breeding grounds — the park as a Central Asian Flyway anchor.

uncommon November–March

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

An adult Siberian Crane photographed at Poyang Lake, China — the eastern-flyway population, the only one still surviving

Siberian Crane

Leucogeranus leucogeranus

Critically endangered. Until the early 2000s, Keoladeo was the sole known wintering site in India for the western flyway population. The 2024 UNESCO State of Conservation report confirmed that population is now extinct. The park's habitat is still maintained for a possible return.

rare December–February

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Black-necked Stork in India — a 1.3 m glossy-black-necked wader, near-threatened

Black-necked Stork

Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

Massive 1.3 m glossy-black-necked stork with iridescent green-blue head and red legs. Solitary or paired; the 'stately one' of Indian wetlands. A reliable Keoladeo sighting in winter.

rare January–December

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Eurasian Spoonbill walking through shallow water at an Indian wetland

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

Tall white wader with the unmistakable spatulate bill, sweeping it side-to-side in shallow water. Breeds in Keoladeo's heronry alongside Painted Storks — a remarkable mixed-species colony.

common January–December

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Bar-headed Goose in India — distinctive twin black bars on a white head

Bar-headed Goose

Anser indicus

The world's highest-flying migrant, crossing the Himalayas at >7,000 m on the journey from Mongolia and Tibet. Distinctive twin black bars on a white head. Flocks of 1,000+ regular at Keoladeo in December.

common October–March

Photo: Tisha Mukherjee / Wikimedia Commons

Male Northern Pintail in winter plumage with the long pin-shaped tail feathers

Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

Slender elegant dabbling duck; the drake's chocolate-brown head and white neck-stripe make him unmistakable. Flocks of thousands at Keoladeo in winter; the long pin-shaped central tail feathers give the name.

common November–March

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Male Ferruginous Duck — compact rust-coloured diving duck with a white eye

Ferruginous Duck

Aythya nyroca

Compact rust-coloured diving duck with a distinctive white eye in males. Globally near-threatened; Keoladeo is one of north India's most reliable wintering sites for the species.

uncommon November–March

Photo: Tisha Mukherjee / Wikimedia Commons

Pied Avocet — striking black-and-white wader with an upturned bill

Pied Avocet

Recurvirostra avosetta

Striking black-and-white wader with the unique upturned bill swept side-to-side through shallow water. Long blue legs. One of Keoladeo's most photographed waders.

common November–March

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Black-tailed Godwit in non-breeding plumage probing for invertebrates

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

Tall slender wader with a long straight bill; orange-rust breast in spring plumage as it stages for departure. Probes deep mud for invertebrates; flocks fly in tight V-formations.

uncommon October–April

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Oriental Darter drying its wings on a perch at Keoladeo

Oriental Darter

Anhinga melanogaster

Snake-bird. Swims with only the long neck visible above water; perches with wings spread to dry. Common around all major water bodies in the park.

common January–December

Photo: DC10DD / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

White-throated Kingfisher perched on a branch at Keoladeo

White-throated Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

Chestnut body, electric-turquoise wings, white throat, big red bill. Hunts not just fish but lizards, frogs and large insects from Keoladeo's Acacia perches.

common January–December

Listen on Xeno-canto Jairam Vijayan · Kannur, Kerala · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Xeno-canto XC742998

Photo: Giles Laurent / Wikimedia Commons

A Greater Spotted Eagle perched and surveying the marshes

Greater Spotted Eagle

Clanga clanga

Heavyset dark-brown raptor that perches on dead Acacia stags surveying the marshes for waterbirds. One of Keoladeo's six globally-threatened species; breeding has been recorded here.

rare November–March

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor

Indian Roller perched, showing the electric turquoise wings

Indian Roller

Coracias benghalensis

Compact crow-sized perch-and-pounce hunter; uniformly drab on the perch but explodes into electric turquoise and purple in flight. Aerial somersault courtship displays in spring are unforgettable.

common January–December

Photo: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons

Male Rose-ringed Parakeet photographed in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

Bright green parakeet with a red bill and (in males) a black-and-rose ring around the neck. Often heard before seen — flocks shriek through the canopy of the wooded park edges.

common January–December

Listen on Xeno-canto Ujjal Kishor De · Tripura · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Xeno-canto XC1043627

Photo: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons

Black Bittern in reed cover — skulking and rarely seen without patience

Black Bittern

Ixobrychus flavicollis

Skulking, secretive. Most reliably seen at Band Baretha Wildlife Reserve. Patience is the only field technique that works — watch the reeds, wait.

rare June–September

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor