Chitwan is one of the richest areas of Nepal in terms of biodiversity. The area is home to the Chitwan National Park, Nepal’s oldest conservation area, and a designated UNESCO natural heritage site. While elephants, crocodiles, and rhinos receive a lot of attention from visitors, many people going there do not get to experience the bird life.
But the world of birds is equally fascinating. The birds come not only in different colours, but also in different shapes and sizes.
There is much of interest for birders throughout the year in the various habitats. Among the numerous forest birds are Blue Peafowl and Kalij Pheasant, Brown Fish-Owl and Brown Hawk-Owl, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Great Hornbill and various pigeons, woodpeckers and passeines.
The grasslands also support a wide range of species such as Pallid Harrier and Pied Harrier, Eastern Grass Owl, Bengal Florican and Striped Buttonquail, Barred Buttonquail and Yellow-legged Buttonquail as well as passerines including White-tailed Stonechat, Large Warbler and Bristled Grass-Warbler and various babblers.
Around lakes and beside rivers it is possible to see Black-necked Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Painted Stork, Asian Open-bill Stork and Lesser Adjutant Stork, Cinnamon Bittern, Bar-headed Goose, Lesser Whistling-Duck and Cotton Pygmy-Goose, Greater Painted Snipe and kingfishers including Stork-billed Kingfisher and Deep-blue Kingfisher.
Raptors at Chitwan include Black Baza, vultures, kites, Grey-headed Fish Eagle and Lesser Fishing-Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle and Booted Eagle and Collared Falconet.
