Birding at Kanha: 300+ Species Across Four Habitats
Kanha tiger safaris run twice daily — a morning drive from around sunrise for four to five hours, and an afternoon drive from around 15:00 until sunset. Entry is by permit in a registered jeep with a Forest Department guide, through Khatia, Mukki or Sarhi gates. Core-zone permits are limited by zone and vehicle and should be booked several weeks ahead for peak months. Courtyard House arranges permits, zones and naturalists in-house.
SPECIES BY HABITAT
Kanha abounds in forest birds besides some species of grassland and wetland habitats. A large part of bird watching takes place during the tiger safaris in the open jeeps in the tourism area. Birding in Kanha periphery adds to the list as it takes place in a diverse habitats.
Known more for its magnificent tigers, Kanha is one of the finest birding destinations in India. Forest birds abound at Courtyard House, the neighboring fields, wetlands and forests offer a diverse habitat. Birding treks along with our bird guide yields stunning avian all around.
Bird Migration
Including migrants there are more than two hundred fifty species at Kanha National Park. Forest and grassland birds are found in plentiful.
The habitat in the core zone comprises of grasslands, pure Sal, bamboo and mixed forest zones. Small rivulets and wetlands abound in the critical tiger habitat. Trekking is not allowed inside the park hence bird watching takes place on open jeeps on safari.
Our birding guide will escort you to the best birding spots especially in the mixed forest zones. He is solely dedicated to you to make your expedition a big success.
BIRDING FROM THE HOUSE
Some of jewels of Kanha are red jungle fowl, painted francolin, black naped monarch, Asian paradise flycatcher, Malabar pied hornbill, common gray hornbill, red avadavat, crested hawk eagle, serpent eagle, honey buzzard, grey headed fishing eagle, osprey, Pallas's fishing eagle, Indian pitta, white rumped shama, gold mantled chloropsis, Tickell's blue flycatcher, Jerdon's leaf bird, plum headed parakeet, Alexandrine Parakeet, brown fish owl, tawny eagle owl, mottled wood owl, barred jungle owlet, Indian scops owl, spotted owlet, bar winged flycatcher shrike, pied bush chat, common stone chat, small minivet, scarlet minivet, black rumped flameback, white naped woodpecker, yellow crowned woodpecker, Hume's warbler, sulphur bellied warbler, greenish warbler, rain quail, common bush quail, ashy prinia, common tailor bird, plain prinia and many more.
Family: Phasianidae
Black Francolin, Painted Francolin, Grey Francolin, Common Rock Quail, Rain Quail, Blue-breasted Quail, Jungle Bush Quail, Red Spurfowl, Painted Spurfowl, Red Junglefowl, Indian Peafowl
Family: Dendrocygndiae
Lesser Whistling Teal
Family: Megalaimidae
Brown Headed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet,
Family: Anatidae
Greylag Goose, Brahminy Duck, Nakta, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Common Pochard, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, Tufted Duck, Northern Shoveler, Pintail, Blue Winged Teal, Common Teal
Family: Turnicidae
Small Buttonquail, Yellow Legged Buttonquail, Barred Buttonquail
Family: Picidae
Brown Capped Pygmy ,Woodpecker Yellow Crowned Woodpecker, Rufous Woodpecker, Black Rumped Flameback, White Naped Woodpecker
Family: Bucerotidae
Indian Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill
Family: Upupidae
Common Hoopoe
Family: Coraciidae
Indian Roller
Family: Alcedinidae
Common Kingfisher
Family: Centropodidae
Greater Coucal
Family: Halcyonidae
Stork Billed Kingfisher, White Throated Kingfisher, Black Capped Kingfisher
Family: Cerylidae
Pied Kingfisher
Family: Apodidae
House Swift
Family: Hemiprocnidae
Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Little Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater
Family: Cuculidae
Pied Cuckoo, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Indian Cuckoo, Eurasian Cuckoo, Banded Bay Cuckoo, Grey Bellied Cuckoo, Asian Koel, Sirkeer Malkoha
Family: Psittacidae
Alexandrine Parakeet, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Plum Headed Parakeet
Family: Meropidae
Crested Treeswift
Family: Tytonidae
Barn Owl
Family: Strigidae
Collared Scops Owl Rock Eagle Owl Brown Fish Owl Mottled Wood Owl Jungle Owlet Spotted OwletBrown Hawk OwlShort-eared Owl
Family: Caprimulgidae
Grey Nightjar, Indian Nightjar, Savanna Nightja.
Family: Gruidae
Crested Treeswift
Family: Gruidae
Sarus Crane
Family: Rallidae
Slaty-breasted Rail, Brown Crake, White Breasted Waterhen, Baillon's Crake, Common Moorhen, Purple Moorhen
Family: Scolopacidae
Common Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper
Family: Rostratulidae
Painted-snipe
Family: Jacanidae
Pheasant Tailed Jacana, Bronze-winged Jacana
Family: Burhinidae
Eurasian Thickknee
Family: Laridae
River Tern
Family: Charadriidae
Black Winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wattled Lapwing, Red Wattled Lapwing
Family: Accipitridae
Osprey, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Black Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, White Rumped Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, King Vulture, Crested Serpent Eagle, Eurasian Marsh Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Pied Harrier, Shikra, White Eyed Buzzard, Bonelli's Eagle, Booted Eagle, Crested Hawk Eagle
Family: Falconidae
Common Kestrel, Laggar Falcon, Peregrine Falcon
Family: Podicipedidae
Little Grebe
Family: Anhingidae
Darter Bird
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Little Cormorant, Indian Shag Great Cormorant
Family: Ardeidae
,Little Egret Grey Heron Purple Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Striated Heron, Black Crowned Night Heron
Family: Threskiornithidae
Black Headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Black Ibis
Family: Ciconiidae
Painted Stork Asian Openbill, StorkBlack, Stork W Ciconia, nigraWoolly Necked StorkLesser Adjutant,
Family: Pittidae
Indian Pitta
Family: Irenidae
Blue Winged, Leafbird Golden Fronted Leafbird
Family: Laniidae
Painted Stork, Asian Openbill Stork, Black Stork, Woolly Necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant
Family: Pittidae
Brown Shrike, Bay-backed Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike
Family: Corvidae
Rufous Treepie, House Crow, Large-billed Crow, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Black Headed Oriole, Large Cuckooshrike, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Small Minivet, Scarlet Minivet, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, White-throated Fantail, White-browed Fantail, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, White-bellied Drongo, Spangled Drongo, Greater Racket Tailed Drongo, Black Naped Monarch, Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Common Iora, Common Woodshrike
Family: Muscicapidae
Blue-capped Rock Thrush, Orange-headed Ground Thrush, Tickell's Thrush, Eurasian Blackbird, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Red-throated Flycatcher, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Bluethroat, Oriental Magpie Robin, Shama, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Pied Bushchat, Grey Bushchat
Family: Sturnidae
Chestnut-tailed Starling, Brahminy Myna, Asian Pied Starling, Common Myna, Bank Myna, Jungle Myna
Family: Sittidae
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Family: Paridae
Great Tit Black-lored Tit
Family: Hirundinidae
Dusky Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Streak-throated Swallow, House Martin
Family: Pycnonotidae
Red-vented Bulbul
Family: Cisticolidae
Zitting Cisticola, Grey-breasted Prinia, Jungle Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Plain Prinia
Family: Zosteropidae
Oriental White-eye
Family: Sylviidae
Common Tailorbird, Common Chiffchaff, Hume's Warbler, Tickell's Leaf Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Tawny Babbler, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Lesser Whitethroat
Family: Alaudidae
Indian Bushlark, Ashy-crowned Finch Lark, Rufous Tailed Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Oriental Skylark
Family: Nectariniidae
Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flowerpecker, Purple Sunbird
Family:Passeridae
House Sparrow, Chestnut Shouldered Petronia, White Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Richard's Pipit, Paddyfield Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Blyth's Pipit, Olive-backed Pipit, Tree Pipit, Baya Weaver, Red Avadavat, Indian Silver Bill, Green Avadavat, White Backed Munia, Scaly Breasted Munia, Black Headed Munia
Family: Fringillidae
Common Rosefinch, Crested Bunting, Black Headed Bunting, Red Headed Bunting, Grey Capped Bunting