Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (also known as ''Pakshi Kashi of Karnataka''), is a bird sanctuary in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka in India. It is the largest bird sanctuary in the state, in area, and comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri river. The sanctuary has been designated as a protected

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Ranganathittu is located 3 kilometers from the historic town of

Srirangapattana Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city wa ...

and north of Mysore. The sanctuary attracted about 3 lakh visitors during 2016–17.

History of the Park

Ranganathittu's islets were formed when an embankment across the Kaveri river was built between 1645 and 1648 by the then king of Mysore, Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar. These islets, originally numbering 25, soon started attracting birds. The

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Salim Ali observed that the islets formed an important nesting ground for a large variety of birds, and persuaded the king of Mysore to declare the area a protected area in 1940. The sanctuary is currently maintained by the Forest Department of Karnataka and efforts are ongoing to improve the sanctuary, including purchasing nearby private land to expand the protected area. In 2014, around 28 square km around the sanctuary was declared as an eco-sensitive zone, meaning that certain commercial activities cannot take place without the government’s permission.

Flooding

The sanctuary with its islets experience heavy flooding during certain rainy seasons when water is released from Krishna Raja Sagara dam upstream, due to heavy rains. During heavy flooding boating is suspended and tourists are allowed to watch the nesting birds from a distance. Frequent flooding has also damaged some portions of three islands over past few decades.

Natural History of the Park

Biomes

Most of the park is within a riparian area.

Flora

Riverine reed beds cover the banks of the islands, while the islands themselves are covered in broadleaf forests, with dominant species being '' Terminalia arjuna'' (Arjun tree), bamboo groves, and ''

Pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

'' trees. Eucalyptus and

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

trees have also been planted, which might lead to long-term eradication of native species. The endemic and threatened lily '' Iphigenia mysorensis'' of the family Colchicaceae also grows in the sanctuary.

Fauna

Birds

Roughly 170 bird species have been recorded. Of these, the

painted stork The painted stork (''Mycteria leucocephala'') is a large wading bird, wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Thei ...

, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, woolly-necked stork, black-headed ibis, lesser whistling duck,

Indian shag The Indian cormorant or Indian shag (''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis'') is a member of the cormorant family. It is found mainly along the inland waters of the Indian Subcontinent but extending west to Sind and east to Thailand and Cambodia. It is a ...

, stork-billed kingfisher, egret,

cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

, Oriental darter, spot-billed pelican and

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

breed at Ranganathittu regularly. The

great stone plover The great stone-curlew or great thick-knee (''Esacus recurvirostris'') is a large wader which is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh into South-east Asia. Taxonomy The great stone-curlew was ...

, and river tern also nest there, while the park is also home to a large flock of

streak-throated swallow The streak-throated swallow or the Indian cliff swallow (''Petrochelidon fluvicola'') is a passerine bird, which includes a large number of other species including many swallows. It is native of South Asia where it is a breeder, year-round resid ...

s. Ranganathittu is a popular nesting site and about 8,000 nestlings were sighted during June 2011. About 50 pelicans have made Ranganathittu their permanent home. During winter months, starting from mid-December, as many as 40,000 birds congregate at Ranganathittu, some migrating from Siberia, Latin America and parts of north India. During January and February, more than 30 species of migratory birds can be found in the sanctuary.

Other Fauna

The islands are host to numerous small mammals including bonnet macaque,

smooth coated otter The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List sinc ...

, colonies of flying fox and common small mammals such as

common palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range ...

and Indian gray mongoose. Additionally, there is a population of

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...

s. The mugger crocodile or marsh crocodile is a common inhabitant of the riverine reed beds and Ranganathittu has largest fresh water crocodile population in Karnataka state.

Activities

Ranger-guided boat tours of the isles are available throughout the day, and are a good way to watch birds, crocodiles, otters, and bats. There is no lodging within the sanctuary, so visitors typically stay over at Mysuru or Srirangapatna. The seasons for visiting the park are June–November (during the nesting season of the water birds). The best time to watch migratory birds is usually December but it can vary year to year. Salim Ali quote at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Salim Ali quote at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

The Salim Ali Interpretation Centre, maintained by Forest Department, screens a 4- minute documentary to special interest groups.

Accessibility

*Nearest Town:

Srirangapatna Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Tehsil, Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian States and territories of India, State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna, Ranganthaswamy ...

(3 km) *Nearest City: Mysuru (19 km) *Nearest Railhead: Srirangapatna *Nearest Airport: Mysore Airport (25 km) *Nearest Highway: Bangalore – Mysuru highway (2 km)

Gallery

File:Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary (6099939566).jpg, Road entrance to the sanctuary File:Ceryle rudis -Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka, India -pair-8-2c.jpg, Pied kingfishers File:Open billed Stork at the Ranganathittu bird sanctuary.jpg, Open-billed storks File:Painted Stork pair at Ranganathittu bird sanctuary.jpg, Meal partners,

s aiding each other File:Egret pair at Ranganathittu Bird Sancutary.jpg,

Snowy egret The snowy egret (''Egretta thula'') is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, , which is a diminutive of , 'heron'. The species name ''thula'' is the Araucano term for the black-necked swan, app ...

pair File:Stony Plover pair at Ranganathittu bird sanctuary.jpg, Pair of great stone-curlews File:White Ibis flock at Ranganathittu bird sanctuary.jpg, Troop of white ibises File:Crocodile Gaping.jpg,

Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...

basking File:Migrated Bird.jpg,

Cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard it ...

in breeding plumage File:River Tern Mating.jpg, River Terns mating File:River Tern Chick.JPG, River Tern chick File:Pelican Ranganathittu.jpg, Spot-billed pelican taking flight File:Spot-billed pelican, at Ranganathittu..jpg, Spot-billed pelican in flight

References

External links

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary- A Report
{{Ramsar sites in India Bird sanctuaries of Karnataka South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests Villages in Mandya district Srirangapatna Protected areas established in 1940 1940 establishments in India Ramsar sites in India