Assam's Kaziranga calls enthusiasts for closer view from unique birding hides

Guwahati: Assam's Kaziranga National Park (KNP) is not all about its prized one-horned rhinos, tigers and other animals. The park is one of the biggest homes of birds, both domestic and migratory, with the latest census counting over 1.12 lakh water birds making it an attraction for the bird lovers, too.

The 1,300-skm park on Monday added a new attraction for birders looking for a closer view of its avian inhabitants without disturbing them.

As part of its efforts to attract more birders, Kaziranga on Monday said it installed birding hides over machans at several locations in its Panbari reserve forest.

"The specialized birding hides over machans provides visitors with unobtrusive viewing opportunities that allow for a closer look at the avian inhabitants in their natural habitat. These strategically placed hides will enhance the birdwatching experience, enabling enthusiasts to capture stunning photographs and witness the beauty of these birds without disturbing them," KNP director Sonali Ghosh said, on Monday.

The birding machans, Ghosh said will allow tourists experience of a hill forest, myriad species of butterflies, hoolock gibbon and arboreal mammals. The initiative has been taken as part of efforts to promote the concept of responsible tourism.

Panbari, which was once a sanctuary for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, remained closed since 2009, briefly reopened in 2022 but was later closed again. The forest was re-opened with revamped infrastructure.

With 2,613 (2022 census), Kaziranga is the biggest home for the one-horned rhinos and its tourism campaign remained focussed on its Big Five: rhinos, Asian elephants, Royal Bengal tigers, wild water buffalo and samp deer. But the park is gradually projecting its rich bird population and river safari to provide new experiences to the visitors.

The park on Monday said Panbari is a rich spot for tourists with nearly 300 species of birds, including the Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella), Great Indian hornbill (Buceros bicornis), Jerdon’s baza (Aviceda jerdoni), Black baza (Aviceda leuphotes), Pied falconet (Microhierax melanoleucos), Ruby-cheeked sunbird (Chalcoparia singalensis), Sultan tit (Melanochlora sultanea), White-throated bulbul (Alophoixus flaveolus), Black-naped monarch (Hypothymis azurea), Blue-naped pitta (Hydrornis nipalensis), alongside over 400 species of butterflies.

"The visitors can also see mammals like the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Capped langur (Presbytis pileatus), Eastern Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys), Assam macaque (Macaca assamensis), Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Common leopard (Panthera pardus), Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), Large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha), Small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), and many more."

The latest bird census conducted in Kaziranga in January found 1,12,062 water and wetland-dependent birds of 124 species, which was just behind Kolleru lake of Andhra Pradesh (over six lakh) and Gujarat's Nal Sarovar (3.62 lakh).