Patna Bird Sanctuary
Patna Vihar Bird Sanctuary is a protected sanctuary in the Jalesar sub division of Etah district in Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 108 hectares, and was founded in 1991. It is the smallest bird sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, with a wetland area of only 1 km2.
About 200,000 birds of 300 different species of birds frequent the sanctuary. Pied mynas, herons, cormorants and ducks and geese of all descriptions also frequent the sanctuary. Patna Sanctuary is best during the winter months as most of the birds tend to leave in March.
It takes around 1.5 hours from Agra by road. One can reach there via Aligarh (68 km) or Hathras (29 km)
More than 106 species of migratory and resident birds are known to have their resting habitats at Lake. The entire lake area gets covered by profuse growth of macrophytic vegetation of water hyacinth and Potamogeton sp. during summers. The water quality of lake supports wide range of avifauna during winter season. The important aquatic birds inhabiting lake are
- Lesser Whistling-Duck
- Graylag Goose
- Comb Duck
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Gadwall
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Indian Spot-billed Duck
- Northern Shoveler
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Common Pochard
- Ferruginous Duck
- Ferruginous Duck
- Baer's Pochard
- Tufted Duck
- Indian Peafowl
- Common Quail
- Black Francolin
- Gray Francolin
- Little Grebe
- Asian Openbill
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Black-necked Stork
- Little Cormorant
- Great Cormorant
- Purple Heron
- Cattle Egret
- Indian Pond-Heron
- Black-headed Ibis
- Red-naped Ibis
- Eurasian Spoonbill
- Black-shouldered Kite
- Egyptian Vulture
- Booted Eagle
- Bonelli's Eagle
- Shikra
- Black Kite
- Eurasian Coot
- Sarus Crane
- Black-winged Stilt
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Laughing Dove
- Greater Coucal
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Plum-headed Parakeet
- Long-tailed Shrike
- Black Drongo
- Rufous Treepie
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Bengal Bushlark
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Plain Leaf Warbler
- Ashy Prinia
- Plain Prinia
- Common Babbler
- Oriental Magpie-Robin
- Brahminy Starling
- Common Myna
- Bank Myna
- Purple Sunbird
- Indian Silverbill
- Scaly-breasted Munia
See also
References
- http://www.up-tourism.com/destination/wildlife/wildlife.htm#patna
- http://etah.nic.in/patna.htm
- http://www.harrivainolaphoto.com/patna.html