Keoladeo National Park

Keoladeo National Park

Earlier known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Keoladeo National Park is a prominent bird sanctuary in Bharatpur, which is home to thousands of birds, particularly in the winter season. More than 350 species of birds are known to be resident in the area. It is also an important tourist center, with dozens of ornithologists coming here for the winter season. In 1971, it was declared a sanctuary and on March 10, 1982, it was designated a national park. In addition, Keoladeo National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 due to its exceptional bird biodiversity. The reserve shields Bharatpur from common floods, supplies grazing for village livestock, and was once used primarily as a waterfowl hunting site. A mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands, swamps and wetlands, the 29 km2 reserve is locally known as Ghana. These diverse habitats support 366 species of birds, 379 species of flowers, 50 species of fish, 13 species of snake, 5 species of lizard, seven species of amphibian, seven species of tortoise and a multitude of other invertebrates. The park is an unrivaled breeding ground for herons, storks and cormorants due to its location on the Gangetic Plain, as well as an important wintering ground for a large number of migratory ducks. It is the only park in India completely surrounded by a 2m high boundary wall, minimizing the possibility of trespass and biotic disturbance, but without the possibility of a buffer zone. Keoladeo's wetlands are not natural and are dependent on the monsoon and pumped water from outside, which used to come from the "Ajan Bandh" reservoir.