INDIA

From colorful Black-rumped Flamebacks and beautiful laughingthrushes to large Oriental Pied-Hornbills and bugling Sarus Cranes, every region offers its own specialties. There are two distinct itineraries to cover most of the best birding in India. The first focuses on hotspots to the northeast and south of the capital, New Delhi. The second visits the southwest of the country and the Western Ghats mountains, the entire route running south from Bangalore.

India's northern reaches, which we cover on our Northern India: Birds, Tiger & the Taj Mahal itinerary, are famous among birders for four destinations. Ranthambore is renowned for its Tigers (of which a sighting is a priority on our tour) and home to a great array of bird species, from Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Indian Vulture, and Alexandrine and Plum-headed parakeets to Large Cuckooshrike, Rufous Treepie, and Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, while nearby we can find Painted Sandgrouse, Dalmatian Pelicans, and the striking Great Thick-knee.

At Bharatpur, waterfowl and other waterbirds are abundant (Bar-headed Geese, Indian Spot-billed Duck, and Black-necked Stork among them) while the woodlands hold Indian Gray Hornbill, Coppersmith and Brown-headed barbets, Brahminy Starling, and perhaps several species of day-roosting owls.

Corbett adds to the bird list with Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Red Junglefowl, Brown Fish-Owl, Plumbeous and White-capped redstarts, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, and more, while en route to the former hill station of Nainital we hope to encounter Ibisibill and Wallcreeper.

Around Nainital itself, distant views of the magnificent Himalaya will distract us from a great variety of woodland species ranging from Greater Yellownape, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush, and Gray-winged Blackbird to Buff-barred Warbler, Small Niltava, Himalayan Bluetail, Black-throated Tit, and White-tailed Nuthatch.

Our visit to northern India also features important cultural and sightseeing stops at the magnificent Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri.

Birding on our Southern India: Western Ghats Endemics itinerary takes us to a series of national parks (Nagarhole, Bandipur, Mudumalai, Eravikulam) and other important sites. At famous Nagarhole, endemic Malabar Parakeets and White-cheeked Barbets occur alongside Indian Elephants and Gaur. In the Nilgiri and Anamalai mountains, we'll search out Malabar Barbet and White-bellied Treepie as we enjoy the beauty of Malabar Trogon, Gray Junglefowl, and Crimson-backed Sunbird.

In the forests at Thattekad, we'll seek Brown Boobook, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, and other nightbirds. Along the coast, "the Backwaters" have wetlands with numerous waterbirds, from Lesser Whistling-Duck and Bronze-winged Jacana to Yellow Bittern and Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

India north or south offers fabulous birding and is a feast for the senses!

Photo credit: Our thanks to participant Lois Wood for the lovely image of Brahminy Starlings at the top of this page.

We offer many other ASIA birding tours, too!