As per the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), there are 1210 Bird species and 72 Bird Sanctuaries in India. Bird Sanctuary is place where bird species are protected and conserved. Hunting and any other activities that lead to habitat destruction are prohibited in bird sanctuaries. All bird Sanctuaries in India are owned by the Government of India. The Ramsar Covention Wetlands Conservation and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 help the protection and conservation of different bird species.
Bird Sanctuaries is part of Environment and General awareness topics and questions related to them are asked in many competitive examinations including the UPSC IAS Exam. Off late, we have Bird Sanctuaries in the News about their destruction, and also effect of tourism on the Bird Sanctuaries and the consequent problems. In this article, we shall see some of the important bird sanctuaries in India, and also a list of State birds of India.
Bird Sanctuaries in India
List of Bird Sanctuaries in India |
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| Sr No | Bird Sanctuary Name | State | Remarks |
| 1. | Kolleru Bird Sanctuary | Andhra Pradesh | Largest habitat of Pelicans |
| 2. | Manjira Bird Sanctuary | Andhra Pradesh | |
| 3. | Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary | Andhra Pradesh | First Bird Sanctuary of India |
| 4. | Rollapadu Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary | Andhra Pradesh | |
| 5. | Sri Lankamalleshwara Wildlife Sanctuary | Andhra Pradesh | |
| 6. | Bordoibam- Bilmukh Bird Sanctuary | Assam | |
| 7. | Pani- Dihing Bird Sanctuary | Assam | |
| 8. | Bareli Jheel Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary | Bihar | |
| 9. | Kusheshwar Asthan Bird Sanctuary | Bihar | |
| 10. | Saraiya Man Bird Sanctuary | Bihar | |
| 11. | City Bird Sanctuary | Chandigarh | |
| 12. | Okhla Bird Sanctuary | Delhi | |
| 13. | Chorao Island (Dr.Salim Ali ) WLS (Bird) | Goa | |
| 14. | Khijadia Lake and Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | |
| 15. | Kutch Desert WLS (includes Flamingo City) | Gujarat | |
| 16. | Naliya Grassland (Lala Bustard WLS) | Gujarat | |
| 17. | Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | Largest Bird Sanctuary in India |
| 18. | Porbandar Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | |
| 19. | Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary | Gujarat | |
| 20. | Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary | Haryana | |
| 21. | Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary | Haryana | |
| 22. | Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary | Himachal Pradesh | |
| 23. | Kais Wildlife Sanctuary | Himachal Pradesh | |
| 24. | Pong Dam Lake WLS (declared as a Bird Sanc. In 1983) | Himachal Pradesh | |
| 25. | Udhuwa Lake Bird Sanctuary | Jharkhand | |
| 26. | Adichanchunagiri Wildlife Sanctuary | Karnataka | Peacock sanctuary |
| 27. | Bankapur Peacock Conservation Reserve (Bird) | Karnataka | Peacock sanctuary |
| 28. | Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary | Karnataka | |
| 29. | Gudavi Bird Sanctuary | Karnataka | |
| 30. | Kokkare Bellur Community Reserve (Bird) | Karnataka | |
| 31. | Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary | Karnataka | |
| 32. | Chulannur Peafowl WLS | Kerala | |
| 33. | Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary | Kerala | |
| 34. | Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary | Kerala | |
| 35. | Mangalvanam Bird WLS | Kerala | |
| 36. | Thattekad or Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary | Kerala | |
| 37. | Pitti Wildlife Sanctuary (Bird) | Lakshadweep | |
| 38. | Ghatigaon Bustard Sanctuary | Madhya Pradesh | |
| 39. | Karera Bustard Sanctuary | Madhya Pradesh | |
| 40. | Sailana Kharmor (Lesser Florican) sanctuary | Madhya Pradesh | |
| 41. | Sardarpur Kharmor (Lesser Florican) sanctuary | Madhya Pradesh | |
| 42. | Jaikwadi Bird Sanctuary | Maharashtra | |
| 43. | Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary | Maharashtra | |
| 44. | Karnala Bird Sanctuary | Maharashtra | |
| 45. | Mayani Bird Sanctuary | Maharashtra | |
| 46. | Naigaon Mayur WLS | Maharashtra | |
| 47. | Nandur Madhmeshwar Bird Sanctuary | Maharashtra | |
| 48. | Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan sanctuary | Nagaland | |
| 49. | Nalabana Bird Sanctuary | Orissa | |
| 50. | Harike Lake Bird Sanctuary | Punjab | |
| 51. | Desert National Park | Rajasthan | |
| 52. | Keoladeo / Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary | Rajasthan | |
| 53. | Kitam WLS (Bird) | Sikkim | |
| 54. | Ariyakulam Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 55. | Chitrangudi and Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 56. | Koonthangulam Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 57. | Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 58. | Thiruppudai- Maruthur Conservation Reserve (Bird) | Tamil Nadu | |
| 59. | Vaduvoor Lake Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 60. | Vedanthangal and Karikili Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 61. | Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary | Tamil Nadu | |
| 62. | Bakhira Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 63. | Nawabganj Priyadarshini Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 64. | Patna Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 65. | Saman Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 66. | Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 67. | Sandi WLS (declared as a Bird Sanc. In 1990) | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 68. | Sur Sarovar WLS (declared as a Bird Sanc. In 1991) | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 69. | Asan Barage Wetland CR (Bird) | Uttarakhand | |
| 70. | Jhilmi Jheel CR(Bird) | Uttarakhand | |
| 71. | Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary | West Bengal | |
| 72. | Kulik Bird Sanctuary | West Bengal | |
Important Facts and FAQs on Bird Sanctuaries in India
Largest bird sanctuary in India
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Gujarat is the Biggest Bird Sanctuary in India with an area of 120 Sq km.
First Bird sanctuary in india
Nelapattu Bird Santuary in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh is the first Bird Sanctuary in India that was established in 1976. It is one of the largest habitats for pelicans in Southeast Asia.
Vulture sanctuary in India
Ramadevara Betta Vulture Sanctuary is located in Karnataka. It is located in the Ramanagara hills, which are close to the city of Bengaluru. This sanctuary is home to two Critically Endangered Culture species – 1) Long-billed Vulture and 2) White-caked Vulture.
Peacock sanctuary in india
Bankapura Peacock Conservation Centre inside the Bankapur Fort in Karnataka, and Adichunchanagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in karnataka.
List of State Birds of India
| Sr No | State /Union Territory | Common name |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Indian Roller |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Great Pied Hornbill |
| 3 | Assam | White-winged Duck |
| 4 | Bihar | Indian Roller |
| 5 | Chattisgarh | Common Hill-myna |
| 6 | Delhi | House Sparrow |
| 7 | Goa | Flame-throated Bulbul |
| 8 | Gujarat | Greater Flamingo |
| 9 | Haryana | Black Francolin |
| 10 | Himachal Pradesh | Western Tragopan |
| 11 | Jammu & Kashmir | Black-necked Crane |
| 12 | Jharkhand | Asian Koel |
| 13 | Karnataka | Indian Roller |
| 14 | Kerala | Great Pied Hornbill |
| 15 | Madhya Pradesh | Asian paradise flycatcher |
| 16 | Maharashtra | Yellow-footed Green-pigeon |
| 17 | Manipur | Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant |
| 18 | Meghalaya | Common Hill-myna |
| 19 | Mizoram | Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant |
| 20 | Nagaland | Blyth’s Tragopan |
| 21 | Odisha | Indian Roller or Blue Jay |
| 22 | Punjab | Northern Goshawk |
| 23 | Rajasthan | Great Indian Bustard |
| 24 | Sikkim | Blood Pheasant |
| 25 | Tamil Nadu | Emerald Dove |
| 26 | Telangana | Indian Roller |
| 27 | Tripura | Green Imperial-pigeon |
| 28 | Uttar Pradesh | Sarus Crane |
| 29 | Uttrakhand | Himalayan Monal |
| 30 | West Bengal | White-throated Kingfisher |
| 31 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Andaman Woodpigeon |
| 32 | Chandigarh | Indian Grey Hornbill |
| 33 | Lakshwadeep | Brown Noddy |
| 34 | Puducherry | Asian Koel |