Flight Path

The top 10 Indian birding destinations to swoop in on this winter

- Bijoy Venugopal

Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand

With over 580 recorded species, Corbett is treasured for its rich birdlife and vast diversity of habitats from forests to riverine grasslands. There are many well-known trails, including the Dhikala grasslands and the Ramganga riverbed. Target species include the rare Ibisbill, Himalayan Rubythroat and Wallcreeper.

Winter is coming. For birders, that's not a Game of Thrones reference but a call to make travel plans as the migration season brings avian visitors to the subcontinent. Birders, for the uninitiated, are serious enthusiasts who make life lists and keep count of the species they see, while birdwatchers are mostly just casual observers. Birders may stretch their enthusiasm to great lengths, often making transcontinental air-hops to see their 'target species'. This kind of trophy-hunting, derisively called twitching, is not loved by climate activists. That said, as birding gains popularity, so have the destinations that birders seek out. This limited list of the top birding destinations in India is one that will most certainly ruffle some feathers.

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh

Eaglenest is a small community-managed protected area in the northeast Indian state's Kameng Elephant Reserve. It shot to fame in 1995 with the discovery of a new bird species, the Bugun Liocichla, named after the Bugun community that inhabits the region. With great variations in altitude and vegetation, this dense forest landscape hosts over 450 bird species, including the Ward's Trogon, Sclater's Monal and the Rufous-necked Hornbill.

Hemis National Park, Ladakh