bird-sanctuary-ranganathittu-blogger-kolkata-blogspot-com

Ibises at Ranganathittu Bird sanctuary

Introduction of Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is situated at a distance of 19 km from Mysore city and from the city of Bangalore it is about 128 km away . It is at a distance of just 5km from the Srirangapatna. Lying beautifully on the banks of River Cauvery, this sanctuary is the home to some of the most exquisite birds.Total ares of this sanctuary is 67 sq. km,
This sanctuary is named after the Hindu God Sri Ranganatha Swamy, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. A small dam across the Cauvery River led to the formation of Ranganathittu. While visiting this area, world renowned ornithologist Doctor Salim Ali noticed a wide variety of birds here and convinced the then Mysore maharaja that Ranganathittu was declared as a protected area.Comprising of six small islands, this place was declared as a bird sanctuary in the year of 1940.

Birds of Ranganthittu

This sanctuary is now a paradise of bird watchers as well as nature lovers. It houses a wide variety of avian fauna. Different species of migratory birds come here from places like Siberia, Australia and North America. Some of the birds that are found here are Spoon bills, white ibis, Little Egret, Asian open-billed stork, Painted stork, Snake bird, Darter, Peafowl, River tern, Pond Heron, Wild Duck, Little cormorant, Large cormorant, Heron, Great stone plover, Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, the lesser whistling teal, Indian cliff swallow, Great Stone Plover, River Tern, Streak-throated Swallows and many more.
Migratory birds lay eggs on the islets of the river. The birds arrive here at the beginning of December, breeds here and leave with their offspring in August.
A variety of mammals and reptiles can also be spotted like marsh crocodile, palm civet, common mongoose, flying fox, , common otter, bonnet macaque.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit the sanctuary is between the months of June and November as these are nesting month for the birds.

How to go

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is easily accessible via road. As it is only 19 km away from Mysore, you can either hire a taxi to the sanctuary or travel by buses. There are regular government buses as well as private buses that run between Mysore and Srirangapatna. In Srirangapatna you can hire an auto-rickshaw and reach the bird sanctuary. One can go travel via train till the Srirangapatna railway station. From Bangalore city, it is at a distance of about 129 km.