New Delhi: India is home to several national parks which were established to conserve the wildlife in the country. These wildlife sanctuaries protect the flora and fauna of a region and maintain ecological balance. Among the famous national parks in India, the Keoladeo National Park stands apart as a biodiversity hotspot. The place was a duck-hunting reserve of the kings. Today, it is a favourite sport for numerous aquatic migratory birds from Afghanistan, China, Siberia and Turkmenistan, who go there in winter. In this article, we will learn more about this important national park in India.
Keoladeo National Park: A hub of birds
Keoladeo National Park is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan and it is 2 km south-east of Bharatpur and 50 km west of Agra. It has a flat patchwork of marshes in the Gangetic plain intertwined by sluices, dykes and canals. Twice every year, water goes into the marshes from the Banganga and Gambira rivers’ inundations. The area is dominated by alluvial soil and some clay has formed due to the periodic inundations.
When was the national park formed?
The Keoladeo National Park was previously known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and since the 1850s, the place was a private duck hunting reserve for the kings of the royal states of India. In 1971, the park was declared a protected sanctuary and on March 10, 1982, the national park was established. On March 13, 1976, it became a bird sanctuary and a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention in October 1981. In 1985, the park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The population of birds in the national park
Keoladeo National Park is an important wintering ground for Palaearctic migratory waterfowl and is famous for its huge population of non-migratory resident breeding birds. Around 375 bird species and a diverse array of other life forms have been found there.
Thanks to the park’s location in the middle of the Central Asian migratory flyway and the presence of water, a huge population of geese, ducks, pelicans, coots, and waders go there in the winter. It was known as the home to the critically endangered Siberian Crane and other threatened species like the Imperial Eagle and the Greater Spotted Eagle also go there in winter. During the breeding season, 15 species of herons, ibis, cormorants, spoonbills and storks form the heronry in the region where more than 20,000 birds nest.
Apart from the birds, at least 20 fish and 70 reptiles and amphibians are found there. Among the 50 mammalian species that live in the national park are rhesus macaque, Hanuman langur, chital deer, sambar, blackbuck, Indian porcupine, small Indian mongoose, Indian grey mongoose, fishing cat and jungle cat. Also one can find small Indian civets, Asian palm civets, golden jackals, Bengal foxes, smooth-coated otters and striped hyenas.
The Keoladeo National Park was previously known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and since the 1850s, the place was a private duck hunting reserve for the kings of the royal states of India. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
