A record 1,105,040 migratory birds belonging to 184 species have arrived in Odisha’s Nalabana island or Nalabana Bird Sanctuary this year
About the Nalabana Bird sanctuary
- Nalabana was declared a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972
- The sanctuary is located inside Chilika lake
- Nalbana was notified in 1987 and declared a bird sanctuary in 1973
- Nalabana means a weed-covered island In the Odia language. It is a major island in the center of the lake with an area of 15.53 km2
- The island gets completely submerged during the monsoon season.
- Visitors: Large flocks of greater flamingos from Iran and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat feed in the shallow waters of the lake. Other-long legged waders seen around Nalabana Island are the lesser flamingos, Goliath heron, grey herons, purple herons, egrets, spoonbills, storks and black-headed ibis.
- Many species of birds live in the sanctuary, including rare birds. Rare birds reported in the lake are Asiatic dowitchers, Dalmatian pelican, Pallas’s fish-eagles, the very rare migrant spoon-billed sandpiper and spot-billed pelican.
