India and south-east Asia form the greater part of one of the world’s six zoogeographical regions. India is home to as many as 1200 (roughly 14%), out of which 141 are endemic to this region. The bird life has been classified into 27 Orders and 155 Families. India has 20 Orders and 77 Families. The reason for this richness of species is the climate, the diversity of vegetation and wide altitudinal range, which extends from sea level to the Himalayas. Chirping noises are the noises that we love to hear because of its sweetness and the shrill sound that it makes. Watching birds keenly and gaining knowledge on their habitats can be as interesting as watching some animal in the open wilderness. The bird families of the Oriental Region include Pheasants, Leafbirds, Pittas and Flowerpeckers. In the Indian sub-region, south of the Himalayas, the birds in many cases show close relationships with the African birds. Himalayan birds show much closer affinities with those of the Indo-Chinese sub-region.

Some of the birds families which occur throughout the world’s tropics include Pelicans, Ibises, Trogons, Barbets, Parrots and Cuckoos, while the birds of prey, owls, crows and the shorebirds have a world-wide distribution. Many of India’s most characteristic birds are in families which only occur in the Old World tropics, such as Hornbills, Sunbirds, Bulbuls, Babblers, Cuckoo, Shrikes, while the Leafbirds or Fruitsuckers are confined to the Oriental Region. Families in which India is especially rich are the forest species which include Woodpeckers, Pigeons, Owls, Cuckoos, Pheasants, Drongos, Crows, Minivets, Babblers, Flycathers and Warblers. In some families such as Babblers and Finches there are many more breeding species in the Himalayas than in the Indian sub-region. Many of the world’s most impressive members of the Pheasant family come from the Himalayas, and the Peacock has been known from India since the Phoenicians brought them to the Pharaohs of Egypt. The birds of prey are well represented and often commonly seen around Delhi, especially in winter. The spectacular flocks of both breeding and wintering water-birds are one of the special attractions of India’s jheels, and apart from the vast numbers of ducks and geese, cranes and wading birds which migrate south to India to seek their winter quarter, the numbers of smaller birds such as Thrushes, Flycathers, breeders, which are often closely related to typical resident species.

History of Birds
The history about the birds can be had from the great epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Ramayana begins with King Dashrath of Ayodhya shooting down a Sarus crane. Its mate curses him of eternal separation from his loved ones and thus unfolds the 2000-year-old epic. It helps us to analyze the birds in ancient India, as most crane species are known to pair for life.

Distribution of Birds in India
In the same way as birds living in one locality can be grouped by habitat, so on a country-wide scale is their distribution affected by climatic conditions and the physical geography of the land, which together determine the vegetation, and give each region its own characteristic appearance. In the Himalayas, the bird-life is primarily Indo-Chinese in its affinities, although this is less marked in the west. The southern boundary follows the 1000 km contour. North-West India includes the arid areas of the Punjab, Rajasthan and Kutch. It has many species which are common to the desert and sub-desert areas further west. As the northern area extends to the 1000 km contour it includes the forested zones along the Himalayan foothills, the dun and bhabar, and the swampy terai bordering the plain. Peninsular India or the Deccan, within which the next zone occurs, although in terms of bird-life it is well-differentiated. The humid hills of Kerala and parts of Mysore and Madras are of particular interest, as they form a refuge for a number of species which also occur in North-East India and Burma. The term Western Ghats is used for the whole western flanks of the peninsular. North-East India includes all the forest regions of Meghalaya. Mizoram and Nagaland, and the valley of the Brahmaputra. In the central and western parts the bird-life resembles that in
North, but in the hills to the north and east the bird-life is mainly Indo-Chinese in Character.

Planning Your Birding Tour
The best time for birding in India is from October to April. The duration of your tour can be as long as you like but we would suggest a one to two week Bird Watching tour itinerary in India to fully appreciate and enjoy the birding experience in India. We have given the number of days required at each birding place and we have also worked out a few itineraries. These can be tailored to suit your requirements.

Useful Tips while Birding in India
Some feel frustrated not spotting a bird for long. But like, there are rules to every game, there are rules to this game also. Some of the useful trips to be kept while birding in India are as follows:

1. Be sure you have a decent pair of binoculars and have adjusted and practiced using them.

2. Always locate a bird first with your naked eye. The field of view through binoculars is much narrower, making it harder to search.

3. Consider colors a bonus. Except under the best of conditions, it is hard to see feather colors accurately. Light reflection and shadows often distort, dull, or exaggerate colors. Consider other factors first. If conditions are good, consider color a bonus. Of course, there are species for which accurate color determination is essential for accurate identification.

4. Size is helpful, but conditions can be misleading. A bird soaring overhead or flying by may seem much larger or smaller than reality. A reference object is helpful - a tree, fence post, telephone pole, etc.

5. Observe the shape or profile of the bird. A long-bill, long legs, or tufted head immediately eliminates many possibilities.

6. Habitat is always a useful consideration. In the midst of a coniferous forest you expect to see a different set of birds (avifauna) than you would on an ocean shore or in a city park.

7. Note the behavior. Wading in shallow water, climbing a tree trunk, swimming, diving through the air, emerging from a mud nest, or sitting on a fence post, all narrow the choices down considerably.

8. Songs and calls are excellent identification mechanisms and sometimes the only way to identify a bird because some species can only be distinguished in the field by their calls; and it is not uncommon to hear birds but not be able to find them. This takes a lot more practice than learning visual characters. I find it easiest to learn songs and calls if I am able to watch the bird singing or calling.

9. Use a good field guide as they identify characteristics (field marks) most helpful to identification.

10. Go out in the field with those folks who know the birds.

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