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Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary തട്ടേക്കാട് പക്ഷി സങ്കേതം | |
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Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary | |
Location | Kothamangalam taluka, Ernakulam district, Kerala state, India |
Nearest city | Kochi (Cochin) |
Coordinates | 10°08′N 76°41′E / 10.13°N 76.68°E |
Area | 25.16sq.km. |
Established | 1983 |
The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 km2, and located about 12 km from Kothamangalam ( Kerala state, India), was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. Salim Ali, one of the best known ornithologists, described this sanctuary as the richest bird habitat on peninsular India. [1] [2] Thattekkad literally means flat forest, and the region is a deciduous but generally moist low-land forest surrounding the Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala.
The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary has a rich and varied birdlife. [2] Several species of birds, both forest birds as well as water birds, visit the sanctuaries; notable ones include the following:
The Indian pitta, which visits the sanctuary during winter and spends almost six months here.
The sanctuary is a habitat for different varieties of cuckoos and a region of the sanctuary popularly called "Cuckoo Paradise" is home to them, among which are the:
The Idamalayar forest is located about 15 km from Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary. There is a large evergreen forest to the east and south-east of the Idamalayar Dam, extending from Malakkappara to as far as Rajamala. The mountain hawk eagles are found in this forest. Other birds in this forest include dark-fronted babbler, brown-cheeked fulvetta, brown-backed and white-rumped needletails, and emerald green pigeons.