Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary Orissa

The Chilka lake Bird Sanctuary, Orissa is situated in Puri, a place in Orissa. Orissa is situated on the East coast of India and hence has large water bodies with a humid climate as it shares a sandy ridge with the Bay of Bengal. This climate provides the climate for the birds to migrate in the winter seasons from the north of India or any other nearest parts in the world. The Chilka Lake is the largest inland salt water lake in India. The Nalbana bird sanctuary lies in and around the premises of Chilka lake. This lake provides homage to the various bird species. The Chilka lake has a shape of a pear and has an area of around 1100 sq. km. It hosts a wide range of exotic flora and fauna.

Flora and Fauna:

Some of these bird species include white-bellied sea eagles, jacana, purple moorhen, graylag geese, herons and flamingos. The Chilka lake Bird Sanctuary, Orissa is one of the most famous breeding grounds in India for Flamingoes. This sanctuary also has the benefit of having various different species of aquatic animals due to the presence of such a big lake inside the premises of the sanctuary. Various other animals like the blackbuck, spotted deer; golden jackals and hyenas are also seen around this lake. Some of the various aquatic animals that are seen commonly here at the boundaries or in the lake are Irrawaddy Dolphin, prawns, crabs, the limbless lizard, crustaceans. Prawn, crab and mackerel fishing provide a daily living hood to the native people. The aquatic animals also include fish, which are incredibly high in number in the same lake. There are around 225 different species of fish. Some of the species that are observed commonly are Acentrogobius griseus, Alepes djedaba, Arius Arius and the Elops machnata.

Exotic places:

The tours to the Chilka lake bird sanctuary, Orissa not only provides this single sight seeing spot but, also has some other sanctuaries that are worth visiting. These include the Nalbana bird sanctuary, Parikud and Malud islands where other species of exotic birds are also seen abundantly. The Nilgiri area of this sanctuary provides various sights of elephant herds. These are more common sightings during the summer season. Some of the places that attracts the most tourists and nature lovers are Nalabana, Birds island, Kalijai, Satapada, Parikud and Malud.