103 bird species spotted at Karnala Bird Sanctuary near Mumbai

The forest officials claimed that this was the first time a scientific bird counting with bird experts and scientists was conducted in the whole of Maharashtra

As many as 103 species of birds were spotted at the Karnala Bird Sanctuary during a winter bird count conducted over the weekend. The forest officials claimed that this was the first time a scientific bird counting with bird experts and scientists was conducted in the whole of Maharashtra.

The Karnala bird sanctuary is located along the Mumbai-Goa highway, around 10km away from Panvel city. (HT file photo)

Pradeep Chavan, range forest officer of the sanctuary said, “Through this counting, we leant existence of different species of birds like Common Hawk Cuckoo, Brown Wood Owl and Alpine Swift. We will conduct similar counting during summer, monsoon and autumn.”

The Karnala bird sanctuary is located along the Mumbai-Goa highway, around 10km away from Panvel city. According to the authorities, around 134 species of birds including many migratory ones are present in the sanctuary. Three rare birds – Ashy Minivet, three-toed kingfisher and Malabar Trogon – are spotted here.