Migratory Birds in Bangladesh

Bangladesh--The Home to Millions of Winter Migratory Birds

With the advent of the winter season in every year, millions of winter migratory birds of various species settle down in the warm watery marshlands, forest, and in the rivers of Bangladesh. Their flight from the far distant Siberian region is not a new event. Bangladesh with its short spanned very comfortable winter season offers an ideal hospitable environment to millions of migratory birds.

The Bangladesh winter migratory birds are mostly duck and crane types. These birds come to this country from the coldest regions of the central Asia. The nature of Bangladesh gets rejuvenated with a new look having millions of colorful and vibrating exotic birds to its lakes, rivers, marshy lands, paddy fields, and even in the local ponds.

Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Rangamati District

The Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary in Bangladesh is located in the Rangamati District in the Chittagong division. This 420.7 sq. km expanded well developed and ideal sanctuary was developed in 1983 to protect a number of extinct species of wild animals and birds. It's a wonderful natural tourist attraction to the people visiting Bangladesh of fond of watching animals and birds. Especially the winter migratory birds of various species and colors are the main attraction to the visitors to this place. During the winter months, thousands of domestic as well as international tourists come to this place to watch the migratory birds from central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

The winter migratory birds can be easily watched in the Pablakhali Wildlife Sanctuary in Bangladesh are egrets, herons, little grebe, common coot, common moorhen, waterfowl, white-winged wood duck, Asian openbill stork, pelican and many more. Besides these migratory birds the local birds of Bangladesh also the prime tourist attractions. During winter these birds make the lakes and the coast of the Bay of Bengal a great place decorated with their every chirping playful movements and vibrant colors.

The Bangladeshi birds are found abundantly are of kingfishers, herons, egrets, bitterns, storks and other water-birds. Interestingly there are 11 species of the Kingfisher birds available in Bangladesh. Throughout the year the marshy lands, rivers, ponds, and the other water bodies of the country remains the natural habitats to 650 varieties of Bangladeshi birds itself. Again, the inflow of the winter migratory adds up the number of bird’s species to more than 1000. As a result during winter Bangladesh gets a makeover with the presence of the migratory birds who are the guest to this country since many thousands years. 

Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj District 

Tanguar haor (also called Tangua haor), located in the Dharmapasha and Tahirpur subdivisions of Sunamganj District in Bangladesh, is a unique wetland ecosystem of national importance and home to varieties of fishes and birds. The area of Tanguar haor including 46 villages within the haor is about 100km² of which 2,802.36 ha² is wetland.

In 2000, the hoar basin was declared a Ramsar site - wetland of international importance. With this declaration, the Government is committed to preserve its natural resources and has taken several steps for protection of this wetland.

Every winter the haor is home to about 200 types of migratory birds. The haor is an important source of fish. In 1999-2000, the government earned 7,073,184 takas as revenue only from fisheries of the haor. There are more than 140 species of fresh water fish in the haor. The more predominant among them are: ayir, gang magur, baim, tara, gutum, gulsha, tengra, titna, garia, beti, kakia etc. The migratory bird varieties can be watched here are egrets, herons, little grebe, common coot, common moorhen, waterfowl, white-winged wood duck, Asian openbill stork, pelican and many more.

The Tanguar haor is an ideal place for the bird watcher to visit during the winter months. Almost all the varieties of migratory birds make this lake their home during the Bangladesh winter months beginning from November to February.

Durga Sagar in Barisal District

The winter migratory birds takes shelter to a place called Durga Sagar in the Barishal district. Durga Sagar is a beautiful and vast lake. It’s the most ideal place for the guest birds during the winter month. By this lake there is a beautiful natural park where the visitors may spend leisure time by watching varieties of migratory months in the lake water and the woods by bank of this lake.