Okhla Bird Sanctuary UPSC

/ Environment / Bird Sanctuary
  • The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is located in Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India.
  • It is situated at the Okhla Barrage over Yamuna River near Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border.
  • It is also known as the Okhla Bird Reserve.
  • It is home to over 300 bird species, including both terrestrial and water birds.
  • The bird sanctuary is among the wetlands falling in the Central Asian Flyway.
  • In 1943 to 1945, Major-General H. P. W. Hutson conducted ornithological surveys in the Delhi region, including Okhla.
  • In 1986, the construction of a barrage and the subsequent formation of a lake significantly transformed the Okhla area.
  • In 1990, the Government of Uttar Pradesh designated an area of 4 square kilometers along the river Yamuna as a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
  • Area: It covers an area of about 4 square kilometers.
  • River: The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is situated along the banks of the Yamuna River.
  • Lake: The bird sanctuary features a lake (Okhla Barrage) that was formed as a result of the construction of a barrage on the Yamuna River in 1986.
  • Flora: The flora found in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary are:
    • Aquatic Plants (water hyacinth, lotus, water lilies, and submerged plants like Vallisneria and Hydrilla),
    • Marshland Vegetation (reeds, cattails, bulrushes, and sedges),
    • Riparian Vegetation (Banyan, Peepal, Neem, Babul, Indian rosewood, ber, and jujube),
    • Grasses and Herbs (elephant grass, bulrush grass, Bermuda grass, and various wildflowers).
  • Fauna: Some notable fauna found in the sanctuary:
    • Mammals:
      • Indian Grey Mongoose
      • Indian Hare
      • Indian Palm Squirrel
      • Bat species
    • Birds:
      • White-rumped Vulture
      • Indian Vulture
      • Baer’s Pochard
      • Sarus Crane
      • Sociable Lapwing
      • Indian Skimmer
      • Pallas’s Fish Eagle
      • Lesser Adjutant
      • Greater Flamingo
      • Baikal Teal
      • Northern Pintail
      • Common Teal
      • Bar-headed Goose
      • Northern Shoveler
      • Ruddy Shelduck
      • Eurasian Wigeon
      • Common Greenshank
      • Black-tailed Godwit
      • Common Sandpiper
      • Marsh Sandpiper
      • Pied Avocet
      • Black-necked Stork
    • Reptiles:
      • Indian Python
      • Common Indian Monitor Lizard
      • Indian Cobra
      • Russell’s Viper
      • Turtle

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