Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary

The Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake or Kabartal Wetland [2] located in Begusarai district of Bihar, India, is Asia's largest freshwater oxbow lake.[3] It is approximately six times[4] the size of the Bharatpur Sanctuary. It was declared as a Ramsar site in 2020, become the first Ramsar site in Bihar.[5]

Kanwar Taal Bird Sanctuary
LocationBegusarai district, Bihar, India
Nearest cityBegusarai
Coordinates25°36′36″N 86°08′24″E
Area67.5 km2
Established1987
Official nameKabartal Wetland
Designated21 July 2020
Reference no.2436[1]

Kanwar jheel, as it is locally called, is located 22 km north-west of Begusarai town. It is a residual oxbow lake, formed due to meandering of Gandak river, a tributary of Ganga, in the geological past.[4] It covers 2,620 hectares of the Indo-Gangetic plains in the northern Bihar State. The Site is one of 18 wetlands within an extensive floodplain complex; it floods during the monsoon season to a depth of 1.5 metres. This absorption of floodwaters is a vital service in Bihar State where 70% of the land is vulnerable to inundation. During the dry season, areas of marshland dry out and are used for agriculture. Significant biodiversity is present, with 165 plant species and 394 animal species recorded, including 221 bird species. The Wetland is an important stopover along the Central Asian Flyway, with 58 migratory waterbirds using it to rest and refuel. It is also a valuable site for fish biodiversity with over 50 species documented. Five critically endangered species inhabit the site, including three vultures – the red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) – and two waterbirds, the sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) and Baer’s pochard (Aythya baeri). Major threats to the Site include water management activities such as drainage, water abstraction, damming and canalization. [6]

Ornithologist Salim Ali, mentioned about 60 migratory birds that come all the way from Central Asia in winter and recorded around 106 species of resident birds.[7][8] Since 2020 the lake has been designated as a protected Ramsar site.[1]

The nearest railway station is Begusarai Station; the nearest bus stop is Jaimanglagadh; and the nearest airport is Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport in Patna.

Trees

Mangifera indica, Annona squamosa, Polyalthia longifolia, Borassus flabellifer, Cocos nucifera, Phoenix sylvestris, Haplophragma adenophyllum, Bombax ceiba, Ceiba pentandra, Cordia dichotoma, Ehretia laevis, Bauhinia variegata, Cassia fistula, Delonix regia, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Tamarindus indica, Trema oriental, Terminalia arjuna, Diospyros Montana, Croton roxburghii, Trevia nudiflora, Dalbergia sissoo, Leucaena leucocephala, Pongamia glabra, Phoebe lanceolata, Azadirachta indica, Melia azedarach, Swietenia macrophylla, Acacia catechu, Acacia nilotica, Albizia lebbeck, Pithecellobium dulce, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus lacucha, Ficus benghalensis, Ficus hispida, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus virens, Streblus asper, Moringa oleifera, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Psidium guajava, Syzygium cumini

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Phyllanthus emblica, Bambusa bambos, Dendrocalamus strictus, Ziziphus mauritiana, Anthocephalus kadamba, Aegle marmelos, Citrus maxima, Madhuca indica, Tectona grandis

Threats
  • Excessive chemicals, like Furadan used to capture birds
  • Killing of birds
  • Villagers encroachment of lake area

Birds in the region

Critically endangered

Endangered

Vulnerable

Near threatened

Images

See also

References
  1. "Kabartal Wetland". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2436
  3. "Kanwar lake: birds' paradise lost". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. Kanwar lake: birds' paradise lost https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/kanwar-lake-birds-paradise-lost-44693
  5. "Kabartal becomes Bihar's first Ramsar site". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  6. Ramsar convention |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2436
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. http://www.ibcn.in/IBA_Book_PDF/16%20(322_341)%20Bihar.pdf
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