The Indian region is amazingly rich in bird life. Roughly 2400 species of birds (including the subspecies) inhabit this land. That's almost one third of the species in the world.
Today the number of species of birds on this planet is usually estimated to be about 8,650, give or take a few score. The total number of extinct species described from fossil evidence is in the neighbourhood of 800, less than 10 percent of the living species.

The easy looking but the toughest of the jobs - Bird watching - is ideally possible in most of the wildlife sanctuaries in India. A unique charm and an excitement of its own - only the bird lovers and adventure enthusiasts can understand the thrill of Bird Watching! The keen observation sometimes requires long hours of patient waiting before finally you are able to catch hold of a close glimpse of a beautiful bird displaying its magnificent feathers. Several hundred species of birds can be spotted across India. Wildlife in India has its share of native birds along with the migratory birds. The region of Andaman is home for the rare species of birds like the Narcondum hornbill, Nicobar Pigeon and the megapode. The Himalayan region is well known to be the natural habitat for the Pheasant, griffon vulture and ravens. At the Dudhwa wildlife reserve migratory birds like Egrets, herons, storks and cormorants share space with the ducks, gees and teals. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park or the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in the Indian state of Rajasthan is home to indigenous water birds, waterside birds, migratory water birds, land migratory birds, and domestic land species. Tourists from far and wide are attracted to the Bird Sanctuary.

Of all the higher forms of life, birds are the most beautiful, most admired, most studied and most defended. Most people have felt a thrill of exhilaration at the sight of a bird soaring or swooping in the freedom of the skies and no other group of animals has proved such a source of inspiration to poets, composers and artists. Birds have a magical quality about them: their colour and form, movement and buoyancy of flight and sweetness of songs can keep one spellbound. Bird watching affords plenty of thrills to its adherents.

Attire for Bird watching
Unlike occasions when one has to make an impression on the birds of the two legged featherless variety (life would be pretty dull without them)- to watch the avian inhabitants of this enchanting land nothing more than a pair of walking shoes and a pair of binoculars is required. It is best to wear clothes of subdued colours and make use of cover such as bushes, trees, rocks and banks in order to merge with the surroundings and not disturb the birds.