First Bird Fest at Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary

The first ever bird festival is going to be organized at the Mahananda wildlife sanctuary in West Bengal from February 20 to 23, 2021. The first Mahananda Bird Festival is being organized in order to provide an opportunity to the enthusiasts to explore the forest and watch different birds. It will be organized by the Darjeeling Wildlife Division.

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary

• This wildlife sanctuary is located in between the Teesta River and Mahananda River on the foothills of the Himalayas.
• The sanctuary is managed by the Darjeeling Wildlife Division as it is situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
• This wildlife received the status of a sanctuary so as to protect the Indian Bison and Royal Bengal Tiger.
• It is also designated as an ‘important bird area’ because it has provided its critical role in the conservation of birds and their habitat.
• The sanctuary is well known for the sighting of the Rufous-necked hornbill.

Rufous-Necked Hornbill

• It is the species of hornbill found mainly in Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh in the North-east India, Indian Subcontinent and the Southeast Asia.
• It is locally extinct in Nepal.
• This bird is counted among the largest Bucerotine hornbills.
• It has been listed in CITES Appendices I & II.
• The species has been given the status of Vulnerable in the IUCN list however, suggestions are being made to categories it under the Near Threatened list.

Indian Bison

It is also known as The Gaur. The species is native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The species is seen as the largest species among the wild cattle.

Royal Bengal Tiger

The tiger belongs to the subspecies of Panthera tigris tigris. It is native to the Indian subcontinent. The tiger is the national animal of India and Bangladesh.

Teesta River

The river is 315 km in length. It rises in the eastern Himalayas. The river flows in the states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Bangladesh before draining into the Bay of Bengal. It joins the River Jamuna in Bangladesh.

Mahananda River

This tributary of river Ganda is a trans-boundary river flowing through states of Bihar and West Bengal in India and Bangladesh.