Fauna in Bandhavgarh
Vegetation
The vegetation along streams and marshes at Bandhavgarh national park is rich in bird life. The common ones are Little Grebe, Egret, lesser Adjutant Sarus Crane, Black Ibis, Lesser Whistling Teal, White-eyed Buzzard, Black Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Common Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, Dove, Parakeets, Kingfishers and Indian Rollers. Reptilian Fauna at Bandhavgarh national park include Cobra, Krait, Viper, Rat-snake, and Python, Turtle and a number of lizard varieties, including Varanus.
Chinkara, still rather shy, can be sighted on the grassland areas of the Bandhavgarh national park, particularly on the formerly cultivated land in the southern extension area on the edges of the main viewing area. The main prey animal, however for the Tigers and the Bandhavgarh's rarely sighted leopards are the chital, which now number a few thousand.
Also to be seen in the grasslands of Bandhavgarh are Nilgai, Chausingha and sounders of Wild Boar, as well as the occasional Jackal or Fox. Muntjac and sambhar prefer denser vegetation. There are two types of monkeys common in the Bandhavgarh national park-the rhesus macaque and the black faced langur. ; Drives in Bandhavgarh can also reveal jungle cats, hyenas, ratels, porcupines and a variety of other mammals.
Bandhavgarh attracts many migratory birds in the winter months, including the birds of prey like the steppe eagle and a variety of wildfowl.
Birds, Bandhavgarh National Park However as it has limited water surfaces it cannot compete with parks with large areas of wetland. Attracted by flowering and fruiting trees, some; very attractive and less common birds can be seen - like the blue bearded bee eater, white bellied drongo, Tickell's blue flycatcher, white browed fantail, minivets, white Malabar hornbills and wood shrikes. Other fruiting trees reveal a large population of green pigeons, the noisy blossom headed parakeets.
Reptiles and Butterflies
Unfortunately, there has been little work done on some important aspects of the Bandhavgarh national park's fauna such as the reptiles, amphibians and insects generally. What follows is a hodge - podge of the very patchy identification work done on a few reptiles, butter - flies and a couple of spiders. It is to be hoped that this will provoke those knowledgeable in these particular areas to help fill these rather large gap. |
