Known for its rich and varied wildlife, the Bandipur National Park also has a sizable avian population. Over 200 species (some surveys estimate around 230 species) of birds have already been spotted and identified in the park, enough to attract thousands of ornithologists and bird lovers to the park.
The Kabini River, which flows north of the Bandipur National Park, was dammed in 1972. The creation of the Kabini Dam has resulted in a big lake (or back water), attracting huge flocks of birds to the Bandipur National Park. The most commonly noticed birds in the Bandipur National Park are Peafowl and the game birds like the Grey Jungle Fowl, Red Spur Fowl etc. Among the woodland birds category the Hawk Eagle, Serpent Eagle, Scops Owl, the yellow-legged Green Pigeon, Parakeets, Woodpeckers, Barbets, Hornbills, Drongos, Scarlet Minivets, and Warblers are the easily seen birds in the Bandipur National Park.
Other major bird species seen in the Bandipur National Park include Black Woodpeckers, Blue-bearded Bee-Eaters, Cormorants, Crested Hawk Eagles, Ducks, Gray Partridges, Gray Headed Firhings, Honey Buzzards, Malabar Pied Hornbills, Hill Mynas, King Vultures, Malabar Trogon, Ospreys, Indian Pittas, Park Malabar Trogon, Parakeets, Paradise Flycatchers, Teals, Herons, Waders, Red Spur Fowl, Shaheen Falcons, Scarlet Minivets, Scimitar Babbler, Fairy Blue Birds, Scimitar Babblers, Malabar Whistling Thrushes, Green Imperial Pigeons, Nightjars and Owls.
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