Birding Tour India: The South – Western Ghats and Nilgiri Endemics

This two-week tour will focus on the many specialties that southern India has to offer in a small-group atmosphere, perfect for the forested environments we will bird in. The tour commences on the coast at Kochi (also known as Cochin), a large sea-port city in the state of Kerala and an ancient city of high value on the old spice-trading route, and finishes at the city of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), the capital of the state of Karnataka. Our journey will take in the vast splendor of the Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills, where we will also enjoy a steady stream of Western Ghats and Nilgiri endemic birds and other wildlife as well as an excellent supporting cast of overwintering migrants and resident birds.

The delightful Indian Scimitar Babbler.

Some highlights on this tour are likely to include Black-and-orange Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, Nilgiri Blue Robin, White-bellied Blue Robin, Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Laughingthrush, Palani Laughingthrush, Wayanad Laughingthrush (formerly called Wynaad Laughingthrush), White-bellied Treepie, Malabar Woodshrike, Malabar Barbet, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri Pipit, Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Blue-winged (Malabar) Parakeet, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Trogon, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Indian Pitta, Painted Bush Quail, Red Spurfowl, Great Eared Nightjar, White-bellied Minivet, and, with luck, Indian Vulture and White-rumped Vulture (both Critically Endangered IUCN) and the rare migrant Kashmir Flycatcher.

The stunning Malabar Trogon is one of our targets on this trip.

During the tour we will visit some very exciting nature reserves and sanctuaries, such as Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, and, most famous of all, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary (probably one of the best birdwatching sites in southern India and an incredible place to start this tour). We will also visit some rather nice colonial hill stations, reminiscent of many countries formerly part of the British Empire such as in Kenya, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Interestingly, these locations (chosen for their cooler climate than that of the lowlands) often offer access to wonderful higher-elevation birding sites. They also often provide an interesting window into the cultural history of the area. Southern India is also very exciting in terms of food, which is considered rather different from that of other areas of India and promises to be memorable.

Malabar Grey Hornbill is fairly common in this part of the country.

You can continue after this tour with our Birding Tour India: Andaman Islands Endemics, designed specially to follow and complement this Southern India tour. The Andaman trip will look for numerous endemic birds, such as Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Crake, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Masked Owl, Andaman Treepie, and many more! We also have many other exciting and extensive Indian tours following after this one; details of these can be found here.

We can also easily offer you birding, wildlife-watching, or cultural extensions at each location if you would like to extend your stay in this wonderful, diverse, and vibrant country.

The striking Indian Blue Robin will be a highlight during the tour; the colors of this beautiful bird are just incredible.