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Bishazari Tal, also spelled Beeshazar Tal, is an extensive
oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...
system in the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park
Chitwan National Park is the first national park of Nepal. It was established in 1973 as the Royal Chitwan National Park and was granted the status of a World Heritage Site in 1984. It covers an area of in the Terai of south-central Nepal. It ra ...
, a protected area in the Inner Terai
The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal comprise several elongated river valleys in the southern lowland Terai part of the country. These tropical valleys are enclosed by the Himalayan foothills, viz the Mahabharat Range and the Sivalik Hills farther sout ...
of central Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. This wetland covers an area of at an altitude of . The Mahabharat mountain range (Lower Himalayan Range) is located north of the lake, which is itself north of the Siwalik Hills
The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas.
The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...
. In August 2003, it has been designated as a Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
The Nepali words 'bis' बिस् (twenty), 'hajār' हजार् (thousand) and 'tāl' ताल् (lake) mean '20,000 lakes'.Turner, R. L. (1931.
बिस् bisहजार् hajārताल् tāl
In: A comparative and etymological dictionary of the Nepali language. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner.
The forested wetland provides habitat as a waterhole and
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: ''The Annotated Ramsar List of Nepal''
Wikimapia : Bishazari Tal
{{Protected Areas of Nepal Lakes of Bagmati Province Ramsar sites in Nepal Protected areas established in 2003
बिस् bis
In: A comparative and etymological dictionary of the Nepali language. London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner.
Fauna
The forested wetland provides habitat as a waterhole and wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area habitat (ecology), that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land ...
for several wildlife species that includes mammals, birds and reptiles.
The forested wetland provides habitat to several mammals that includes Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...
(''Panthera tigris tigris''), Sloth bear
The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus''), also known as the Indian bear, is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of ...
, Smooth-coated otter
The smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') is a freshwater otter species from regions of South and Southwest Asia, with the majority of its numbers found in Southeast Asia. It has been ranked as " vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List since ...
, one-horned rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), Wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...
(''Sus scrofa'') and Indian porcupine
The Indian crested porcupine (''Hystrix indica'') is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae.
De ...
(''Hystrix indicus'').
Along with mammals the wetland hosts Indian peafowl
The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, or blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. While it originated in the Indian subcontinent, it has since been introduced to many other part ...
(''Pavo Cristatus''), white-rumped vulture
The white-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures di ...
, Pallas's fish-eagle
Pallas's fish eagle (''Haliaeetus leucoryphus''), also known as Pallas's sea eagle or band-tailed fish eagle, is a large, brownish sea eagle. It breeds in the east Palearctic in Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, C ...
, lesser adjutant, and ferruginous duck
The ferruginous duck (''Aythya nyroca''), also known as ferruginous pochard, common white-eye or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurosiberia. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek word, (), an unknown se ...
.
The reptiles that are found here includes Indian rock python (''Python molurus
The Indian python (''Python molurus'') is a large python species native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is also known by the common names black-tailed python, Indian rock python, and Asian ...
''), King cobra
The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...
(''Ophiohagus hannah'') and Mugger crocodile
The mugger crocodile (''Crocodylus palustris'') is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as mugger and marsh crocodile. It is native to freshwater habitats from south-eastern Iran to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits marsh ...
(''Crocodylus palustris'').
See also
* List of lakes of NepalReferences
External links
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: ''The Annotated Ramsar List of Nepal''
Wikimapia : Bishazari Tal
{{Protected Areas of Nepal Lakes of Bagmati Province Ramsar sites in Nepal Protected areas established in 2003