Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary (CKBS), formerly known as Kayaler Bagan, is a bird sanctuary located in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, south of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. This garden is famous for its wide variety of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

and

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

History

It was given sanctuary status in 1982. Before then, it was originally a large mango garden with huge mango trees. The government of

took the initiative to make it open to the public and acquired it from private owners in October 2005. On 8 September 2004 it was named Narendrapur Wildlife Sanctuary, and on 21 October 2005 it was renamed Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary, in honour of celebrated sculptor

Chintamoni Kar Chintamoni Kar (19 April 1915 – 3 October 2005) was a renowned British-Indian sculptor. He received civilian awards from the Indian and French governments and won an Olympic silver medal on behalf of Great Britain. Personal life and ...

, who had for many years strived relentlessly to give "Kayaler Bagan" the status of a sanctuary.

Transport

The nearest populated place, Narendrapur, is 15 km from

Sealdah Sealdah is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Etymology Jackals (''sheal'' in Bengali) howled around Sealdah. Antiquarians identify it as Shrigaldwipa (Jackal Island). Nearby Beliaghata ...

on the SealdahSonarpur line and is part of the

Kolkata Suburban Railway The Kolkata Suburban Railway (colloquially called Kolkata local trains or simply locals) is a suburban rail, suburban and regional rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in West Bengal, India. Its network has 45 ...

system. It is connected by road to

Garia Garia is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is bordered by the neighbourhoods of Jadavpur in the north, Bansdroni/Tollygunge in the north-west, Santoshpur/ Mukundapur in the north-ea ...

and the EM Bypass. It is 20 km from

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

railway station.

List of common birds

The names in brackets "()" are the scientific names. * Ashy drongo (''Dicrurus leucophaeus'') *

Asian koel The Asian koel (''Eudynamys scolopaceus'') is a member of the cuckoo family of birds, the Cuculidae. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent, Pakistan, China, and Southeast Asia. It forms a superspecies with the closely related black-billed koels ...

(''Eudynamys scolopaceo'') *

Brown fish owl The brown fish owl (''Ketupa zeylonensis'') is a fish owl species in the family known as typical owls, Strigidae. It is native from Turkey to South and Southeast Asia. Due its wide distribution it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. ...

(''Ketupa zeylonensis'') * Black drongo (''Dicrurus macrocercus'') *

Shikra The shikra (''Tachyspiza badia'') is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the little banded goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usual ...

(''Accipiter badius'') *

Indian pond heron The Indian pond heron or paddybird (''Ardeola grayii'') is a small heron. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Iran and east to the Indian subcontinent, Burma, and Sri Lanka. They are widespread and common but can be easily missed whe ...

(''Ardeola grayii'') * Bronzed drongo (''Dicruridae'') *

Cattle egret The cattle egret (formerly genus ''Bubulcus'') is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan clade of heron (family (biology), family Ardeidae) in the genus ''Ardea (genus), Ardea'' found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. Ac ...

(''Bubulcus ibis'') *

Scaly-breasted munia The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia (''Lonchura punctulata''), known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch, is a Old World sparrow, sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus ''Lonchura'', it ...

(''Lonchura punchtulata'') *

Little egret The little egret (''Egretta garzetta'') is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on ...

(''Egretta garzetta'') *

Little cormorant The little cormorant (''Microcarbo niger'') is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. Slightly smaller than the Indian cormorant it lacks a peaked head and has a shorter beak. It is widely distributed across the Indian Subcontinent and ext ...

(''Phalacocorax niger'') *

White wagtail The white wagtail (''Motacilla alba'') is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has ...

(''Motacilla alba personanta'') * Asian green bee-eater (''Merops orientalis'') *

House crow The house crow (''Corvus splendens''), also known as the Indian, greynecked, Ceylon or Colombo crow, is a common bird of the crow family that is of Asian origin but now found in many parts of the world, where they arrived assisted by shipping. I ...

(''Corvus splendens'') *

Large-billed crow The large-billed crow (''Corvus macrorhynchos''), formerly referred to widely as the jungle crow, is a widespread Asian species of crow. It is very adaptable and is able to survive on a wide range of food sources, making it capable of colonizing ...

(''Corvus macrorhynchos'') *

Rufous treepie The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspi ...

(''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') *

White-throated kingfisher The white-throated kingfisher (''Halcyon smyrnensis'') also known as the white-breasted kingfisher is a tree kingfisher, widely distributed in Asia from the Sinai east through the Indian subcontinent to China and Indonesia. This kingfisher is a ...

(''Halcyon smyrnensis'') *

Stork-billed kingfisher The stork-billed kingfisher (''Pelargopsis capensis''), is a tree kingfisher which is widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. These kingfishers are large and have a heavy bi ...

(''Halcyon capensis'') *

Fulvous-breasted woodpecker The fulvous-breasted woodpecker (''Dendrocopos macei'') is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, India and Myanmar. The freckle-breasted woodpecker was formerly considered conspecific with this speci ...

(''Dendrocopos macei'') *

Rufous woodpecker The rufous woodpecker (''Micropternus brachyurus'') is a medium-sized brown woodpecker native to South and Southeast Asia. It is short-billed, foraging in pairs on small insects, particularly ants and termites, in scrub, evergreen, and deciduous ...

(''Celeus brachyurus'') *

Streak-throated woodpecker The streak-throated woodpecker (''Picus xanthopygaeus'') is a species of woodpecker found in the Indian subcontinent. It occurs in drier woodland, from lowland to the foothills of mountains. Description A medium-sized, green woodpecker with stre ...

(''Picus xanthopygaeus'') *

Common emerald dove The emerald dove or common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and S ...

(''Chalcophaps indica'') *

Spotted dove The spotted dove or eastern spotted dove (''Spilopelia chinensis'') is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon that is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in East and Southeast Asia. The species ...

(''Spilopelia chinensis'') *

Indian paradise flycatcher The Indian paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone paradisi'') is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia, where it is widely distributed. As the global population is considered stable, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List sin ...

(''terpsiphone paradisi'') *

Oriental magpie-robin The Oriental magpie-robin (''Copsychus saularis'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but now considered an Old World flycatcher. They are distinctive black and white birds with a long ...

(''Copsychus saularis'') * Olive-backed sunbird(''Cinnyris jugularis'') * Black-hooded oriole (''Oriolus xanthornus'') *

Cinereous tit The cinereous tit (''Parus cinereus'') is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. This species is made up of several populations that were earlier treated as subspecies of the great tit (''Parus major''). These birds are grey backed with whi ...

(''Parus cinereus'') *

Chestnut-tailed starling The chestnut-tailed starling (''Sturnia malabarica''), also called grey-headed starling and grey-headed myna is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. ...

(''Sturnia malabarica'') *

Red-vented bulbul The red-vented bulbul (''Pycnonotus cafer'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. It is a resident breeder across the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka extending east to Burma and parts of Bhutan and Nepal. It has b ...

(''Pycnonotus cafer'') * Oriental white eye (''Zosterops palpebrosus'') * White-throated fantail (''Rhipidura albicollis'')

List of common spiders

The names in brackets "()" are the scientific names. * Garden spider or signature spider (''Argiope pulchella'') * Imitation spider (''Cyclosa'' sp.) * Grass jewel spider (''Cyrtarachne keralayensis'') *Lagalaisei's garden spider (''Eriovixia'' sp.) *Kidney garden spider (''Araneus mitificus'') *Tent web spider or dome weavers (''Cyrtophora'' sp.) *Dark wolf spider (''Pardosa'' sp.) *

Wolf spider Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon ...

(''Lycosa'' sp.) *

Yellow sac spider ''Cheiracanthium'', commonly called yellow sac spiders, is a genus of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders in the family Cheiracanthiidae, and was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1839. They are usually pale in colour, and have an spider an ...

(''Cheiracanthium'' sp.) *Banded phintella jumping spider (''Phintella vittata'') *Joly spider (''Epocilla aurantiaca'') *Heavy bodied jumper (''Hyllus semicupreus'') *Ant mimic spider (''Myrmarachne'' sp.) *Fighting spider (''Thiania'' sp.) *Pantropical jumping spider (''Plexippus paykulli'') *Green crab spider (''Olios milleti'') *Silver orb spider (''Leucauge granulata'') *Orchard spider or decorative silver orb spider (''Leucauge decorate'') * Common house spider (''Achaearanea'' sp.) *Crab spider or brown flower spider (''Camaricus'' sp.)

List of common butterflies

The names in brackets "()" are the scientific names. *

Common Jezebel ''Delias eucharis'', the common Jezebel, is a medium-sized Pieridae, pierid butterfly found in many areas of South Asia, south and southeast Asia, especially in the non-arid regions of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailan ...

হরতনি (''Delias eucharis'') * Redbase Jezebel লোপামুদ্রা (''Delias pasithoe'') * Tawny coster হরিনছড়া (''Acraea terpsicore'') *

Common leopard ''Phalanta phalantha'', the common leopard or spotted rustic, is a sun-loving butterfly of the Nymphalidae, nymphalid or brush-footed butterfly family. Description The common leopard is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 50–55 ...

চিতা (''Phalanta phalantha'') * Grey pansy চাঁদনরি (''Junonia atlites'') * Common jester পিপুল্কাটি (''Symbrenthia lilaea'') * Peacock pansy নয়ান (''Junonia almana'') *

Striped tiger ''Danaus genutia'', the common tiger, is one of the common butterflies of India. It belongs to the "crows and tigers", that is, the Danainae group of the brush-footed butterflies family. The butterfly is also called striped tiger in India to dif ...

বাঘবল্লা (''Danaus genutia'') * Blue tiger (''Tirumala limniace'') * Chestnut tiger ছিট্মউল (''Parantica sita'') *

Common emigrant ''Catopsilia pomona'', the common emigrant or lemon emigrant, is a medium-sized pierid butterfly found in Asia and parts of Australia. The species gets its name from its habit of migration. Some early authors considered them as two distinct spec ...

পায়রাচালি (''Catopsilia pomona'') *

Common pierrot ''Castalius rosimon'', the common Pierrot, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the Lycaenidae, lycaenids, or blues family. ] Distribution The species is found in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar; Tenasserim Hills, Tenas ...

তিলাইয়া (''Castalius rosimon'') *

Red pierrot ''Talicada nyseus'', the red Pierrot, is a small but striking butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia belonging to the Lycaenidae, lycaenids, or blues family. The red Pierrots, often found perching on its larva host plant, ...

সাজুন্তি (''Talicada nyseus'')

References