India GOIndia GO · 87
Wildlife and plants
How to recognise each species, where and when to see it, and its protection status.
Birds
Bank mynaBank myna (Acridotheres ginginianus): how to tell it from the common myna, its Hindi name, where it nests and where to see it in Vrindavan.
Bar-headed gooseBar-headed goose (rajhans in Hindi): how to tell it apart, the high Himalayan migration, and the wetlands of north India where it winters, Nov–Feb.
Black kiteThe black kite, cheel in Hindi, circles over almost every big Indian city. How to tell it apart, where it gathers, rooftop feeding, legal status.
Brahminy kiteBrahminy kite in India: size, how it differs from the black kite, why it is linked to Garuda, its legal protection and coastal places to watch it.
Brown rock chatBrown rock chat: how to tell it from the Indian robin, why it lives on walls and ghats, and where to see it in Braj around Govardhan, all year.
Coppersmith barbetCoppersmith barbet: how to find the bird behind the metallic tuk-tuk-tuk, what it eats, when it calls, where to see it in Bengaluru.
Egyptian vultureEgyptian vulture in India: how to recognise it, why it is Endangered, the diclofenac story, Schedule I protection and where in Braj it still circles.
Flame-throated bulbul (ruby-throated yellow bulbul)Flame-throated bulbul, Goa's state bird: how to tell it from other bulbuls, its call, nest and food, legal status and where to look in the Western…
Great thick-kneeGreat thick-knee: the yellow-eyed, upturned-bill wader of Indian riverbanks. How to find it on the islets of Ranganathittu near Mysuru, and its…
House sparrowThe house sparrow (gauraiya) is the state bird of Delhi and Bihar. How to tell male from female, why it vanished from cities and where to see it in…
Indian grey hornbillIndian grey hornbill: size, call, the sealed-in nest, what it eats, why it needs old trees, Chandigarh's state bird and where to see it in Delhi and…
Indian peafowlThe Indian peafowl, mor in Hindi, has been India's national bird since 1963. Peacock vs peahen, when males dance, and where to see wild birds.
Indian rollerThe Indian roller, neelkanth in Hindi, is the state bird of Karnataka, Telangana and Odisha. How to spot it, the Dussehra omen, its new Red List…
Malabar pied hornbillThe Malabar pied hornbill is a big black-and-white hornbill with a yellow bill and black casque. How to identify it, its status and where to look in…
Oriental darter (snakebird)The Oriental darter swims with only its neck above water and spears fish. How to tell it from a cormorant, when it nests, and where to see it near…
Painted storkThe painted stork is a big white stork with pink back feathers and a yellow bill. How to identify it, when it nests and where to see colonies in…
Pheasant-tailed jacanaPheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus): breeding and winter plumage, why males raise the chicks, where to look in India, protection status.
Pied kingfisherPied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis): male or female, why it hovers over open water, its Hindi name, and where to see it at Govardhan and Ajmer.
Purple sunbirdThe purple sunbird is the small glossy bird at Indian garden flowers. Male, female and eclipse plumage, its cobweb nest, and why it is not a…
River TernRiver tern (Sterna aurantia): how to identify it, how it hunts, why it is now Vulnerable, its Schedule I protection and where to see it in India.
Rose-ringed parakeetRose-ringed parakeet: how to tell male from female, its place in Indian painting and myth, why keeping one is illegal, where to see roosts.
Rufous treepieRufous treepie: how to recognise this long-tailed relative of the crows, its call and diet, and where to see it in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mathura.
Sarus craneThe sarus crane, up to 1.8 m tall, is Uttar Pradesh's state bird and a symbol of fidelity. How to recognise it, where to see pairs in Braj, its…
Spot-billed pelicanSpot-billed pelican: how to recognise India's grey pelican, its tree colonies and village heronries, and where to see it at Ranganathittu and Ousteri.
Spotted owletThe spotted owlet is India's common small owl, about 21 cm, often seen by day in wall niches and hollow trees. How to recognise it and where to look.
Western reef heronWestern reef heron (Egretta gularis): telling its dark and white forms from the little egret, low-tide hunting, where to see it in Goa and Mumbai.
White-bellied sea eagleWhite-bellied sea eagle in India: size, call, how to tell it from a Brahminy kite, nesting, Schedule I protection and Goa and Karnataka coasts to…
White-throated kingfisherWhite-throated kingfisher, kilkila in Hindi and the state bird of West Bengal: how to recognise it, why it hunts far from water, where to see it.
Yellow-throated bulbulThe yellow-throated bulbul lives only on rocky scrub hills of southern India. How to tell it from other bulbuls and where to look near Bengaluru and…
Trees
Bael (wood apple)Bael (Aegle marmelos, bel in Hindi, bilva in Sanskrit): how to recognise the tree and fruit, why its leaf goes to Shiva, and where to see it in India.
BanyanBanyan in Hindi is bargad (बरगद), also vat or bad. How the national tree of India grows, its names, its place in worship and the giant trees to visit.
CashewCashew (kaju in Hindi) came to Goa from Brazil with the Portuguese in the 1560s. How to recognise the tree, why the nut hangs outside, and feni…
Coconut palmThe coconut palm is the state tree of Kerala and Goa. Its names in Indian languages, where it grows, why a coconut opens a ritual, and one myth to…
Dhok (axlewood)Dhok (Anogeissus pendula): how to recognise it, why the Aravalli hills go brown in winter, local names, where to see it near Jaipur.
Flame of the forest (palash)Palash, the flame of the forest, turns leafless hills orange in February and March. How to recognise it, where to see it, Holi colour, state flower.
Grey mangroveGrey mangrove (Avicennia marina, tivar in Marathi) holds the tidal mud of Mumbai's creeks and Goa's Chorao island. How to recognise it and when to…
Indian sandalwoodIndian sandalwood is Karnataka's state tree: a small root parasite whose heartwood holds the scent. How to recognise it, why it is rare, where to see…
JackfruitJackfruit (kathal in Hindi, chakka in Malayalam) is native to India and Kerala's state fruit. How to spot the tree, how it is eaten and where to see…
Jamun (Java plum)Jamun (Syzygium cumini, Java plum): how to recognise the tree, when the purple fruit ripens (June–July), Delhi's jamun avenues, names and lore.
KadambaKadamba tree (Neolamarckia cadamba): its orange ball flowers, its place in the Krishna stories and in the south, and where to see it in Vrindavan.
Matti (crocodile bark tree)Matti (Terminalia elliptica), the crocodile bark tree: how to recognise the bark, why it stores water, its uses, where to see it in Goa.
NeemNeem (Azadirachta indica): how to recognise it, neem twigs as toothbrushes, neem at Ugadi and in Chaitanya's story, and where to see old trees.
Peepal (sacred fig)Peepal (Ficus religiosa, sacred fig): how to recognise it by the leaf, why it is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists, and where to see old trees.
Pilu (toothbrush tree)Pilu (Salvadora persica), the miswak or toothbrush tree: how to know it, its edible red berries, chewing sticks, local names and where to see it in…
Rain treeThe rain tree (Samanea saman) is a huge flat-topped shade tree from tropical America. Why its leaves fold, how to spot it and where to see it in…
Red silk-cotton treeThe red silk-cotton tree (semal, Bombax ceiba) flowers scarlet on bare branches before spring. How to recognise it and where to watch birds in its…
TamarindTamarind, imli in Hindi, gives sambar and rasam their sourness. How to recognise the tree, where it came from, and the old avenues and groves to see.
TeakTeak (sagwan, Tectona grandis) is native to India, with leaves as big as dinner plates. How to know the tree, why its wood mattered and where to see…
Mammals
Asian elephantAsian elephant in India: how it differs from the African elephant, where to see wild herds (Bandipur, Rajaji, Munnar), safety and protection.
Bengal tigerBengal tiger in India: size, how many there are (2022 estimate), how safaris find tigers, Bandipur near Mysore, protection and the realistic odds.
BlackbuckBlackbuck (kala hiran, krishna mriga) is India's black-and-white antelope. How to tell males from females, its legal status and where to look near…
Bonnet macaqueBonnet macaque (Macaca radiata): how to tell it from the rhesus, why not to feed it, its protection status, and where to meet it in South India.
Five-striped palm squirrelThe five-striped palm squirrel, gilahari in Hindi, lives on walls, wires and temple courtyards of north India. How to tell it apart, and the Rama…
Gaur (Indian bison)Gaur (Bos gaurus), the Indian bison and Goa's state animal: how big it gets, how to behave near a herd, its protection status and where to see it.
Golden jackalGolden jackal in India: size, howling, diet, whether it is dangerous, its Schedule I status since 2022, the Panchatantra trickster and where to look.
Grey slender lorisGrey slender loris: how to recognise India's tiny nocturnal primate, where it lives (Bengaluru, Seshachalam), why it is threatened, how it is…
Indian flying foxIndian flying fox (Pteropus medius): wingspan, roosting colonies, why it matters to banyans, its legal status and where to see it in India.
Indian giant squirrelIndian giant squirrel (Malabar giant squirrel): size and colours, Maharashtra's state animal, protection status and where to see it in India.
Nilgai (blue bull)Nilgai facts: size and weight, why it is called blue cow, crop damage and legal status, the Texas herds, Delhi's state animal and where to see one.
Northern plains grey langurThe grey or Hanuman langur: how to tell it from the rhesus macaque, how troops live, and where to see it in Delhi, Mathura, Rishikesh and Rajasthan.
Rhesus macaqueRhesus macaque in India: how to tell it from langurs and bonnet macaques, why temple troops are bold, how to keep glasses and phones, where you meet…
Smooth-coated otterSmooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata): how to recognise it, how families hunt, its protection status and where to see it in India.
Zebu cattleZebu (Bos indicus) are India's humped cattle: how to recognise them, where they were domesticated, why the cow is honoured, and where to see herds in…
Flowers
BougainvilleaBougainvillea in India: why the colour is in the bracts, why it blooms hardest in the dry months, Delhi's register of its varieties, where to see it.
FrangipaniFrangipani, champa in Hindi, is a small tree with scented five-petalled flowers brought to India from the Americas. How to know it and where to see…
Gunja (rosary pea)Gunja (Abrus precatorius, ratti) gives the red-and-black seeds of Braj's gunja mala. What it looks like, the ratti weight, and why the seeds are…
Indian laburnum (golden shower)Indian laburnum (Cassia fistula, amaltas in Hindi) is Kerala's state flower and the yellow of Vishu. When it blooms in Delhi, Bengaluru and Kochi,…
Juhi jasmineJuhi (Jasminum auriculatum), a climbing jasmine with small white evening flowers: how to recognise it, its names in Indian languages, where to find…
Kans grassKans grass (Saccharum spontaneum), Bengal's kash phool: what it is, when it flowers, why it signals Durga Puja and where river flats turn white.
Madar (crown flower)Madar or aak, the crown flower, grows on India's waste ground and is offered to Shiva and Hanuman. How to recognise it and why its milky sap is…
Pink trumpet treePink trumpet tree, Tabebuia rosea: the American tree behind Bengaluru's pink streets in February–March. How to recognise it and why it is not a…
Sacred lotusSacred lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, kamal in Hindi: how to tell it from a water lily, why it matters to Lakshmi and Vishnu, and where it blooms,…
SonkiSonki (Senecio bombayensis): the yellow daisy of Western Ghats plateaus after the monsoon, its link with Parvati and Ganesh Chaturthi, where to see…
Tulsi (holy basil)Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), holy basil: how to recognise it, Ram and Krishna tulsi, why it is worshipped, Tulsi Vivah and where to see it in India.
Reptiles
Bengal monitor lizardThe Bengal monitor, goh in Hindi, is India's common land monitor: up to about 175 cm, shy, protected under Schedule I. How to spot it and is it…
Ganges softshell turtleGanges softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica): how to recognise it, where it lives, why it survives at Mathura's ghats, protection status.
Indian flapshell turtleIndian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata): how to tell it, what the flaps do, where to see it at Govardhan, Vrindavan and Ujjain tanks.
Mugger crocodileMugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris): size, how to tell it from the gharial, how dangerous it is, its status and where to see it in India.
Olive ridley turtleOlive ridley turtles nest in India from about November to April: mass nesting in Odisha, guarded beaches in Goa and Karnataka, what you can see.
Butterflies
Blue mormonBlue mormon, Maharashtra's state butterfly: how to recognise it, when it flies (June–November), where to see it in Goa, Mumbai and Pune.
Common crowThe common crow (Euploea core) is a dark brown butterfly edged with white spots. How to recognise it, why birds leave it alone and where to see it in…
Crimson roseCrimson rose (Pachliopta hector): how to recognise this red-bodied swallowtail, why it flies so slowly, which butterfly copies it, and where to see…
Plain tigerThe plain tiger is a common Indian butterfly: orange, black-tipped, slow and distasteful to birds. How to identify it and where to look.
Southern birdwingSouthern birdwing (Troides minos): wingspan, is it India's largest butterfly, its food plants, season, Karnataka's state butterfly and where to look.
Insects
FirefliesFireflies (jugnu in Hindi) light up the Western Ghats from late May to mid-June. How the light works, where to go near Pune and Goa, and the rules.
Giant honey beeGiant honey bee (Apis dorsata, rock bee): how to recognise a colony, why it is dangerous when disturbed, and when it comes to Vrindavan.
