India GOBirds of Rishikesh
Plumbeous water redstart
Together with the white-capped redstart, this is the bird you will see on every boulder in every side stream around Rishikesh. The pair is a reliable sign of clean, fast water.
Phoenicurus fuliginosus
White-capped redstart
Shares every Himalayan river with the plumbeous redstart; the pair of them is the surest sign that you are standing beside real mountain water.
Phoenicurus leucocephalus
Crested kingfisher
Found only along clean, fish-bearing mountain rivers, so its presence on a stretch of the Ganga says something about the water.
Megaceryle lugubris
Crested serpent eagle
One of the few large raptors that has held its numbers in the Himalayan foothills, because it hunts reptiles rather than feeding on carcasses.
Spilornis cheela
Himalayan bulbul
The commonest garden bird of Indian hill towns, and usually the first species a visitor learns there.
Pycnonotus leucogenys
Indian pond heron
Its Hindi name means “blind heron”, from the way it lets people walk almost up to it before flying: patience, not blindness.
Ardeola grayii
The full catalogue, hidden spots and districts on the map, plus “nearby” mode.
Open in India GO