Crested Serpant Eagle

Eco Junction : As the junction of the Aravali and the Vindhya ranges, Ranthambhor Tiger Park is a celebrity - one of the first nine Project Tiger Reserves initiated by the Government of India in 1973-74 to launch a massive tiger-conservation campaign in India, ably supported by several overseas organizations and Governments. It is a maternity-centre for tigreses - despite numerous challenges which continue to this date. It is a wonderful bird watching spot as well. The ancient fort, located almost at the centre of this dry deciduous forest, has long history, noted for King Hameer and his determination to fight invaders.

The number of especially designated Tiger projects in India has increased three times today (27), not certainly the tiger population gone up in the same proportion. Grazing, loss of habitat, fuel wood collection, development programmes and remarkably lack of priority have not allowed such reserves to attain what they were designed to accomplish. Yet, Ranthambhor can be cited as a glaring example.

Aquatic : Ranthambhor offers easy bird watching though it has to be undertaken through the open jeeps as walking inside the park is not allowed. Four water bodies, three being fairly large, offer plenty of aquatic birds : Egrets, Herons, Cormorants, Storks (Openbilled, Painted, Woollyneck, and Black), White Ibis, Spoonbill, Graylag Goose, Barheaded Goose, Lesser Whistling Duck, Rudy Shelduck, Northern Pintail, Common Teal, Spotbill Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Pochard, Common Pochard, Pygmy Cotton Goose, Comb Duck, Red-wattled Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Red Shank, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Shank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Pintail Snipe, Painted Snipe, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Ruff and Reeve, Black-winged Stilt, Greater Thick-knee etc.
 

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse	Copper Smith Barbet

Raptors : Blackwinged Kite, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Shikra, Sparrow Hawk, Bonelli's Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Red-headed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Marsh Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Osprey, Crested Serpent Eagle, Laggar Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel. Spotted Owlet, Collared Scops Owl, Dusky Eagle Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Dusky Eagle Owl, Barn Owl are the nocturnal species like Indian Nightjar.

Other Species : Red-throated Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Verditer Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, White-browed Fantail Flycatcher, Paradise Flycatcher. Plain Prinia, Ashy Wren Warbler, Tailor Bird, Lesser White-throat, Chiff -chaff, Bluethroat, Magpie Robin, Brown Rock Chat, Pied Bush Chat, Indian Robin, Blue Rock Thrush, Grey Tit, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Spotted Creeper, Indian Tree Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Purple Sunbird, Oriental White Eye, Baya, Streaked Weaver Bird, White-backed Munia, Spotted Munia, Large Cuckoo Shrike, Black-headed Cuckoo Shrike, Small Minivet, Common Iora, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Common Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Pied Crested Cuckoo, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Asian Koel, Sirkeer Malkoha, Greater Coucal, Pied Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Indian Pitta, Larks, Martins, Swallows, Shrikes, Orioles, Drongos, Mynas, Starlings, Tree-pie, Crow, Bulbul, Pigeon, Partridges, Quails, Painted Sandgrouse, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Indian Courser (last three to be spotted outside the park) etc.

Tiger : Ranthambhor is renowned for its Tiger spottings. It also hosts Leopard, Leopard Cat, Fishing Cat, Jungle Cat, Caracal, Civet Cat, Sloth Bear, Common Mongoose, Hyena, Jackal, Ratel, Porcupine, Hedgehog etc. Three nights offer us belly full, birds surrounding the majestic tigers.