Bird Walk at Shivkuti, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

About Shivkuti

On the northern edge of Prayagraj, Shivkuti runs down to the banks of the Ganga, where old ghats and the ancient Shivkoti Mahadev temple look out over the river. The landscape changes with the seasons. When the monsoon floods recede, they leave wide sandbanks, silty floodplain, riverside grassland and seasonal pools behind. Old neighbourhoods, mango and guava orchards, and large peepal, neem and banyan trees fill the land above the river. Farmland and scattered groves add to the mix. Gangetic fish, turtles and frogs live along the river’s edge, and the old trees shelter owls, squirrels and fruit bats.

For birders, Shivkuti offers river and garden birds in one walk. Cormorants, herons and egrets fish along the shore. Lapwings and bee-eaters use the open banks, and flocks of starlings and mynas feed on the fields. Barbets, treepies, bulbuls and flowerpeckers are busy in the groves. In winter, migrant ducks, gulls, terns and waders arrive on the Ganga, and warblers stop off in the trees. Like much of the Ganga, though, this stretch is under strain. Untreated sewage and waste, plastic and ritual litter all reach the river. Sand mining, riverfront construction and heavy crowds during bathing festivals disturb the sandbanks where birds rest and nest. Old trees are also being cut as the city grows. Protecting the floodplain and sandbars, keeping the old groves, and cleaning up the river are essential for Shivkuti’s birds.

Partnered with

Bird walk Location

Common birds of Shivkuti

Shivkuti’s old trees hide a small, fierce predator: the Jungle Owlet. This finely barred little owl often calls and hunts in broad daylight. Nearby, the tiny Pale-billed Flowerpecker, one of India’s smallest birds, darts between mistletoe clumps. The Greenish Warbler stops over on its long migration from the Himalayas. Coppersmith and Brown-headed Barbets call endlessly from the canopy. Rufous Treepies glide between the trees on long tails, and Asian Green Bee-eaters swoop out after insects in shimmering green. On the open ground, pied black-and-white Indian Pied Starlings forage alongside the Bank Myna. As its name suggests, the Bank Myna nests in holes in riverbanks, and it has bright orange skin around its eyes. Jungle Babblers chatter in noisy groups, and Red-whiskered Bulbuls show off their crests. The Oriental Magpie-Robin sings sweetly, and the Indian Robin cocks its tail. Common Tailorbirds, Ashy Prinias and Purple Sunbirds keep the shrubs busy, while Black Drongos and Rose-ringed Parakeets watch from above. Along the river, Little Cormorants, Indian Pond-Herons and Eastern Cattle-Egrets fish the edges, and Red-wattled Lapwings keep a noisy watch.