Bird Walk at Doddanekundi Lake, Bengaluru

About Doddanekundi Lake

Doddanekundi Lake in Bengaluru, India is one of the city’s noteworthy urban wetlands, spreading across approximately 47 hectares (around 137 acres) and nestled in the Doddanekundi/KR Puram area. Once framed by native grasslands, acacia patches and silver oaks, this lake historically supported a mosaic of habitats including open water, reedbeds and scrub fringes thus, creating ideal niches for aquatic life and terrestrial plants alike. The waters and surrounding green edges attract a rich variety of flora and fauna, from wetland vegetation to birds and insects, making it a favourite destination for nature lovers and birder communities who regularly tally species in the hundreds. Today, birders report sightings of herons, egrets, painted storks, spot-billed pelicans, lesser whistling ducks, cormorants, darters, kingfishers and ibises, alongside resident woodland species like parakeets, barbets and sunbirds that enliven the scrub and trees around the lake.

Despite its attractiveness for walking, jogging and birdwatching, Doddanekundi Lake faces significant conservation challenges. Like many Bengaluru waterbodies, it has suffered from untreated sewage inflows, weed proliferation (notably water hyacinth), and degrading water quality, which have reduced fish stocks and shrunk habitats critical for waterbirds and other wildlife. Unchecked pollution has at times transformed once-thriving wetlands into stagnant, smelly patches, leading to sharp declines in migratory visitors and calling into question the future of this urban ecosystem. Local activists and residents argue that simple measures like periodic de-weeding are insufficient without robust sewage treatment and habitat management, and call for sustained community engagement, scientific restoration and protection to preserve the lake’s biodiversity and its role as a green lung in a rapidly urbanising landscape.

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Common birds of Doddanekundi Lake

Doddanekundi Lake is a rewarding hotspot for birdwatchers, hosting an impressive 208 bird species across seasons, with many familiar and charismatic residents seen year-round. The calm waters are frequented by Indian Spot-billed Ducks, Little and Indian Cormorants, Black-headed Ibises, and elegant herons such as Indian Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, and Little Egret, while the skies above are patrolled by Black Kites and the striking Brahminy Kite. Woodland edges and scrub come alive with calls of the Asian Koel, Spotted Dove, White-cheeked Barbet, and the vibrant parakeets—Rose-ringed and Alexandrine. Flashy White-throated Kingfishers perch near the water, Black Drongos and House Crows dominate open spaces, and smaller songbirds like Ashy Prinia, Common Tailorbird, Red-whiskered and Red-vented Bulbuls, Common Myna, Purple Sunbird, Purple-rumped Sunbird, and the graceful White-browed Wagtail add constant movement and colour. Together, these species make the lake a dynamic, ever-changing stage for birdlife, reflecting the rich biodiversity that still survives within Bengaluru’s urban landscape.