Bird Walk at Basai Wetlands, Gurugram

Name: Bird Walk at Basai Wetlands, Gurugram
Start: 2026-01-18T07:00:00+05:30
End: 2026-01-18T09:00:00+05:30

About Basai Wetland

Basai Wetlands, located on the outskirts of Gurugram (Gurgaon), is an important freshwater wetland that supports rich biodiversity amid rapid urbanization. Comprising marshes, shallow water bodies, agricultural fields, and seasonal floodplains, the wetland functions as a crucial habitat for resident and migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway. Despite being surrounded by expanding infrastructure, Basai continues to act as a natural refuge for wildlife and plays a key role in groundwater recharge and local microclimate regulation.

The wetland is especially known for its avifaunal diversity, having recorded several hundred bird species over the years, including waterbirds, raptors, and grassland specialists. It has been recognized by birdwatchers and conservationists as one of the most significant birding sites in northern India. However, increasing pressure from land-use change, water diversion, and pollution threatens its ecological integrity, highlighting the urgent need for protection, sustainable management, and community-driven conservation efforts.

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Common birds of Basai Wetlands

Basai Wetland is one of the most bird-rich urban wetlands in northern India, with a remarkable total of 294 bird species recorded so far. Its mosaic of open water, marshes, reedbeds, agricultural fields, and grassland supports a wide range of resident, migratory, and passage migrant birds. The wetland regularly hosts large numbers of waterbirds such as herons, egrets, ducks, gulls, grebes, crakes, and cranes, making it an important stopover and wintering site along migratory routes. In addition to common wetland species, Basai has produced several notable and rare records, highlighting its ecological importance. These include Brooks’s Leaf Warbler, White-crowned Penduline-Tit, Brown Crake, Spotted Crake, Demoiselle Crane, Laggar Falcon, Pallas’s Gull, Great Crested Grebe, and Oriental Darter. The presence of diverse warblers, buntings, larks, owls, raptors, and passerines reflects the habitat heterogeneity of the site. Such exceptional avifaunal diversity within a rapidly urbanizing landscape underscores Basai Wetland’s value as a critical bird habitat and a priority area for conservation.