India

Goa

Information

SITE RANK

48

HABITAT Beaches, mangroves, rice paddies, cultivations, lakes, scrub, lowland forest

KEY SPECIES Lesser Adjutant, Malabar Trogon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, waders, terns, gulls, kingfishers, Indian Pitta, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Heart-spotted Woodpecker

TIME OF YEAR Good all year round, but the best time is November to March

It is easy to see why the beaches of Goa are an attraction to tourists.

A former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India, Goa is its country’s smallest state, sandwiched between Maharashtra to the north and Karnakata to the south and east. Although blessed with a rich history and cultural mix, in which Catholic and Hindu influences ensure that opulent churches can sit beside Hindu temples, it is actually best known for its package holidays. Tourists from all over the world come to play on its long, sandy beaches and enjoy its seafood restaurants and family hotels, lending the place something of a hedonistic feel.

It was quite some years after the tourist industry was well established here that Goa’s potential wildlife interest became apparent. No doubt bored birders on the beach looked up and began to notice healthy populations of gulls and terns mooching about at high tide, and holidaymakers with an interest in wildlife started noticing Coppersmith Barbets, Purple-rumped Sunbirds and Asian Paradise Flycatchers in their hotel grounds. Before long the keener visitors started spotting pipits on the rice paddies and ventured into the dry forests, and the burgeoning list of birds soon encouraged more and more people to visit. These days, Goa is a major eco-tourism destination. Local agencies offer short birdwatching excursions, and tour companies arrange specific birding packages that can accumulate lists of 250 or more species in two dedicated weeks.

Goa’s small size and rich variety of habitats make it perfect for birdwatching. Nowhere in the state is more than two hours’ travel time from coastal resorts such as Baga, and most are actually concentrated near to the capital, Panaji, and thus easily accessible by a colourful choice of cheap public transport. In few other places is it as easy to combine a relaxing holiday with such rich birding opportunities.

The Indian Ocean beaches, especially Morjem Beach north of the Chapora River mouth, are often a good place to start. In the Palearctic winter the sandy shoreline can be excellent for shorebirds, gulls and terns. Birders can throw themselves into the complexities of distinguishing Greater from Lesser Sand Plovers and Kentish Plovers. Terns roosting on the sand-bars can include Sandwich, Gull-billed, Swift and Lesser Crested, while the gulls should include Brown-headed, Black-headed, Slender-billed, Heuglin’s and, occasionally, Great Black-headed. Brahminy and Black Kites circle overhead while, out to sea, Ospreys and White-bellied Sea Eagles often appear.

Many of the river mouths in Goa support areas of mangrove where, at low tide, there are more waders to be seen, especially that arch crab-specialist, the Terek Sandpiper. Cruises up the Zuari River should also be good for kingfishers. Pied, White-throated, Stork-billed and Black-capped are common enough, while the Collared is rare and is a bonus. Green and Blue-tailed Bee-eaters will also be seen on these trips, on wires or treetops.

Away from saltwater, there are several excellent freshwater sites on the coastal plain that are full of birds, including Carambolim Lake near Old Goa and Maem Lake to the north-east of Panaji. The dense floating vegetation on the former quite literally supports Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, while ducks such as Lesser Whistling Duck, Garganey, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Shoveler and Cotton Pygmy Goose hide away on the still water. Little Cormorants and, sometimes, Darters ply their trade under the water, while the mass of egrets should include Great White, Little and Intermediate. Storks are usually present, often just standing around or perched on the adjoining trees. Lesser Adjutant, Asian Openbill and Woolly-necked Stork are all recorded regularly. Another mainstay of these habitats is the delightful Little Pratincole, a common species close to the coast, often seen in wheeling flocks.

On the coastal floodplain, the many rice paddies and drier grasslands offer excellent opportunities for viewing terrestrial species such as larks and pipits. In the winter you could find yourself having to come to terms with Richard’s, Blyth’s, Red-throated, Tawny, Tree and Paddyfield Pipits, posing identification challenges which certainly make a change from being dazzled by Plum-headed Parakeets and Golden-fronted Leafbirds. A local speciality, the Malabar Lark, can also be found in this sort of habitat. The Dona Paula plateau, south of Panaji, is good for this species, and also offers the chance to see Oriental Skylark, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark and, by way of light relief, Eurasian Hoopoe.

Despite the attractions of the coastal plain, no birder visiting Goa should neglect to venture inland to the woods and forests of the foothills of the Western Ghats. They introduce a completely new element into the birding, with plenty of regional specialities. The excellent Bondla reserve, an hour’s drive from the coast, is a mere 8 sq km of dry deciduous and evergreen woodland, yet is often the easiest place in Goa to see such delights as Grey Junglefowl, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Scarlet Minivet, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon and Orange-headed Thrush. Meanwhile, the Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park (usually called Molem) on the south-eastern edge of the state, is much larger (250 sq km) and, although birding is often slower here, the diversity is somewhat higher. This is usually the most reliable place to find some truly world-class species such as Indian Pitta, Malabar Trogon, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Malabar Whistling Thrush and Heart-spotted Woodpecker.

Sri Lanka Frogmouths roost in the understorey in dry forests, and pairs often have the endearing habit of huddling together.

A careful search of the forest floor at Bhagwan Mahaveer may reveal an Indian Pitta. The species also winters at sites along the coast of Goa.

The Malabar Trogon often follows mixed species flocks of small birds through the forest.