Keoladeo National Park lies between two of India’s most historic cities, Agra and Jaipur, in the country’s northwestern state of Rajasthan, about 190 kilometers from the national capital of Delhi.

The land originally was set aside in the 1850s as the private hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Bharatpur, and for many years, the ruling maharaja and his guests would shoot enormous numbers of birds during the hunting season. Records show that, on November 12, 1938, Lord Linlithgow, viceroy and governor general of India, and his party killed 4,273 birds there.

Despite the ongoing slaughter, the avian population flourished. The reserve became the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in 1956, but the maharaja retained hunting rights until 1972, with the last big shoot being held in 1964. Feathered inhabitants of the sanctuary finally received total protection when the site was designated Keoladeo National Park in 1981.

The national park is named for an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva, which is stands in the center of the sanctuary. However, the birds are the big attraction. Keoladeo is considered one of the best birding areas in Asia and one of the most important heronries in the world.

For these reasons, Keoladeo National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Keoladeo’s 29 square kilometers includes about 10 square kilometers of freshwater marshes and bogs. The rest is grasslands and scrub lands bearing more than 44,000 trees used by nesting birds.

The wetland area floods to a depth of several meters during the monsoon season, July through September. From October to January, the water level gradually falls, and from February, the land begins to dry out. By June, only some water remains.

The rich aquatic vegetation, ranging from the water lily and true lotus to duckweed and wild rice, provides a valuable food source for waterfowl. While some birds are basically vegetarian, many feed on the park’s frogs, beetles and fish as well. And soon after the breeding season from August through October, birds of prey target the vulnerable fledglings to supplement their usual diet of rodents and fish.

Between October and March each year, the 120 species of Indian birds that live in the park year-round are joined by an additional 130 species from as far afield as the Russian steppes and Central Asia. The rarest of these migratory birds are the few pairs of endangered Siberian Cranes, white with crimson facial patches and black wing tips, that nest in the south of the park.

Other species for which the park is especially important include: the Cotton Teal, which is the smallest duck in the world; the Little Cormorant; the White Spoonbill; the Openbill Stork; the Wood Sandpiper; the Spotbilled Pelican; the Sarus Crane, which stands nearly as tall as a human; the Pallas’s Fish-Eagle; and a variety of herons, such as the common Grey Heron, the tiny brown Pond Heron and the dazzling Purple Heron.

Of course, birds aren’t the only wildlife that populate the park. Visitors frequently come upon chital (spotted deer), sambar (antelope), wild boar and jackal, and even catch glimpses of an Indian grey mongoose, Bengal fox, jungle cat or python.

There is plenty to see throughout the year, but the best months are August through November for resident breeding birds and November through March for migrant birds. Dawn and dusk are the best times for viewing, but many bird species, including colorful bee-eaters and kingfishers, can be seen throughout the day.

A single road passes through the sanctuary, with numerous well defined paths branching from it. These can easily be covered on foot or by bicycle. Bicycles may be rented at the park entrance, where visitors requiring help to identify birds or find vantage points may hire a guide, too.

Perhaps the best way to tour the park is in a cycle rickshaw, pedaled by a knowledgeable guide, also contracted at the park entrance. The ride is quiet and comfortable, the guides know where to find the birds, and they often carry binoculars for their passengers.