We’re past the halfway mark of our epic North India birding adventure. After a much-needed 1 day break at New Delhi, we made our way north, towards the small town of Ramnagar. Lying within the state of Uttarakhand was our third focus destination: Corbett National Park. This park is sited on the southernmost reaches of the Himalayas, and is famous for its rich wildlife and diverse landscapes. Needless to say, we were very excited to go birding at Corbett NP.
Birding at Corbett National Park: Trip Report
A continuation of our 10-day North India birding trip, organized by Asian Adventures. We spent 3 days and 2 nights at Ramnagar (12-14 April 2025), where we stayed at the Tiger Camp Resort, not far from the town. We went birding at Corbett for one day only, on April 13th.
Information on Corbett NP
This expansive nature preserve was established in 1936, making it India’s first National Park. After independence, the park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in honor of Jim Corbett, a hunter-turned-naturalist, who was instrumental in establishing the park.
The park is widely known simply as Corbett National Park. It’s also known as Corbett Tiger Reserve, being the first park to fall under ‘Project Tiger’.
Our Experience Birding at Corbett NP
Birding at Corbett NP turned out to be a very different experience from Ranthambore NP and Keoladeo NP. For a start, it’s much cooler here, since Corbett lies within a submontane region. Moreover, the habitat types were very different, with the forests here being denser and more varied.
Corbett NP Zones
Overall, Corbett NP is divided into eight ecotourism zones. For our visit, our organisers chose two zones that’s most suitable for birding:
- Jhirna. We visited this zone in the morning. The habitat here is mostly flat with mixed deciduous forest and several grassland areas. There’s also a Forest Rest House within, where we had our packed breakfast.
- Bijrani. We went to this zone in the afternoon. This area has undulating terrain, a hill, Sal forests, stony rivers and open grasslands.
The safari
Similar to Ranthambore NP, access to Corbett NP is strictly via safari vehicles only. Unlike at Ranthambore, our safaris here used 6-seat jeeps.
Each safari session lasted roughly 3 hours. Since we were in our own private jeep, we could truly focus on birding and were free to stop whenever we want. Of course, we also kept a lookout for other wildlife. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any tigers, sloth bears or elephants here.
The scenery
Another thing about Corbett NP: the scenery here was just amazing, more so than Ranthambore or Keoladeo. The forests here were awash with colour, with the brown leaves of the dry season giving way to the fresh, green shoots of spring. The early morning and late afternoon sun accentuated the colourful hues even more. And the crisp, cloudless blue sky just made everything picture perfect!
Birding at Corbett NP
Birding at Corbett NP presented us with a different challenge than the previous locations. The denser forest made the birds more difficult to see; hence, we started birding by ear more. Photography was also trickier, for the same reasons. Despite these challenges, we still thoroughly enjoyed our birding sessions in Corbett.
The morning session at Jhirna was full of bird activity. Right from the start, we were having fun scanning the mixed species flocks, and there were lifers aplenty. Suprisingly, we saw several species that were quite familiar to us, since they also occur in Malaysia. For example, the Oriental Pied-Hornbill, White-throated Fantail and large flocks of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters. The Bee-eaters are notable, as unlike in Malaysia, they were here to breed. In fact, according to our guide, they just arrived in Corbett mere days before us!
The afternoon session at Bijrani was quieter bird-wise. Nevertheless, we still had a great time meandering through the enchanting forests and saw plenty of wildlife such as Chital, Sambar and Muntjacs.
Standout species seen while birding at Corbett NP:
- Himalayan Griffon. Our third and final vulture species of the trip. We saw only a few within the park, as most of the vultures had moved up the Himalayas by the time we arrived at Corbett.
These are immature Himalayan Griffons, identified by their dark bills, brown upperparts and fluffy white necks. - Indian Grey Hornbill. We saw all three of Corbett’s hornbills during our morning safari, but this was the species that stood out. The other two hornbills (Great and Oriental Pied) also occur in Malaysia.
The Indian Grey Hornbill is very grey indeed - Indian Paradise-Flycatcher. Most of the birds we saw were the sensationally stunning white morph males. When flying, these birds appear like they have long white ribbons attached to them.
- Himalayan Bulbul. Like many bulbuls, this one has dull plumage. But it’s the fancy ‘hairdo’ that makes this my favourite bulbul of the entire trip.
A singing Himalayan Bulbul. Check out the fancy crest! - The White-crested Laughingthrush are attractive, noisy and gregarious birds. At one point, an entire flock flew around our jeep, singing and chattering as they went past.
- Black Redstart. The males were gorgeous in their black and orange breeding attire.
Male Black Redstart, in breeding plumage
For the full list of birds and more photos, check out our eBird checklists from Corbett:
Birding outside Corbett NP
Besides the national park, we also went birding at locations near our hotel. We explored two spots:
- Girija Devi Temple area. This picturesque temple lies on a small hill in the middle of the Kosi River, a few minutes drive from our hotel. The Kosi is a rocky and fast flowing mountain river, and flanked by woodlands on both sides. A suspension bridge spanned the river just south of the temple.
- Mohaan. A resort village 20 minutes from our hotel. Near the village was a rocky stream flanked by submontane forests, straddling the foothills of the Himalayas. This location was at a slightly higher elevation than Jhirna/Bijrani, and we saw many species here that we didn’t see in the park.
Some highlights:
- River Lapwing. This black-and-white bird was a nice change from the ubiquitous Red-wattled Lapwing. Quite easily seen amongst the boulders lining the rocky riverbanks. Curiously, it has spurs on its wings.
River Lapwing - Crested Kingfisher. For me, this kingfisher was the standout bird of the Himalayan foothills, and my second favourite bird of the whole India trip. A smart-looking bird, with fine black-and-white barring and a tall, shaggy crest. Its plumage allows it to blend perfectly amongst the rocks and boulders of its river habitat. Within India, this species only occurs along the Himalayan regions.
Crested Kingfisher - Pied Kingfisher. The third black-and-white bird on this list! The Pied Kingfisher looks like a smaller version of the Crested Kingfisher, minus the tall crest. Unlike that species however, this bird is quite common and widespread in India. This species also has a special ability – it can hover! This ability allows the bird to hunt fish without the need for a perch.
Pied Kingfisher - Plum-headed Parakeet. Typical green parakeet, but the males have a gorgeous purple head (the namesake ‘plum-head’).
Plum-headed Parakeet - Long-billed Thrush. Seen at Mohaan. Like a ghost, this bird appeared out of nowhere. Through the binoculars, we could make out the brown plumage and long bill. According to our guide, this uncommon bird is quite challenging to see, as it’s very shy. Unbelievably, we saw two more around Pangot, which surprised even our guide!
Long-billed Thrush - White-capped Redstart. Seen at Mohaan. A pleasant surprise, as according to our guide, by April these birds should have ascended higher up the Himalayas for breeding. Nice of the birds to wait for us first before leaving 😉
Explore our eBird checklists below, for the full list of birds and more photos.
Conclusion
Birding at Corbett NP and its surrounds was a different experience compared to our previous two destinations, yet still immensely rewarding and enjoyable. Birdlife here was fantastic, and we saw many species we didn’t see elsewhere. Additionally, the cooler climate was a refreshing change from the hot lowlands, and the breathtaking scenery was the cherry on the top. I truly felt that 3 days wasn’t enough to really explore this diverse region.
Up next, our final destination: We head up the Lesser Himalayas, to the small village of Pangot. This last location might just be the best!
REFERENCES:
- Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. (2016) Helm Field Guides Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Christopher Helm, London, England.