15 Best Places For Birding In Goa You Must Explore

Birding in Goa is our favorite pastime. We see birds everywhere, in the fields behind our home, in the villages not too far from us, on islands just a ferry ride away, by the backwaters, and in the jungles of the Goan hinterlands.

Not to forget the ones who come to our balcony and on coconut trees in our building.

Top Places for Birding in Goa

We see a rise in birding tours in Goa. A lot of companies engage birding experts to take tourists on Birding trails in Goa. So, we thought of giving you our list of the best places for birding in Goa.

Carambolim Lake

Situated behind the Karmali Railway Station, Carambolim Lake is a quiet lake that birds love. You can see birds in hordes. In thousands, they are sitting on the edges of the lake like they are there for a conference or a big celebration.

Pro Tip – Step into the fields around Carambolim Lake to look for many other birds. Do not forget to ask the field owners before you step in.

Curtorim and Maina Villages

Imagine a thin strip of coconut tree-lined road going through wide fields on both sides with a backdrop of hills. This is Maina village near Curtorim in South Goa. This is birding heaven in the state. You have to look at fields on either side or on the wires running up, you will be spoilt for choice.

Read More – Walking with the Birds in Maina

Goa University Campus

Goa University is built on a plateau. Walk behind its library building and you will pass by a few buildings and many trees. Stand in front of any trees and you will see birds flying around. Look for a dry tree with no leaves and this is your best bet to photograph birds.

Pro Tip – After a long birding walk, eat the student snacks or food in one of the canteens. It is like going back to college days.

Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Chorao Island

Honestly speaking this is not the best place for birding. This is where a lot of people land-up, because of the bird sanctuary tag, but we have never found many birds there. However, this is a great place to take a small boat and go through the waters and spot birds that live on the edges of the river. Just take a ferry to Chorao island and wander around or take a boat ride in Mandovi.

Moira Backwaters

Reaching here is a bit tricky, but these backwaters of the Mandovi River lie somewhere between Uccasaim and Moira. You can walk along the waters and see many birds away from any road and hence traffic.

Read More –  A Walk Through Moira Backwaters

Soccorro Plateau

Like most plateaus in the state, the Socorro plateau is a haven for birds and birdwatching. Just walk around the narrow roads and keep looking up, on the trees.

Pilerne Plateau

This is close to Saligao in North Goa. You may have crossed this on your way to the famous Baga and Calangute villages. Although you can find birds in the most deserted parts of the Pilerne industrial estate, our favorite spot is closer to the Nerul River.

Verna Plateau

This plateau is also an industrial estate, but if you can get a bit away from the industrial corridors, you would see the wilderness and yes, birds.

Divar Island

Take a ferry boat from Ribandar or Old Goa and get down to the island of Divar. Walk around and you would see not just birds but also crabs on the edges of Mandovi River next to the mangroves. You can see the locals fishing in small ponds. Birds are in the fields, on the naked wires, and on trees which are not aplenty on this island. Do you know Divar Island is the favorite of the advertisers, you would have seen it in many ad films.

Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary for Birding in Goa

This birding location is where the famous Dushsagar Falls is located. As you trek to the falls or walk through the tracks leading to Dudhsagar Falls, you will find birds. You just need to be away from noisy tourist vehicles. Birds do not like too much noise.

Read More – Dudhsagar – The Most Beautiful Waterfall

Merces Plateau

This is a plateau that connects Panjim to Old Goa which would soon be full of new-age buildings. Till then enjoy the views of Mandovi, some backwaters with the birds of Goa.

Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary for Birding in Goa

Cotigao wildlife sanctuary at the southern tip of Goa is home to many hidden streams and waterfalls. With so many water bodies around, birds cannot be far away. Keep your telephoto lenses ready.

Read More – Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary for Birding in Goa

The Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is located in the hinterlands of the state, away from its popular beaches or main towns. You would typically go here for whitewater rafting during monsoons. Go here for Birding in Goa anytime.

Beaches like Morjim or Miramar

During the winter months, Goa gets some amazing seabirds Seagulls, slender-billed gulls, and Caspian terns. Most birders would head to Morjim to see these birds but we usually meet them at our neighborhood beach at Miramar.

Lakes & Fields for Birding in Goa

In general, if you sit quietly near any lake or field in the state, the birds would oblige you generously. We sometimes just stop at random places, closer to water bodies and fields, and more often than not this is our birding in the state.

Birds Sighting for Birding in Goa

Beaches

Goan Beaches less frequented by Humans receive huge flocks of migratory birds like Gulls & Sandpipers. Brown-headed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls & Slender-billed Gull are the most sighted. Sand plovers, Common Sandpipers, Little Stint, and Sanderling are sighted in flocks by the beaches. White-bellied Sea Eagles are also spotted by the beaches and Mandovi River & Zuari River estuaries.

Shallow Backwaters, Lakes, Paddy Fields, Marsh Lands, Backwaters

Waterbirds like Herons, Ducks, Egrets, Bee-eaters, Kingfishers, Drongos, Storks, Ibis, Cormorants, Darter, Jacanas, Plovers, Lapwings, Kites, Pigeons, Doves, Bee-eaters, Cuckoos, Rollers, Hoopoes, etc are easily seen by these water bodies. Purple Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Lesser-Whistling Ducks, Ruddy Shelducks, Indian Pond Heron, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Western-reef Heron, Wooly-necked Stork, Asian Openbill Stork, Lesser-adjutant Stork, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher,

Little Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Black-headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Red-wattled Lapwing, Greater Sandplover, Lesser Sandplover, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Brahminy Kite, Black Kite, Indian Peafowl, Rock Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Green Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Asian Koel, Lesser Coucal, Greater Coucal, Indian Roller, Hoopoe are among the relatively easily sighted birds.

Hinterlands, Plateaus, Wildlife Sanctuaries

Woodpeckers, Hornbills, Swallows, Bulbuls, Babblers, Barbets, Eagles, Pheasants, Parrots, Owls, Wagtails, Shrikes, Flycatchers, Sunbirds, Orioles, Starlings, Weavers, Waxbills, etc can be spotted.

Black-rumped Flameback Woodpeckers, Black Eagle, Shikra, Crested Serpent Eagle, Jungle Fowl, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Spotted Owl, Indian Grey Hornbill, Great Hornbill, White-cheeked Barbet, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, White-browed Wagtail, Paddy-field Pipit, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Brown Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Jungle Babbler, Grey-breasted Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Little Spider Hunter, Purple Sunbird,

Indian Golden Oriole, Black-naped Oriole, Common Myna, Jungle Myna, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Baya Weaver, Scaly-breasted Munia, White-rumped Munia, Indian Silverbill. There are several varieties of these birds that are hard to identify without some expert help.

The presence of so many varieties of Birds in the state is a hallmark of the Biodiversity and beauty of nature. For nature lovers, Birding in the state can be a great experience, additionally, you will find more biodiversity over and above birds.

Read more:

• Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
• Bird Photography at Satpura National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Birds of Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Beautiful Birds of Chitwan National Park, Nepal
• Birding in Kumaon – Explore Uttarakhand Nature
• Birds in my Garden at Gurgaon
• Dandeli – Home of Malabar Pied Hornbill
• Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, National Park near Gurgaon
• List of Birds of Goa – Wikipedia