Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary

Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary

Country:
India
Site number:
2465
Area:
2,894.0 ha
Designation date:
29-06-2021
Coordinates:
26°54'36"N 83°07'47"E
  • A pair of bar-headed goose at Bakhira
  • Bird's eye view of Bakhira Wetland
  • Panoramic view of Bakhira wetland
  • Flock of birds at Bakhira wildlife sanctuary
  • Ferruginous ducks at Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Raft of Red-crested Pochards at Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Congregation of Gull-billed terns at Bakhira wildlife sanctuary

Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


This freshwater marsh in the Sant Kabir Nagar district is the largest natural floodplain wetland of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Sanctuary was established in 1980 and is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972); an “eco-sensitive zone” extends up to a kilometre around its boundary. The wetland is internationally important for its birdlife as it supports over 80 species. It provides a wintering ground for over 25 species which migrate on the Central Asian Flyway, some of which are threatened or near-threatened such as the endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), the vulnerable greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga), common pochard (Aythya ferina) and swamp francolin (Francolinus gularis), and the near-threatened oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus). The wetland also supports 119 plant species and 45 species of fish: it is home to the vulnerable European carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the catfish Wallago attu, and the near-threatened Gangetic ailia (Ailia coila) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). The Site is also used for recreation and tourism and contributes to food supply and nutrient cycling.

Administrative region: The site is situated in Sant Kabir Nagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

National legal designation:
  • Sanctuary - Bakhira wildlife sanctuary
Last publication date: 01-02-2022
Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)
Site map
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