Malenadu Birds

Why are Malenadu birds so special?

Malenadu birds are special because these hills sit in the wettest and greenest part of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Tall evergreen forest, grassy hilltops, rivers and old shade gardens lie within a short drive of each other. Each habitat holds its own Malenadu birds. Several of them live nowhere else on earth.

The other reason is people. Malenadu families have grown areca, pepper, coffee and cardamom under tall trees for generations. Those shaded gardens act like an extension of the forest, so many Malenadu birds live right next to farmhouses. You can often watch a hornbill, a barbet and a paradise flycatcher from a homestay verandah.

If you are planning a trip, our guide to Malenadu in Karnataka explains where the region begins and ends. The birds on this page are found across the Malenadu districts, from Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga to Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu.

Western Ghats endemic birds you can see in Malenadu

Western Ghats endemic birds are species found only in these hills and nowhere else in the world. Malenadu holds most of them. Spotting these Malenadu birds is the main goal of many birdwatchers who come here. The table lists endemics that occur in the Karnataka ghats, with a simple tip for each.

Bird	Where in Malenadu	What to look for
Malabar grey hornbill	Forests and old gardens across the region	Grey hornbill with a pale bill, cackling call
Malabar parakeet	Evergreen forest edges	Blue-grey parakeet, also called blue-winged parakeet
White-bellied treepie	Agumbe, Sharavathi, Dandeli forests	Long tail, white belly, chestnut back
Malabar barbet	Fruiting fig trees	Small green barbet with a crimson face
White-cheeked barbet	Gardens and towns	Loud “kutroo” call from treetops
Crimson-backed sunbird	Gardens, forest edges, flowers	Tiny sunbird, male has a crimson back
Grey-headed bulbul	Wet forest near streams	Olive bulbul with a grey head
Flame-throated bulbul	Forest edges and scrub	Black head, bright orange-red throat
Rufous babbler	Thick undergrowth, bamboo	Noisy groups with rufous brown feathers
Nilgiri wood pigeon	Higher evergreen and shola forest	Large dark pigeon with a chequered neck
Nilgiri flycatcher	Kudremukh and other high hills	Dusky blue flycatcher of the sholas

Many more birds of Malenadu are not strictly endemic but are rare elsewhere in India. The Malabar trogon, Malabar whistling thrush and Sri Lanka frogmouth fall in this group. These Malenadu birds are covered in their own section below.

Hornbills in Karnataka: the biggest Malenadu birds

Hornbills are the biggest and most famous Malenadu birds. Four species live in the forests of Karnataka. In Kannada they are called mangatte (ಮಂಗಟ್ಟೆ). Karnataka Tourism notes that all four South Indian hornbills can be seen around Dandeli: the great hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill and Indian grey hornbill.

• Great hornbill: the largest, black and white with a big yellow casque on its bill. You hear its wingbeats, a loud whooshing sound, before you see it.
• Malabar pied hornbill: black and white with a large casque, often seen near rivers such as the Kali.
• Malabar grey hornbill: smaller and grey, found only in the Western Ghats. It is the hornbill most people see in Malenadu gardens.
• Indian grey hornbill: a bird of drier forest, more common on the eastern edge of the hills.

A Zoological Survey of India report on these four species surveyed Dandeli, Sharavathi, Bhadra and the Jog area. Hornbills need old, tall trees with natural holes to nest. The female seals herself inside the hole with mud, leaving only a narrow slit. The male feeds her and the chicks through that slit for weeks.

Because they need big trees and fruiting figs, hornbills are a sign of a healthy forest. Our Malenadu wildlife guide has a short section on hornbills and the parks where they live.

Signature forest birds of Malenadu

Signature Malenadu birds are the colourful, unusual forest species that birders travel long distances to see. Most of them need patient, quiet walks in good forest.

Malabar whistling thrush

The Malabar whistling thrush is a dark blue-black bird with shining blue patches that lives along streams and waterfalls. It is often called the whistling schoolboy because its song sounds like a boy whistling a tune and stopping halfway. You will hear it at dawn near almost any forest stream in Malenadu, even next to busy roads.

Malabar trogon

The Malabar trogon is a shy bird of evergreen forest. The male has a black head, a white band across the chest and a crimson belly. It sits very still in the middle of the canopy, so it is easy to miss. Forest walks around Agumbe and the Sharavathi valley are good places to look.

Sri Lanka frogmouth

The Sri Lanka frogmouth is a small night bird with a wide mouth and feathers that look exactly like dead leaves. By day, pairs sit side by side on a low branch and rely on camouflage. Researchers have recorded it in Uttara Kannada, the Sharavathi valley, Kodagu, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru. Local guides sometimes know a regular roost, but please keep your distance.

White-bellied treepie and the forest crowd

The white-bellied treepie is a long-tailed member of the crow family with a clean white belly. It often travels with mixed flocks of drongos, babblers, woodpeckers and flycatchers that move through the forest together. When one of these flocks passes, you may see ten kinds of Malenadu birds in five minutes and then nothing for an hour.

Nilgiri wood pigeon

The Nilgiri wood pigeon is a large, shy pigeon of the higher evergreen and shola forests. It feeds on wild fruits high in the canopy and flies off with a clatter of wings. Look for it in the Kudremukh and Kodagu hills.

Garden birds around areca and coffee plantations

The most common Malenadu birds are the ones that live in gardens, around houses and in the shade of areca and coffee plantations. You do not need a forest permit to see them; a cup of coffee on the verandah at sunrise is enough.

• Oriental magpie robin: black and white, sings from rooftops at dawn.
• Red-whiskered bulbul: crested, cheerful, always in pairs near fruit trees.
• Greater coucal (kembootha): a big black bird with chestnut wings that walks through the garden with a deep “hoop hoop” call.
• Asian koel: heard more than seen, its rising call fills the hot months.
• Sunbirds: purple-rumped, Loten’s and crimson-backed sunbirds visit hibiscus and banana flowers.
• Kingfishers (minchulli): white-throated kingfishers sit on wires above paddy fields and areca channels.
• Racket-tailed drongo: a glossy black bird with two long tail streamers that copies other birds’ calls.
• Indian paradise flycatcher: the male trails long white or rufous tail ribbons through the garden.
• Malabar parakeet and plum-headed parakeet (gini): flocks that streak over the canopy.
• Owls: jungle owlets and spotted owlets call at dusk from the trees around the house.

Areca gardens with pepper vines and tall jungle trees between the palms hold far more Malenadu birds than bare plantations. Read our guides to areca nut farming in Malenadu and Malenadu coffee to see how these gardens are built.

Coffee estates in Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu are also good for Malenadu birds because coffee grows under shade trees. Cardamom grows in even deeper shade, under tall forest trees.

Birdwatching in Malenadu: where to go

Birdwatching in Malenadu is best in a few well known forests, plus the river islands and small reservoirs that draw waterbirds. Use this table to match the Malenadu birds you want with a base.

Place	District	Good for
Dandeli and Ganeshgudi	Uttara Kannada	All four hornbills, river birds on the Kali
Sirsi and Yellapur forests	Uttara Kannada	Malabar grey hornbill, woodpeckers, mixed flocks
Agumbe and Someshwara	Shivamogga, Udupi	Malabar trogon, treepie, crimson-backed sunbird
Sharavathi valley and Jog	Shivamogga	Hornbills, frogmouth, forest birds
Mandagadde	Shivamogga	Egrets, cormorants and darters nesting on a Tunga island
Gudavi near Sorab	Shivamogga	Waterbirds on a village tank
Attiveri near Mundgod	Uttara Kannada	Waterbirds on a small reservoir
Kudremukh hills	Chikkamagaluru	Shola birds such as the Nilgiri flycatcher
Bhadra backwaters	Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga	River terns, ospreys, forest edge birds
Coffee estates	Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu	Garden and forest birds side by side

Mandagadde sits on a small island in the Tunga near Shivamogga. Deccan Herald describes how egrets, little cormorants and darters crowd its trees, with July to September the best time and August the peak. Read more about the river in our guide to Malenadu rivers.

For forest birds, our town guides to Agumbe and Sirsi suggest bases and walks. Inside sanctuaries, walks need Forest Department permission and a local guide.

When is the best time to see Malenadu birds?

The best time to see Malenadu birds is November to March, when the rains have ended, winter visitors have arrived and forest trails are open. Each season brings different birds.

Season	Months	What you will see
Winter	November to February	Migrant flycatchers, wagtails, warblers, Indian pitta (navaranga), the hornbill festival
Summer	March to May	Hornbills and barbets nesting, fruiting figs, birds near water
Monsoon	June to September	Heronry at Mandagadde, singing thrushes, fewer forest walks
After the rains	October	Returning migrants, green forest, leeches still about

The first two hours after sunrise are the best time of day for Malenadu birds. Bird activity drops by late morning and picks up again before dusk.

How to watch Malenadu birds without harming them

Watching Malenadu birds kindly means keeping your distance, keeping quiet and leaving no trace. A good birdwatcher should leave the bird exactly as it was found.

• No playback. Do not play recorded calls to pull birds out. It stresses them, especially in the breeding season.
• No flash at nests or roosts. Flash can make parents leave a nest and exposes frogmouths and owls to predators.
• Keep away from nests. Do not cut branches or move leaves to get a clearer photo.
• Do not share nest locations online. Trappers and careless crowds can follow.
• Stay on trails and get permits. Sanctuaries and forest walks need Forest Department permission.
• Respect private land. Ask before entering an areca garden or coffee estate.
• Dress quietly. Wear dull colours and avoid perfume and loud talk.

Why do Malenadu birds need old trees and forests?

Malenadu birds need old trees because many of them nest in tree holes, eat wild fruit and shelter in thick canopy. Hornbills, barbets, woodpeckers, owls and parakeets all depend on old trees with cavities. When big trees are cut, these Malenadu birds lose their homes even if the area still looks green.

Sacred groves, called devara kadu, protect patches of old forest near many villages. They often hold more Malenadu birds than the land around them. Read more in our page on devara kadu.

Bees and birds share the same flowering trees. Sunbirds sip nectar from the flowers that wild bees visit. Fruit-eating Malenadu birds spread the seeds of forest trees that later shade spice gardens.

Where to go next

Pair a birding trip with our Malenadu travel guide, which brings together towns, treks and waterfalls. Keep a lookout for snakes on forest walks too. Read our guide to Malenadu snakes before you go. At home, a tin of spices from the same gardens keeps the memory of those mornings alive.

Frequently asked questions about Malenadu birds