Bird festival shifts from Chambal to Dudhwa this year
LUCKNOW: The bird festival, UP’s annual event aimed at promoting eco-tourism, will be organised at Dudhwa on February 9, 10 and 11, this year.
The event was started by the previous Samajwadi Party government, and for the first two years (2015 and 2016), it was organised at the Chambal Safari.
Officials said the festival was being shifted to a new location to promote more places in the state for eco-tourism.
“We shifted the venue after two years. It is possible that we may again shift the venue from Dudhwa to another place in Uttar Pradesh. Such festivals can be used to promote maximum places for attracting tourists,” said SK Upadhyay, principal chief conservator, forest-wildlife.
There are about 10,000 bird species in the world. About 1,300 species are found in India. Out of these, Uttar Pradesh has over 550 avian species.
The Dudhwa National Park, along with the Kishanpur and the Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuaries, represents the best natural forests and grasslands in the Terai region of the state.
The park has a rich avian life with over 350 species.
These include the swamp francolin, the great slaty woodpecker and the Bengal florican.
Dudhwa also boasts of a
› We shifted the venue after two years. It is possible we may again shift the venue to another place in UP. Such festivals can be used to promote maximum places. SK UPADHYAY, principal chief conservator, forest-wildlife
range of migratory birds that settle here during winters. These include among others, painted storks, black and white necked storks, sarus cranes, woodpeckers, barbets, kingfishers, minivets, bee-eaters, bulbuls and various night birds of prey.
Bird watchers from across the world are likely to participate in the three-day event, which will also include expert sessions for those interested in seeking knowledge about different species.
The final programme will be declared later.