The Thattekad Bird Sanctuary is one of the important bird sanctuaries of India. Salim Ali, a well known ornithologist, has described this sanctuary as “the richest bird habitat on peninsular India”. The region is an evergreen low-land forest and is located between branches of the Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala. A trip through this sanctuary would certainly be a bonanza for any birder, with over 270 species in the relatively small area of 25 sq kms. You may see the rare Mottled Wood Owl, the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, the Malayan Night Heron, the Sri Lanka Frogmouth, the Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, the Grey-headed Bulbul and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon.