Introduction
The coastal state of Goa is the land of
emerald beaches and dark hills covered in deep forests.
Located in the Konkan region of the
Central west coast of India, Goa is wedged between the Arabian Sea on
the west and the Western Ghats (Sahayadri range) on the east. The
Western Ghats are one of the
richest reservoirs of biodiversity in the world with a bewildering
complexity in plant, animal and bird life.
This tiny state is bounded by the Indian
states of Maharashtra in the north, and Karnataka in the east and
south. Altitudes here ranges from sea level along the 100 km coastline
to more than 700 mts above sea level in the Western Ghats which run
north-south along the eastern boundary.
Goa is India's richest state, and tourism is
Goa's leading industry attracting 12% of all international travellers
to India. Tourists visit the beaches, archaeological sites and many
come for the rewarding birdwatching experience. Other industries in
Goa include mining, agriculture, fishery and industry.
Goa is under the influence of two global biomes - the marine biome of
the Arabian Sea and the terrestrial forest biome of the Western Ghats.
Within this geographical canvas are a wide range of ecosystems.
Laterization caps which
occur on account of the tropical moist climatic conditions
are extensive over most of the area,
and they have by and large determined the nature of the region’s
vegetative cover.
Physiographically, Goa can be divided into three ecological zones:
Coastal plains: The coastal belt
with sandy beaches broken by the wide mangrove-lined estuaries of the
Mandovi and Zuari rivers and interspersed with estuaries, salt-pans,
marshes and tidal mudflats. This coastal habitat extends into the
interior as far as the tidal influence reaches along the large rivers.
Middle Plateau: The midland region
is distinguished by large lateritic table-lands with stony outcrops
and marked by thorny scrubland and plantations. The plateau slopes at
the foothills of the Sahayadris have patches of secondary and degraded
moist-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests.
Western Ghat region: The Sahyadris
of the Western Ghats are covered by mixed moist deciduous forests,
semi-evergreen and evergreen forests interspersed with bamboo and cane
brakes.
Bio-geographic zones
Goa falls in the Malabar Coast moist
forests (IM0124) bio-geographic zone. The ecoregion represents the
semi-evergreen forests along India's Konkan Coast, a thin strip of
land lying between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats
Mountains to the east. The original vegetation was tropical evergreen
(Champion and Seth 1968), but the forests have been largely replaced
or interspersed with teak, giving the vegetation a semi-deciduous
character.
Forest types
Goa has three forest types. Forests
occupy 33% of the land area.
(i) Tropical Evergreen.
(ii) Tropical Semi-Evergreen.
(iii) Littoral and Swamp forests.
These forests are characterized by the following species:
Tetrameles nudiflora, Stereospermum personatum, Dysoxylum
binectariferum, Ficus nervosa, Ficus glomerata,
Pterocarpus marsupium, Salmalia malabarica, Terminalia bellerica,
Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus latifolia, Dalbergia latifolia,
Lannea coromandelica, Madhuca indica,
Garuga pinnata, Syzygium cumini, Olea dioica, Pouteria tomentosa,
Bridelia retusa, Mangifera spp., Actinodaphne angustifolia and
Myristica swamps.
Bird Life
Goa's diversity of ecosystems comprising coastal, mangrove, estuarine
grassland, wetland and Western Ghat habitats favour a great diversity
of bird species. The bird list reaches almost 500 species including 17
species endemic or near-endemic to the region. Key birds include Red
Spurfowl, Malabar Trogon, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Malabar Parakeet,
Malabar and Malabar Pied Hornbills, Brown-backed Needletail, Oriental
Bay Owl, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Grey-headed
Bulbul, Wynaad Laughingthrush, White-bellied Woodpecker, White-bellied
Blue-flycatcher, White-bellied Treepie, eight kingfisher species
including Collared and Blue-eared and a host of shorebirds and
surprise rarities like India's only recorded Black-legged Kittiwake.
What makes Goa a great place for birding is a well-developed birding
industry covering a relatively small area. Nowhere else in India will
you find trained guides and birding infrastructure in the scale and
quality available at Goa. This makes birding in Goa fruitful, and it
is possible to see over 250 species including regional endemics.
Goa birding hotspots
Baga
Baga village is located on the beach, 18 km
from Panjim. Birds in the grassland are open area Indian species such
as pipits, larks, munias, swallows, rollers, bee-eaters and raptors.
Forested areas around Saligao Zor hold barbets, cuckoos, green
pigeons, sunbirds, flowerpeckers, woodpeckers, orioles, starlings etc.
The marshy areas behind the Beira Mar hotel can be a good place to see
crakes, rails, bitterns, painted-snipes, sandpipers, raptors and other
inland waders.
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Bondla WLS lies 50 km east of
Panjim & is a short drive from Backwoods
Camp. The sanctuary is only 8 sq. km in area but is covered with good
mixed forest at the foothills of the Western Ghats. Good forest birds
here include Black Eagle, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon,
Malabar Trogon, Grey Junglefowl, Orange-headed Thrush, Indian Pitta,
Asian Fairy Bluebird, Forest Wagtail, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta,
woodpeckers, barbets, orioles, wood shrikes, parakeets, flycatchers
and many more.
Carambolim Lake
Carambolim is a large, marshy, lotus-covered lake about 10 km from
Panjim. The lake margins have areas covered with good scrub, woodland
and agricultural land. Carambolim is good place to catch up with
Indian waterbirds and wintering wildfowl. Species seen here include
kingfishers, terns, reed-birds, cormorants, jacanas, lapwings, storks,
pratincoles and other common wader species. Regular wildfowl include
Lesser Whistling-duck, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Garganey, Northern Pintail,
Northern Shoveler, Comb Duck, Spot-billed Duck and others. It is also
a good place for raptors like Marsh Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle,
Indian Spotted Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Booted Eagle and Osprey. The
woodlands hold various species of wintering warblers, woodpeckers,
barbets, orioles and cuckoos. The scrub holds wagtails, pipits, munias,
larks, starlings, bulbuls etc.
Dr. Salim Ali WLS, Chorao
Island and Mayem Lake
Chorao Island lies in the middle of the Mandovi River and is subject
to tidal influence. It is a good place to find waders and species like
Western Reef Egret, Lesser Adjutant and Woolly-necked Stork.
Mayem Lake is close to Chorao Is. and has extensive tree cover around
it. A popular place to find your
Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Orange-breasted Green
Pigeon or Brown Fish Owl.
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary
Coatiago WLS is covered with mixed deciduous forests and
is very similar to Bondla in terms of
species diversity. It is 85 km south of Panjim.
Cumbarjua Canal
The mangrove-lined Cumbarjua Canal south of Carambolim Lake is
a place to find the Collared Kingfisher.
Other species seen on the Zuari cruise include most of the tern and
kingfisher species in the area and raptors like Osprey and
White-bellied Sea-eagle.
Fort Aguada
Fort Aguada occupies the headland on the northern shore of the Mandovi
River. There is good scrub around the ruins of the fort and a place to
easily catch up with some Indian resident species. The nearby Nerul
River has a few mangrove patches where you can look
for kingfishers, waders and shorebirds.
Mollem
Mollem is about 60 kms from Panjim and is the gateway to the 250 sq.
km Bhagwan Mahavir National Park and WLS in the Sahyadri Hills
of the Western Ghats. Mollem holds a number
of specialities including Malabar Pied Hornbill, Dark-fronted Babbler,
Indian scimitar babbler, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Blue-eared
Kingfisher, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Common
Flameback, White-naped Woodpecker, Brown-breasted, Rusty-tailed
Flycatchers and others.
Morjim Beach
This is a high tide roost and is the best
place to find gulls, terns and shorebirds. Morjim lies to the north of
Baga. Good birds here include Slender-billed Gull, Great and Lesser
Crested and Caspian Terns, Crab Plover, sandplovers, pratincoles, and
the White-bellied Sea-eagle.
Where to stay
Goa has an abundance of hotels catering to tourists of all kinds.
Accommodation is largely concentrated along the coastline at places
like Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Arpora, Anjuna, Majorda, Colva,
Cavelossim and Mobor. There are some hotels that specialize in
handling birdwatchers or are located in suitable areas for
birdwatching. These include:
Backwoods Camp, Bondla
Marinha Dourada, Arpora
Riverside Regency, Baga
Beira Mar, Baga
Ronil Royale, Baga
Marbella Guesthouse, Sinquerim
Entry and travel
Dabolim Airport near Panjim is the easiest entry point into Goa for
both foreign and Indian visitors. There are also well-developed road
and rail systems connecting Goa with the rest of the country.
For getting around in Goa, hired cabs are the preferred means
of transport. Many drivers are familiar with key birding sites.
Important Facts and figures
Area: 3,702 sq. km
State capital: Panaji or Panjim
Population: 1,457,700 (2011)
Language: Konkani. English is
widely used.
Literacy: 87%
Religion: 65%
Hindus; 26% Christians
Staple food: Fish curry and rice.
Key rivers: Mandovi, Zuari,
Terekhol, Chapora and Sal.
Protected places:
Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS and Mollem National
Park
Cotigao WLS
Bondla WLS
Mhadei WLS
Netravali WLS
Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary
Temperatures: Hot and humid for
most of the year. High 35C; Low 21C
Location: Between 14º 53' to 15º 48' N and 73º 40' to 74º 21' E
References/Sources/Further reading:
Birds of Goa by ENVIS
Backwoods Camp
Birds and Birdwatching Potential in Goa - Goa Tourism
Biodiversity in Goa - Goa Foundation
Wikipedia page on Goa
WWF Terrestrial Ecoregion IMO124
Important Bird Areas in India - Goa by IBCN
A Birdwatcher'
Guide to India by Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh
Checklist of Birds of Goa by Parag Rangnekar
Sumit K Sen
Kolkata, India
