Rasikbil Bird Sanctuary, West Bengal

Rasikbil Bird Sanctuary, West Bengal

Rasikbil Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary located in Tufanganj subdivision in Cooch Behar District of West Bengal, India. Rasikbil is a small lake situated at the foothill of Sintura Hill of the Himalayas. It is a large natural wetland of North Bengal. The sanctuary is situated on the bank of Raydak River.

History

The sanctuary was established in in 1997. The sanctuary lies in the Cooch Behar Social Forestry Division.

The Bird Sanctuary

The sanctuary covers an area of about 175 hectares. The sanctuary is situated around a large oxbow lake. The lake is surrounded by low water land or marshland, which provides appropriate dwelling atmosphere for birds. Rasikbil is one of the five such low water lands in the area, others being Neeldaba, Bochamari, Shankhadanga and Raichangmari.

The birds found in the sanctuary are lesser whistling duck, Eurasian teal, ferruginous duck, red-crested pochard, northern shoveler, northern pintail, Eurasian wigeon, grey-headed lapwing, northern lapwing, pied kingfisher, stork-billed kingfisher, common kingfisher, little cormorant, great cormorant, and gadwall.

This lake attracts a lot of birds which make nests in the trees around the lake. There is a deer park and a crocodile rehabilitation center by the side of the lake. There is also a leopard house, python house, aviary, and tortoise rescue centre. There is a watch tower of about 70 feet high in the sanctuary for bird watching. The best time to visit this sanctuary is from September to March.

Connectivity

The sanctuary is located at about 8 Kms from Kamakhyaguri, 9 Kms from Kamakhyaguri Railway Station, 15 Kms from Tufanganj, 28 Kms from Alipurduar, 35 Kms from Gossaigaon, 43 Kms from Cooch Behar, and 191 Kms from Bagdogra Airport. The sanctuary is situated at about 8 Kms to the south of Kamakhyaguri on the Alipurduar to Gossaigaon route.

Location