15 Common Water and Wader Birds Found in Indian Cities

Water birds or aquatic birds are species of birds that live on and around water bodies or inhabit marine environments. Aquatic birds includes Kingfishers, Shorebirds, Pelecanu and some birds of prey, such as ospreys and sea eagles.

These beautiful birds has the adaptations culture to feed in water using long legs and also has the ability to dive in water to catch prey or fish.

Indian Birds Spotted by Walk Through India Traveller-Kailash Kumbhkar

White-Throated Kingfisher

White-throated kingfisher also known as white-breasted kingfisher is one of the most common species of kingfisher found near by the water bodies. This kingfisher is a resident of Indian subcontinent and can often be found well away from water sources.

Red-Wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled lapwing are large waders birds, very famous for its loud alarm calls and found all over India. Its noisy nature with a loud did-he-do-it calls make its one of the annoying bird,even in an urban area of Indian cities.

Purple Heron

Purple heron one of the wading bird of heron family breeding and wintering in Indian subcontinent. The purple heron is similar in appearance like grey heron but slightly smaller and and has darker plumage.

Indian Cormorant ! Indian Shag

Indian cormorant also known as Indian shag, found mainly along the inland waters of the Indian Subcontinent.
Habitat and distribution of Indian cormorants includes rivers or large wetlands. Little cormorant is another member of the cormorant family widely distributed across the Indian Subcontinent.

Common Sandpiper

Common sandpiper nests on the ground near freshwater, shallow water and always take flight low over the water. This species is very similar but slightly larger then spotted sandpiper and widespread across most of temperate and subtropical.

Painted Stork

Painted stork is one of the largest wading bird found in India,habitate in the wetlands and the plains of Himalayas in the subcontinent. These are one of the large and colourful birds,nest close to human. Famous nest site is villages of Kokrebellur, Uppalapadu village and Veerapura.

Grey Heron

Grey heron is a very long-legged predatory wading bird of India, can be easily seen around lakes, rivers, ponds and marshes. This large bird has largely ashy-grey plumage and can be found anywhere with suitable watery habitat.

Barn Swallow

Barn swallow is a species of swallow and a distinctive passerine bird. The barn swallow is a bird that most likely to preferred habitat with water,meadows and farmland.

Indian Pond Heron

Indian pond heron is small heron species, widespread and commonly found at the edge of small water-bodies and near to human habitations. They have excellent camouflage but they are very common in India in watered lawns,marshy wetland and even dry grassland.

Indian Black Ibis

Indian black ibis is known as red-naped ibis, most commonly found in the plains of the Indian Subcontinent. The habitats of Black Ibis bird is open lakes, marshes, riverbeds,wetlands and irrigated farmlands.

Little Egret ! Intermediate Egret

Egret is one of the several herons found in India, eastern great egret, Little egret and Intermediate egret being the others. These are medium-sized heron birds with striking white plumage,most commonly seen during the breeding season,rainy season and always available around the water bodies.

River Tern

Indian river tern is a resident breeder bird of India along inland rivers to freshwater lake and tidal creeks. This medium-sized tern can be spot easily with dark black upperparts grey color and long tail,feeds by plunge-diving for fish or aquatic insects.

White Breasted Waterhen ! Moorhen

White-breasted waterhen is one of the member of waterbird widely distributed across the Indian Subcontinent.
Moorhen are another waterbird often found near freshwater,brackish water and marshes, ponds, canals and other wetlands.

Black-Winged Stilt

Black-winged stilt is a very long-legged wader bird,mainly eat insects and crustaceans from marshes, shallow lakes and ponds. These birds pick up their food from sand or water,often nest in small groups.

Indian Openbill ! Asian openbill stork

Indian Openbill are known as Asian Openbill is one of the member of stork family,found mainly in the Indian subcontinent.
The Asian openbill lives around water or in wetlands area and the breeding season is after the rains.

Indian Snake Bird – Darter ! Anhinga

Anhinga birds are some of the longest waterbirds and usually known as snakebirds of tropical waterbirds in India.

White-browed-Wagtail ! Black and White Bird

Indian Spot-billed Duck

Indian Spot-billed Ducks are non-migratory breeding duck throughout freshwater wetlands in the Indian subcontinent.