Location:
About 58 km
from Kochi city and 13 km Northeast of Kothamangalam in
Ernakulam
district; Thattekkad is in Devikulam taluk, Idukki district,
Central Kerala.
Thattekkad is made up of dense tropical
evergreen and deciduous forest and
grassland patches, housing a
population of over 500 species of exotic birds.
This globally acclaimed
bird sanctuary owes much of its fame to Dr. Salim Ali,
the
internationally renowned ornithologist. It is the exotic microcosm
of
India's bird population that brought Dr. Salim Ali to this place. His
efforts
were instrumental in the formation of this sanctuary to a large
extent.
Spread across 25 sq. km. the sanctuary lies between the tributaries of the River Periyar like a peninsula. Rare birds like the crimson-throated barbet, beeeater, sunbird, shrike, black winged Kite, night heron, falcon, grey jungle fowl, white-breasted water hen, hornbill, ceylon frogmouth, rose-billed Roller and blue-winged parakeet live here.
Thattekkad also has extensive plantations of
teak,
rosewood, mahogany, etc. The dense forest is also the home to nearly
28
varieties of animals and nine varieties of
reptiles.
Getting there:
Nearest railway
station: Aluva, about 48 km away.
Nearest airport:
Cochin International Airport, about 44 km.
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