Chitwan national park, a first established national park in Nepal, once was a favorite hunting ground of ruling class since the end of 19th century. Hundreds of tigers, rhinoceroses, leopards and sloth bears used to get shot in one hunting trip.
Naturally, numbers of animals started to decline from thousands to hundreds and even less it was in 1959 when wildlife conservationist Edward Pritchard Gee undertook a survey of the area and recommended creation of a protected area and wildlife sanctuary that helped to plant a seed of the chitwan national park, which finally established in 1973 with the total area of 932 sq. km.
Today, it stands in World Map as a World heritage site (1984) with the exclusive beauty of its innumerous flora and fauna and a home for more than 43 species of Mammals, 543 species of Birds, 67 species of butterfly, more than 45 species of Amphibians and reptiles. It is known as one of the Asia's richest and most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries and gets visited by thousands of visitors from around the world every year.
With its tropical creeper clad forests, great meandering rivers, lush seas of tall elephant grass and the magnificent back drop of the Himalayas in the distance, Every year dedicated bird watchers and conservationists survey bird species occurring all over the country. In 2006 they recorded 543 species in the Chitwan National Park, much more than in any other protected area in Nepal and about two-thirds of Nepal's globally threatened species. Additionally, 20 black-chinned yuhina, a pair of Gould's sunbird, a pair of blossom-headed parakeet and one slaty-breasted rail, an uncommon winter visitor, were sighted in spring 2008.
Especially the park’s alluvial grasslands are important habitats for the critically endangered Bengal florican, the vulnerable lesser adjutant, grey-crowned prinia, swamp francolin and several species of grass warblers. In 2005 more than 200 slender-billed babblers were sighted in 3 different grassland types [12]. The near threatened Oriental darter is a resident breeder around the many lakes, where also egrets, bitterns, storks and kingfisher abound.
The park is one of the few known breeding sites of the globally threatened Indian spotted eagle. Peafowl and jungle fowl scratch their living on the forest floor. Apart from the resident birds about 160 migrating and vagrant species arrive in Chitwan in autumn from northern latitudes to spend the winter here, among them the Greater Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Pallas's Fish-eagle. Common sightings include Brahminy ducks and goosanders. Large flocks of bar-headed geese just rest for a few days in February on their way north.
As soon as the winter visitors have left in spring, the summer visitors arrive from southern latitudes. The calls of Indian cuckoos herald the start of spring. The colourful Bengal Pittas and several sunbird species are common breeding visitors during monsoon. Among the many flycatcher species the Paradise flycatcher with his long undulating tail in flight is a spectacular sight. ·
