Udhwa Lake in Sahebganj, the only bird sanctuary in eastern India, covers 5.65 sq km around two jheels

Background

Migratory birds reach Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary mainly in winter, and arrivals sometimes begin in early September.
The sanctuary lies in the Rajmahal sub-division of Sahebganj district and covers a total area of 5.65 sq km.
The Forest Department describes it as the only bird sanctuary in eastern India.
It was notified in 1991 by the Government of Bihar.
It is built around two lakes, Pataura Jheel of 155 hectares and Brahma Jamalpur Jheel, also called Berhale Jheel, of 410 hectares.
A 2015 Asian Waterbird Census published by Wetlands International found that the sanctuary supports 1 per cent of the bio-geographic population of the black-headed ibis, the purple swamp-hen and the bar-headed goose.
A later bird census recorded 2,313 birds across 53 species, and vulnerable species present include the woolly-necked stork and the lesser adjutant.
Forty-two forms of algae and 36 species of aquatic macrophytes have been recorded there.