All 5 in 3 days here: ~80%
City
Kolkata
🇮🇳 India
Asia, India 378 spp. recorded
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. Kolkata is regarded by many sources as the cultural capital of India and a historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal. Wikipedia
22.625° N 88.232° E
🦜 Nature
378 Species sighted
249,708 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Indian Palm Squirrel
Funambulus palmarum
LC
Brown Rat
Rattus norvegicus
LC
Asian House Shrew
Suncus murinus
LC
Jungle Cat
Felis chaus
LC
Greater Bandicoot-rat
Bandicota indica
NT
Hodgson's Bat
Myotis formosus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
LC
Chunam Tree Frog
Polypedates maculatus
LC
Yellow-striped Frog
Hylarana tytleri
Indian Five-Fingered Frog
Euphlyctis hexadactylus
LC
Indian Balloon Frog
Uperodon globulosus
LC
Schneider's Toad
Duttaphrynus scaber
LC
Alpine Cricket Frog
Fejervarya limnocharis
LC
Common skittering frog
Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
LC
Common Paddy Field Frog
Minervarya agricola
LC
Bengal whipping frog
Polypedates taeniatus
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
Recent sightings in Kolkata
LIVEiNaturalistWhere to look
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Rabindra Sarovar (including Lion's Safari Park)
-
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose National Botanic Gardens
-
Central Park (Banabitan)
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Northern Palm Squirrel>90%+50%
Rose-ringed Parakeet~90%+40%
House Crow~80%≈
White-breasted Waterhen~80%+40%
Jungle Babbler~80%+30%
Dhaman~60%+40%
Indian Palm Squirrel~60%+50%
Spotted House Gecko~40%+40%
-
Rajarhat Wetland · Canal side only
-
Netaji Shubhash Chandra Bose International Airport
-
Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary (CKBS)
-
Rajarhat Wetlands I
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Lions Safari Park, Kolkata IN-WB 22.51265, 88.35966
-
Santragachi Jheel (Lake)
Sighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
43Jan
44Feb
45Mar
59Apr
44May
48Jun
50Jul
40Aug
50Sep
51Oct
54Nov
47Dec
🏙️ City
Essentials
Green cover
High
Protected land
—
Protected sea
—
Protected areas
—
Wildlife spots
12
spotsZoos & centres
3
placesClimate
Tropical savanna
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this city for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 617
🐒 Mammals 121
🦎 Reptiles 132
🐸 Amphibians 29
899 Total Species
679 Global average across 380 cities
68 Threatened 3 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.7
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
63% 📊
Coverage (132 species at ≥5% of 899 in the inventory)
15% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (12 bird)
0% 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
7 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
25 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.8
Climate Mixed Medium
Green cover High High
Protected land & sea — Low
Protected areas 0 Low
Wildlife spots 12 High
Zoos & centres 3 High
What visitors say
Before you go
What animals can you see in Kolkata?
378 species
Kolkata's urban area has 378 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Pearl-necked Dove (about 80%), House Crow (about 80%), Black Kite (about 70%), Asian Koel (about 70%) and Common Tailorbird (about 60%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Northern Palm Squirrel (about 50%); among reptiles, Common Water Monitor (about 40%); among amphibians, Common Indian Toad (about 30%).
When is the best time to see wildlife in Kolkata?
March–May and July
In those months the city's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in June and August–February.
Can you see a Blue-throated Barbet in Kolkata?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-throated Barbet sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 3,915 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and April (about 60%).
Can you see a Common Water Monitor in Kolkata?
Yes
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Water Monitor sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 89 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June (about 80%).
Can you see a Black-hooded Oriole in Kolkata?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-hooded Oriole sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 5,489 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October (about 60%).
Where in Kolkata is wildlife easiest to see?
Rabindra Sarovar (including Lion's Safari Park)
The spot where most wildlife watchers record their sightings is Rabindra Sarovar (including Lion's Safari Park) (153 bird species recorded), followed by Baruipur Marshes and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose National Botanic Gardens. See them on the map.
Is Kolkata good for wildlife watching?
4.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, which rates each city against other cities, Kolkata gets 4.5/5: 77th of 380 cities worldwide and 37th in Asia. 28 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
Nearest Cities
Nearest Parks
Nearest Zoos & Centres
Sources: urban area GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A, European Commission JRC (CC BY 4.0) · protected land WDPA, UNEP-WCMC & IUCN (via GHSL) · climate NASA POWER · wildlife GBIF.org citizen-science data