Sultanpur National Park

Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary is a very popular national park of India. Located in Sultanpur village, Farukhnagar, Gurugram district in Haryana state. Sultanpur village is located 40 km from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi and 15 km from Gurugram city on the Gurugram – Jhajjar highway. This bird sanctuary, ideal for birding and bird lookers, is best visited in winters when many migratory birds come here.

Haryana government has carried out a number of development works at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary like construction of mounds, widening of paths, and digging four tube wells. Efforts are being made to improve vegetation in the area by planting more trees, which are popular with the birds like ficus spp. Acacia Nilotica, Acacia Tortilis, Beris and Neem.

Among approximately 1,800 migratory bird species out of total approximately 9,000-10,000 species of birds in the world, nearly three thousand species migrate to India due to seasonal changes, including 175 long-distance migration species that use the Central Asian Flyway route which also include Amur falcons, Egyptian vultures, plovers, ducks, storks, ibises, flamingos, jacanas, pochards and sociable lapwing.[2][3] Among these approximately 250 species of Birds are found at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary. Some of them are resident, while others come from distant regions like Siberia, Europe and Afghanistan.

Some of the resident birds are common hoopoe, paddyfield pipit, purple sunbird, little cormorant, pigeons, Indian myna, Eurasian thick-knee, gray francolin, black francolin, Indian roller, white-throated kingfisher, spot billed duck, painted stork, white ibis, black headed ibis, little egret, great egret, cattle egret, and the India crested lark.

Every year more than 100 migratory bird species arrive at Sultanpur in search of feeding grounds and to pass the winter. In winter, the sanctuary provides a picturesque panorama of migratory birds such as Siberian cranes, greater flamingo, ruff, black winged stilt, common teal, common greenshank, northern pintail, yellow wagtail, white wagtail, northern shoveller, rosy pelican.

This Bird Sanctuary, ideal for birding and bird watchers, is best visited in winters when a large number of migratory birds come here. Sultanpur has the typical North Indian climate of harsh summers (up to 46 °C) and cold winters (low of up to 9 °C). The rainy season is short, from July to the end of August.

Resident birds include the common hoopoe, paddyfield pipit, purple sunbird, little cormorant, Indian cormorant, common spoonbill, grey francolin, black francolin, Indian roller, white-throated kingfisher, Indian spot-billed duck, painted stork, black-necked stork, white ibis, black-headed ibis, little egret, great egret, cattle egret, crested lark, red-vented bulbul, rose-ringed parakeet, red-wattled lapwing, shikra, Eurasian collared dove, red collared dove, laughing dove, spotted owlet, rock pigeon, magpie robin, greater coucal, weaver bird, bank mynah, common mynah and Asian green bee-eater.

The White-throated kingfisher is a resident bird at Sultanpur

Every year over a hundred migratory bird species visit here to feed. In winter the sanctuary provides is a panorama of migratory birds such as Siberian crane, greater flamingo, ruff, black-winged stilt, Eurasian teal, common greenshank, northern pintail, yellow wagtail, white wagtail, northern shoveller, rosy pelican, spot-billed pelican, gadwall, wood sandpiper, spotted sandpiper, Eurasian wigeon, black-tailed godwit, spotted redshank, starling, bluethroat and long-billed pipit. In summer about 11 species of migratory birds such as Asian koel, black-crowned night heron, grey heron, Indian golden oriole, knob-billed duck, blue-cheeked bee-eater, blue-tailed bee-eater and cuckoos come here.

In addition to the many birds, animals such as blue bull, Indian Fox and black buck are also seen here.[13][14] Trees which are popular with the birds like acacia nilotica, acacia tortilis, berberis and neem have been planted.

The park is a popular picnic spot for residents of New Delhi and the NCR (National Capital Region), especially during the winter migration months when thousands of birds visit here from across the globe. To encourage winged creature watching, there are four watch towers (machans) situated at various focuses. Moreover, there is satisfactory stopping and offices like washroom and drinking water. The Educational Interpretation Center has been built up here to offer appropriate direction to the adventurers visiting the spot and [15] a library, films, slides and binoculars for the benefit of bird lovers. A walk along the perimeter of the park takes up to two hours. There is a room dedicated to the memory of Dr. Salim Ali, which contains his bust, photographs, write ups, and some of his personal effects. There is public parking, bathrooms, drinking water facilities and a children's park in the reserve. For those wishing to stay overnight, the park also has a well-appointed guest house with all amenities.[16][17]

The park is 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Delhi and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Gurgaon guru drona charya on the Gurgaon – Farukh Nagar Road.

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  Black-necked stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus- Take off to landing at Sultanpur
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  Eurasian spoonbill Platalea leucorodia resting at Sultanpur
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  Great egret Casmerodius albus- Breeding plumage at Sultanpur.
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  Purple heron at Sultanpur
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  Purple swamphens at Sultanpur.
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  Yellow-footed green pigeon Treron phoenicoptera- chlorigaster race at Sultanpur
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  Black-tailed godwits Limosa limosa at Sultanpur
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  Common cranes Grus grus at Sultanpur
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  Greylag Goose at the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary
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  Bluethroat at Sultanpur National Park
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  Rufous Treepie at Sultanpur National Park
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  Jungle Babler at Sultanpur National Park
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  Coppersmith Barbet at Sultanpur National Park
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  Oriental magpie-robin

• Sultanpur National Park at birding.in
• The Sultanpur Photo Log
• How Sultanpur happened: Sultanpur and Najafgarh Jheels, by Peter Jackson
• Sultanpur National Park – Eco-sensitive Zone; MINISTRY of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Notification, New Delhi, 29 January 2009 – [To be published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, part II, Section 3, Subsection (ii)], [F.No. 30/1/2008-ESZ], By Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam, Scientist ‘G’]
• Sultanpur National Park travel guide from Wikivoyage