Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
| Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary തട്ടേക്കാട് പക്ഷി സങ്കേതം | |
|---|---|
| Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary | |
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
A Malabar grey hornbill at Thattekkad | |
| Location | Kothamangalam taluka, Ernakulam district, Kerala state, India |
| Nearest city | Kochi (Cochin) |
| Coordinates | 10°08′N 76°41′E / 10.13°N 76.68°E |
| Area | 25.16 km2 (6,220 acres) |
| Average elevation | 279 m (915 ft) |
| Max. elevation | 523 m (1,716 ft) |
| Min. elevation | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Established | 1983 |
.svg){kind=link}
The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 km2, and located about 12 km from Kothamangalam (Kerala state, India), was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. Salim Ali, one of the best known ornithologists, described this sanctuary as the richest bird habitat on peninsular India. Thattekkad literally means flat forest, and the region is a deciduous but generally moist low-land forest surrounding the Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala.