Manjeera wildlife sanctuary is located on the Manjeera river at Kalabgur, Sangareddy District, Telangana State, India. The man-made reservoir constructed on the Manjeera river provides drinking water to Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Manjeera wildlife sanctuary was a crocodile sanctuary once upon a time. But, today, the sanctuary has more than 70 species of birds and animals. The sanctuary is a home to the vulnerable species like mugger crocodile.
One can enjoy the adventurous boat ride for Bird watching in the Manjira Wildlife & Bird Sanctuary. There are nine small islands Puttigadda, Bapangadda, Sangamadda, and Karnamgadda in the vicinity of the reservoir. These islands contain extensive marshy fringes, which act as nesting sites for waterbirds. Moreover, the thick cover of trees provides nesting spots for birds.
The area between the Manjeera and Singoor barrages is home to many bird species and reptiles. As the place is remote with limited limited human interference, this lake attracts large colonies of birds.
The environmental education center has established a museum, library, and auditorium, to educate visitors about Nature conservation and the need to maintain ecological balance. The sanctuary also provides boating facility for the bird lovers and enthusiasts to watch their winged friends. Binoculars and books can help the visitors to identify variety of species of birds present here.
A crocodile breeding pond has been set up adjacent to the reservoir area which is about 20 sq km in area. The type of vegetation found in the sanctuary is Dry Savannah type. The reservoir area supports both submerged and floating types of vegetation.
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Some of the plant species that can be found in the periphery of the waterline are Typha, Ipomoea, and Acacia. We can find gricultural fields surrounding the reservoir and the river. The average temperature of the region present in the sanctury is in the range of 15 °C to 42 °C. The average rainfall in the sanctury is 915 mm.
A village named Kalabgur is present at the banks of the river. In the village there lies a temple that is said to have historical significance since Medieval times. The ancient temple has magnificent architecture and is entirely made of stone.
The standing pillars of the temple are completely carved out of a single stone. The temple is dedicated to the diety lord Kashi Vishweswara. We can find some other dieties like lord Krishna, lord Ganapathy, and goddess Saraswathi.
Flora
The sanctuary has a freshwater ecosystem. The plant species surrounding the reservoir and the river are Typha, Ipomoea, Acacia amd agricultural fields. Some of the major and important plant species present in the vicinity of the reservoir are Ipomea, Babool, Prosopis, Vallisneria, Eichhornia, and Reeds.
Fauna
The sanctuary supports various species of water animals like mugger crocodiles and freshwater turtles. The sanctuary is also home to some other water species like prawns, mollusks, and fishes like Catla, rohu, Murrel, eel, Karugu, and Chidwa. Reptiles like monitor lizards, mugger crocodiles, turtles, and cobras are present here. Some other rare species like the Indian hare, wild boar, mongoose, and jackal are also present.
Avifauna
There are almost 73 species of birds are present in the sanctuary. We can find a large flock of common teal and the cotton pygmy goose. During certain seasons, we can also spot more than 1,500 ruddy shelducks. In the upstream of the Manjeera lake, we can spot a large number of cranes and bar-headed geese. Around fourteen species of birds breed in the sanctuary. Some of them are Darter, Asian openbill, painted stork, Eurasian coot, and black-crowned night heron.
Some rare bird species like Indian skimmer have been spotted at the sanctuary. Some other vulnerable species darter, painted stork, and Oriental white ibis are also present in the sanctuary. Some common species of birds found in the sanctuary are little egret, cormorant, pochard, spoonbill, brahminy duck, pintail, kite, partridge, quail, peacock, and Asian open bill.
