Protected areas of West Bengal cover 4% of the state area.[1] Forests make up 14% of the geographical area ofWest Bengal, which is lower than the national average of 33%.[2][3] West Bengal has a wide variety of fauna, includingBengal tigers,Indian leopards,sloth andHimalayan black bears,chital andsambar (deer),Indian boars,pygmy hogs,Indian elephants,Indian peafowl,great Indian hornbills,Eurasian spoonbills,brahminy ducks,king andIndian cobras,white-lipped pit viper,Indian andreticulated pythons,mugger crocodiles,saltwater crocodiles,gharials, and many more. A huge montane forest,Dooars, is situated in the Northern West Bengal districts ofAlipur Duar,Darjeeling, andKalimpong. Part of the world's largestmangrove forest,Sundarbans, is located in southern West Bengal.[4]There are 6national parks and 15wildlife sanctuaries inWest Bengal.[5]
A number of endangered animals live in the forests of theDooars (amontane forest of Northern West Bengal), likeBengal tiger andIndian rhinoceros. Other animals areIndian elephant,chital (spotted or axis deer),sambar,Indian muntjac,White-bellied musk deer,Indian hog deer,Indian pangolin,Chinese pangolin,masked palm civet,Malabar giant squirrel,Himalayan porcupine,clouded leopard,Indian leopard, andgaur. Some birds areIndian peacock,kalij pheasant,blood pheasant,yellow-footed green pigeon,chestnut-breasted partridge,scarlet minivet,satyr tragopan,fire-tailed myzornis,rufous-throated partridge,Darjeeling woodpecker,Bay woodpecker,Bengal florican,red junglefowl,dark-throated thrush,rufous-gorgeted flycatcher,white-gorgeted flycatcher,white-browed bush robin,white-tailed robin,yellow-browed tit,striated bulbul,chestnut-headed tesia,chestnut-crowned warbler,black-faced warbler,black-faced laughingthrush,chestnut-crowned laughingthrush,streak-breasted scimitar babbler,scaly-breasted cupwing,pygmy cupwing,rufous-fronted babbler,black-headed shrike babbler,white-browed shrike-babbler,rusty-fronted barwing,rufous-winged fulvetta,brown parrotbill,fire-breasted flowerpecker,fire-tailed sunbird,maroon-backed accentor,dark-breasted rosefinch,red-headed bullfinch,gold-naped finch,golden-throated barbet,Hodgson's hawk cuckoo,lesser cuckoo,brown wood owl,ashy wood pigeon,mountain imperial pigeon,Jerdon's baza,rose-ringed parakeet,Rufous-necked hornbill,Oriental pied hornbill,Finn's weaver (Finn's baya),sunbird,spangled drongo,Indian paradise flycatcher (Himalayan subspecies), andgreat Indian hornbill. Reptiles include theBengal monitor,Indian Python,Indian cobra,king cobra,white-lipped pit viper,common krait,brahminy blind snake,common vine snake, andreticulated python. Lesser cat species includefishing cat,jungle cat,Asian golden cat, andleopard cat. Bear species likesloth bear andHimalayan black bear live up north. Thered panda,rhesus macaque,Assam macaque,Tarai grey langur,Northern plains gray langur, andbinturong are some arboreal creatures, and swine includepygmy hog andIndian boar.Bengal fox,Indian jackal,Indian wolf, andspotted linsang are some of the predators besides tigers. Thehispid hare is a very rare species which is found here.Leopard cat andAsian golden cat have been recorded. Up north,Himalayan tahr,Bhutan takin,Himalayan goral, andHimalayan serow are found.
In rivers,mugger crocodiles andgharial have been seen. In lakes,Eurasian spoonbill,brahminy duck,Northern pintail,swan goose, storks, such aspainted stork,Asian openbill,lesser adjutant, andblack stork,black-crowned night heron,black-necked crane,common merganser,Eurasian teal,Indian cormorant,Red-naped ibis,common kingfisher,white-throated kingfisher, and predatory birds likeIndian vulture,griffon vulture,white-backed vulture,crested eagle,black eagle,mountain hawk eagle,Pallas's fish eagle, andshikra have been discovered.
The Buxa Tiger Reserve is famous for butterflies, likeIndian cabbage white,bamboo treebrown, andfive-bar swordtail, whileJore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary is the last refuge forHimalayan salamander (or newt). Pokhari Lake supports species ofcatfish. There have been recent sightings of theUssuri dhole inJaldapara National Park of Dooars as well. Sightings ofblack panther in the forests of Dooars are not uncommon.Jaldapara National Park has the largest Indian rhinoceros population in the world after Kaziranga National Park. TheEast Kolkata Wetlands inKolkata is home to thesmall Indian mongoose,Asian palm civet,small Indian civet,lesser whistling duck,purple heron,grey heron,great egret,little egret, and many more waterfowl and waders.
The Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary is home tosmooth-coated otter,Asian water monitor, and many birds likelittle heron andgreen imperial pigeon [1]. In addition to theBengal tiger andfishing cat (the state animal of West Bengal), the Sundarbans host many other endangered species like theGanges river dolphin,northern river terrapin,saltwater crocodile,olive ridley turtle,green sea turtle,hawksbill turtle, andbarred mudskipper.[6] The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supportingcoastal fishes such ascommon carp,rice paddy eel,butter fish,largetooth sawfish, andelectric ray along the Bay of Bengal.[6] Crabs includefiddler crab,king crab, andhermit crab [1 & 2].
In the rural areas likeMidnapore, thesmooth-coated otter,Indian crested porcupine, andwhite-breasted waterhen are common. TheBrahman cattle anddomestic water buffalo are seen in streets, along withIndian pariah dogs.Blackbucks are found near Midnapore as well.
Beautiful and exotic birds inhabitChintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary, such asbrown fish owl,bronzed drongo,Asian green bee-eater,stork-billed kingfisher,common emerald dove, andwhite-throated fantail, as well as butterflies likepeacock pansy,striped tiger,common emigrant, andtarucus.
The oxbow lake ofPurbasthali has a bird sanctuary containing various types of waterbirds, includingred-crested pochard,white-browed wagtail,bronze-winged jacana,grey-headed swamphen,common coot, andosprey.
The lake inSantragachhi, called Santragachhi Jheel, is home to migratory birds likesarus crane,gadwall,northern shoveller,northern pintail,garganey,cotton pygmy goose, andknob-billed duck.
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Source:[7]
From a phytogeographic viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: theGangetic plain and thelittoralmangrove forests of the Sundarbans.[8] The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain compounded with favorable rainfall make this region especially fertile.[8] Much of the vegetation of the western part of the state shares floristic similarities with the plants of theChota Nagpur Plateau in the adjoining state of Jharkhand.[8] The predominant commercial tree species isShorea robusta, commonly known assal. The coastal region ofPurba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is theCasuarina. The most valuable tree from the Sundarbans is the ubiquitoussundri (Heritiera fomes) from which the forest gets its name.[9] Vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated byelevation andprecipitation. For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, theDooars, are densely wooded with Sal and other trees of the tropical evergreen type [3].[10] Above 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the forest type changes to subtropical. In Darjeeling, which is above 1,500 m (4,900 ft), common trees typifying the temperate forest areoaks,conifers, andrhododendrons.[10]Bamboo gardens are common throughout West Bengal, as are trees such ascoconut,palm,date,banyan,peepal,ashok,seemul,devil's tree, and many more.Lotus flower andwater hyacinth is very common in lakes and ponds. Species of elephant grass create large grasslands near Dooars.
1. Gautam Kumar Das.2015. Estuarine Morphodynamics of the Sunderbans, Springer, Switzerland, 211p.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11343-2.https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-11343-2.
2. Gautam Kumar Das. 2017. Tidal Sedimentation in the Sunderban’s Thakuran Basin, Springer, Switzerland, 151p.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44191-7.https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-44191-7.
3. Gautam Kumar Das. 2021. Forests and Forestry of West Bengal – Survey and Analysis, Springer, 231p,http://www.springer.com/ISBN 978-3-030-80705-4,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80706-1.
