Karikili Bird Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary in the Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India. It has an area of 61.21 hectares of land. Karikili sanctuary has a buffer belt of 5 kilometers wide, around the main sanctuary. It has been declared as a Ramsar wetland of International Importance in 2022. Barringtonia and Acacia nilotica trees in a water body (lake) form the main breeding ground for migratory birds.

Common Sandpiper, Northern Pintail, Garganey, cormorants, egrets, open-billed stork, darters, spoonbill, white lbnis, grey herons, night herons, grebes, grey pelicans, etc., are found in this sanctuary. The online database of bird observations has more details of the birds found here.

This bird sanctuary is about 10 kilometers from Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary. Several waterbirds use Vedanthangal as a nesting site and Karikili as a foraging site. The sedge grass in the lake is ideal for migratory birds to lay eggs. Hence, many birds use this lake as their nesting ground.

Though the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary gets a lot of visitors, the bird sanctuary at Karikili does not get many visitors.

This bird sanctuary has recorded more than 100 species of birds. The ideal season to visit the sanctuary is the winter season, i.e., from late October or November to February.

For further details, contact the Wildlife Warden, Guindy National Park, Chennai, 600 022. The phone number of the office of the wildlife warden at Gundy National Park is +91-44-22351471.

How do I go to the Karikili bird sanctuary?

Karikili Birds Sanctuary is around 86 kilometers distance from Chennai, located to the south of Chengalpattu town. Chennai International Airport is the nearest airport to the bird sanctuary at Karikili.

There are regular bus services from different bus depots across Chennai, Tambaram, and Chengalpatt to this bird sanctuary.

Chengalpattu railway station is the nearest railway station at about 30 kilometers distance from the bird sanctuary.