Birds can't live without people here! Kokkare Bellur. Best bird watching in Bangalore.

This is something unique. Something that is totally fascinating. Approximately 132 types of birds come here every year. This place is chosen by the birds to nest and lay eggs. It is Kokkare Bellur in Maddur taluk of Mandya district, in Karnataka. Apart from the other types of birds, the ones that come here to nest is the Painted Stork. The village got its name from this same species of birds. Painted Stork is called Kokkare in kannada and Bellur means white village, which probably is due to the predominance of sugarcane crops and sugar industry in maddur. Hence the name Kokkare Bellur. What is most amazing is the fact that villagers have adopted these birds as their heritage and they share a very special bond with the birds. It is like the daughters coming home to deliver babies for the villagers. The birds and the villagers have co-existed in the village for several decades now. The government compensates the villagers on a per tree per year basis, as the birds nests on mostly tamarind trees and the trees are not of any other use for them.