General Information about Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri town is situated on the right bank of River Teesta in the Terai-Dooars belt of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal (India) on 26°33'N latitude and 88°43'23"E longitude. Geologically, Jalpaiguri is situated on the Teesta Floodplain, which is composed of river borne sediments of medium to fine grain 'size'. Stratification is common which is the result of different mode of deposition. These post-pleistocene deposits are marked by a number of Holocene deposits near the Teesta bed. The thickness of sediments varies from 200 to 300 metres. The average altitude of Jalpaiguri town is 89 metres above sea level.

Due to its positional advantage the Jalpaiguri town is a home to a number of avian species. Proximity to the

Lesser Whistling Teal at Jordighi

Himalayas, existence of large perennial waterbody (River Teesta), natural wetlands and marshes, adjacent tea gardens and nearby forests, all contribute in making this area a suitable refuge for a wide variety of birds.

Climatology

Jalpaiguri is part of monsoon climate zone of East & South Asia. The area is per humid with little or no water deficiency and is covered by rain forest. Climate is Temperate with pronounced winter dryness. May is the hottest month of this region with average maximum temperature of about 32°C whereas January is coldest with 11°C. Highest ever recorded maximum and minimum temperature are 40°C and 2oC on 11-04-1932 and 03-02-1905 respectively. December is the driest month with average rainfall 0.2 mm and July is wettest with 809.3 mm. Number of rainy days are 0 to 1 during November to February and 24 days during July. Highest ever 1 day rainfall was 474.0 mm on 10.07.1999. Thunderstorms is common weather phenomenon during May, average number of days being 10.

Vegetation

There are numerous species of trees growing in Jalpaiguri area. These include both naturally grown and introduced ones. Natural Vegetation like Lagerstromea speciosa (Jarul), Butea monosperma (Palas), Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Krishnachura), Cassia fistula (Sonalu/Bandarlathi), Delonix regia (Golmohor/Radhachura), Jacaranda mimosifolis (Nil golmohor ), Ceiba pentandra (Simul), Ficus glomerata (Dumur), Anthocephalus chinensis (Kadam), Ficus religiosa (Asatha), Ficus bengalensis (Bot) etc. and common fruit plants like Mango, Jackfruit, Lichi, Guava, Bor etc. are abundant. But birds collects fruit from numerous other types of plant e.g. Erythrina stricta, Trema orientalis, Grewia asiatica, Bauhinia purpurea etc. and all these plants are quite common in Jalpaiguri. Birds also have strict preferences of trees for their nesting and over 100 species of trees of Jalpaiguri provide ample opportunity for such selection. Apart from trees numerous small (Shrubs & Herbs) plants also provide birds' food like Coffea Bengalensis, Solanum nivram, different types of grass etc. A large variety of insects & other small animals living in numerous large & small plants also provide food for birds. So, the rich flora of this dooars township area is certainly a source of attraction for the visit of numerous species of birds.