Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary

Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is a small island of 1.14 acres in the Tunga River near Mandagadde village, about 30 km from Shimoga beside the highway to Thirthahalli. Surrounded by forest and the perennial river, it is used by migratory birds as a breeding ground.

Nesting runs from July to September and peaks in August, when more than 5,000 birds may be present. Because the swollen monsoon river partly floods the island, the birds build in the treetops. Median egrets, darters and little cormorants arrive for the season and stay until December, and pied kingfishers, woolly-necked storks, night herons and open-billed storks are also seen. A watchtower overlooks the island, and boats take visitors closer to the nests.