- Nalbana Bird Sanctuary or Nalbana Island is the core area of the Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika Lake.
- It was declared a bird sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act in 1973
- In the heart of the park, one can see thousands of birds descending during the migratory season. The island disappears during monsoon season due to inundation only to emerge again in post-monsoon.
- Nalbana means a weed covered island In the Odia language.
- Nalbana was notified in 1987 and declared a bird sanctuary in 1973 under the Wildlife Protection Act
- In 2002, The Bombay Natural History Society survey recorded 540 nests of the Indian river tern at the island, the largest nesting colony in the southeast Asia
