About 18 Kms from mysore is this bird sanctuary a house of exotic birds which come from far away as Siberia & even from North America make there home here. Crocodiles basking in the sun is also a familiar sight here.

Ranganthittu was formed as a result of a small dam across the river Cauvery in the 1600s. The Bird Sanctuary at Ranganathittu owes its existence to the world famous ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali who convinced the Maharaja of Mysore in 1940 to declare Ranganthittu as a protected area. The sanctuary is not very large it covers an area of 0.67sq.km.