Migratory bird horned grebe sighted for first time in Haryana

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, December 16

Horned grebe or Slavonian grebe, a migratory bird from Central Asia and Europe, has been spotted for the first time in the water bodies at Dighal village in the district.

Rakesh Ahlawat, a local bird watcher, spotted the bird first. “It was a pleasant surprise to see a horned grebe swimming in a waterlogged field. I immediately clicked its photos and shared the information with Jhajjar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sunder Sambharya, who is also a keen bird watcher,” said Ahlawat.

He added that six horned grebes had so far been spotted in the village.

“Bird watchers from Delhi and other parts of the state are likely to visit Dighal in the coming days to see this winged guest,” said Satish Kumar, another bird watcher.

The DFO said migratory horned grebe had so far been reported only at a few places in India. The bird had been spotted for the first time in Haryana and in the National Capital Region, he claimed.

“Dighal and its nearby villages are developing into a favourite destination for these winged guests due to waterlogged fields, good habitat for breeding and availability of plenty of food. Thousands of migratory birds from Siberia, Russia, Europe, Afghanistan, China and other countries have so far arrived in these villages,” said the DFO.

“The Dighal region should be developed as a national park as it fulfils all requirements and parameters needed for a national park and villagers will also find a source of income,” he added.