Gurugram A rare sighting of two rufous-vented grass babblers has been recorded in Haryana’s Sirsa district, exactly 16 years after the species was reportedly first spotted in the area. This sighting, however, marks the first time that the bird has been photographed in Haryana, confirming speculation of its residence in the state. The previous sighting was reported in October 2003, in the same region, but could not be corroborated at the time.
Birders have termed this latest sighting as significant, given the elusive nature of the rufous-vented grass babbler, which is recorded as a ‘near threatened’ species according to the IUCN red list. The bird is rarely seen due to its proclivity for tall grasses and reed beds. “It won’t be found unless you are looking for it,” said Pankaj Agarwal of the Delhi Bird Foundation.
The recent sighting was recorded by birders Rakesh Ahlawat, of Dighal, and Sanjeev Goyal, a Sirsa resident, on the morning of October 20 in Sirsa’s Ottu Barrage region, which houses the Ottu reservoir, a waterbody. The barrage was built in 1896 to arrest water from Haryana’s Ghaggar river for agricultural purposes and provides the ideal habitat for the babbler in the form of reed beds, Ahlawat said.
Ahlawat, who first spotted the bird, said, “There have been established recordings of the species in Punjab’s Harike region, near Amritsar, as well as in the Ropar wetlands. The bird is also been frequently spotted in Pakistan, where it lives in plains along the Indus channel. However, the bird is a resident and does not migrate, so now we can say that it also a resident of Haryana, albeit, a reclusive one.”
{{/usCountry}}Ahlawat, who first spotted the bird, said, “There have been established recordings of the species in Punjab’s Harike region, near Amritsar, as well as in the Ropar wetlands. The bird is also been frequently spotted in Pakistan, where it lives in plains along the Indus channel. However, the bird is a resident and does not migrate, so now we can say that it also a resident of Haryana, albeit, a reclusive one.”
{{/usCountry}}Birder Suresh Sharma, who reportedly spotted the species 16 years ago, said, “This is a wonderful find. We had recorded the bird in October 2003, but had no way to confirm its species. It’s a good feeling to know that we were probably right, since Ahlawat’s sighting happened in the exact same region.”
Experts explained that, until recently, the rufous-fronted grass babbler was considered to belong to the prinia family. “Now, it is broadly accepted that it is not a prinia, but a babbler, according to verification by DNA. There are two subspecies of these in India, one which is found in Punjab and the other in parts of the north-east, near Assam,” Agarwal said.