Arctic seabird Sabine’s Gull spotted at Nalsarovar in Gujarat

According to the public bird-watching database eBird, such occurrences are extremely rare. The last recorded sighting in India was in 2013, in Kerala

Ahmedabad: A rare Arctic seabird, the Sabine’s Gull, was spotted at Gujarat’s Nalsarovar Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday — its first recorded sighting in India since 2013, when it was seen in Kerala.

The species primarily breeds in the high-latitude Arctic regions of North America, Greenland, and Siberia, nesting near wet tundra areas. (Sourced)

Forest department staff and visiting birders at the Ramsar site spotted the bird around 9 am in the open waters of the wetland, according to a statement issued by the government.

Deputy conservator of forests, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Division, Sakkira Begum said that the sighting was exceptional, as Sabine’s Gull rarely migrates to the Indian subcontinent. “According to the public bird-watching database eBird, such occurrences are extremely rare. The last recorded sighting in India was in 2013, in Kerala. The bird observed at Nalsarovar was photographed by birding guide Gani Sama,” she added.

Sabine’s Gull is a small and strikingly beautiful gull, notable for its sharp black hood, clean grey upperparts, white nape, and, most uniquely, its tri-colored wings — marked in black, white, and grey. It is one of only two gull species with a black bill tipped with yellow and a forked, notched tail.

For winter, it migrates to tropical upwelling zones — highly productive marine areas off the coasts of South America and western Africa, according to the release

For winter, it migrates to tropical upwelling zones — highly productive marine areas off the coasts of South America and western Africa, according to the release. It does not typically pass through India during migration, making this sighting both rare and significant. Experts believe that the bird may have strayed from its usual migratory route. Such occurrences are of great interest and value to ornithologists and avian researchers.

Nalsarovar, about 80 km from Ahmedabad, is among India’s largest and ecologically significant wetland sanctuaries, home to numerous migratory and resident bird species such as flamingos, pelicans, ducks, and herons.