Rustic bunting spotted in NCR for the first time

Birders spotted a rare species, the rustic bunting (emberiza rustica) at Najafgarh Jheel on the Delhi-Gurugram border on Friday morning, marking the first time the passerine bird, which is also elusive across India, was spotted in the national capital region (NCR).

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Local birding guide in the area, Ram Kumar Rawat, spotted the bird perched on a juliflora bush at around 9 am, during a routine visit.

“The bird, bigger than a sparrow and unfamiliar in appearance, piqued my curiosity,” Rawat said. He took photos and shared them with fellow birders Akshit Dua and Yatin Verma. The trio carefully studied the bird and returned to the same area again around 11:30 am — once again spotting it.