Golden eagle seen in Gujarat for first time
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Dec 15, 2018, 07:51 IST
Image used for representational purpose onlyAHMEDABAD: A golden eagle, a native of Baluchistan and Himalayas was spotted for the first time in Gujarat. The sighting was made near Palanpur in Banaskantha.
Aditya Roy, senior naturalist and a researcher said that the Palanpur sighting was the first sighting of a golden eagle in the state.
He said thet bird was first noticed by a local naturalist who informed him, and when he and his team reached the area on Thursday, they spotted a sub-adult golden eagle. “I don’t claim that I was the first to see it,” he clarified
“Along with the golden eagle we also sighted greater spotted eagle and over 50 egyptian vultures there. Both are regular winter migrants to this region. Upon searching the literature and other available records, we could not find any previously published record of sighting a golden eagle in Gujarat,” Roy said. “The southernmost record was a newspaper publication of sighting of two individuals in Desert National Park, Rajasthan in December 2013. That is the southernmost record of this species in India,” the naturalist added.
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a resident of the Indian subcontinent and breeds in Baluchistan and in the Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan. Uday Vora, former forest officer and a bird watcher confirmed that this was the first sighting of a golden eagle in the state. There is no record of such sighting in the past.
A forest officer said that the golden eagle had been in the area since December 7. It was first sighted by local bird watchers. The bird watchers were observing Egyptians and saw crows mobbing an eagle. So, they took pictures of this crow behaviour after which it was confirmed that the crows were pestering a golden eagle.
Officials said golden eagles are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their napes. Immature eagles of this species typically have white on the tail and often have white markings on the wings. Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with feet and massive, sharp talons to catch a variety of prey, mainly hares, rabbits, marmots and ground squirrels.
Aditya Roy, senior naturalist and a researcher said that the Palanpur sighting was the first sighting of a golden eagle in the state.
He said thet bird was first noticed by a local naturalist who informed him, and when he and his team reached the area on Thursday, they spotted a sub-adult golden eagle. “I don’t claim that I was the first to see it,” he clarified
“Along with the golden eagle we also sighted greater spotted eagle and over 50 egyptian vultures there. Both are regular winter migrants to this region. Upon searching the literature and other available records, we could not find any previously published record of sighting a golden eagle in Gujarat,” Roy said. “The southernmost record was a newspaper publication of sighting of two individuals in Desert National Park, Rajasthan in December 2013. That is the southernmost record of this species in India,” the naturalist added.
The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a resident of the Indian subcontinent and breeds in Baluchistan and in the Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan. Uday Vora, former forest officer and a bird watcher confirmed that this was the first sighting of a golden eagle in the state. There is no record of such sighting in the past.
A forest officer said that the golden eagle had been in the area since December 7. It was first sighted by local bird watchers. The bird watchers were observing Egyptians and saw crows mobbing an eagle. So, they took pictures of this crow behaviour after which it was confirmed that the crows were pestering a golden eagle.
Officials said golden eagles are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their napes. Immature eagles of this species typically have white on the tail and often have white markings on the wings. Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with feet and massive, sharp talons to catch a variety of prey, mainly hares, rabbits, marmots and ground squirrels.
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