GURUGRAM: A Himalayan bird, the blue-throated flycatcher (Cyornis rubeculoides), has been spotted in Delhi-NCR after a four-year gap. A group of birders saw the bird at Sultanpur National Park on Wednesday, its first sighting in Sultanpur. The bird was last spotted in Delhi-NCR at Asola Sanctuary in April 2018, said Nikhil Devasar from the Delhi Bird Society. Experts said the bird breeds in the Himalayan mountain ranges but travels to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Western Ghats during winter. “It is rare in this region as it does not usually stay here. It is a migrant bird for Delhi-NCR,” said birder Arushi Kanwar, who spotted the small-sized bird along with Dhruv Swamini and Ankur Puri. She added that they had recently spotted the bird in Uttarakhand and could hence identify it at Sultanpur National Park. The blue-throated flycatcher, slightly larger than the sparrow, has a distinctive orange chest and a white belly. Males have a bright blue upper body, while females have a brown upper body. Birder Dhruv Swamini said, “We reached the park around 9 am. We had heard of the forest wagtail sighting and decided to travel to Sultanpur. First, we went to the left side of the park. While returning, we took a shortcut, a right turn in the park, and saw a dark blue bird. Its orange chest stood out.” Birder Ankur Puri said, “The bird was trying to catch an insect from mid-air when we spotted it. It is distinguishable from other flycatchers because it has a blue coat, orange chest and white belly.” This spotting clearly shows the importance of urban forests, experts said, adding that there has been no record of this bird in Sultanpur before this. This bird, added experts, is found in Bangladesh and Myanmar year-round and generally known to live in forests and feed on insects.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/himalayan-bird-spotted-in-delhi-ncr-after-4-years/articleshow/94669329.cms