‘Like seeing a lion in Leh': Birder spots greater racket-tailed drongo in Gurgaon
When Major General Arvind Yadav was out on his usual birding routine Sunday, the last thing he expected to see in the semi-arid Millenium City was a greater racket-tailed drongo, a medium-sized Asian bird known for its long outer tail feathers with webbing only at the tips.
'It is like spotting a lion in Leh, Ladakh. They have no reason to be seen in Gurgaon,' said Maj Gen Yadav, 57, a serving officer, who sighted the bird in Jhanjhrola in the morning.
The greater racket-tailed drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus) belongs to the Dicruridae family and stands out in forest habitats, often perching openly and drawing attention with loud, varied calls, including accurate imitations of other birds.
They tend to steal insects caught or disturbed by other flock members, and another hypothesis is that their mimicry distracts smaller birds to facilitate this theft. They are active during the day, especially before dawn and near dusk.
Maj Gen Yadav said that the Himalayan bird is otherwise spotted only in forests or hilly regions, and his experience on Sunday would be termed a vagrant sighting, which happens when a bird is spotted outside its normal geographic range or migration route.
The greater racket-tailed drongo is spotted only in forests or hilly regions. (Express Photo)
Previously, the greater racket-tailed drongo was spotted in Haryana only in the Faridabad section of the Aravallis on two occasions, he said. 'It is not native to the state, and when we saw it, the bird was being chased away and attacked by resident birds like crows, who do not allow other birds to mingle in their area.'
The officer added that his birder group had another vagrant sighting earlier – a wader bird known as the thick-knee.
Stumped by the spotting, he said that traditional textbooks on birds need not necessarily be considered the last word. 'What with significant climate change and deforestation, maybe it is being forced to adapt to and adopt a new habitat of sorts. This one might just have been lost, but still.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Video: Chopper Makes Emergency Landing On Road, Tail Crushes Car
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. A helicopter headed to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on a highway in Uttarakhand due to a technical issue, damaging an unoccupied car. Five pilgrims were safe, but the pilot suffered minor injuries. The incident did not disrupt helicopter services. A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath was forced to land on a highway in Uttarakhand as it developed a technical snag during take-off, coming dangerously close to buildings and its tail rotor damaging an unoccupied car. The five pilgrims on board came out safely, while the pilot sustained minor injuries. The helicopter had taken off from from the Barasu base at 12.52 pm and was to fly the pilgrims for a duration of 45-50 minutes to the Kedarnath pilgrimage. Within minutes of taking off, the pilot reported a suspected issue with the collective control getting stuck. In response, he executed a controlled force landing on the road adjacent to the helipad. Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey told PTI that the incident did not affect the helicopter shuttle service to the Himalayan temple. Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway. The hard landing comes a month after a helicopter on its way to Gangotri temple crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district on May 8, killing six people including five women and the pilot, and leaving one male passenger seriously injured. On May 12, a helicopter returning from Badrinath to Sersi with pilgrims on board was forced to make an emergency landing due to poor visibility in a school playground in Ukhimath. All pilgrims were safe. The helicopter took off again after about an hour when the weather improved. On May 17, a heli ambulance from AIIMS Rishikesh crash-landed near the Kedarnath helipad in Uttarakhand due to damage to its rear part. Fortunately, all three occupants on board - a doctor, a pilot and a medical staff member - escaped unharmed.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Helicopter on way to Kedarnath crashlands on highway, all safe
A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday (June 7, 2025) after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said. However, all pilgrims on board and the pilot are safe, the officials said. The helicopter had taken off from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing on the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag during take-off, they said. VIDEO | Uttarakhand: A private helicopter made an emergency landing on a road in Rudraprayag. The helicopter's tail section fell onto a car. All passengers of the helicopter are safe. The pilot sustained minor injuries. Further details are awaited. (Source: Third Party) (Full… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 7, 2025 Videos on social media showed the Kestrel Aviation helicopter standing in the middle of the highway was dangerously close to populated buildings and with a car damaged by its tail rotor. Six people on board the helicopter including the pilot had a narrow escape. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey said the incident had not affected the heli shuttle service to the Himalayan temple. Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway.
The Print
7 hours ago
- The Print
Helicopter on way to Kedarnath crashlands on highway, all safe
The helicopter had taken off from Badasu base for Kedarnath when it made the emergency landing on the highway near Sirsi following a technical snag during take-off, they said. However, all pilgrims on board and the pilot are safe, the officials said. Rudraprayag, Jun 7 (PTI) A helicopter on its way to Kedarnath made an emergency landing on the highway in Rudraprayag district on Saturday after developing a technical snag during take-off, officials said. Videos on social media showed the Kestrel Aviation helicopter standing in the middle of the highway was dangerously close to populated buildings and with a car damaged by its tail rotor. Six people on board the helicopter including the pilot had a narrow escape. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Kedarnath heli service nodal officer Rahul Chaubey said the incident had not affected the heli shuttle service to the Himalayan temple. Efforts are underway to remove the helicopter from the highway. PTI COR ALM ALM KSS KSS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
