CHANDIGARH: Pallas's Gull, also known as the great black-headed gull, a rare migratory bird, has been sighted and documented for the first time.
The first confirmed record of Pallas’s Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus) from the Spiti Valley was documented at Chandratal Lake, a Ramsar wetland, during a field visit.
Chandratal Lake is among the highest wetlands supporting migratory birds in the Lahaul and Spiti district and this record demonstrates that Trans-Himalayan wetlands act as crucial stopover or exploratory habitats for large migratory species.
This significant observation has now been published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS) as a miscellaneous note, ensuring a credible addition to India’s avifaunal records.
"The bird was observed on August 31, 2025, at an altitude of approximately 4,298 meters, making it one of the highest altitude records of the species in India. Peer review by scientific experts has verified and confirmed the record for publication recently. The nearest previous records were from Ladakh, making this observation geographically important for Himachal Pradesh,’’ said Goldy Chabra, DFO Lahaul and Spiti.
He said that the presence of such a species suggests ecological linkage between Central Asian flyways and Himalayan wetlands and reinforces the importance of Spiti as part of broader migratory bird networks.
"This bird has been earlier sighted at Pong Dam and in Ladakh,’’ he added.
The paper reads, "The first confirmed sighting of Pallas’s Gull is supported by photographic and video evidence. The observation was made using 8x42 binoculars and a Samsung S24 Ultra camera. The weather during the sighting was cloudy with a temperature of around 4 °C, light wind, and drizzle. The record was confirmed with photographic evidence. The bird (first winter juvenile gull) was observed resting along the edge of the lake. The bird was conspicuous due to its large size. On comparison with the images of Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Brown-headed Gull Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus, the species was confirmed to be Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus. No previous published records exist from Lahaul and Spiti District. ‘’
Meanwhile, wildlife experts said this species nests on the ground and lays two to four eggs at a time. During winters, when it is the non-breeding season, it migrates to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Arabia, and India.
"The sighting of Pallas’s gull indicates that the lake habitat is safe, favourable, and attractive for migratory birds,’’ they added.
