MANGALURU: Little Bunting, a small passerine bird belonging to the bunting and American sparrow family, was spotted at Barkur wetlands of Udupi district recently for the first time in the state.
A group of four birders - Adithya Bhat, Sahana M, Arun Prabhu and Kumudini Prabhu were on a morning bird walk when they spotted the bird perched on a dry and wild plant.
Adithya Bhat said the breeding range of this bird is Taiga of the far north-east of Europe and Northern Asia and it migrates during the winter to Southern China and north-east India.
“The bird is usually seen in agricultural habitat with an altitude of 3,300-6,600 ft. So sighting of little Bunting in this altitude is definitely a pleasant surprise,” he said.
He said so far in South India only two sightings have been recorded. One in Pune of Maharashtra and another in Munnar of Kerala.
“It is for the first time that the bird is spotted in Karnataka. If we conserve wetlands like Barkur, definitely nature will throw more surprises like this in future,” he added.