Rare white stork spotted at Okhla bird sanctuary since Nov 1

Last spotted in NCR in March 2019 near Jewar, the species only has four records in the region in nearly three decades, birders say

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A rare white stork (Ciconia ciconia) was spotted at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, located at the intersection of the Delhi-Noida border for the last three days, since November 1, drawing a steady stream of naturalists, ornithologists, and wildlife photographers to the wetlands.

Last spotted in NCR in March 2019 near Jewar, the species only has four records in the region in nearly three decades, birders say.

Past white stork sightings in the region

Prior to that, data showed there were records of a sighting at Okhla in March 1992 and February 2005, along with a sighting at Palwal in 2004-05.

The bird was first spotted at the sanctuary on November 1, by a birder Dr Tejaswi Surya.

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“It was around 8am and a little foggy but I immediately spotted this bird at a distance and noticed a bright red bill. That is what caught my eye and it was bigger in size than the herons around it,” Kumar said, stating after clicking a photograph, he immediately recognised it as a white stork.

“I have seen the species in 2009-10 at Gujarat’s Nal Sarovar, where one tends to see a lot of these white storks and could immediately make out what this was,” he added.

Birders also believe this could possibly be a subspecies of the white stork, called the Ciconia ciconia asiatica.

“This distinct and isolated population breeds in Central Asia, primarily across most of Uzbekistan and the deep south of Kazakhstan, with a total global population estimated at fewer than 2,000 individuals. Their migration route traditionally takes them south toward wintering grounds stretching from Iran into the Indian subcontinent,” said birder Nikhil Devasar, stating according to historical field data, there are only four records of the white stork being spotted in Delhi-NCR in the last three-and-a-half decades.

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White stork characteristics and habitat

White storks have a bright white body, black wing feathers, alongside a long red bill and red legs. It is a long-distance migrant, which can prey on insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and even small birds.

Fellow birder Rohit Sharma said the rare sighting is beginning to draw birders from across NCR to the sanctuary.

“After hearing about the sighting, everyone wants a glimpse of the bird, which is rarely seen here in NCR. This also shows how crucial these protected wetlands are and the need to safeguard such habitats,” he added.

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  Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More