Black-headed bunting, a winter visitor to the Nilgiris documented by bird watchers. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.
Winter migratory birds have been arriving in the Nilgiris in large numbers for the past few weeks, bringing excitement to bird watchers in the district who have recorded several early visitors.
Chandrasekar Das, an environmentalist with the Keystone Foundation and an avid bird watcher, said he has seen two species of buntings for the first time this year.
“Grey-necked Bunting was seen in Kotagiri while Black-headed Bunting was seen in Masinagudi. These discoveries represent significant additions to the avifaunal list of the area. Apart from these rare first sightings, a number of regular winter migrants have also appeared in the hills,” he said.
Mr. Das said these species include the rice grouse, Kashmiri sandpiper, deer-tailed snipe, bearded tern, Indian bluebird and blue thrush, along with a few other seasonal visitors.
Murali Moorthy, another bird watcher in the Nilgiris, said many raptors, including the bald eagle and the steppe eagle, were documented in greater numbers this year than in previous years. “All the way from the deeper reaches of Russia, the Steppe Eagle has been recorded to abduct even small mammals and drop them from a great height and later eat the meat. It is really exciting to see such an amazing predator going to the Nilgiris to escape the Russian winter,” said Mr. Murali.
Higher numbers could indicate harsher winters in the birds’ home range or better food availability there. This winter he also recorded northern warblers and warblers in the Nilgiris.
Published – 07 Dec 2025 16:38 IST
