Physiotherapist vacationing in Arunachal Pradesh spots Giant Shrike, first sighting in India

The physiotherapist sent photos of the bird she clicked to Salehin Md Habib, a birdwatcher from Kolkata, and also to Ashwin Viswanathan, a leading birdwatcher in the country. Both identified the bird seen near Tawang as a giant grey shrike and that it was the first ever record of this species in India.

Though the bird was expected there, Viswanathan termed Kapdi’s sighting a “very lucky occurrence”. “This indeed is the first record of this species in India. It was a very lucky find though there is a distant possibility of birds of these species being there in that area because of their range extending up to Tibet. However, a giant grey shrike was not on anyone’s radar so far,” Viswanathan said, adding, “The sighting just shows that there is so much more to discover in India and as birders begin to explore more remote corners, we will have more exciting discoveries like this.”

The road leading to Bum La pass and Sangetsar lake is narrow and generally, vehicles cannot stop on the road. “However, there was a traffic jam ahead and therefore, our vehicle was stalled, affording me time to observe the bird and click its photographs,” said 45-year-old Kapdi who was vacationing with her parents, husband and son.

According to eBird, the giant grey shrike resembles Chinese grey shrike in many respects but it looks larger than the latter. A giant grey shrike has a darker back and lacks white eyebrows that are distinct in Chinese grey shrike and great grey shrike. Giant grey shrikes are found at high elevations, in open habitats with shrubs and migrate to lower elevations during winters.