Bharatpur (Rajasthan): For the first time, Mistle Thrush, a bird common in Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa was spotted at Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Rajasthan's Bharatpur. The bird looks unique with grey-brown top and whitish below and with rather rounded dark spots and the tail has small white corners. Severe cold in this region is anticipated to be the reason for this bird's visit here.
Wildlife photographer Lokesh Kumar first spotted the bird here and captured it with his camera. Talking to the media, Lokesh Kumar said, "I spotted Mistle Thrush when I along with our tourist guide Jagdish and some other guests from Pune were on trail number three of Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Since I have already seen this bird in hilly areas of Uttarakhand and North-East, I recognized it immediately."
"I told our tourist guide Jagdish about the bird, to which he said that he has been working here for a long time but he has never seen this bird here. Later I also saw the checklist of the national park, but the name of Mistle Thrush was not mentioned in that too", Lokesh said.
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Describing the bird, Kumar said, "Mistle Thrush is found in Europe and North Africa. This is a migratory bird that comes to hilly regions of India. I have seen this bird in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and other parts of the North-East during winters. The bird might have migrated here due to severe winters this time." Mistle Thrush measures 27–28 cm in length, with a 45 cm wingspan. It weighs 93 to 167 grams. The bird lays three to five eggs that fledge about 14–16 days after hatching, Lokesh said.
