Rare bird sighted after 98 long years

Stoliczka's bushchat was believed to have gone extinct in Sindh until now

KARACHI: Stoliczka's bushchat, a rare species of bird, which was believed to have gone extinct in Sindh until now, has reportedly been sighted after 98 long years. Its presence was recorded in the Rann of Kutch during a survey of migratory passerine birds of Sindh by wildlife experts.

The sighting of Stoliczka's bushchat, more commonly called the white-browed bushchat, has been declared "one of the biggest feats" in the wildlife sector here by experts.

"This is great news," said ecologist Ali Hasnain, commenting on the spotting of the bird. He suggested establishing a wildlife sanctuary for the rare species.

Similarly, wildlife photographer Yasir Pechuho, who also sighted the bird, said, "It is a rare species and I have been reading about it for years. Thank God I saw it."

Pechuho said that many national and international organisations had long been trying to sight the bird and its appearance, even if after a long time, indicated that its population was still present in the region.

Its disappearance for an extensive period has intrigued many.

Shedding light on the probable reasons behind the disappearance of the white-browed bushchat in Sindh for near a century, Hasnain said, "I cannot tell the exact reason with surety, but sometimes birds, as well as other animals, either move to a different region or completely disappear because of unfavourable environmental conditions."

However, Sindh Wildlife Department conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar, believes that the bird has been in the region all this while.

"But no one made any serious efforts to record their presence," he regretted.

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Going down memory lane, he related, "What I know is that a student from Lahore had visited the region in the 90s in search of the bird," however, adding that he was unaware of the details of the student's venture. Years ago, though, the bird was once sighted in Afghanistan, he recalled.

Mahar identified the use of pesticides and human influences as two of the factors that led to the bird's disappearance. "It's a very sensitive species and equally important to the ecosystem [but, as a result of the two stated factors], its habitat was lost," he explained.

He said the white-browed bushchat was endemic to South Asia, and called for the need to carry out a thorough search for the bird in the region.

"We will soon send a team of experts to properly study the bird. I invite researchers from across the world to come to Sindh and launch ventures to search for it," said Mahar.

On similar lines, Hasnain, too, stressed the dire need for initiating studies to locate different species of animals in the province.

"Sindh's diversity is amazing but unfortunately no serious steps have been taken to scientifically record the presence of different species found in the province," he lamented.