Grey Hypocolius sighted in Gujarat

Grey Hypocolius is a rare migratory bird found in northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India.

Two Mumbai-based professionals and keen amateur birders have recently sighted and photographed a rare bird, Grey Hypocolius, at the Narara Marine National Park near Jamnagar in Gujarat.

Kunal Munsiff (37), a chartered accountant working with a Mumbai multinational, and his friend, 52-year-old Nosherwan Sethna, spotted three specimens perched on the bushes of Pilu trees at the Narara Marine National Park.

“A slender, long tailed bird the size of Bulbul (about 19-21 cms), Grey Hypocolius is a migratory bird found in northern Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India,” Mr. Munsiff told

The Hindu on Tuesday of the sighting made on February 26 this year.

A former Bombay Natural History Society member, Mr. Munsiff and Mr. Sethna submitted their findings to the BNHS.

“Yes, we will soon publish the findings in our scientific journal. Grey Hypocolius is a migratory bird that comes from central Asian countries. It is an interesting record since it has been photographed for the first time in Jamnagar,” Asad Rahmani, Director, BNHS, said.

Mr. Munsiff said apart from a stray sighting near Tarkarkli in Konkan in 2011-12, the bird was spotted in Kihim in Alibag district near Mumbai in 1930 by Salim Ali.