Eastern Baillon’s Crake makes rare appearance in Ahmedabad

The recent bird census carried out in Nalsarovar and Thol recorded for the first time the sighting of the Eastern Baillon's Crake. It should be noted that the shy bird has been sighted before in the state. Those associated with bird conservation and bird watching said it has been seen in some parts of Gujarat.

"Overall only few sightings have been recorded for the Eastern Baillon's Crake as such it is a secretive bird. But this is the first time that it was seen during the census at Nalsarovar," said Uday Vora, principal, Gujarat Forest Rangers College.

Elaborating on the bird, Vora said it is a great ‘skulker’. “It is difficult to find. In fact, the bird is more often heard than seen,” he said.

The bird which mainly breeds in Kashmir is also recorded to have breeding sites in Rajkot. It is considered to be a passage migrant. Moreover, due to its secretive nature, it is often confused with the other two crakes - the Little Crake and the Spotted Crake.

Kanu Dave, an avid birdwatcher agreed that it is indeed rare to find the Eastern Baillon's Crake. “It is likely to be found in Nalsarovar. I myself have seen the Spotted Baillon in Nalsarovar, so it could be possible that the Eastern Baillon's Crake was also seen during the census,” said Dave.

He said that in Gujarati the bird is called Santa kukdi which when translated means hide and seek. “This is because of its secretive nature. It lives close to a water body among tall grass and so it is very difficult to spot, hence the name. It is about eight inches long,” said Dave.