New Delhi: A wildlife biologist recently recorded the first documented sighting of a yellow-legged button-quail , a scarce avian species , in the city. Highly elusive and slightly bigger than sparrows, the species, a local migrant to northwest India, was earlier spotted twice in the neighbouring Haryana — one near Sultanpur and the other near the Aravali — over the past 25 years. On July 1, wildlife biologist Sumit Dookia found it foraging along a central verge amid the urban landscape in Dwarka.
“It was a calm evening when the traffic was heavy and I was going to a nearby market in Sector 6. While scanning the plants on the median, I suddenly spotted an unusual bird on the ground. Though I couldn’t identify it at first glance, I could take a few photos on my mobile phone,” said Dookia, an assistant professor at IP University.
“It was very calm, busy feeding from the ground. I quickly sent the photos and a video to veteran birder Kanwar B Singh and, to my surprise, it was identified as a yellow-legged button-quail,” he added. The documentation contributes to the ongoing efforts to monitor and protect the region’s avian biodiversity.
Some areas in Dwarka still have open grounds, which must be serving as habitats for the species, Dookia noted. The sighting serves as a reminder of the diverse wildlife that can still be found amid a bustling metropolis, he added. Ornithologist Bikram Grewal said, “It’s a rare sighting for Delhi.
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