Navi Mumbai: Wildlife photographer Pradeep Choudhary clicked a rare “Oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis)” bird, also known as the rufous turtle dove, spotted in Kharghar sector 8 on Monday. The bird is considered a highly exciting visitor to Mumbai or Navi Mumbai’s urban ecosystem.The bird is a common breeding resident across the Himalayas and heavily winters throughout Central India; its appearance in a coastal metropolis like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai is a highly unusual phenomenon. The bird was sighted in the Mumbai coastal area on Tuesday.The sighting became a notable event for local birdwatchers. They are sometimes recorded as rare or unusual winter or passage visitors further south or in western or peninsular urban pockets (such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, or Kerala).Choudhary said, “The bird was picking and eating grains from the fields near the wetland areas. Possibly, the EL Nino and other climate change factors have forced the bird to move to areas having water. However, the bird could not be sighted thereafter. Wildlife photographers were to return helplessly while attempting to click a few photographs.”Environmentalist and birder Jyoti Nadkarni has confirmed the presence of the bird in the area.
