Gurgaon: A bird usually found along India’s western and southeastern coastlines was spotted at Chandu in Gurgaon on Saturday. The observation of western reef egret on Saturday is only the second documented record for Gurgaon, according to eBird. The spotting of western reef egret adds another rare inland sighting for Haryana.The bird was photographed by Nitin Kumar Raghav, who was birding with Kaanchan Bhagwat, a senior birdwatcher, during an early morning visit to the wetland. The city’s first record came from Kheda Jhanjhrola in Aug 2021, when Kavi Nanda reported the species.The identification was based on several field marks that distinguish the western reef egret from the more common little egret. Birdwatchers said the bird showed the species’ characteristic tall, lean structure, long neck with a slight kink, thicker legs and a stouter, slightly downcurved bill. Unlike the little egret’s slender build and all-dark bill, the western reef egret also has a partly dark bill and variable yellow colouring on the feet or lower legs.Realising it was unlike the common egrets seen in the region, the duo — Raghav and Bhagwat — photographed the bird and shared the images with experienced birdwatchers for confirmation. The sighting was uploaded to eBird, where it will contribute to long-term records tracking the distribution and movements of birds across India. “I was with Bhagwat when we noticed the bird. It immediately looked different from the egrets we usually see. We documented it carefully and later confirmed the identification after consulting other birders,” Raghav told TOI.“This is not a bird you expect to see in Gurgaon,” said Pankaj Gupta, a birder from Delhi Bird Society, adding, “Every inland record helps us better understand the species’ movement and reinforces the importance of protecting wetlands.” Across Haryana, only a handful of records exist. Historical sightings include Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary in 2003 and 2011. Birdwatchers said Haryana has six documented records of the species, while Delhi has four, the latest reported in May 2025 by Himanshu Sharma.The identification is also consistent with the descriptions in the widely used field guide Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Grimmett and Inskipp, which describes the western reef egret as a resident of India’s western and southeastern coasts. The guide notes that the species is more active than other egrets while hunting, often runs rapidly after prey and frequents seashores, estuaries, tidal creeks, mangroves and rocky shores. While it is primarily a coastal bird, experts say it occasionally wanders inland, with rare records reported from places as far away as Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.Birdwatchers said the observation highlights the ecological value of wetlands around Gurgaon, which continue to support resident, migratory and occasional vagrant species despite rapid urbanisation.
