Bird watchers celebrate rare albino coot sighting

PUNE: An albino coot fulica (aquatic bird) has been spotted at Bhigwan by

bird

watcher Satish Nagare for the first time in the region. The sighting has been recorded in the Ela Journal of

Forestry

and

Wildlife

.



Nagare said, “The Eurasian coot had an entire white plumage contrary to the black plumage that it generally has. The beak was pink and eyes were red. The colour of the legs could not be evaluated since the coot was always seen swimming in water.”

He said the local people also said that the bird was completely new to Bhigwan and that it was an albino made it interesting.

“There were many coots feeding in flocks. But the albino coot was very shy. It was first spotted in January and was seen in the region for about three to four months,” Nagare said.

Ornithologist Satish Pande said, “The sighting is extremely interesting and I am glad that the local people had a good eye for birds and noticed this change. Finding an albino coot was definitely rare.”