Birders and photographers regularly visit suitable habitats around Pune city throughout the year. The lack of any other sighting from them probably indicates that the bird we photographed was a straggler, as it is impossible to miss such a large raptor that often circles high in the sky.

AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Pankaj Koparde and Ushma Shukla for comments on an earlier version of this note. The authors are indebted to the BNHS ENVIS team for their support. We are also grateful to Praveen J., and Pushkar Phansalkar for help in the identification of the species. We thank Praneti Khardekar, Shivani Jalan, and Sayali Sawant for accompanying us on the visit. Lastly, we thank Pugmarks Holidays for providing logistic help and for acquiring permissions for the visit to the private property.

ReferencesClark, W., Kirwan, G.,& Christie, D., 2016. Lesser Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga humilis). In:

del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.,& de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of

the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Editions, Barcelona. Retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52989 on 18/01/2016.

D'Abreu, E., 1935. A list of the birds of the Central Provinces. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 38 (1): 95–116.

Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528.

Lethaby, N., 2005. The occurrence of Lesser Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis on the Cauvery River, Karnataka, India and some notes on the identification of this species. BirdingASIA 4: 33–38 (with 11 photos).

Naoroji, R., 2007. Birds of prey of the Indian Subcontinent.1st ed. New Delhi: Om Books International. Pp. 1–692.

Prasad, A., 2004.Annotated checklist of the birds of Western Maharashtra. Buceros 8 (2&3): i–ii, 1–174 (2003).

Praveen J., 2011. An update on the distribution of Lesser Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis in southern India. Indian BIRDS 7 (1): 14–16.

Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C., 2012. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide: attributes and status. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. Vol. 2 of 2 vols. Pp. 1–683.

ObservationsI have photographed the Rock Bunting at three different locations in Gujarat, in the last few years (Fig. 1).

On 07 February 2007 I saw the species at Jarpara village (21.35ºN, 71.10ºE), near Dhari town (Amreli District), on the Chalala–Dhari road. I was with Jitubhai Patel, a local farmer, who wanted to show an owl, in his farm, to me. There I photographed a male Rock Bunting, which was perched on a tree [97]. The rufous under parts, and white head with three black stripes were prominent characteristics, which helped in its identification.

A year later, on 27 January 2008, I photographed another bird [98], which was on the ground, enabling good views, and clear photographs. This was at ‘Kalodunger’, near Khavda (23.90ºN, 69.80ºE), in Kachchh District. Here, the bird was on the ground and I could observe it clearly and take photographs.

I saw the bird a third time, on 01 September 2014, at Velavadar Blackbuck National Park (22.00ºN, 72.00ºE), Bhavnagar District. A male bird was on the ground, along with Grey-neck Buntings E. buchanani. My friend, Kasam Sama, was able to get close to the birds and take a picture [99]. The clear dorsal view of the tail, and back, along with the head profile, were sufficient to establish its identity.

DiscussionThe Striolated Bunting Fringillaria striolata is a resident, and widespread, species in Gujarat. From a distance the Rock Bunting resembles the Striolated Bunting. So birdwatchers might tend to mistake a Rock Bunting for a Striolated Bunting. Especially since the Rock Bunting had not been recorded from Gujarat, though

The Rock Bunting Emberiza cia is a polytypic species, with the race stracheyi resident in India. It breeds in the outer ranges of the western Himalayas, from the Afghan border,

and in the western Himalayan Indian states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, extending up to central Nepal (Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). During winter, it visits adjacent southern plains (Grimmett et al. 2011; Rasmussen & Anderton 2012). Despite this wintering range, actual records of the speices from mainland India, away from the Himalayas, are scanty (Grimmett et al. 2011). This species has not been reported from Gujarat earlier (Khacher 1996; Parasharya et al. 2004). Here I present photographic evidence of its presence, from three locations in Gujarat.

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia: An addition to the birds of GujaratRajni Trivedi

Trivedi, R., 2016. Rock Bunting Emberiza cia: An addition to the birds of Gujarat. Indian BIRDS 12 (2&3): 84–85.RajniTrivedi, 20/C Mangaldeep App., Jodhpur Gam Road, Satellite, Ahmedabad 380015, Gujarat, India. E-mail: rajnitrivedi1950@gmail.com.Manuscript received on 12 May 2016.

Fig. 1. Locations in Gujarat, where the Rock Bunting has been photographed.

84 Indian BIRDS Vol. 12 No. 2 & 3 (Publ. 12 october 2016)

99. Rock Bunting in Velavadar on 01 September 2014.

98. Rock Bunting in Kalodunger, Kachchh on 27 January 2008.

Both: Rajni Trivedi

97. Rock Bunting photographed on 07 February 2007 in Dhari.

there are scanty records from neighbouring states. Moreover, as buntings tend to move in flocks, if every individual is not scrutinised, minor differences between species get glossed over in favour of the commoner variety. Further, buntings feeding on stony ground get camouflaged and are difficult to locate.

It seems that the species migrates to Gujarat in the cold season, as all my records are from winter, though the September record is slightly early. Though the subspecies cannot be identified from the pictures, Rasmussen & Anderton (2012) state that, “vagrants to south are probably of the race par”, which breeds in Afghanistan, Ladakh, and northern Baluchistan.

These three records are from different areas: one in Kachchh, and two in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Moreover, there are unpublished records from other parts of Gujarat (B. M. Parasharya, verbally, on 02 May 2016). Andheria (2003), and Sangha & Devarshi (2007) have recorded it in Rajasthan; the latter in Mt. Abu, which is near the Gujarat border. An earlier record from Pune (Ingalhalikar 1983) was retracted by the author (Prasad 2004). The most southern record of the species is from Nashik (Raha 2014).

Hence these records from Gujarat provide more evidence of the Rock Bunting wintering in mainland India.

AcknowledgementsI thank Kasam Sama (from Nalsarovar) for accompanying me in the field. I acknowledge the help rendered by B. M. Parasharya and Prasad Ganpule in the preparation of this note. I also thank Darshana Rathod for preparing the sighting map.

ReferencesAndheria, A. P., 2003. Sighting of the Rock Bunting Emberiza cia Linn. In Ranthambore

National Park, Rajasthan. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 99 (3): 536–537 (2002).

Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T., 2011. Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm. Pp. 1–528.

Ingalhalikar, S., 1983. Occurrence of Emberiza cia near Pune. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 80 (1): 223.

Khacher, L., 1996. The birds of Gujarat - a Salim Ali centenary year overview. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 93 (3): 331–373.

Parasharya, B. M., Borad, C. K., & Rank, D. N., 2004. A checklist of the birds of Gujarat.1st ed. Gujarat: Bird Conservation Society. Pp. 1–27.

Prasad, A., 2004. Annotated checklist of the birds of Western Maharashtra. Buceros 8 (2&3): i–ii, 1–174 (2003).

Raha, B., 2014. Birds of Nashik District: A conservation guide. Nashik, India: Nature Conservation Society of Nashik. Pp. 3 ll.,i–viii, 1–377.

Rasmussen, P. C., & Anderton, J. C., 2012. Birds of South Asia: the Ripley guide. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. 2 vols. Pp. 1–378; 1–683.

Sangha, H. S., & Devarshi, D., 2007. Sighting of Rock Bunting Emberiza cia Linnaeus at Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 103 (1): 104–105 (2006).

triVedi: Rock Bunting 85