Baaz! Northern Goshawk sighted in Delhi

The Northern Goshawk, a raptor and the state bird of Punjab has been captured on camera for probably the first time in Delhi recently. Photo- Nazes Afroz

The bird was captured in flight by Nazes Afroz, a veteran journalist and a birder in the Asola Bhatti Sanctuary near Delhi. The bird migrates every year from northerly latitudes and comes down to the Himalayas during the winter. Photo- Nazes Afroz.

Afroz and other birders, who were participating in the annual bird count at Asola Bhatti organised by the Bombay Natural History Society, at first thought it was a ‘Shikra’, a raptor common in North India. The bird also looked similar to a Eurasian sparrowhawk. Afroz and others later compared photographs to conclude that it was a Northern Goshawk. Photo- Nazes Afroz

The Northern Goshawk is associated with Guru Gobind Singh, who is frequently depicted with one perched on his hand. The bird is called ‘Baaz’ in Urdu and Punjabi and has also given its name to ‘Bajwa’, a Sikh and Muslim Jat clan in the Punjab region of South Asia. Photo- Nazes Afroz