Birdwatchers delighted as Eurasian Blackcap spotted in Munnar — first sighting in India

Birdwatchers delighted as Eurasian Blackcap spotted in Munnar — first sighting in India
A photo of the Eurasian Blackcap clicked by birdwatcher K G Ajay Kumar (inset), who is a lawyer at the Kottayam bar.

Thodupuzha: Birdwatchers are delighted as the Eurasian Blackcap, a small songbird, has been sighted for the first time in the country at Munnar. It is a native of Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa.

A photo of the Eurasian Blackcap was captured by birdwatcher K G Ajay Kumar who is a lawyer at the Kottayam bar. The photo of the bird was captured around 7am on Sunday while he was en route to the Lakshmi Estate in Munnar.

This little bird, which weighs only 17 grams, has been spotted for the first time in India. The bird is popularly known as the blackcap and its scientific name is Sylvia atricapilla.

The bird has been named blackcap as the top of its head resembles a black cap. Blackcaps can imitate the sound of other birds.

Eurasian Blackcaps are migratory birds and can be spotted in groups or individually. It feeds on small insects during the breeding season.

The blackcap is the 541st species among the birds found in Kerala. The birdwatchers reckon that it may have come here for food during migration.

Ajay Kumar, a native of Muttambalam in Kottayam, has been actively pursuing his interest in birdwatching for four years.

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