Rare migratory bird, Asian dowitcher, photographed for 1st time in West Bengal

A rare migratory bird, the near-threatened Asian dowitcher, has been photographed for the first time in West Bengal at a wetland in Haroa, North 24 Parganas. Spotted on November 6 among marsh sandpipers, it breeds in Siberia, Mongolia and northeastern China before migrating south during winter. The global population of the Asian dowitcher is estimated at around 25,000-30,000.