Assam: Rare IBISBILL sighted in Nameri National Park

Guwahati: Amid the serene whispers of the Jia Bharali River, the rare and elegant Ibisbill has made its graceful appearance once again in Nameri National Park, evoking awe among nature lovers and conservationists.

The moment was immortalized through the lens of Bitupan Kolong, who captured the bird as it waded gently through the clear mountain-fed waters. The sighting reflects the park’s undisturbed ecological harmony , a sanctuary where rivers, stones, and wings coexist in fragile balance.

“The elegant Ibisbill wades through the clear waters of the Jia Bharali River at Nameri National Park. Typically found along fast-flowing, shingle-bed rivers in the Himalayas, this elusive bird descends from the heights of Arunachal Pradesh to winter in Nameri  a rare sentinel of wild, undisturbed riverine ecosystems,” Assam Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary wrote on X on Saturday.

With its slender, down-curved red bill and soft grey plumage, the Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a rare Himalayan visitor  more often heard in whispers of folklore than seen by the human eye. Its descent to the plains marks a seasonal pilgrimage that ties the rivers of Arunachal and Assam in an unbroken ecological thread.

Echoing naturalist John Muir’s enduring belief in nature’s quiet generosity, a senior ornithologist from Aaranyak observed, “The Ibisbill is not just a bird; it is a heartbeat of the river. When it returns, we know that the river still flows wild and free.”

Nameri National Park continues to embody a rare tranquility — where every ripple in the Jia Bharali speaks of life’s resilience and every bird’s flight reminds us that wildness is the truest hymn of nature.