India, Aug. 3 -- A sooty shearwater, a rare oceanic bird known for its transoceanic migrations, was rescued near Porbandar by the Gujarat forest department but died during treatment on July 1. The Porbandar division later handed over the deceased bird to the Feather Library for complete morphological documentation-marking the first time a physical specimen of the species has been preserved in India.

The specimen of the sub-adult female sooty shearwater now joins the Feather Library's collection of over 350 specimens representing 153 species from Gujarat and Karnataka, including white tern, brown noddy, lesser noddy, Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood-pigeon, and emerald dove.

A white pattern on the underwing, a longer bill compared to ...