Haldwani, Nov. 27 -- In a significant development for bird enthusiasts, a rare Hawfinch bird has been spotted at the Corbett National Park. The Hawfinch, a species native to Europe, North Africa and East Asia, was photographed by Ramnagar-based wildlife photographer Prashant Kumar on November 23, 2025, during a safari in the Dhela tourism zone near Shikari Kuan. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) scientist Suresh Kumar said this bird species is native to Europe and higher latitude areas like Mongolia and Kazakhstan. "Sometimes during migration or wandering, such sightings are noted. It is called a vagrant bird sighting", he said. Ornithologist Sanjay Sondhi said this Hawfinch either got separated from its flock or got lost during its flight due to strong winds, but it is not native to India and there is no guarantee that it will be seen again, which makes the sighting rare. Corbett Tiger Reserve director Saket Badola said the forest department has begun tracking the bird's movement. "This species has been recorded only a few times in the Indian subcontinent. It typically moves in flocks, so the bird may have separated from its group during migration," he said. Forest teams have been deployed to ensure the bird's safety, and the species has now been added to Corbett's official bird records. Prashant Kumar, who documented the sighting, said only two historical records of the Hawfinch exist in the Indian subcontinent, both from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "The species was reported from Muzaffarabad in 1908 and later from Aliabad in 2017," he said. The Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) is a robust, heavy-billed finch about 18 cm long, with a wingspan of 29-33 cm....