In News:

In a significant ornithological event, a team of birders has confirmed the first Indian sighting in 46 years of the elusive Long-billed Bush Warbler (Locustella major). The bird was observed in dense willow thickets at an altitude of over 3,200 metres in Suru Valley, Ladakh.

About Long-Billed Bush Warbler

• Scientific Name: Locustella major
• Common Name: Long-Billed Bush Warbler (formerly Long-billed Grasshopper Warbler)
• Type: Medium-sized, skulking songbird of the bush warbler group
• Size: Approximately 15–17 cm in length
• Plumage:
  • Brownish-olive upperparts with fine streaking
  • Pale underparts (whitish or buff)
  • Both sexes appear similar
• Call: Produces an insect-like clicking sound used for territory marking and mate attraction

Distribution and Habitat

• Global Range:
  • Limited distribution in the mountains of Central Asia
  • Documented in India, Pakistan, China, and Tajikistan
• Preferred Habitat:
  • Altitude: 2,400–3,600 metres
  • Found on grassy slopes with bushes and weeds
  • Upland terraced cultivation and forest edge clearings
  • Often observed among Rumex, sea buckthorn, and Ribes gooseberry shrubs near spruce forests

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT)
• Reasons for decline include habitat loss, especially due to conversion of bushland into agricultural fields.

Significance of the 2025 Sighting

• The last confirmed Indian record was in 1979 near Sankoo in Kargil, by researchers from Southampton University.
• Historically, the species was relatively common in Dras and Suru valleys until the early 20th century.
• The recent sighting aligns with records from nearby Gilgit-Baltistan (2022–2025), where the species has been increasingly documented at similar altitudes (3,000–3,100 m).