A sound like a whistle carried through the early hours of Amravati, so clear and oddly human that it made the ordinary flow of the morning feel briefly unsettled. It did not belong to the usual chorus of the city waking up, and that was exactly why it caught attention.
Wildlife photographer Amey Namdeo Thakare, along with senior wildlife expert Dr Swapnil Sonone and nature enthusiast Shantanu Patil, had stepped out for what they expected would be a routine walk. All three were well acquainted with the usual bird calls of the region. This one, however, made them pause.
At first, they dismissed it. Perhaps someone nearby was whistling. But the sound came again, consistent and distinct, carrying through the stillness of the morning in a way that was difficult to ignore.
A call that led somewhere unexpected
Drawn by the sound, the three moved slowly through a green patch on the city’s outskirts, listening carefully, trying to place it. And then they saw it.
For those familiar with the species, the sight was extraordinary. Photograph: (Birds of the World)
Perched quietly among the foliage was the ‘Malabar whistling thrush’, a bird that seemed far removed from the setting it now occupied. Its dark, glossy feathers caught the light, and every so often, it let out that same whistle, the one that has earned it the nickname ‘the whistling schoolboy’.
For those familiar with the species, the sight was extraordinary. The Malabar whistling thrush is usually found in the dense, moisture-laden forests of the Western Ghats, rarely venturing far from shaded streams and undisturbed habitats.
To stumble upon it in a city like Amravati was something none of them had anticipated.
A gentle reminder from the wild
The sighting soon became a point of interest among bird lovers and experts. This is not a species known to frequent dry or urban landscapes. Even in regions such as Melghat, it keeps close to areas with thick vegetation and flowing water.
And yet, here it was, settled, if only briefly, within a pocket of green in the city.
Its presence offered a reminder of how vital these small urban green spaces can be. Often overlooked, they continue to provide refuge to species in ways we may not immediately notice.
The Malabar whistling thrush is usually found in the dense, moisture-laden forests of the Western Ghats. Photograph: (Telangana Today)
For Thakare, Dr Sonone, and Patil, the morning had begun as any other. But it left them with a moment that felt rare and not loud.
And perhaps that is what makes this sighting linger. Not just the arrival of a forest bird in an unexpected place, but the gentle suggestion it carries that if even a species so closely tied to untouched habitats can find its way here, there is still time to protect and nurture the spaces that allow such moments to happen.
