Rare Hawfinch Sighting in Corbett National Park 2025: First Confirmed Record in India

In a historic moment for Indian birdwatching, a hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) — Europe’s largest and most powerful-billed finch — has been photographed in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. This is the first-ever confirmed sighting of the species in India and only the third documented record in the entire Indian subcontinent.

When & Where

• Date: November 23, 2025
• Location: Shikari Kuan, Dhela Zone, Corbett Tiger Reserve
• Photographer: Prashant Kumar (Ramnagar-based wildlife photographer)

The bird has since been seen multiple times in the same area, confirming it is still present as of late November 2025.

Why This Is a Big Deal

• Native to Europe, temperate East Asia, and North Africa
• Previously recorded only twice in the subcontinent — both in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (1908 and 2017)
• Considered a rare vagrant far outside its normal range
• Corbett Tiger Reserve will now officially add the hawfinch to its bird list (currently 600+ species)

Quick Hawfinch Facts

• Size: 18 cm long, wingspan 29–33 cm
• Famous for its massive beak that can exert over 150 psi — strong enough to crack cherry and olive stones
• Males: bright cinnamon-headed with black mask; females duller
• Usually found in cold deciduous forests; extremely shy and canopy-dwelling

Wildlife officials and experts believe the bird likely got separated from its winter flock or was displaced by weather patterns, ending up in the sal-rich foothills of Corbett.

Birdwatchers from across India are already flocking to Dhela zone — this is a once-in-a-lifetime twitch for many!

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