RAIPUR: Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve has recorded another sighting of the Peregrine falcon—widely known as the world’s fastest bird and often dubbed the “cheetah of the sky”—in what forest officials described as an encouraging indicator of the region’s habitat quality. A forest guard, Omprakash Rao, captured the raptor on camera, officials said. The sighting follows earlier documentation of the species near the Shesh Pagar waterfall in the Amamora area, where it had reportedly been spotted through drone footage, suggesting the bird’s recurring presence in the landscape.The peregrine falcon, locally referred to as the Shaheen baz, is famed for its hunting dive—an explosive stoop from high altitude to strike prey mid-air. Forest officials said the raptor preys on smaller birds such as pigeons and parrots, using rapid altitude loss and precision impact as its primary hunting technique.While Chhattisgarh has been more commonly associated with flagship species such as tigers and elephants, officials said recent bird records point to a wider conservation dividend as habitats stabilise and monitoring improves. They cited recent bird surveys in Barnawapara wildlife sanctuary that reported sightings of rare and visually striking species including the orange-breasted green pigeon and the black-capped kingfisher.Forest authorities said the repeated recording of the peregrine falcon in Udanti-Sitanadi adds to evidence that the state’s climate and biodiversity are attracting long-distance and less frequently sighted birds.
