Experts worried as Punjab’s state bird goes out of sight
the state bird of Punjab. Northern goshawk, ‘baj’ or ‘baaz’ in Punjabi, the majestic bird that you see in the portraits of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, is also a symbol of strength and tenacity. But, try as you might, you can’t find it in any zoo, aviary or sanctuary of the state. And there’s been no recent sighting outside of captivity too, says Kuldip Kumar, principal chief conservator of forests, Punjab.
Admitting that the state doesn’t have one in captivity anywhere, he states, “It’s a migratory bird, it can be spotted in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand, but I haven’t heard of any recent sighting in Punjab.” Baj, says Kumar, was popular with the royals who used to breed it along with falcons, who belong to the same avian family, for hunting. “But falconry declined after Independence and so did the falcons.”
Swaraj Raj, head of the English department at Sri Guru Granth Sahib World Sikh University, Fatehgarh Sahib, who is writing a book on the birds of Punjab, says he wasn’t able to sight a single northern goshawk in the state during his research. He blames it on the persistent degradation of environment.
Baj has had quite a chequered flight in post-Independence Punjab.
It was only on March 15, 1989, that the Punjab government notified it as the state bird in place of hoopoe (chakki haara), the official bird of Punjab since 1933.
Bird-watchers like Swaraj Raj say the state can get the baj back by breeding it in captivity.