Important Winter Vagrant Record of Pallas's/Rusty-Rumped Grasshopper Warbler Locustella Certhiola Certhiola from Chhavli Wetland, Taluka – Lakhtar, DIst. – Surendranagar, Gujarat, India

Abstract: The Pallas’s/Rusty-rumped Grasshopper Warbler Locustella certhiola certhiola is a Palearctic migrant with rare and scattered records from western India. This paper reports an important winter vagrant record of three individuals observed and photographed at Chhavli Wetland (22.40° N, 71.55° E), Surendranagar District, Gujarat, on 16 and 18 October. Diagnostic morphological features, including bill structure, supercilium, plumage pattern, and leg coloration, confirmed species identification. Chhavli Wetland, a large freshwater marsh with diverse microhabitats, provides suitable conditions for migratory passerines. These observations represent one of the few confirmed records from Gujarat and contribute to understanding the winter distribution and vagrancy of L. c. certhiola in India.