A houbara bustard bred in the United Arab Emirates has been rescued from the coastal Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, officials said.

The bird is in good health and it would be released in the desert area of Rajasthan or Gujarat, the winter habitat of these birds, they said.

Local Range Forest Officer Rajendra Ghunakikar on Saturday said, “A farmer at Mundage village in Devgad tehsil spotted an exotic-looking bird with a ring on its leg on Thursday evening and alerted forest officials. We went there and took it in our custody.”

The bird is currently kept in a facility at Kankavali in the district and is in fine health, he added.