Guru’s baaz, Punjab’s State Bird, rare hawk creates a flutter in poll ring

The venerable status of Northern Goshawk in Punjab, and its designation as State Bird, flow from the belief that the majestic white and black hawk is the avian species that features in depictions of Guru Gobind Singh. 6 min readLudhianaSep 5, 2026 01:14 PM IST First published on: Sep 4, 2026 at 05:50 AM IST As per official records, Punjab has mounted two separate efforts, seven years apart (2018 and 2025), to try and locate its State Bird – the ‘Northern Goshawk’ – within its boundaries, with no success. Now, ahead of the hotly contested Punjab Assembly elections, the bird locally known as Baaz or Baaj has been “spotted” – flying somewhere near both Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann.