Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican – Endangered Birds 20/07/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD AND LESSER FLORICAN – ENDANGERED BIRDS

 

The apex court has constituted a committee to urgently frame and implement an emergency response plan for the protection of these species.

  • Over the last 50 years, the population of the Great Indian Bustard has recorded a decline of over 82 percent.
  • The population of the Lesser Florican has seen a sharp decline of 80 percent over the past few decades.

 

Great Indian Bustard

  • Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps
  • Found on the Indian subcontinent.
  • The species is critically endangered by hunting and loss of its habitat.
  • It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 of India.
  • Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
  • Listed in Appendix I of CITES
  • The bird was historically found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
  • Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
  • The great Indian bustard is omnivorous.

 

Lesser Florican

  • Scientific name: Sypheotides indicus
  • Also known as the likh or kharmore.
  • The two species of smaller bustards have been called “floricans”.
  • Smallest in bustard family.
  • It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall grasslands.
  • Best known for the leaping breeding displays made by the males during the Monsoon season.
  • The species is highly endangered.
  • Historic records exist from the Makran coast of Balochistan province in Pakistan.
  • It breeds mainly in the central and western parts of India.
  • Lesser floricans feed on a wide variety of small vertebrates and invertebrates.

 

Lesser Florican

Lesser Florican

 

Source: News on Air

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