A majestic bird and a rare
one. There are four species of Bustards in India – The Great Indian
Bustard, Lesser Florican, Bengal Florican
and Houbara Bustard.
The
Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps ), known as Maldhok is found in India and Eastern regions of
Pakistan. It lives in arid and semi–arid grasslands, open country with thorns
and tall grass interspersed with cultivation. Apart from Rajasthan, they are
also found in Karnataka , Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh. Ghatigaon and Karera
sanctuaries in Madhya Pradesh
no longer appear to have any birds, whereas they used to have a sizeable population there
in the past. Karera Wildlife Sanctuary in Shivpuri district, Nannaj and Shrigonda
in Maharashtra and Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary
near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh have still a few birds of this species.
A
large ground dwelling bird it has a long neck and long bare legs like that of
an ostrich. It stands at about a metre high and is large, brown and
white in colour. Male and female birds are similar in appearance. The male is
deep sandy buff coloured with a crown on the head which is black and
crested. The female which is smaller than the male, has a head and neck not
pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary or absent.
It
is omnivorous, feeding on seeds, small shrubs, insects, rats, grams, groundnuts
or millets depending on the seasons.
The
male is polygamous. The female lays only single egg once in a year and
incubates it for about 27 days. Their
nests are situated in open ground and males take no part in incubation or care
of the developing young. The fledglings tend to remain with their mother until
the following breeding season. Males are solitary during the breeding season
but may flock in the non- breeding season.
Lesser
Florican
The Lesser Florican (sypheotides indica) is the smallest bird in the bustard family having
46-51 cms average length. It has small body with
longish bill and legs. The Lesser Florican breeds in Gujarat,
South-East Rajasthan, North-West Maharashtra and Western Madhya Pradesh. They
are also seen in
productive lowland (below 250 m) and dry
grasslands, with scattered bushes and scrub. It has also been recorded in
cotton and millet crops. During non-breeding season some of them
visit South-East India. It is a rare
summer visitor to the Terai region of Nepal. Formerly
widespread and common, its population has consistently declined since
1870s. In 1982-1989
nearly 60% decrease was recorded in the bird population which took a turn and increased by 32% to 2,206 birds by 1994.
Besides loss and degradation of its grassland habitat, the population
fluctuations are directly correlated with breeding season rainfall patterns. It
is susceptible to extinction in the event of severe, prolonged drought.
The
Lesser Florican male has speculate-tipped head
plumes, black neck and under parts, white collar across upper mantle, and white wing-coveters whereas the female are sandy
or cinnamon–buff. In their breeding display, the male jumps into the air above
the grass level. Lesser Florican is found in two sanctuaries in Sailana
and Sardarpur, both in Madhya Pradesh.
Bengal
Florican
The Bengal Florican or Bengal Bustard or Houbaropsis Bengalensis, is a very rare bustard species from tropical
southern Asia. It is the only member of the genus Houbaropsis.
Very few adult
birds are alive today. It has two disjunct
populations, one in the Indian subcontinent, another
in South-East Asia. The former is found from Uttar Pradesh through the Terai
region of Nepal to Assam, where it is called ulu
mora, and
Arunachal Pradesh. The South-East Asian population is found in Cambodia and
adjacent southern Vietnam.
The birds use grasslands near the lake to breed, and move away
from the water in the wet season when the breeding grounds are flooded.
Similarly, the Terai population seems to move towards warmer
lowland location in winter. Migrations are not long-distance, however, and
probably are restricted to a few dozen kilometres.
Bengal Floricans live in open tall habitats with
scattered bushes. The birds are usually seen in the early mornings and evenings
and are most easily spotted in the breeding season of March to August, which is
when most censuses of the population are conducted. Particular between March
and May, when they give their stunning courtship display, males are far more
conspicuous than the cryptically–coloured females, which moreover prefer high
grassland rich in sugarcane.
Adult Bengal Florican measure 66-68 cm in
length on average. The male has black plumage from the head and neck to underparts. Its head carries a long lankly crest, and the
neck has elongated display plumes. The upper side is buff with fine black vermiculations and black arrowhead markings, and there is a
conspicuous large white patch from the wing coverts to the remiges. In flight, the male’s wings appear entirely white
except for the dark primary remiges. The feet and
legs are yellow, the bill and irides and dark.
Females are larger than the males and
have buff-brown colour similar to the males back, with a dark brown crown and
narrow dark streaks
down the side of the neck. Their wing coverts are lighter then
the remiges and covered in fine dark barring.
They
are normally silent but when disturbed utters a metallic chik-chik-chik
call. Displaying males, croak and produce a strange
deep humming. They have frog-like croaks during display and short whistle when flushed .
Status
and Conservation
Restricted to tiny
fragments of grassland scattered across
South and South-East Asia, the Bengal Florican is the
world’s rarest bustard. It is known to have become increasingly threatened by
land conversion for intensive agriculture, particularly for dry season rice
production. Poaching continues to be a problem in South-East Asia.
The last few years have seen the decline in India coming to a halt and their numbers in Dibru-Saikhowa and Kaziranga
National Park and Dudhwa Tiger Reserve are safe,
though at very low levels. Still, its global status is precarious and it was
consequently uplisted from Endangered to Critically
Endangered in the 2007 IUCN Red List.
Houbara Bustard
Houbara bustard, the
ultimate quarry of Arab falconers, is seriously threatened. Excessive hunting
for falconry, heavy illegal trapping to supply birds for falcon training and a
disturbing increase in hunting pressure in Central Asia over the last few years
are among factors responsible for the diminishing Houbara
numbers.
The Houbara Bustard is 60 cm long with an
140 cm wingspan. It is brown above and white below, with a black stripe down
the sides of its neck. In flight, the long wings show large areas of black and brown on
the flight feathers. It is slightly smaller and darker than Macqueen’s Bustard.
The sexes are similar, but the female is smaller and greyer above.
Like other Bustards,
this species has a flamboyant display raising the white feathers of the head
and throat and withdrawing the head. 2-4 eggs are laid on the ground. It is
vocally almost silent. This species is omnivorous, eating seeds, insects and other small
creatures.
Population of Houbara Bustard have dropped as much as 40% since 2005.
This shy desert bird could be facing
extinction within the next 15-25 years if unsustainable trade and hunting
continue.
Conservation
Measures
In
1993, Rajasthan declared a ban on hunting this species, effective for 10 years,
and local people were employed in a scheme to prevent hunting in Madhya
Pradesh. In 1994, a conservation strategy was published, which proposed
management recommendations for fodder-producing grasslands and increased
protection for natural grasslands. In
1996, several sites in Rajasthan were identified for intensive conservation
action.
Threats
to the Houbara Bustard
have mounted despite it being classified a protected species in most
countries where it occurs. In addition,
it is placed in CITES (Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora) which means that commercial trade in live or dead animals and
animal parts is totally forbidden.
*Deputy Director, PIB, Delhi
RTS/VN
SS-110/SF-110/01.10.2009