In a first, endangered lesser florican captured on camera in Tadoba
Category : Wildlife |
Location : Maharashtra | Posted on 2021-08-05 00:22:26
Nagpur: A lesser florican, the smallest in the bustard family, has been found for the first time in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR).
Deputy director (core) Nandkishore Kale said, “The female of lesser florican was recorded in May in the camera trap ostensibly placed for tiger monitoring. The stunning bustard was discovered while sorting out the data five days ago.”
Among the six species of bustards (Otididae) that exist in the Indian subcontinent, the lesser florican and Great Indian Bustard (GIB) are endemic to it.
The grassland bird has earlier records in Nanded, Nashik, Solapur, Akola, and Chandrapur districts in Maharashtra. The lesser florican is the only member of the genus sypheotides and is also known as Tanmor, Likh, or Kharmore in local parlance.
The population status of lesser florican is declining and a report published by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 2018 affirms that only 264 matured birds remain in the country. There has been 80% decline in their population since 2000.
“Unfortunately, this beautiful bird is facing extinction but the photographic record of lesser florican from the protected area like TATR definitively shows better path for the recovery of the species from the brink,” hoped Kale.
The lesser florican has been listed in the endangered category of IUCN and CITES Appendix II, Convention on Migratory Species, and also protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and ministry of environment, forest, and climate change.
The male lesser florican is famous for its beautiful breeding display that attracts wildlife photographers and but poachers as well. As part of the species conservation awareness programme in 2006, the government had issued a postal ticket on lesser floricans.
Kale said, “Before Independence and legal protection in the 1970s, hunting obliterated the bird in high numbers, though the main reason for its wretched status remains the loss of habitat. The population of the bird has dwindled due to loss of grasslands, which are considered as wasteland and hence, were either converted into monoculture or diverted for various projects.”
“Other valid reasons causing a population decline are intensive use of pesticides, land-use changes, agricultural intensification, and cropping patterns. The other reasons include collection of eggs, free-ranging dogs, high transmission power lines, unaware local community, and unethical photography,” Kale added.
ALL ABOUT LESSER FLORICAN
* Is among world’s smallest bustards with 510-740 gm adult body weight
* Male 45cm long and female 50cm
* Breeding plumage in males is black on the head, neck and lower parts
* Throat is white, long up-curved spatulate black plumes about 8-10 cm long arise from behind the ear-coverts on each side of the head
* Primary habitat is a mosaic of grassland and scrubland, also sighted in farmlands
* Are easy to sight during breeding period July-October
* Omnivorous; feasts on invertebrates like grasshoppers, dung beetles, caterpillars, centipedes, worms and parts of plants
* During breeding season, the males establish territories and compete to charm mates with their aerial displays and elegant plumage
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/in-a-first-endangered-lesser-florican-captured-on-camera-in-tadoba/articleshowprint/85051140.cms
