17 year old Preeth Khona was on his way to Bangalore when he accidently sighted a pair of Great Indian Bustards foraging in a field in Chelugurki village, 25 km from Bellary in Karnataka. The chance sighting raises hope for the bird which is critically endangered and one of the rarest species in the world.
Taking strict measures to save the small population of Great Indian Bustards in India, the Minsitry of Environment has banned the photography of the bird during breeding season which starts in April. The move has been made to give the rare birds a chance to nest peacefully.
The Great Indian Bustards are India’s rarest bird species found in five states of the country. Though the government has heightened the conservation efforts to protect the species, there are a number of threats that are pushing the nocturnal birds towards extinction. In Kutch, Gujarat, a study found a population of 50 birds but also revealed that infrastructure development is just one of the many threats faced by the critically endangered birds.
The infamous Bellary region in Karnataka is once again in news, this time not only for illegal plundering of mineral wealth of the state. The repercussion of extensive, destructive mining has resulted in the near extinction of the Great Indian Bustard which were once the pride of Karnataka’s bird life. A major shift in traditional farming practices also have contributed to their dwindling grass land habitat.
The Great Indian Bustard is an endangered bird species in India. While the bird is already facing extinction threats owing to habitat loss and urbanization, a recent research has shown that the species has very small population of breeding adult birds, which may make the bird extinct, earlier than expected.
Elevating the conservation status of the Great Indian Bustard, The Bird Life International and IUCN have declared the bird as a critically endangered species. The present population of Bustards stand at just 300 covering six states in India.
Very rarely does a guidebook on wildlife cover the many complex facets of their behavior. Even more rarely does such a book succeed in evoking the reader’s desire to participate in their conservation. Vivek Menon’s The Secret Lives of Indian Mammals is one such rare book. In a mere 260 pages, it takes a comprehensive […]
Since 2013 there have been innumerable proposals of starting a captive breeding centre for the Great Indian Bustard – a bird on the verge of extinction. While the breeding programme is yet to take off, the bird might just become the first species to vanish caught in inter-state politics and red tapism. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, […]
“Painting is silent poetry and poetry is painting that speaks”-Plutarch Poetry is a mode of expression with few equals. Good poetry, with its powerful imagery and the judicious use of rhyme, simile, metaphor and appropriate words, can greatly influence the reader and leave behind a powerful impression. With this aim in mind, H.R. Singh and […]
India has had a tremendous rate of industrial development and urbanization over the years. Although development is essential for the nation’s growth, it has often been at the cost of some environmental detriment without the consideration that development and environment can work hand in hand. Now an official Government report confirms that Indian flora and […]
As per the 2013 Red List of Birds, prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 15 species of birds from India continue to remain Critically Endangered (CR). In fact, the report shows that three new bird species, which were earlier in the Least Concern (LC) category now face potential extinction, and have […]
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