India's Endangered Wonders

In my previous posts, I have talked about the Bengal Florican and the Great Indian Bustard. In this post, I will be talking about the last member of the trio, the Lesser Florican.  The Lesser Florican may be mistaken by some people to be the Bengal Florican but the two birds actually have some differences in their appearences. These birds have much slimmer necks and stand out mostly due to their crests. This critically endangered bird mainly inhabits the grasslands of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Nepal (during the Summer). It is known in various names in different places such as 'Kharmor', meaning grass peacock, in Gujarat and 'Likh' in Nepal. It feeds mainly on dung beatles, insects, shoots, berries and more. However, habitat loss is posing as one of the major threats to these birds, mostly because in India, there is a lack of national policies for grassland ecosystems. Also, even though poaching is illegal, hunting still continues, mainly in...

 In my previous post, I had talked about the Bengal Florican, a critically endangered bird of the Bustard order. Today, I shall be talking about a close cousin of this bird. The Great Indian Bustard, also known as the Indian Bustard, is one of the heaviest flying birds in the Indian subcontinent. Characterized by its pale head and neck, brownish body and long legs, this critically endangered bird faces many threats like poaching, habitat loss and collisions with power lines. It feeds mostly on insects, small rodents, berries and grass seeds. Previously, this bird was found all over western, central and peninsular India but now, two of the largest populations of this species are  found in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan and in the coastal grasslands of Kutch in Gujarat. As we all know, the Indian Peafowl is the national bird of India, but did you know that the Great Indian Bustard was also a strong contender for that position? It was mainly because of the renowned ornithologist, S...

 I don't know how many of the readers here know this, but out of all the species of the Bustard order, three are considered highly threatened, in India. In this post, I will be talking about one of those three birds. The Bengal Florican, also known as the Bengal Bustard, is considered one of the most vulnerable birds in India, with a conservation status of "Critically Endangered". It got its name from its discovery in the food plains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra, at the foothills of the Himalayas. There are two distinct populations of this bird, one in the Terai regions of India and Nepal and another in Cambodia. Previously, this bird was also found in Bangladesh and Vietnam but is now considered extinct from there. This bird feeds mostly on seeds, insects, berries, grasses and more. However, the number of individuals in both the populations are decreasing, mostly due to the shrinking of the grasslands, the habitat of these birds. While the male bird is known for its athl...

 Amongst all the birds in this world, there are some which are highly attractive and brightly coloured and others which are dull looking. Here I want to add that not all endangered birds are that eye-catching and in this post, I will be talking about one such bird, hiding itself in the thick mangroves of the Sunderbans. Sunderban delta, situated in the middle of Bangladesh and West Bengal is home to a very dull looking yet critically endangered  bird– the Masked Finfoot. This bird is vulnerable to extinction because of the rise in the sea level, which is leading to the drowning of the islands and also the loss of its habitat. These semi-aquatic birds bear the resemblance of cormorants, but are actually members of the Crane order. They feed mostly on insects, shrimps and small fish. The sad part though is that the local fishermen often hunt these birds or collect their chicks and eggs, which is further decreasing their population. The expansion of farming lands and construction...

 When I was around 6 years old, I started to develop a keen interest in birds, which I seem to have kept alive. I am from India, a land with so many species of birds.I have observed and created observation charts on many of them. Even though I am proud to see the number of many birds increase, there are also many endangered birds not only in my country but all over the world. From my point of view, this should be considered a major problem globally, not mentioning that many animals have become extinct during the last century. There are many birds and animals, about whom many people have never even heard of, such as the Bugun Liocichla, a bird in the small, yet wild Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh. This species 's conservation status is "critically endangered" and there are only about 25-250 mature individuals in the area. The only way to save these creatures, according to me, is spreading awareness about the dangers they are facing. These innocent creatur...

 India has many strange yet intriguing creatures, living amidst the wilderness, but, one of my favourite is a bird called the Sclater's Monal. This proud beauty is endemic to the eastern Himalayas and has been sighted many times in Arunachal Pradesh in India. Along with its glossy wings and orange-tipped tail, the looks of the male bird  rivals that of its cousin, the Himalayan Monal. The bird has been named in memory of a british zoologist named, Philip.L.Sclater. These pheasents feed mostly on seeds, small mamals, leaves and more. These folk, however, make a sound which may seem alarming when compared with its looks. It gives out a line of shrill chattering and a high pitched shriek at the end. However, even though this bird's conservation status is that of least concern, its population is decreasing mainly due to the loss of its habitat. As a birdwatcher myself, this is very unhappy news for me and that's why I am urging all the readers here to spread this information.