Great Indian Bustard faces threat of extinction

Bellary, Karnataka, Mar 29 (UNI) The Great Indian Bustard, an endangered species, is facing the threat of extinction in this district of Karnataka with its habitat being encroached upon by farmers for agricultural purposes.

These rare birds, numbering less than 500 in India and found occasionally in the forest area around Siruguppa taluk in the district, were gradually declining in number with the fragmentation of arid grasslands.

The bird similar to Ostrich, is as large as 92-122 cm and weighed about 12 kg. It had a greyish white neck, black crown and crest with uniform brown underparts and white spotted black wing-coverts.

While the male of the species is huge with a black breast-band and a long and almost white neck finely vermiculated with grey, the female had a smaller neck which looked grey in colour owing to profuse dark grey vermiculators.

The bird, called 'Yerai Bhootha' in Kannada, could breed at any time of the year, but it was usually initiated at the beginning of the rainy season.

A team of naturalists, comprising Sloth Bear Foundation Executive Trustee Santosh Martin, Samad and Anand, had surveyed the entire area in the last two days and sighted a cluster of Great Indian Bustards moving around in Siruguppa area.

Talking to UNI, Mr Martin and Mr Anand said the habitat of these birds covered a large area in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. ''Though in the last few years, the birds were sighted only rarely, that it still exists itself is good news for naturalists,'' they added.

Immediate efforts to control poaching in the area, coupled with protecting the fragile ecosystem, could help the Great Indian Bustards survive, Mr Martin opined.

The team planned to make several such expeditions to ascertain more information about the rare bird. It had also urged the Karnataka Forest Department to take urgent steps to save the rare species.

UNI XR RG PDS RN0424