1. The Jerdon’s
Courser
The Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is a nocturnal
bird found only in the northern part of the state of Andhra Pradesh in
peninsular India. It is a flagship species for the extremely threatened scrub jungle.
The species was considered to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986 and
the area of
rediscovery was subsequently declared as the Sri Lankamaleswara Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Habitat:
Undisturbed scrub jungle with open areas.
Distribution:
Jerdon’s Courser is endemic to Andhra Pradesh. However, 19th century records do
attribute its presence in the neighboring areas of the state of Maharashtra.
Threats: Clearing
of scrub jungle, creation of new pastures, growing of dry land crops,
plantations of exotic trees, quarrying and the construction of the Telugu-Ganga
Canal. Illegal trapping of birds is also a threat.
2. The Forest Owlet
The Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) had been lost for
more than a century. It has an interesting history. When not sighted for
decades, posters were printed and Salim Ali, the premier ornithologist of India
made a public appeal to look for the bird. After 113 long years, the owlet was
rediscovered in 1997 and reappeared on the list of Indian birds.
Habitat: Dry deciduous
forest.
Distribution: South Madhya Pradesh, in north-west
Maharashtra and north-central Maharashtra.
Threats: Logging operations, burning and cutting of
trees damage roosting and nesting trees of the Forest Owlet.
3. The White-bellied
Heron
The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is an extremely
rare bird found in five or six sites in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, one or two
sites is rare, and populations have never been known to be very high.
Habitat: Rivers with sand or gravel bars or inland
lakes.
Distribution: Bhutan and north-east India to the hills of
Bangladesh and north Myanmar.
Threats: Loss and
degradation of lowland forests and wetlands through direct exploitation and
disturbance by humans.
4. The Bengal Florican
The Bengal Florican (Houbaro bengalensis) is a rare bustard
species that is very well known for its mating dance among the tall grasslands,
secretive males advertise their territories by springing from the ground and
flitting to and fro in the air
Habitat:
Grasslands occasionally interspersed with scrublands.
Distribution:
Native to only 3 countries the world - Cambodia, India and Nepal. In India, it
occurs in 3 states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
Threats: Ongoing conversion of the bird’s grassland
habitat for various purposes including agriculture is mainly responsible for
its population decline.
5. The Himalayan
Quail
The Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa) is presumed to
be extinct since no reliable records of sightings of this species exist after1876.
Intensive surveys are required as this species is hard to detect due to its
reluctance to fly and its preference for dense grass habitats. Possible
sighting of this species was reported in Nainital in 2003.
Habitat: Tall
grass and scrub on steep hillsides.
Distribution:
Western Himalayas.
Threats:
Indiscriminate hunting during the colonial period along with habitat
modification.
6. The beautiful
Pink- headed Duck
The beautiful Pink- headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
has not been conclusively recorded in India since 1949. Males have a deep pink
head and neck from which the bird derives its name.
Habitat:
Overgrown still-water pools, marshes and swamps in lowland forests and tall
grasslands.
Distribution:
Recorded in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Maximum records are from north-east
India.
Threats: Wetland
degradation and loss of habitat, along with hunting are the main causes of its
decline.
7. The Sociable
Lapwing
The Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious) is a winter
migrant to India. This species has suffered a sudden and rapid population
decline due to which it has been listed as critically endangered.
Habitat: Fallow
fields and scrub desert.
Distribution:
Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,
Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt,
India, Pakistan and Oman. In India, distribution is restricted to the north and
north-west of the country.
Threats:
Conversion of habitat to arable land, illegal hunting and proximity to human
settlements.
8. The Spoon Billed
Sandpiper
The Spoon Billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) requires
highly specialized breeding habitat, a constraint that has always kept its
population scarce. India is home to some of the last existing wintering grounds
of this species (estimated at only 150-320 breeding pairs worldwide).
Habitat: Coastal areas with sparse vegetation. No
breeding records further inland than 7 km from the seashore.
Distribution: Has
been recorded in West Bengal, Orissa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Threats: Habitat degradation and land reclamation. Human
disturbance also leads to high incidence of nest desertion.
9. The Siberian Crane
The Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) is a large,
strikingly majestic migratory bird that breeds and winters in wetlands. They
are known to winter at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan. However the last
documented sighting of the bird was in 2002.
Habitat: Wetland
areas.
Distribution: Keoladeo National Park
in Rajasthan.
Threats: Pesticide pollution, wetland drainage,
development of prime habitat into agricultural fields, and to some extent,
hunting.
