Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Adds Three Chicks

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced that three more Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks have been added to the conservation breeding programme.

• With these additions, the total number of chicks hatched in the fourth year of captive breeding has reached 26.

Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

• Project Great Indian Bustard was launched in Rajasthan in 2013 to conserve the remaining population of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, locally known as Godawan.
• The species is the State Bird of Rajasthan.
• Conservation status: The Great Indian Bustard is:
  • Listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Included in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • Listed under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
  • Categorized as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
  • Included in the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002–2016).

Key Features

• Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps.
• One of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
• Historically inhabited India’s arid and semi-arid grasslands.
• Males and females are similar in size, but males possess:
  • Larger black crowns.
  • A prominent black breast band.
• Breeding occurs mainly during the monsoon season.
• Females usually lay a single egg on open ground.
• Males do not participate in incubation or chick rearing.
• Chicks remain with the mother until the next breeding season.
• The species is omnivorous and opportunistic, feeding on insects, seeds, fruits, small reptiles, and other available food sources.

Current Distribution

• The remaining population is largely confined to Jaisalmer (major stronghold).
• The population is now restricted largely in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) and few individuals (<10) remaining in Kutch (Gujarat), Sholapur (Maharashtra), Ballari (Karnataka) and Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh).

Source: PIB