Endangered Bengal Florican sighted in Dudhwa

The Times of India , Monday, April 03, 2017
Correspondent : Kanwardeep Singh
Lakhimpur Kheri: A critically endangered Bengal Florican was sighted in the grasslands of Dudhwa National Park for the first time in this season. The sighting of this bird is extremely rare because only 300-350 birds are believed to be present in the Indian subcontinent, according to a Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) report.

The Florican was sighted in the South Sonaripur range of the Dushwa National Park, approximately at a distance of 1km from the forest guest house, on March 30. The male bird, possibly looking for the female partner, eloped after some time. Normally, these birds are very shy in nature and keep away from human activities.

A picture of this bird was captured by the sub-divisional officer of the park, Narendra Upadhyaya, who told TOI that it was a male bird which is sighted in the park between March and June.

Sub divisional officer of the Park, Narendra Upadhyaya, told TOI, “I sighted this bird quite early in the morning. These birds stay here between March-May and move to agricultural lands later. It was a male bird sighted which was possibly waiting for the female partner. There is no threat to these birds in the forests. However, when they move to agricultural lands, the threat of poaching and the ill-effects of pesticides, looms."

As per a survey by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), approximately 1300 Bengal Floricans were left in the world and the numbers are expected to decrease with time because of the increasing use of pesticides and chemicals in the agricultural fields where these birds reside after their breeding season.

The Bengal Florican is found in India (Terai area), Cambodia, Nepal and Vietnam while the 2015 IUCN report claims that the bird is now possibly extinct in Bangladesh.

The resident bird migrates within a distance of 10-20 kilometers of the forest area in search of low grasslands. During March-June, these birds are sighted in the forest areas of the Terai region in low grasslands.

The season is considered as the breeding season of these birds. Later in July, when floods are expected in the Terai forests and the grasses grow taller, these birds move to the agricultural fields within a radius of 10-20 kilometers and remain there for a while.

This is the area where their lives often come under threat because of excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers. These birds also have high threats of poaching because a few communities are fond of eating the meat of this bird.

Awareness among the masses about the criticality of this bird is yet to be shared with the residents of the area where these birds often reside after coming out of the forests.

In India, the BNHS is working on the conservation of this critically endangered bird. Their studies across Pilibhit and Dudhwa National Park revealed that these birds reside in the agricultural fields across the Sharda river only.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/endangered-bengal-florican-sighted-in-dudhwa/articleshow/57974242.cms
 


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