Bengal florican

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Bengal florican
A male Bengal florican

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Otidiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Houbaropsis
Sharpe, 1893
Species:
H. bengalensis
Binomial name
Houbaropsis bengalensis
(Müller, PLS, 1776)
Synonyms

Eupodotis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789)

The Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), also called the Bengal bustard, is a bustard species native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,000 individuals were estimated to be alive as of 2017.[1] It is the only member of the genus Houbaropsis.

Description

Adult female in flight in Manas National Park

The male Bengal florican has a black

wing coverts are lighter than the remiges and covered in fine dark barring. Immature Bengal floricans look like a female.[2]
Adult Bengal floricans range from 66–68 cm (26–27 in) in length and stand around 55 cm (22 in) tall.[3] The female is larger than the male and weighs around 1.7–1.9 kg (3.7–4.2 lb) against a weight of 1.2–1.5 kg (2.6–3.3 lb) in males.[2]

They are normally silent but, when disturbed, utter a metallic chik-chik-chik call. Displaying males croak and produce a deep humming sound.[2]

The only bird even remotely similar to adult males of the Bengal florican is the

coverts however, resembling the males' wing patch.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Bengal florican at Orang National Park, Assam, India

The Bengal florican has two disjunct populations. One occurs from

grasslands near the lake to breed, and move away from the water in the wet season when the breeding grounds are flooded. Similarly, the Terai population seems to move to warmer lowland locations in winter. Migrations are not long-distance, however, and probably are restricted to a few dozen kilometers.[2]

Bengal floricans live in open tall grassland habitats with scattered bushes. The most important grass species are

Kans Grass S. spontaneum), munj grass (Tripidium bengalense), as well as Desmostachya bipinnata. The birds are usually encountered in the early mornings and evenings and are most easily spotted in the breeding season from March to August, which is when most censuses of the population are conducted. Particular between March and May, when they give their stunning courtship display, males are far more conspicuous than the cryptically-coloured females, which moreover prefer high grassland rich in sugarcane.[2]

Status and conservation

Female at Manas National Park

Restricted to tiny fragments of grassland scattered across South and Southeast Asia, the Bengal florican is the world's rarest bustard. It is known to have become increasingly threatened by land conversion for intensive agriculture, particularly for dry season rice production. Poaching continues to be a problem in Southeast Asia, while the South Asian population is down to less than 350 adult birds, about 85% of which are found in India. Though more threatened, birds in Southeast Asia may number as many as in South Asia but more probably closer to or even less than 1,000 adults.[5]

The population has decreased dramatically in past decades. It may be that in India the decline is coming to a halt and that stocks in

Endangered to Critically Endangered in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[1]

In

Ang Trapaing Thmor Crane Sanctuary and perhaps Vietnam's Tràm Chim National Park, but the South Asian population is not known with certainty from any protected areas.[5]

In

Koshi River in the spring of 2011.[9]

The courtship display of males has been discussed by many

British India, and in the modern era attracts tourists who provide revenue to locals. Studies indicate that the Bengal florican is not a particularly shy or hemerophobic species, its apparent intolerance of human settlements being chiefly due to its intolerance of land clearance for agriculture. Pastures and the traditional use of common land for villagers' tall-grass harvest (for construction and handicraft) actually seem to be tolerated quite well by the birds.[5][10]

If firewood and timber is collected from grassland rather than from forests, human land use will even benefit the species. In particular,

Controlled burning may be necessary when woodland encroachment is strong; it should take place before March so that the year's offspring are not harmed.[6][7]
A landscape ecology approach, integrating social, biological and physical environmental elements at scales compatible with management objectives, will be needed to effectively conserve Bengal floricans and their grassland habitats.[6]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22692015A130184896.en
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781408127636
    .
  3. ISBN 978-0-19-566523-9
    .
  4. ^ BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Houbaropsis bengalensis.
  5. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2008, 2009) Species factsheet: Houbaropsis bengalensis
  6. ^ a b c Baral, N.; Timilsina, N. & Tamang, B. (2003). "Status of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal" (PDF). Forktail. 19: 51–55.
  7. ^ a b Poudyal, L. P.; Singh, P. B. & Maharjan S. (2008). "The decline of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal" (PDF). Danphe. 17 (1): 4–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  8. ^ Poudyal, L. P.; Singh, P. B. & Maharjan S. (2008). "Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis in Nepal: an update" (PDF). BirdingASIA (10): 43–47. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  9. doi:10.11609/JoTT.o2948.2464-9
    .
  10. ^ Baker, E. C. S. (1907). "The breeding of the Bengal Florican Sypheotis bengalensis". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 17: 538–540.

Further reading

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