Great Indian Busturd

Hey friends! you must have read or heard about The Great Indian Bustarda and the problems they are facing . Let's explore more about them-

The Great Indian Bustard also known as Indian bustard is a bustard found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds.  

Conservation

 The great Indian bustard is Critically Endangered, having been extirpated from 90% of its former range in India. The largest remaining population is found in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, a vast landscape of sand dunes, scrublands and grasslands. It is the most densely human-populated desert in the world.

Habitat

Once common on the dry plains of the Indiansubcontinent, as few as 250 individuals were estimated in 2011 to survive and the species is critically endangered by hunting and loss of its habitat, which consists of large expanses of dry grassland and scrub.

Red Headed Vulture

Hey friendz! U might b aware of d red headed vulture. Even.....they r listed in d endangered species.

The red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) is also known as d Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture. It is mainly found in d Indian Subcontinent, with small populations in some parts of Southeast Asia.

This is a species of Old World Vulture found in d Indian subcontinent. It has no subspecies.

Conservation

The red-headed vulture is declining, but only slowly; in 2004 the species was uplisted to Near Threatened from Least Concern by the IUCN. 

Habitat

It is usually in open country and in cultivated and semi-desert areas. It is also found in deciduous forests and foothills and river valleys. It is usually found up to an altitude of 3000m from sea level......

The Barasingha

Some of us know ‘bout Barasingha….but no one knows that they r among the top list of endangered species in INDIA!!

The Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii / Cervus duvaucelii), also called swamp deer, is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal. It is extinct in Pakistan and in Bangladesh.

It differs from all the Indian deer species in that the antlers carry more than three tines. Because of this distinctive character it is designated “barasingha” meaning "twelve-tined." Mature stags have 10 to 14 tines, and some have been known to have up to 20.

The Barasingha is a large deer. Its hair is rather woolly and yellowish brown above but paler below, with white spots along the spine. The throat, belly, inside of the thighs and beneath the tail is white. In summer the coat becomes bright rufous-brown. The neck is maned. Females are paler than males. Young are spotted. 

Swamp deer are mainly grazers. They largely feed on grasses and aquatic plants!

 They feed throughout the day with peaks during the mornings and late afternoons to evenings. In winter and monsoon, they drink water twice, and thrice or more in summer. In the hot season, they rest in the shade of trees during the day.

Hispid hare

Has any1 ever heard about HISPID HARES?

No……..coz they r almost extent now

The Hispid hare(Caprolagus hispidus), also called Assam rabbit, is mostly………..native to South Asia, whose historic range extended along the foothills of the Himalayas      

The Hispid hare has a harsh and bristly coat. The ears are very short and never go…beyond the fur. The coat is dark brown on the back due to a mixture of black and brown hairs; brown on the chest and whitish hair, on the abdomen.

Populations experience a continuing decline in their habitat due to increasing agriculture,flood control, and human development. It is therefore listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986.     

 Distribution and habitat

The historic range of hispid hares extended from Uttar Pradesh  through southern Nepal, the northern region of West Bengal to Assam and into Bangladesh.  Today, distribution is sporadic in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and possibly Bhutan. They occupy tracts of early successional tall grassland and take refuge in marshy areas or grasses adjacent to river banks during the dry season, when these areas are susceptible to burning.

Hispid hares are most active at dawn and dusk.