Context:
India’s first ever Great Indian Bustard hatched through artificial insemination
Great Indian Bustard:
- Endemic to – Indian Sub-continent
- Local names – ‘Godawan’ in Rajasthan, ‘Maldhok’ in Maharashtra, ‘Son Chiriya’ in Madhya Pradesh
- State bird of Rajasthan
- Characteristics –
- Heaviest among flying birds
- Opportunist eaters – Flexible according to environment and food availability
- Distribution – Rajasthan (highest population), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Species Behaviour –
- Males play no role in the incubation and care of the young.
- A grassland species.
- Omnivorous.
- Males possess a gular pouch in which they fill air & exhale with great humming sound to attract females.
- Threats – Hunting, habitat loss, collision with power lines, widespread agricultural expansion, etc
- Conservation Status –
- Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
- IUCN – Critically Endangered
- Appendix I of CITES.
- Listed under Species Recovery Program.
Read more about Bustard Recovery Program
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2012 Prelims]
(a) Great Indian Bustard, Musk Deer, Red Panda and Asiatic Wild Ass
(b) Kashmir Stag, Cheetal, Blue Bull and Great Indian Bustard
(c) Snow Leopard, Swamp Deer, Rhesus Monkey and Saras (Crane)
(d) Lion-tailed Macaque, Blue Bull, Hanuman Langur and Cheetal
Answer: (a)
