“Black-Necked Crane” named in Assam

What is the News?

Black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) have been sighted for the first time in Assam. To celebrate this, the bird was given an Assamese name: “Deu Korchon” (Deu means god and Korchon means crane).

Black Necked Crane:

• The black-necked crane is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. It is a medium-sized crane that is mostly grey with a black head and neck with a red crown on the head.

Characteristics:

• Both the sexes of Black Necked Crane are almost of the same size, but the male is slightly bigger than the female.
• The juveniles have a brownish head and neck and plumage is slightly paler than that of an adult.

Distribution and Habitat:

• The largest populations of the bird are in China with smaller numbers extending into Vietnam, Bhutan, and India.
• The high altitude wetlands in the Tibetan plateau are the main breeding ground of the species.
• The major wintering breeding grounds are in Tibet, Yunnan and Guizhou (China), and Bhutan. A small wintering population is also found in the Sangti and Zimithang valleys of Arunachal Pradesh.

Significance:

• The black-necked crane is central to Buddhist mythology and culture. According to a World Wide Fund for Nature(WWF), previous incarnations of the Dalai Lama were carried from monastery to monastery on the backs of these holy birds.
• The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India considers it as the state bird.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
• CITES: Appendix I
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Threats: The major threats are:

• Loss and degradation of habitat
• Wetlands being extensively affected by human activity including irrigation, dam construction, draining, and grazing pressure among others.

Initiatives:

• Worldwide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu & Kashmir has been working towards the conservation of high altitude wetlands, with black-necked cranes as a priority species in the Ladakh region.

Source: Indian Express

Conservation of migratory birds