What is the news?
A recent study has for the first time tracked the longest in-country migration route of lesser Floricans from Rajasthan to Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.
About lesser florican
The lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus), also known as the likh or kharmore is the smallest in the bustard family.
Conservation status:
IUCN Status: Endangered
Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Schedule I
CITES: Appendix II
Habitat: The bird is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent, where it is found in tall grasslands.
In India, the bird is observed in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and some other regions during the monsoon season when it breeds and later disappears with its chicks to unknown places.
Characteristics: The male has a contrasting black and white breeding plumage and distinctive elongated head feathers that extend behind the neck.
The only similar species is the Bengal florican (Houbarobsis bengalensis) which is larger and lacks the white throat, collar and elongated plumes.
Threats: The bird is threatened both by hunting and habitat degradation.
Further, the species is highly endangered and has been officially hunted to extinction in some parts of its range, such as Pakistan.
