Mumbai, Oct 9 (PTI) The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) will conduct a nationwide survey of sarus cranes on October 10 and 11 to assess the population of the world’s tallest flying bird and strengthen conservation efforts.
The exercise, which is being done to commemorate “World Migratory Bird Day” observed on October 10, aims to establish a standardised national population baseline to help track changes in numbers and identify priority areas for conservation, the society said in a statement on Friday.
It has appealed to state forest departments, research institutions, conservation groups, farmers, local communities, educational institutions and citizen scientists to participate in the exercise by visiting sarus crane habitats.
Participants have been asked to record their observations and send their counts to saruscranesurvey@gmail.com.
Launching a synchronised nationwide survey would help track the bird numbers, identify important habitats and generate scientific evidence to protect the species and the landscapes on which it depends, BNHS director Kishor Rithe said.
Dr P Sathiyaselvem, Deputy Director of BNHS and head of its Central Asian Flyway Programme, said the survey would help identify important breeding, feeding and roosting sites, prioritise wetland restoration, map areas vulnerable to power-line collisions and electrocution, and promote crane-friendly agricultural practices.
The findings could also help strengthen community-based conservation and develop evidence-based plans at the national and state levels, he said.
Sarus crane (Antigone antigone) is India’s only resident breeding crane species and is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. It is also included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and accorded protection under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Standing about 1.5 metres tall, the bird inhabits wetlands, marshes, shallow water bodies, grasslands and agricultural landscapes. Its presence is considered an indicator of the health of wetland and agricultural ecosystems.
The BNHS said the species has disappeared from, or become scarce in, several parts of its historical range and is now found largely in pockets across Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, with isolated populations in Maharashtra.
Wetland degradation, changes in agricultural land use, pesticides and other chemicals, power-line collisions, electrocution, human disturbance, poaching and predation by wild and free-ranging dogs are among the major threats to the species.
An earlier international assessment estimated India’s sarus crane population at 8,000 to 10,000 birds, with a declining trend. However, these estimates cannot be directly compared with more recent state-level counts because of differences in survey methods, geographical coverage and counting efforts, the society said.
According to the statement, Uttar Pradesh reported nearly 20,000 sarus cranes in its 2024 count, highlighting its importance as a stronghold for the species.
The State of India’s Birds report recorded a long-term population decline of 76.84 per cent and an annual decline of 4.33 per cent for the species, it added. PTI MR ARU
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