Independence Day 2023 | Extinction of a ‘Great Indian’ by 2047? When the Great Indian Bustard lost out to the peacock as the national bird of India

In 1960, ‘Birdman of India’ Dr Salim Ali recommended the now critically endangered Great Indian Bustard be declared the ‘National Bird’ of India but that crown went to the peacock in 1963.

The ‘International Council for Bird Preservation’ conference held in Tokyo in 1960, recommended that each country designate a ‘National Bird’. Dr Salim Ali, the ‘Birdman of India’, recommended the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps or GIB in birding circles) as the ‘National Bird’ of India.

He explained that the purpose was to pinpoint public interest and attention to a particular species that stood in the greatest need of protection, especially where it was threatened with extinction owing to public apathy or direct human persecution. The GIB merited this distinction. It is a large and spectacular bird, indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, whose numbers, in spite of the ban on its killing, were dwindling at an alarming rate due to poaching and habitat encroachment. It needed an urgent nation-wide effort to save it from impending doom.

This sound advice was not taken, some said that the name ‘Bustard’ could be misconstrued. The Peacock was declared as the National bird in 1963. The GIB did make it to being the State Bird of Rajasthan on May 21, 1982, but that did not stall it’s on ground free fall.

The IUCN listed the Great Indian Bustard as endangered in 1994, but by 2011, it was Critically Endangered.

The earliest survey dated 1969 estimated 1,260 birds, by 2001 it was down to 600, the last assessment in 2018 pegged the global population at 50 to 249. IUCN listed it as endangered in 1994, but by 2011, it was Critically Endangered. Originally it was found in 12 states including Panjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Cholistan and the Punjab plains in Pakistan. The GIB is a wide-ranging species; it uses vast undisturbed tracts of protected areas, agriculture fields, pasture lands, village commons, most of which are fast shrinking due to increasing cropped areas fragmenting its habitat, indiscriminate use of pesticides has reduced its food sources, hunting though rare nowadays remains a threat, and feral dogs have emerged as a major threat in recent years.  Additionally, over the last two decades, most of its habitat witnessed huge deployment of wind turbines, solar energy parks and high-tension transmission lines crisscrossing the birds fly paths. As a result, Bustards have disappeared from many states, a few individuals remain in some. Today, a single breeding population remains in Jaisalmer and only a 100 to 130 birds are left!

Unique and pre-historic, the heaviest flying bird in the world, the GIB is a specialist of the vast open arid and semi-arid savannah grasslands. Its three toed feet have specially evolved for it to be able to walk and run. Its side facing eyes give it a wider view, an advantage in wide open grasslands. But that makes its vision 2D, it lacks frontal and 3D vision and fails at detecting anything that appears suddenly in its flying path. It feeds on snakes, scorpions, rodents, plants, berries, fruits and feasts on termites, grasshoppers and locusts.

Adult male Great Indian Bustard in full gular pouch during display. (Photo: Radheshyam Pemani Bishnoi)

Males are about 4.5 feet tall, weigh up to 15 kg and achieve maturity at 4-5 years of age. Females, smaller at 4-6 kg, mature earlier.  Their average lifespan is 12 to 16 years and are sexually active up to the age of 10 years. The female lays a single egg on bare ground, not even a semblance of a nest like other ground nesters. She cares for her young for up to 2 years, only re-entering the breeding cycle post that. The population is characterized by low reproduction rates. While this habitat specialist has since times pre-historic, the same cannot be said about the Anthropocene.

Rajasthan declared it as the State Bird in 1982, also proposed 3,162 sq. km across Barmer and Jaisalmer districts that includes 73  settlements as the Desert National Park. In absence of the national park notification it is managed as a wildlife sanctuary. The State Forest Department has augmented inviolate habitat patches to more than 200 sq km of fenced enclosures in the sanctuary since 2012. These are being used by the GIBs for breeding. However, the long period of “proposed national park” has developed hostility amongst local communities towards the park and the bird. Residents believe that they will never get roads, water, electricity, hospital, schools. Finally, a huge area of the Desert National Park is being proposed to be de-notified and rights transferred to local farmers. This scenario is not dissimilar to other former bustard bearing areas. Exclusionary approaches are not going to work in these landscapes. Various organisations, including GIB Community Conservation Project*, are working towards the conservation of the GIB by involving local communities through bird-based tourism, markets for organic farming, monitoring free ranging GIBs, working with a strong network of anti-poaching volunteers and other ways to make them beneficiaries of GIB conservation.

The Indian Government prepared a population recovery plan recommending habitat protection, restoration and captive breeding in 2013, that all range states were asked to implement. The captive breeding programme started in mid-2019 in Jaisalmer has 24 birds artificially incubated from eggs collected in the wild. As per available documents, birds from this centre may be ready for release only post 2040. Ironically, while the plan’s implementation moves at snail’s pace, huge existing habitats have been converted into ‘renewable’ energy parks. Will any suitable habitat even remain for GIBs to be released in 2040?

'Renewable' power — the final nail in the coffin

GIBs fly at about 150-180 feet, the same height as transmission lines making them very vulnerable to collision and electrocution.

Today, the country’s only breeding population of the GIB in Jaisalmer is divided into two halves, one around Sam-Sudasari in the Desert National Park and other in the east around Ramdeora, Khetolai, Dholiya, Loharki. 15 years data suggests that GIBs use a mosaic of habitat, even drinking from village water bodies.  The current focus on creating more protected enclosures cannot compensate for the taking over of vast portions of its habitat by wind and solar energy parks and high power transmission lines.  While being the heaviest flying bird in the world, GIBs fly at about 150-180 feet, the same height as transmission lines making them very vulnerable to collision and electrocution.

A large number of windmills and transmission lines cross the flight paths of the two sub-populations of still breeding GIBs.

A large number of windmills and transmission lines cross the flight paths of the two sub-populations of still breeding GIBs. As per the community level GIB Mitra volunteers’ birds of the two sub-populations don’t mix any more. In the last five-six years, nine individuals have been found dead under such power lines in Jaisalmer district alone. A Wildlife Institute of India study dated 2021 estimated that 16 GIBs die annually due to collision/electrocution with power lines in their entire range. The Supreme Court gave an order in April 2021, stating that GIB habitat should be free from high-powered transmission lines, all existing lines should go underground, until this, they should be equipped with bird diverters. Ironically, not a single line has gone underground nor have the lines been fully equipped with bird diverters. Between April 2021 to August 2023, three GIBs died due to collision with power lines. With just about 100-130 birds left ironically ‘renewable’ power is the final nail in the coffin for this rare, magnificent bird.

Will the bird be around in 2047?

The need is to create many good habitat patches on village commons and Oran landscapes where village livestock and the majestic Great Indian Bustard can roam freely.

The Great Indian Bustard’s habitats and its flyways occupy just a minuscule of the total area available for renewable energy projects. The Supreme Court’s order should be implemented in letter and spirit. All new power lines and new energy project in the earmarked GIB Priority Area should be stopped, all existing power lines in this area should be equipped with high-quality durable bird diverter or reflecting flappers, regular maintenance and replacement of any damaged bird diverter should also be our utmost priority. And we have to create many good habitat patches on village commons and Oran landscapes where village livestock and our own majestic Great Indian Bustard can roam freely. Together we can do this, otherwise a truly ‘Great Indian’ will be lost forever.