Ardeotis nigriceps

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	GRUIFORMES	OTIDIDAE

Scientific Name:

Ardeotis nigriceps

Species Authority:

(Vigors, 1831)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Great Indian Bustard, Indian Bustard
Spanish	–	Avutarda India, Avutarda Índica

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered A2acde+4acde;C1 ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2011

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Symes, A., Taylor, J., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

Patil, P., Lechleiter, B.

Justification:
This species has been uplisted to Critically Endangered as it has undergone an extremely rapid decline owing to a multitude of threats including habitat loss and degradation and disturbance. It now requires an urgent acceleration in targeted conservation actions in order to prevent it from becoming functionally extinct.

History:

2008	–	Endangered
2004	–	Endangered
2000	–	Endangered
1996	–	Endangered
1994	–	Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Ardeotis nigriceps occurs in the Indian Subcontinent with former strongholds in the Thar desert in the northwest and Deccan tableland of the Peninsula. It has been extirpated from 90% of its former range: now principally confined to Rajasthan (c.175 birds), with smaller populations (<50 birds) in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, and <20 in each of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, India. Recent declines have been noted in several areas, including Maharashtra^2,6, where the latest population estimates suggest a population as low as 30 individuals² and numbers have been falling in the Bustard Sanctuary since at least the late 1980s, with the 2010 census recording only 9 individuals, and breeding has not been recorded there since 2007 at least⁶. It is thought to have completely disappeared from the states of Haryana, Punjab, Orissa and Tamil Nadu, India, but some apparently survive, and are hunted, in Sind, Pakistan^4,5. Its total population has declined from an estimated 1,260 individuals in 1969 to c.300 individuals in 2008⁴, equivalent to a reduction of c.82% over 47 years (three generations), assuming an exponential trend. The results of a recent genetic study, in which the effective population size was estimated from the diversity of mitochondrial DNA, provide support for an estimate of fewer than 1,000 birds during the period 2006-2010, when samples were collected⁷. This study found very low genetic diversity for such a widespread species, probably owing to a bottleneck event caused by its widespread extermination prior to 1919⁷. Population viability analysis predicts a high probability of local extinction in populations numbering fewer than 40 individuals, with the more secure population of over 100 individuals showing sensitivity to the loss of one additional adult each year to human causes, indicating that present levels of off-take are unsustainable⁴. Current levels of hunting may result in the extinction of the western Indian population in the next 15-20 years⁴.
Countries:	Native: India; Pakistan
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The species's total population was estimated at c.300 individuals in 2008 (Dutta et al. 2010), indicating that there are probably fewer than 250 mature individuals remaining.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It inhabits arid and semi-arid grasslands with scattered low scrub, bushes and cultivation in flat or gently undulating terrain. Breeding can occur at any time of year if conditions permit and usually coincides with the beginning of the rains. It probably makes local (and possibly long distance) nomadic movements in response to various factors.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Widespread hunting for sport and food precipitated its decline, accelerated by vehicular access to remote areas. Some poaching continues^1,4,6, including one documented case where mine-workers that lost their livelihoods when mines near Gwalior were closed for the creation of the Ghatigaon Bustard Sanctuary hunted bustards to undermine the criteria on which the area was first designated as a sanctuary¹. Egg-collecting is a threat in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh⁶. The current key threats are habitat loss, modification and fragmentation as a result of widespread agricultural development and land-use change, particularly conversion of large areas to intensive crop cultivation, irrigation schemes (to convert areas to rice paddy), increased pesticide usage and livestock-grazing, and high levels of disturbance. Increases in the construction of irrigation canals and use of pesticides are highlighted as on-going threats in Maharashtra state⁶. Some habitat is also threatened by mining operations and conversion to plantations⁶. Inappropriate protected area management and increasing instances of nest-trampling are further problems. In some areas, the species suffers an increasing level of disturbance by dogs from nearby villages⁶. Threats posed by infrastructure development, such as collisions with vehicles, power-lines and wind turbines, further exacerbate the situation^4,6.

Major Threat(s):

Widespread hunting for sport and food precipitated its decline, accelerated by vehicular access to remote areas. Some poaching continues^1,4,6, including one documented case where mine-workers that lost their livelihoods when mines near Gwalior were closed for the creation of the Ghatigaon Bustard Sanctuary hunted bustards to undermine the criteria on which the area was first designated as a sanctuary¹. Egg-collecting is a threat in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh⁶. The current key threats are habitat loss, modification and fragmentation as a result of widespread agricultural development and land-use change, particularly conversion of large areas to intensive crop cultivation, irrigation schemes (to convert areas to rice paddy), increased pesticide usage and livestock-grazing, and high levels of disturbance. Increases in the construction of irrigation canals and use of pesticides are highlighted as on-going threats in Maharashtra state⁶. Some habitat is also threatened by mining operations and conversion to plantations⁶. Inappropriate protected area management and increasing instances of nest-trampling are further problems. In some areas, the species suffers an increasing level of disturbance by dogs from nearby villages⁶. Threats posed by infrastructure development, such as collisions with vehicles, power-lines and wind turbines, further exacerbate the situation^4,6.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix I. In India it is legally protected and there are severe penalties for killing an individual. It has been the focus of several publicity initiatives aimed at reducing poaching. Since 1981, extensive fieldwork has investigated its status, distribution and ecology, and a detailed conservation strategy has been published. Numerous protected areas have been specifically established for the species, some successfully, and populations occur in several others. Rehabilitation of grasslands has also benefited it in some areas. Conservation Actions Proposed Investigate seasonal patterns of migration, habitat choice, and breeding, perhaps using satellite tracking. Continue to survey all states within its range to clarify its current distribution and monitor population trends. Establish new protected areas at key sites. Revise the design and management of bustard sanctuaries, maintaining core areas and promoting traditional agricultural practices in buffer zones. Campaign for realignment of the Indira Ghandi Nahar Canal Project in Rajasthan. Promote 'Project Bustards', a conservation strategy for Indian bustards³. Develop and establish Community Reserves which promote sustainable utilisation of grasslands for the benefit of bustards (and other wildlife), and rural communities. Conduct research into the control of predators, such as feral dogs and cats, jackals and foxes, at sites supporting small populations of A. nigriceps⁴. Assess the strategy of supplementing small populations with captive-bred adults⁴.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I. In India it is legally protected and there are severe penalties for killing an individual. It has been the focus of several publicity initiatives aimed at reducing poaching. Since 1981, extensive fieldwork has investigated its status, distribution and ecology, and a detailed conservation strategy has been published. Numerous protected areas have been specifically established for the species, some successfully, and populations occur in several others. Rehabilitation of grasslands has also benefited it in some areas.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Investigate seasonal patterns of migration, habitat choice, and breeding, perhaps using satellite tracking. Continue to survey all states within its range to clarify its current distribution and monitor population trends. Establish new protected areas at key sites. Revise the design and management of bustard sanctuaries, maintaining core areas and promoting traditional agricultural practices in buffer zones. Campaign for realignment of the Indira Ghandi Nahar Canal Project in Rajasthan. Promote 'Project Bustards', a conservation strategy for Indian bustards³. Develop and establish Community Reserves which promote sustainable utilisation of grasslands for the benefit of bustards (and other wildlife), and rural communities. Conduct research into the control of predators, such as feral dogs and cats, jackals and foxes, at sites supporting small populations of A. nigriceps⁴. Assess the strategy of supplementing small populations with captive-bred adults⁴.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2011. Ardeotis nigriceps. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 08 February 2012.
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