Great Indian Bustard Maharashtra
Maharashtra is one of the six states of India where Great Indian Bustards (Ardeotis nigriceps) are still seen . The Great Indian Bustard at Nannaj and Karmala was first identified By Mr B.S.Kulkarni in 1972 and with his constant efforts to save the bird had resulted in Dr. Salim Ali visiting Nannaj and starting a research project. Mr Kulkarni wrote exentsively in local newspapers and made people aware of its existence and he is still active in trying to protect the bird and its habitat at Nannaj, near Solapur. In former days the bustard was a common bird in the dry districts of Maharashtra.
Description:-
The Great Indian Bustard is a large ground bird with a height of about a metre. It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band. The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.Distribution and habitat:-
This species was formerly widespread in India and Pakistan but is increasingly restricted to small pockets.They make local movements but these are not well understood although it is known that populations disperse after themonsoons.Males are said to be solitary during the breeding season but form small flocks in winter. Males may however distribute themselves close together and like other bustards they are believed to use a mating system that has been termed as an exploded or dispersed lek.The male is polygamous.The habitat where it is most often found is arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass interspersed with cultivation. It avoids irrigated areas.[3] The major areas where they are known to breed are in central and western India and eastern Pakistan. The dry semi-desert regions where it was found in parts of Rajasthan has been altered by irrigation canals that have transformed the region into an intensively farmed area.
Behaviour and ecology:-
The Great Indian Bustard is omnivorous. Apparently, insects, consisting mainly of Orthoptera, but also beetles, particularly Mylabris sp.Are preferred in the diet. Alternately, they will take grass seeds, berries (largely of the genera Ziziphus and Eruca), rodents and reptiles (in Rajasthan they are known to take Uromastyx hardwickii. In cultivated areas, they feed on crops such as exposed groundnut, millets and pods of legumes.
Breeds during March to September during which time the inflated fluffy white feathers of the male are inflated and displayed. Territorial fights between males may involve strutting next to each other, leaping against each other with legs against each other and landing down to lock the opponents head under their neck. During courtship display, the male inflates the gular sac which opens under the tongue, inflating it so that a large wobbly bag appears to hang down from the neck.The tail is held cocked up over the body.The male also raises the tail and folds it on its back.The male periodically produces a resonant deep, booming call that may be heard for nearly 500m.The female lays a single egg in an unlined scrape on the ground.Only the females are involved in incubation and care of the young.The eggs are at risk of destruction from other animals particularly ungulates and crows.Females may use a distraction display that involves flying zigzag with dangling legs.
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