Critically endangered Bengal Florican sighted in Daying Ering wildlife sanctuary| Bengal Florican in Arunachal Pradesh
Bengal Florican which has been declared critically endangered in IUCN "Red List" has been spotted in Daying Ering wildlife sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh state of northeastern India. The sanctuary has a wide variety of flora and fauna. Apart from the migrating Bengal Florican whose presence is only for half the year, the main attraction of the sanctuary is the two big cats Tiger and Leopard. Others include wild hog, gibbon, red panda, and a variety of herbivores.
Bengal Florican is found in grasslands and riverine regions of India, Nepal, parts of South Asia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Sighting of these birds is rare since their number has been drastically reduced in the wild because of the destruction of their natural habitat which includes mostly riverine grasslands.
The conversion of natural grasslands into agricultural land has caused a reduction in their habitat area which they use during their migration. Furthermore, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agricultural practices around the region has further reduced their population.
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A Male Bengal Florican Image Source- Google | Image by - Wikimedia Commons |
In India, these are found only in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta region where these can be found eating small flies, grasshoppers, beetles, small frogs, and other small insects. Males usually have black coloured backs with white wings while the females are not of vibrant colours like males and generally are dull brown.
In Feb 2020 conference on migratory birds and animals was held to review the need for the conservation of migratory birds and to provide them free natural routes to migrate from one country to another. Bengal florican was also an agenda for conservation. The exact number of Bengal Florican in the wild is not known since it is very difficult to sight these.
According to wildlife experts, it is a difficult task to determine the population number of Bengal Florican in the wild since these do not habitat in a single region with movement from one place to another and these usually are hidden in the grass and could only be seen during the breeding season when the male perform to show their vibrant colours and impress female.