Bustard makes a comeback

AHMEDABAD: The great Indian bustard, believed to be on the verge of extinction, is suddenly proliferating. In 1998, only 29 birds were found in Gujarat and now its population registered a rise by 20 birds, majority of them female, which is an even more encouraging sign.

According to a study conducted by Gujarat Ecological Education Research (GEER), bustards were distributed in Abdasa and Nalia taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat over a 996.4 sq km area.

The study reveals that a total of 35 Indian bustards were counted in the winter population survey and they had hit 48 post monsoon in Gujarat.

Officials involved in the study said that the average density of Indian bustard in the current distribution range was found to be one bird per 24.6 sq. km. These birds were found mostly in groups ranging from two to six. Grasslands are their favourite habitat, besides prosopis juliflora jungles, open scrubland, and even agricultural land.

An area of 97 sq km makes up the core area of the Indian bustard distribution where maximum sightings were recorded during the study period. These areas are mainly grasslands of Kanothia, Kalatalav, Bhachunda, Banada , Tera, Naliya, Vinghaber, Parjau, Lala, Jakhau, Budia in the region.

This population distributed in Kutch district is known to be the last surviving population of Indian bustards in Gujarat as the species is not found in any other part of the state.

EARLY BUSTARD SIGHTINGS
Between 1950 to 1979, Great Indian bustards were restricted to Kutch, Rajkot , Surendranagar, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar districts.

In 1980, Bustards were sighted in Velavadar National Park, Bhavnagar.

By end of the '80s, only a handful of birds were recorded in Surendranagar and Rajkot.

In Jamnagar, it was last sighted in 1986 at Ghoghera Talab and Kalyanpur taluka.

By the end of the '90s, the bird was found only in Kutch.