Distribution of the Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (Gruiformes: Otididae) in Gujarat State, India
Sandeep
B. Munjpara 1, B. Jethva 2 & C.N. Pandey 3
1 Junior
Research Fellow, GEER Foundation, Indroda Nature Park, P.O. Sector-7,
Gandhinagar 382007, Gujarat, India
2 Asian
Waterfowl Census Coordinator, Wetland International, C-101, Sarthak Apartment,
Kh-0, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382007, India
3 Additional Principal Chief Conservator
of Forests, Sector-10, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382007, India
Email: 1sandeepmunjpara@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2bharatjethva2000@yahoo.co.in, 3 pandeycn08@rediffmail.com
Date of
publication (online): 26 September 2011
Date of
publication (print): 26 September 2011
ISSN
0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: Rajiv S.
Kalsi
Manuscript details:
Ms # o2756
Received 08 April 2011
Final received 03 August 2011
Finally accepted 02 September 2011
Citation: Sandeep B.
Munjpara, B. Jethva & C.N. Pandey (2011). Distribution of
the Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps (Gruiformes: Otididae) in
Gujarat State, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(9): 2090–2094.
Copyright: © Sandeep B.
Munjpara, B. Jethva & C.N. Pandey 2011. Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this
article in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by
providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Acknowledgements: We are
thankful to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India for
financially supporting the present study. We sincerely acknowledge the valuable
support received from Gujarat Forest Department. We extend our deep gratitude
towards the forest officers of Kachchh Circle who constantly helped us out
during various field visits. We are grateful to the staff members of GEER
Foundation for helping and supporting our various activities for the project.
Abstract: The last
surviving population of the Indian Bustard (IB) of Gujarat State was found to be distributed in the coastal grasslands of the
Abdasa and Mandvi talukas of Kachchh District. The major part of the present distribution range of IB falls
in the Abdasa Taluka and a small portion of this range falls in the Mandvi
Taluka of Kachchh District in Gujarat. Geographically, this distribution of the IB is located on the northern
coast of the Gulf of Kachchh. The
total area of this distribution range of the IB in Gujarat covers a total
of 996.4km2 area. The
entire area of the distribution range is more or less flat as compared to the
surrounding typical topography of Kachchh District. The area within the distribution range of IB is mainly
composed of grassland followed by open flat land.
Keywords:Distirbution, Indian Bustard, Kachchh, Naliya grasslands.
For figures, table -- click
here
Distribution is the ecological occurrence
of a species in geographical areas, and information on distribution of any
animal plays an important role in ecological research because the size, shape,
orientation of the distribution range and distribution pattern explains the
conservation status of a species on a spatial scale. Such information is important for formulating future
management strategies for the species under study. In view of the paucity of such information on the
Critically Endangered (Bildlife Internation 2008) Indian Bustard (IB) [also
known as the Great Indian Bustard (GIB)] in Gujarat, the present study was
conducted to demarcate the boundaries of their distribution range in Gujarat
based on systematic and scientific data collection.
Study
area
This study was carried out in Naliya
grasslands and surrounding areas in Abdasa as well as adjoining talukas (i.e.
Mandvi, Lakhapat and Nakhtrana) of Kachchh District (Fig. 1). The area is located in the southwestern
province of the district. On the
southern side, it joins with the Gulf of Kachchh. Low precipitation and frequent
drought condition in this area do not support the growth of big tree species;
moisture from the air supports the growth of grass. Ecologically, this area is of the type of 5A/DS 4-Dry
grassland with few scattered patches of 5A/DS 2-Dry Savannah forest as per
Classification of Forest Types of India (Champion & Seth 1968). The study area was composed of both continuous
and discontinuous patches of grassland. A part of the area was covered with only grasses and forbs, while other
areas had grass cover as well as scattered bushes of Acacia spp., Prosopis juliflora, P. cineraria, Zizyphus spp., Salvadora spp.,and Caparis spp.
Methods
Preliminary information on the
distribution of Indian Bustards in Gujarat was collected with the help of
secondary literature and consultation with experienced ornithologists and
nature lovers. The area under the intensive study (i.e.
Naliya grassland) was visited at least once a month. A total of 22 field visits were made from May 2006 to
October 2007 and each field visit was of 4 to 10 days. The field visits were made to ensure
data collection in all the seasons of the year as well as breeding and non-breeding
phases of the species. Field observations
were made with the help of powerful binoculars (Nikon-10X50) and spotting scope
(Nikon-20X80). During each field
visit, various physical and ecological parameters were noted upon sighting of
the Indian Bustard [e.g. time of sightings, number of individuals (group size),
their sex/age group (Male/Female/Juvenile), vegetation type where birds were
sighted, activities of the birds, and the location of the birds]. The location of each sighting of the
bustards was noted using GPS for studying distribution patterns and habitat
preferences with respect to grass species, vegetation pattern etc.
Results
The population of Indian Bustards was found to be distributed in the coastal grasslands of the
Abdasa and Mandvi talukas of Kachchh District (Fig. 2). This area is located in the
southwestern province of Kachchh District in Gujarat (Fig. 2). A major part of the present
distribution range of Indian Bustards falls in the Abdasa Taluka and a small
portion of this range falls in the Mandvi Taluka of Kachchh District in
Gujarat. The main locations of
sightings of the species were grasslands and scrublands of some villages of
Mandvi and Abdasa Taluka such as Bhanad, Kunathia, Naliya, Kalatalav, Jakhau,
Jasapar, Gahdavada plot, Bhavanipar, Budiya, Rampar, Jasapar, Vinghaber,
Khauda, Lala, Lala Bustard Sanctuary, Lathedi, Bhachunda, Parjav, Ranpar,
Sandhan, Suthari, Udheja Van and Vinjan (GPS locations in Table 1). Geographically, this distribution of
Indian Bustard was located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Kachchh and the
western-most part of the state and the country. This population, distributed in Kachchh District, is known
to be the last surviving population of Indian Bustards in Gujarat State as the
species is not found to breed or be localized in any other parts in the
state. The total area of this
distribution range of Indian Bustard in Gujarat covered 996.4km2. The Indian Bustard’s population was
distributed in 0.51% of the total area of Gujarat State and 2.18% total area of
Kutch District. The distribution
range lie between 23012’32.3”–23011’1.1”N
to 68040’14.4”–6909’26.4”E in an east-west
direction and from 23017’28.1”–2300’8.8”N to 68054’25.3”–6903’54.0”E
in a north-south direction. The
distribution range of the Indian Bustard overlapped the revenue land of more
than 37 villages, forest areas and “Kachchh Bustard Sanctuary” in Gujarat. The spread of the distribution range of
Indian Bustards started from Mothala Village in the east to Jakhau Village in
the west and from Tera Village in the north to Babhadai Village (of Mandvi
tehsil) in the south. The entire
area of the distribution range was more or less flat as compared to the
surrounding topography typical of Kachchh District. The habitat use pattern within the distribution range of the
Indian Bustard suggested that the majority of the area was composed of
grassland (28%) followed by open flat land (27%).
Discussion
Apart from the present distribution range,
the Indian Bustard was not sighted anywhere else in the state throughout the
study period. The Indian Bustard
once had a widespread distribution in Saurashtra and Kachchh (Fig. 3). In
Kathiawar Peninsula, it was found in all areas except the forest areas of Gir,
Girnar and Bardahills (Dharmakumarsinhji 1957). From 1950 to 1979 the distribution range of Indian Bustard
was restricted to five districts of Gujarat i.e. Kachchh, Rajkot,
Surendranagar, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar. Later they were sighted in Velavadar
National Park, Bhavnagar in 1980 (Rahmani & Manakadan 1990). By the end of the
1980s a few birds were recorded from Surendranagar and Rajkot (Rahmani
& Manakadan 1990) (Fig. 3). In
Jamnagar, it was last sighted from 1985 to 1986 at Ghoghera Talab and Kalyanpur
Taluka. At the end of 1990 Indian
Bustard became rare in most parts of the state and the distribution range was
restricted to the Kachchh District. After the year 1990 no sighting records of the Indian Bustard were made
from other areas of the state except Kachchh. However, recently, a pair of Indian Bustards was recorded for
a short duration in the grasslands of Velavadar National Park in Saurashtra
region in December 2005 (V. Rathod, RFO, Gujarat Forest Department pers.
comm.). Apart from this, very
recently in May 2008 one individual Indian Bustard was observed (Yogendra Shah
pers. comm.) in the sparse saline grassland habitat of Little Rann of Kachchh
in Surendranagar District of Gujarat. These recent records suggest that the Indian Bustard may be dispersing
from the source population either from its distribution in Gujarat or from
Rajasthan. It is also likely that
the populations of Indian Bustard in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan and the
grasslands of Kachchh are mixing. It is likely that the birds are moving along the marginal grass patches
on the edge of Great Rann and Little Rann of Kachchh in Banaskantha, Patan and
Surendranager districts in Gujarat. The Indian Bustard is confirmed to be distributedonly in six states of India that include Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat (Rahmani 2006). The Indian Bustard is not only locally
extinct from its former range, it has also disappeared
from the three sanctuaries declared 25 years ago for its protection (Rahmani
2006). One of these is Gaga
Bustard Sanctuary, which lies in the Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat. It is in this context that the present
distribution range in Kachchh has great conservation significance as the
present distribution range has been holding the population of the Indian
Bustard for a long duration compared to many other habitats in Gujarat and
across India (Fig. 3).
References
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