19.12.09

Dwindling Saras


Severe drought-like conditions leading to water-scarcity in lakes, ponds and paddy fields of UP's Etawah and Mainpuri have been blamed for the fall in numbers of Grus Antigone Indian ‘Saras’ (crane) — also the state bird — this year. Though wildlife experts and environmentalists say few nests of the bird have been sighted recently in the wetlands of the region, the fact is that there has been a major decline in the number of cranes due to the drought. “This year only 12 nests of the Indian Saras have been spotted in comparison to last year’s figure of 80 nests in the paddy fields, lakes and ponds of Etawah and Mainpuri during a recent survey,” informed Dr Rajiv Chauhan, secretary, Society for Conservation of Nature. Out of the total number of 10,000 Grus Antigone Indian Saras, Demosil Crane and Common Crane, nearly 2,500 of them are said to be nesting in and around Etawah and nearly 1,000 in Mainpuri district, claim the wildlife experts. Experts, however, say crane’s survival is endangered by various factors, the most plausible being shortage of water due to severe drought-like condition this year. This is a direct fallout of the water in the paddy fields, because the number of cranes spotted in the region has stayed low this year.Grus Antigone Indian ‘Saras’ (crane) are omnivorous and feed primarily on the tubers of grass, small fishes, snakes and snails eating insects, aquatic plants and animals, crustaceans, seeds and berries, small vertebrates and invertebrates. But, says Chauhan, “scanty rainfall that obstructed the feed production had a direct impact on the survival of the little ones after they hatch from the eggs, further leading to the breeding of cranes this year.” These birds are usually seen in small groups of 2-5 and they forage while walking in shallow water or in fields, sometimes probing with their long bills. Adults are grey with a bare red head and white crown and a long dark pointed bill. In flight, the long neck is kept straight, unlike herons, and the black wing tips can be seen; their long red or pink legs trail behind them. On average, the male is larger than the female; Indian males can attain a maximum height of approximately 200 cm (6.6 ft), with a wingspan of 250 cm (8.5 ft), making them the world’s tallest living flying bird. The average weight is 6.3-7.3 kg. It nests on the ground, laying two to three eggs in a bulky nest. “We have come across nests where either one or two newborns have been spotted but last year their count had gone up to three,” said Dr Chauhan . “Also, most of the nests have been seen around wet marshy lands and there is no trace of such nests in the paddy fields,” he added. Unlike many cranes which make long migrations, the Sarus Crane does not; there is some short-distance dispersal however. Both the male and female take turns sitting on the nest and the male is the main protector. They tend to mate for life. A clue to the whereabouts of the missing birds is also offered by Sudarshan Singh, a senior forest official, Etawah, who has studied cranes extensively. “I feel they have shifted to some other place due to water scarcity and have probably found better nesting places,” he says. “We are still working on the census of these birds and will only be able to provide the exact count after its completion,” added another forest official. Meanwhile, farmers are also a worried lot as they are also witnessing dwindling numbers of Saras in and around them. “Drought has not only affected us but also these cranes. In the past, the birds had made our state top the list as far as their numbers were concerned,” said Ghanshyam Shakya, a farmer.

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