Ajay Kumar at 20:24, 25 August 2023

2023-08-25T20:24:26Z

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{{copyvio-revdel|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101113945/http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2012/March/o284826iii122464-2469.pdf|start1=541710466|end1=1172206300}}
{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis bengalensis (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = A male Bengal florican
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' |page=e.T22692015A130184896 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22692015A130184896.en}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref name=iucn/>
| genus = Houbaropsis
| parent_authority = [[Richard Bowdler Sharpe|Sharpe]], 1893
| species = bengalensis
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789)
| 
| synonyms =''Eupodotis bengalensis'' <small>(Gmelin, 1789)</small>
}}

The '''Bengal florican''' ('''''Houbaropsis bengalensis'''''), also called the '''Bengal bustard''', is a [[bustard]] [[species]] native to the [[Indian subcontinent]], [[Cambodia]], and [[Vietnam]]. It is listed as [[Critically Endangered]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] because fewer than 1,000 individuals were estimated to be alive as of 2017.<ref name=iucn/> It is the [[Monotypic taxon|only member]] of the [[genus]] ''Houbaropsis''.

==Description==
[[File:Bengal Florican. AMSM2805.jpg|thumb|Adult female in flight in [[Manas National Park]]]]
The male Bengal florican has a black [[plumage]] from the head and neck to underparts. Its head carries a long lanky crest, and the neck has elongated display plumes. The upperside is buff with fine black vermiculations and black arrowhead markings, and there is a conspicuous large white patch from the wing coverts to the [[remiges]]. In flight, the male's wings appear entirely white except for the dark primary remiges. The feet and legs are yellow, the bill and [[Iris (anatomy)|irides]] are dark. The female is buff-brown similar to the males' back with a dark brown crown and narrow dark streaks down the side of the neck. Her [[wing covert]]s are lighter than the remiges and covered in fine dark barring. Immature Bengal floricans look like a female.<ref name=grimmett>{{cite book |author=Grimmett, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Inskipp, C. |author3=Inskipp, T. |year=2011 |title=Birds of the Indian Subcontinent |location=London |publisher=Christopher Helm |edition=Second |isbn=9781408127636 }}</ref>
Adult Bengal floricans range from {{cvt|66|–|68|cm}} in length and stand around {{cvt|55|cm}} tall.<ref>{{cite book |author=Ali, S.|year=1993|title=The Book of Indian Birds |publisher=Bombay Natural History Society |location=Bombay |isbn=978-0-19-566523-9}}</ref> The female is larger than the male and weighs around {{cvt|1.7|-|1.9|kg}} against a weight of {{cvt|1.2|-|1.5|kg}} in males.<ref name=grimmett/>

They are normally silent but, when disturbed, utter a metallic ''chik-chik-chik'' call. Displaying males croak and produce a deep humming sound.<ref name=grimmett/>

The only bird even remotely similar to adult males of the Bengal florican is the [[lesser florican]] (''Sypheotides indica''). This is a smaller, slimmer-necked bustard overall, and its males have cheek-tufts of plumes with [[Pennon|pennant]]-like tips rather than the crest, and a white band between neck and back. The females are similar, and young Bengal floricans can be easily mistaken for female lesser floricans. The latter has almost white wing [[wing covert|coverts]] however, resembling the males' wing patch.<ref name=bli2009>BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: ''Houbaropsis bengalensis.''</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Bengal_Florican_wiki.jpg|thumb|Bengal florican at [[Orang National Park]], [[Assam]], India]]
The Bengal florican has two disjunct populations. One occurs from [[Uttar Pradesh]] through the [[Terai]] of [[Nepal]] to [[Assam]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]] in India, and historically to [[Bangladesh]]. The other occurs in [[Cambodia]] and perhaps adjacent southern [[Vietnam]]. It is mostly resident on its breeding grounds; around [[Tonlé Sap]] in Cambodia however, the birds use [[grasslands]] near the lake to breed, and move away from the water in the [[wet season]] when the breeding grounds are flooded. Similarly, the Terai population seems to move to warmer lowland locations in winter. Migrations are not long-distance, however, and probably are restricted to a few dozen kilometers.<ref name = grimmett/>

Bengal floricans live in open tall grassland habitats with scattered bushes. The most important grass species are [[satintail]]s ''Imperata'', in particular [[Cogongrass]] ''I. cylindrica''), [[sugarcane]] (''Saccharum'', in particular [[Kans Grass]] ''S. spontaneum''), munj grass (''[[Tripidium bengalense]]''), as well as ''[[Desmostachya bipinnata]]''. The birds are usually encountered in the early mornings and evenings and are most easily spotted in the breeding season from March to August, which is when most censuses of the population are conducted. Particular between March and May, when they give their stunning [[courtship display]], males are far more conspicuous than the [[crypsis|cryptically]]-coloured females, which moreover prefer high grassland rich in sugarcane.<ref name = grimmett/>

==Status and conservation==
[[File:Bengal Florican(male) clicked at Manas National park Assam by Hedayeat Ullah.jpg|thumb|Female at Manas National Park]]
Restricted to tiny fragments of grassland scattered across South and Southeast Asia, the Bengal florican is the world's rarest [[bustard]]. It is known to have become increasingly threatened by land conversion for intensive agriculture, particularly for dry season [[rice]] production. [[Poaching]] continues to be a problem in Southeast Asia, while the South Asian population is down to less than 350 adult birds, about 85% of which are found in India. Though more threatened, birds in Southeast Asia may number as many as in South Asia but more probably closer to or even less than 1,000 adults.<ref name = bli0809>BirdLife International (2008, 2009) Species factsheet: ''Houbaropsis bengalensis''</ref>

The population has decreased dramatically in past decades. It may be that in India the decline is coming to a halt and that stocks in [[Dibru-Saikhowa National Park|Dibru-Saikhowa]] and [[Kaziranga National Park]]s and [[Dudhwa Tiger Reserve]] are safe at very low levels. Still, its global status is precarious and it was consequently uplisted from [[Endangered]] to [[Critically Endangered]] in the 2007 [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name=iucn/>

In [[Cambodia]], it is mostly found in [[Kampong Thom Province]]; lesser numbers are found in [[Siem Reap Province]] and remnants might persist in [[Banteay Meanchey Province|Banteay Meanchey]], [[Battambang Province|Battambang]] and [[Pursat Province]]s. Its rate of decline there has accelerated in the early 21st century. The government of Cambodia has taken a significant step towards protecting important habitat for the Bengal florican. Along with 350 square kilometres being designated as "Integrated Farming and Biodiversity Areas", where land-use practices are adapted to also benefit the Bengal florican, a [[public education]] program to inform schoolchildren about the bird has also been undertaken. At present, the species may persist in the [[Ang Trapaing Thmor Crane Sanctuary]] and perhaps [[Vietnam]]'s [[Tràm Chim National Park]], but the South Asian population is not known with certainty from any [[protected area]]s.<ref name = bli0809/>

In [[Nepal]], it is essentially restricted to protected areas, namely [[Shuklaphanta National Park|Shuklaphanta]], [[Bardia National Park|Bardia]] and [[Chitwan National Park]]s. Since 1982, the Shuklaphanta and Bardia populations appear to have been stable, but the Chitwan population has declined. In 2001, 20–28 birds were estimated in Shuklaphanta, 6–10 birds in Bardia, and 6–22 birds in Chitwan. It has been absent from [[Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve]], since 1990, and has not been sighted around the [[Koshi Barrage]] since the 1980s.<ref name=bharal2003>{{cite journal |author=Baral, N. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Timilsina, N. |author3=Tamang, B. |year=2003 |title=Status of Bengal Florican ''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' in Nepal |journal=Forktail |volume=19 |pages=51–55 |url=http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Baral-Nepal.pdf}}</ref> In spring 2007, 8–9 males were recorded in Sukla Phanta and 16–18 birds estimated; one male was sighted in Bardia and 2–4 estimated; five males were sighted in Chitwan and 10–14 estimated.<ref name=poudyal2008>{{cite journal |author1=Poudyal, L. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Singh, P. B. |author3=Maharjan S. |year=2008 |title=The decline of Bengal Florican ''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' in Nepal |journal=Danphe |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=4–6 |url=http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/Bengal%20florican%20in%20Nepal%202007%20Danphe%2017%281%29%20Laxman.pdf }}</ref> The overall Nepalese population declined by 30% between 2001 and 2007.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Poudyal, L. P. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Singh, P. B. |author3=Maharjan S. |year=2008 |title=Bengal Florican ''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' in Nepal: an update |journal=BirdingASIA |issue=10 |pages=43–47 |url=http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/Bengal-Florican_Nepal%20Birding%20Asia.pdf}}</ref> 17 individuals were recorded along the [[Koshi River]] in the spring of 2011.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Baral, H. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Ram, A. K. |author3=Chaudhary, B. |author4=Basnet, S. |author5=Chaudhary, H. |author6=Giri, T. R. |year=2012 |author7=Chaudhary, D. |title=Conservation status of Bengal Florican ''Houbaropsis bengalensis bengalensis'' (Gmelin, 1789) (Gruiformes: Otididae) in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and adjoining areas, eastern Nepal |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=2464–2469 |doi=10.11609/JoTT.o2948.2464-9 |doi-access=free |url=http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2012/March/o284826iii122464-2469.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101113945/http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2012/March/o284826iii122464-2469.pdf|archive-date=2012-11-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The courtship display of males has been discussed by many [[naturalist]]s travelling [[British India]], and in the modern era attracts tourists who provide revenue to locals. Studies indicate that the Bengal florican is not a particularly shy or [[hemerophobic]] species, its apparent intolerance of human settlements being chiefly due to its intolerance of land clearance for agriculture. [[Pasture]]s and the traditional use of [[common land]] for villagers' tall-grass harvest (for construction and handicraft) actually seem to be tolerated quite well by the birds.<ref name = bli0809/><ref>{{cite journal|author=Baker, E. C. S. |year=1907|title= The breeding of the Bengal Florican ''Sypheotis bengalensis''|journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society|volume= 17|pages= 538–540|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30119734}}</ref>

If firewood and timber is collected from grassland rather than from forests, human land use will even benefit the species. In particular, [[Shorea robusta|sal]] (''Shorea robusta'') and [[Terminalia elliptica|saj]] (''Terminalia elliptica'') have been identified as trees that encroach upon the florican's habitat in Nepal, and its decline in Bardia National Park is probably chiefly due to insufficient use of trees that overgrow grassland. A [[sustainable land management]] technique that will bolster Bengal florican stocks consists of harvesting grass and particularly wood from changing tracts of land, leaving some areas unharvested each year and setting aside a few additional ones as reserve land, where grasses can grow tall for years until they are harvested. [[Controlled burning]] may be necessary when woodland encroachment is strong; it should take place before March so that the year's offspring are not harmed.<ref name = bharal2003 /><ref name = poudyal2008 />
A landscape ecology approach, integrating social, biological and physical environmental elements at scales compatible with management objectives, will be needed to effectively conserve Bengal floricans and their grassland habitats.<ref name = bharal2003/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Grimmett, R; Inskipp, C. and T. (1998). ''Birds of the Indian Subcontinent''. [[Helm Identification Guides|Christopher Helm]], London. <small>{{ISBN|0-7136-4004-9}}</small>
* [[BirdLife International]] (BLI) (2007). [ [https://web.archive.org/web/20070828022837/http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/species/global_species_programme/whats_new.html 2006-2007 Red List status changes] ]. Retrieved 2007-AUG-26.
* [[BirdLife International]] (BLI) (2009). [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=2782&m=0 Bengal Florican Species Factsheet]. Retrieved 2009-JUN-11.
* Gray, T. N. E; Collar, N. J; Davidson, P. J. A; Dolman, P. M; Evans, T. D; Fox, H. N; Chamnan H; Borey R; Hout, S. K; Van Zalinge R. N. (2009). Distribution, status and conservation of the Bengal Florican ''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' in Cambodia. Bird Conservation International (2009) 19: 1–14 [http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=4867216 PDF download]

{{Otididae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q809610}}

[[Category:Otididae|Bengal florican]]
[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]
[[Category:Birds of Northeast India]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1789|Bengal florican]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Bengal florican]]

Bengal florican - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 20:24, 25 August 2023