What is Great Indian Bustard?

The Great Indian Bustard is the heaviest flying bird endemic to the Indian subcontinent and is known to be the state bird of Rajasthan. The bird's population has decreased and will be extinct very soon if proper measures are not taken to survive.

Which national park is famous for the Great Indian Bustard?

There is a list of great Indian bustard national parks, but the famous one is Desert National Park in Rajasthan. This national park in India has around 122 critically endangered great Indian bustard (GIB) species out of 150.

What is the project Great Indian Bustard?

As the great Indian Bustard is a state bird of Rajasthan, they have taken the initiative to start "Project Great Indian Bustard" on World Environment Day. The GovernmentGovernment has been identifying the bustard mating grounds and fencing them to avoid their poaching, thereby letting their numbers increase before they go extinct. Also, they have been offered proper breeding compartments outside the protected areas.

Which is the heaviest flying bird in India?

The heaviest flying bird in India is the Great Indian Bustard. They are tall birds with long legs and necks. The male bustards weigh between 24-42 pounds (11-19 Kg), while the females are roughly half the size of the males.

What can be the Great Indian Bustard UPSC questions?

Numerous vital questions can arise about Great Indian Bustard in UPSC. These include – which is the heaviest flying bird in India, what is the Great Indian Bustard project, what are the top national parks for the Great Indian Bustard, etc.

What is the Great Indian Bustard IUCN status?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorized the Great Indian Bustard as critically endangered (meaning its population is decreasing). It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 and in the CMS Convention and Appendix I of CITES.

How to Download Notes PDF on Great Indian Bustard?

To get full information about Great Indian Bustard, its types, and national parks, download the Great Indian Bustard notes PDF here .

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Great Indian Bustard – Project Details, Top GIB National Parks

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: November 14th, 2023

Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) are the state bird of Rajasthan, India and are locally called Godawan. The bird represents the healthiness of the ecology and is regarded as the “flagship grassland species”. Great Indian Bustard is found in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. A few of its population is seen in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. A list of constant threats is causing the population of Great Indian Bustard to decrease.

Great Indian Bustard IUCN status says that the feathered creature is critically endangered because it faced collision/electric shock with power transmission lines, got hunted, and experienced loss of habitat due to extensive evolution of agricultural practices and more such reasons. It is the heaviest flying bird indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.

Table of content

1. Project Great Indian Bustard
2. Great Indian Bustard Characteristics & Habitat
3. Types Of Great Indian Bustard Species Present in India
4. Great Indian Bustard Protection Status
5. Great Indian Bustard National Park
6. Great Indian Bustard UPSC

Project Great Indian Bustard

The Project Great Indian Bustard was mainly taken up to protect the endangered species. Following are the initiatives of the GovernmentGovernment to preserve the species in India.

The Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has kept GIB under the species recovery programme.
The MoEFCC has also founded a program called ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-An Integrated Approach’.
The objective is to create a confined population of Great Indian Bustards and release the chicks in the wild, thereby causing their population to increase.

Rajasthan government has established the ‘Great Indian Bustard Project’ to construct breeding chambers for the bird. The GovernmentGovernment also developed infrastructure to decrease human pressure on the going-to-be-extinct species habitats.

The listed actions need to be undertaken to improve the status of the Great Indian Bustard and safeguard the species.

The field staff must do intensive patrolling.
Establishing a local intelligence network.
Constructing checkpoints and obstacles in key areas
Establishing a flying squad under the command of a range officer or higher.
Consolidating the current wireless network
Habitat conservation by designating certain bird-exclusive zones impermeable to human interference and limiting anthropogenic pressures.
Enriching the habitat by introducing plants like Lasiurus Sindicus (Sewan grass) and adding amenities like water gazellers.
Farmer and local incentive programs for information sharing and species conservation.
Involving locals in ecotourism and eco-development initiatives.

☛Download Complete Notes on Great Indian Bustard

Great Indian Bustard Characteristics & Habitat

When preparing for the Great Indian Bustard UPSC Topic, you should know everything about the bird’s characteristics, habitat, features, and more. Read the below points to understand the basic details.

Great Indian Bustard Habitat:

The bird originally belonged to the Indian subcontinent.
It is mainly discovered in Desert National park (Rajasthan), Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and even in some parts of Pakistan.

Great Indian Bustard Characteristics:

GIB are tall and heavy birds with long legs and extended necks.
They may stand up to 1.2 metres (4 feet) high.
The heaviest Great Indian Bustard has weighed around 15 kg (33 pounds).
The colour of their feathers distinguishes their gender.
These birds are omnivores and feed on arthropods, worms, small mammals, small reptiles, etc.

Types Of Great Indian Bustard Species Present in India

Great Indian Bustard, Lesser and Bengal Florican are the popular species of this bird discovered in India.

Lesser Florican (Scientific name – Sypheotides Indicus)

The Lesser Florican bustard is native to India.
These are majorly found in the northwest and central parts of India.
The species is almost similar to the Bengal florican.

Bengal Florican (Scientific name – Houbarobsis Bengalensis)

Bengal Florican, or Bengal bustard, is another species from the Indian subcontinent.
Roundabout 1,500 of their population live in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Great Indian Bustard Protection Status

Recently, in a protected area of southern Punjab’s Cholistan in Pakistan, a team of hunters killed two Great Indian Bustards. This region has a very similar habitat to Rajasthan’s Desert National Park, where most of the bird’s population has been found.

Desert National Park is situated near the towns of Jaisalmer and Barmer and was reported to be a National Park in 1981 to safeguard the habitat of this endangered bird species. After the news of the killing of these birds came into the limelight in Pakistan (sharing a border with Rajasthan), the GovernmentGovernment has shared concerns about damage to the desert ecosystem and Great Indian Bustard Protection Status.

Preservation Status:

Initiative	Great Indian Bustard Protection Status
International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List	Critically Endangered
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972	Schedule 1
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)	Appendix I
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)	Appendix1

Great Indian Bustard National Park

The Great Indian Bustard is a species of bird that is critically endangered and seen in the arid grasslands of India. The GIB has been protected under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 in India, and here we will mention the top 5 Great Indian Bustard national parks and their location.

The Great Indian Bustard bird was on the top of the list to become the national bird of India. The GovernmentGovernment is now taking measures and building projects to save the endangered species and recover its population.

Great Indian bustard national park names	Location (India)
Desert National Park	Rajasthan
Kutch Bustard Sanctuary	Gujarat
Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary	Maharashtra
Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary	Andhra Pradesh
Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary	Gujarat
Karera and Ghatigaon Sanctuary Sanctuary	Madhya Pradesh

Great Indian Bustard UPSC

This page will provide a Great Indian Bustard UPSC note for the UPSC exam. Here get full information about Great Indian Bustard, its types, Great Indian Bustard national parks, its protection status, etc. Great Indian Bustard UPSC is an important topic for the upcoming IAS Exam. The geography section asks about the topic in prelims and mains exams.

Candidates can check the complete UPSC Syllabus to identify all the related topics to be completed before the exam. It is recommended that aspirants choose the right UPSC Books to cover the syllabus thoroughly. After completing the topic, download the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers to revise all the syllabus for the upcoming exam. You can also refer to UPSC Study Material and constantly update yourself on the latest current affairs.

>> Download Great Indian Bustard Notes PDF

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