It is a tragic reality that there are as many as 14 species of Indian birds that are critically endangered; these include the Indian Vulture, the Bengal Florican (or the Bengal Bustard) and the Red-Headed Vulture. The information was released via a press release by the Indian Ministry of Environments and Forests.
The Ministry's report was compiled after referring to various reports by scientific institutions like the Wildlife Institute of India (Dehradun), the Bombay Natural History Society (Mumbai) and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (Coimbatore), as well as the IUCN's Red List - version 2010.1.
The details were given after a question from Kanwar Deep Singh, a Member of Parliament, in a Rajya Sabha session on Wednesday.
The full list is given below:
|
S. No. |
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Family |
Status |
| 1 | White-rumped Vulture | Gyps bengalensis | Accipitridae | CR |
| 2 | Indian Vulture | Gyps indicus | Accipitridae | CR |
| 3 | Slender-billed Vulture | Gyps tenuirostris | Accipitridae | CR |
| 4 | Red-headed Vulture | Sarcogyps calvus | Accipitridae | CR |
| 5 | Pink-headed Duck | Rhodonessa caryophyllacea | Anatidae | CR |
| 6 | White-bellied Heron | Ardea insignis | Ardeidae | CR |
| 7 | Sociable Lapwing | Vanellus gregarius | Charadriidae | CR |
| 8 | Christmas Frigatebird | Fregata andrewsi | Fregatidae | CR |
| 9 | Jerdon's Courser | Rhinoptilus bitorquatus | Glareolidae | CR |
| 10 | Siberian Crane | Grus leucogeranus | Gruidae | CR |
| 11 | Bengal Florican | Houbaropsis bengalensis | Otididae | CR |
| 12 | Himalayan Quail | Ophrysia superciliosa | Phasianidae | CR |
| 13 | Spoon-billed Sandpiper | Eurynorhynchus pygmeus | Scolopacidae | CR |
| 14 | Forest Owlet | Heteroglaux blewitti | Strigidae | CR |
CR: Critically Endangered. Source - Ministry of Environment and Forests
Jayanthi Natarajan, the Indian Minister of Environments and Forests, added that several steps, such as including endangered birds in Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 and providing stringent punishment to those found violating the act and the notification of important habitats as protected areas were being taken to protected endangered bird species in India.
