Great Indian Bustard  (Prelims & Mains- Environment)

Why in news?

Boost for fight to save Great Indian Bustard as chick born through IVF at the Sudasari Great Indian Bustard Breeding Centre in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan.

About Great Indian Bustard:

•  The Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a flying bird found on the Indian subcontinent. It is among the heaviest birds and is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 of India.
• The Great Indian bustard is a large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance.
•  It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. 
• The body is brownish, with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff-coloured and, during the breeding season, has a black breast band. 
• The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female, which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white, and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken, or absent.

Diet and Nutrition:

• Great Indian bustards are omnivores, preferring to feed on insects and beetles.
•  They will also eat grass seeds, berries, rodents, and reptiles. 
• In cultivated areas, these birds feed on crops such as exposed groundnut, millets, and pods of legumes.
•  Great Indian bustards drink water if it is available and will sometimes sit down to drink or suck water, followed by raising up their heads at an angle.

Mating Habits:

• Great Indian bustards have a polygynous mating system, where each male mates with a number of females.
•  During the breeding season, which occurs between March and September, males gather into a special group called “lek,” performing displays to attract females. 
• During this time, males inflate and display fluffy white feathers. 
• Territorial fights between males may involve strutting next to each other, leaping against each other with legs against each other, and landing down to lock the opponent’s head under their neck. 
• During courtship displays, the male inflates the gular sac, which opens under the tongue, so that a large wobbly bag appears to hang down from the neck.

Population:

Population threats

• The Great Indian bustard is critically endangered, mainly because it has been extirpated from 90% of its former range mainly by hunting and habitat loss.
•  In the past, they were heavily hunted for their meat and for sport, and today, poaching of the species may continue.
•  In some places, such as Rajasthan, increased irrigation by the Indira Gandhi Canal has led to increased agriculture, and the altered habitat has led to the disappearance of Great Indian bustards from these regions.
•  Some populations migrate to Pakistan, where hunting pressure is high. Other serious threats to the species include the development of roads and electric power lines in the desert, which leads to collision-related mortality. 
• Another threat to the bird’s habitat is the proposed expansion of renewable energy infrastructure, which may involve deploying solar panels over large areas of desert and grasslands.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the Great Indian Bustard’s population is 50-249 mature individuals. This species is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers are decreasing.

What is IVF?

• In vitro fertilisation, also called IVF, is a complex series of procedures that can lead to a pregnancy.
• During in vitro fertilisation, mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a lab. Then, a procedure is performed to place one or more of the fertilised eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, where babies develop. 
• In the case of great Indian bustards, this technique, known as artificial insemination, involves training a male great Indian bustard to produce sperm without mating by placing an artificial female in front of it and then by using IVF technique chicks are produced.
• India is the first country in the world to successfully breed this critically endangered species through this method. The AI process offers hope for the survival of the great Indian bustard, a bird teetering on the edge of extinction.