More on the Lesser Florican Sypheotides Indica At Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh

3 Pages·1999·1.9 MB·

by  Ranjit Manakadan

MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
Ripley 1983). This species didnotfigure among recollect having seen such a bird before. The
the 93 confirmedspecies and4probable species species is not a migrant, and it is therefore
that Koelz (1937) recorded for the entire Spiti improbable that it landed in the area en route.
area.
Wewishtorecordanaltitudinalextension February 11,1997 NIMA MANJREKAR*
of this species, one individual of which was PRACHIMEHTA
observedinAugust 1995,atanaltitudeof4050 m, Wildlife Institute ofIndia
in Pin Valley National Park, in the Trans- P. B. No. 18, Chandrabani
Himalayan Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. Dehra Dun 248 001
The bird was seen in the vicinity of a riverine *PresentAddress:
patch ofwillow (Salix sp.) in the Chohyam area No. 1, 12th Cross, V.V. Mohalla,
ofthe National Park. Local people also did not Mysore 570 002, Karnataka.
References
Ali,S.&S.D.Ripley(1983): HandbookoftheBirdsofIndiaandPakistan.Compactedition.OxfordUniversityPress,
Delhi,pp.737+ 113colourplates.
Koelz,W.(1937):NotesonthebirdsofSpiti,aHimalayanProvinceofthePunjab.Ibis 79:86-104.
THE PAINTED SPURFOWL GALLOPERDIXLUNULATA VALENCIENNES
7.
INRANTHAMBHORENATIONALPARK, RAJASTHAN
In the JBNHS Vol. 93 No. 1, there is southernRajasthanoreasternRajasthan, oreven
mention by Shantanu Kumar on the occurrence in the adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh. The
ofthepaintedspurfowlintheRamgarhSanctuary nearestpopulation ofthis bird that I know ofis
ofBundi dist., Rajasthan, and by Ashok Kumar intheSatpuraNationalParkofMadhyaPradesh,
Sharma on the occurrence of this bird in the below the Pachmarhi massif. It would be
JamwaRamgarhSanctuaryinJaipurdist.,asalso interesting to know whether any other sightings
in the Ranthambhore National Park and its of the painted spurfowl have occurred in
adjacent sanctuaries. Rajasthan outside this ‘belt’ starting from
I have also watched a pair of painted Ramgarh Sanctuary in Bundi to the Kailadevi
spurfowlatclose quarters andwas ableto take a Sanctuary in Karauli dist., or in the forests of
number of photographs of them in the northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
RanthambhoreNationalParkin 1989.However,
this appearstobe a disjointedoccurrence ofthis September 19, 1997 M.K. RANJITSINH
bird and these adjacent protected areas may WWF-India,
perhaps even hold a relict population of this 172-B, Lodhi Estate,
spurfowl, since there are no reports of it in NewDelhi 110 003.
8. MORE ONTHE LESSERFLORICANSYPHEOTIDESitiDICA ATROLLAPADU
WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, KURNOOLDISTRICT, ANDHRAPRADESH
The Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary (area: (called enclosures by the Forest Department),
6.14 km2), Kumool dist., Andhra Pradesh was which are surroundedby grazing lands andcrop
setup in 1982toprotectthe greatIndianbustard fields of the villages that border it. However,
Ardeotis nigriceps. The Sanctuary consists of due to demands fromthe local graziers, onlythe
threegrazinganddisturbancefreegrasslandplots main enclosure (Enclosure-I: 320 ha) is well
314 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 96(2) AUG. 1999
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
protected. Enclosure-XI(40ha)maybeprotected Thenumberofbirdsrecordedduring 1992-
for some periods or years, while Enclosure-Ill 1994varied. Moremales, orsightings ofmales,
(120 ha) is totally unprotected. For more details were recorded than females for all the years.
regarding the Sanctuary, see Manakadan and This is probably due to the fact that males
Rahmani (1989, 1993). frequentterritoriesandattain astrikingbreeding
According to Sankaran and Manakadan plumageduringmid-MaytoJune, andhence are
(1990), the lesser florican Sypheotides indica relatively more conspicuous than females
‘winters’ inRollapaduWildlifeSanctuary(RWS) (inspiteoftheskulkinghabitsof both thesexes).
area, andmay evenbreed if rains fail in their The year-wise sightings are discussedbelow.
breeding grounds in Madhya Pradesh and 1992: The first signs of the florican
Gujarat. They gave further details of the appeared inJulywiththepresence offeathers in
occurrenceofthe lesserfloricanatRWS. Inthis Enclosure-I. In October, two cocks were seen
paper, we provide additional information on displayingonafewoccasionsattwosites. These
RWS
sightings of the lesser florican at during two sites were also the display sites ofcocks in
ourstudies(July 1992 toDecember 1994)under 1987 (when breeding was recorded). Another
the Grassland Ecology Project of the BNHS, cock (non territorial) was also sighted. After
&
fundedby the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service. 30th October, there were no signs of the
displayingbirds.BytheendofOctoberandearly
Habitat Preference November, four sightings of solitary females
During the present studies, the floricans were recorded indifferent areas of Enclosure-I
were very partial to Enclosure-I. They were not (3 sightings) and Enclosure-II (1 sighting). The
recorded in the grazing lands or Enclosure-Ill, only sighting afterthat was ofa male in eclipse
andtherewasonesightinginEnclosure-II, when plumage inmid-Novemberandafemale inmid-
it was protected in 1992. Within Enclosure-I, December.
which is dominated by the ca.50 cm tall Nests were not located, but judging by
Heteropogoncontortus-Eremopogonfoveolatus- their stay in the off-season, display activity by
Chrysopogonfulvusgrasscommunity, thebirds males,andthefactthatlocatingnestsoffloricans
didnotkeep farfromtallgrass standsofSehima isextremelydifficult, itispossiblethatthebirds
nervosumorCymbopogoncaesius(100-150cm). hadbredthat year. Also,rainfallwasreportedly
Thus, the presence ofthese two grass species in deficient in theirbreeding grounds in Madhya
patches is important for the florican at RWS, PradeshandGujaratthatyear, aswas the case in
whichwasalsoobservedduringtheearlierstudy. 1987, whenbreeding was recorded at RWS.
1993: Both males and females were
Seasonality population, territories and occasionally flushed in January and February.
RWS
breeding at During oneofthese sightings, two femaleswere
In years when breeding did not occur at seen together. After February, there was no
Rollapadu (1993 and 1994), floricans arrived in sighting, except for a female inMay. In June,
January/February in their eclipse plumage. The two cocks were seen frequenting two sites (one
birds were seen offand on, andby mid-June, the ofwhich was also used during 1992). Single
cocks attained their full breeding plumage, and sightings of two other males were also
thendisappearedsuddenly.During 1992,thebirds recorded. BytheendofJune,both the territorial
were recorded during July-December (monsoon: males had attained their breeding plumage. In
southwest and northeast monsoons), which is the June, another bird (sex uncertain) was also
breeding season ofthe florican in their breeding flushed once in the enclosure. We were absent
grounds in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. from the study area in July, and the next and
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 96(2), AUG. 1999 315
MISCELLANEOUSNOTES
only sightings were in October. On two Itwasobservedduringourtwostudyperiodsthat
occasions, we saw a male in eclipse plumage during years when rainfall was low in Gujarat,
frequenting a display site of 1987. as many as 10,000 cranes and about 500 geese
1994: Thefirstsignswerethepresence of arrive (e.g. in 1992), butifthe rains are goodin
feathers towards the end of February. There Gujarat, then very low numbers arrive, or the
were three sightings (sexuncertain) in March birds may not arrive at all, as in 1994.
and April. On 25th April, two cocks were A few sites within the enclosure were
sighted. On our return inMayaftertwo weeks’ frequentedancTdefendedby cockfloricans year
absence, nine floricanmales inpartialbreeding after year, which may serve either as their
plumage were seen in different parts of breeding orwintering territories. Attainmentof
Enclosure-I. Four ofthese sites were territories full breeding plumage by males prior to their
heldduring 1987, and/or 1992 and 1993. Atthis migration(presumablytotheirbreedinggrounds
time, a hen was also sighted. These birds were in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh) was observed
present till mid-June,bywhichtimetheyattained during this study. In 1994, a population ofnot
theirbreeding plumage, and disappeared. less than 10 birds (9 cocks and 1 hen) was
recorded,whichisthemaximumnumbercounted
Conclusion during both the studies. Lastly, since the
observations showedthat the florican ispartialto
Rollapadu appears to be a regular tall grass cover, and uses the area during winter
winteringgroundofthelesserflorican. Thebirds andsummer,burningofthegrass(whetherdueto
may also breed at RWS if rains fail in their accident, vandalism or as a management tool)
breeding grounds in Gujarat and Madhya wouldbe detrimental for the lesserflorican.
Pradesh, as suggested by Sankaran and
Manakadan(1990). Incidentally,thenumbersof October22, 1997 RANJIT MANAKADAN
demoiselle cranes Anthropoides virgo and ASADR. RAHMANI
barheaded geese Anser indicus wintering in the Bombay NaturalHistory Society,
Rollapadu area each year was found to be Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road,
influenced by the quantum ofrains in Gujarat. Mumbai 400 023.
ReferENCES
Manakadan, R. & A.R. Rahmani (1989): Rollapadu (pp: 1-3). Proc. ChangingScenarioofBirdEcology
WildlifeSanctuary,withspecialreferencetotheGreat and Conservation (Ed: A. Verghese, S. Sridhar &
IndianBustard. J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 86:368- A.K. Chakravarthy), Bangalore. Ornithological
380. SocietyofIndia,Bangalore.
Manakadan, R. & A.R. Rahmani (1993): A decade of Sankaran,R.&R.Manakadan(1990):Breedingrecords
conservationoftheGreatIndianBustardatRollapadu of the Lesser Florican from Andhra Pradesh.
WildlifeSanctuary,Kumooldistrict,AndhraPradesh J. Bombaynat. Hist. Soc. 87: 294-296.
THE OCCURRENCE OF COLLARED PRATINCOLE OR SWALLOW PLOVER
9.
GLAREOLA PRATINCOLA (LINN.) IN KUTCH
We are concerned with two races of the concerns the former, which breeds sparingly in
collaredpratincoleintheSubcontinent:thepartly Pakistan andstraggles intoIndia andevento Sri
resident and mainly migratory nominate race, Lanka. According to Roberts (1991) it is a
and Glareolapratincola maldivarum. This note common,summer-breedingvisitorinlowerSind
316 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 96(2) AUG. 1999