The Great Indian bustard is critically endangered, with only around 200 individuals remaining worldwide. It is a large ground-dwelling bird found in dry grasslands and scrublands in India and Pakistan. Major threats include habitat loss due to agriculture and infrastructure development, collisions with power lines, hunting, and predation by feral dogs. Students at Euroschool Aroli have created awareness materials and conducted fundraising activities to help protect this iconic but threatened species. Ongoing conservation efforts include establishing protected areas, grassland restoration, reducing threats from power lines and dogs, and developing community-based conservation programs.

2. The Ardeotis
Nigriceps
The Ardeotis Nigriceps

3. CHARACTERSTICS
 Common Name- Great Indian bustard
 Scientific Name-Ardeotis nigriceps
 Population-200 individuals worldwide
 Height-100 cms or 1 meter
 Length-Wingspan of 210-250 cm
 Weight-15-18 kg
 Appearance- it has a black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and
head. The body is brownish and the wings are marked with black, brown and grey.

4.  DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES-
• The male is deep sandy buff colored 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. Males have a well-developed gular pouch which is inflated when
calling during display and helps produce the deep resonant calls.
• 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-
opportunist eaters with their diet ranging, widely depending on the seasonal
availability of food, they feed on grass seeds, insects like grasshoppers and beetles
 SPECIAL FACTS-
They breed mostly during the monsoon season when females lay a single egg on open
ground. Breeds practically throughout the year but chiefly between March and
September. It usually lay single egg in an year. Color of egg is pale olive-brown and
faintly blotched with deep brown. Only females incubate the egg and nourishing the
young ones.

5. HABITAT
• The habitat where it is most often found is arid and semi-arid grasslands, open country with thorn scrub, tall grass
interspersed with cultivation.
• It avoids irrigated areas.
• The dry semi-desert regions where it was found in parts of Rajasthan has been altered by irrigation canals that
have transformed the region into an intensively farmed area.

6. There are about 200 individuals left in Rajasthan. Only a small population of 30 individuals that are distributed
across Gujarat, Maharashtra ,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with less than 5 individuals in Madhya Pradesh.
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• They are distributed throughout Western India, spanning 11 states, as well as parts of Pakistan.
• Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (shared with Pakistan
POPULATION AND ITS DISTRIBUTION

7. IN SEARCH
OF MY LOST
PARADISE!!
“Avanishingspeckin thoseinanedominions,
Singleandfrailuncertainof myplace!
Alone in thebrighthostof mycompanions
Lostin theunfriendlinessof myspace
Oncea royality,nowjusta pity!!
I cryaloneformylostparadise!!”

8. STATUS OF GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD IN INDIA
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ON THE IUCN RED LIST AND THE NATIONAL
WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (2002-2016).

9. Threats
hunting
free-ranging
dogs in
villages
fast moving
vehicles
Treating
grasslands
like
wastelands
. Hunting and
egg collection
remains a
threat
Nests may
also be
predated
Habitat loss
collisions
with high
tension
electric wires
RARER THAN TIGERS-
Being a semi arid grassland species, it is
not a frequent flyer and the big built
only makes it an easier target.
Protectors are turning Predators
You don’t believe me then this is an
example-
On May 13 the son of a forest official
was reportedly caught by local villagers
at the Desert National park’s Sudasari
range in Jaisalmer district hunting for
the regal bird.
Shocking right!!

10. – Collisions with high tension electric wires
• Free ranging dogs
and illegal hunting
• Habitat loss
• Treating grasslands
as wastelands
• Egg
collection

12. Its time to act against
the busting of the bustard

14. GLOBAL FRONT
WWF-India has provided inputs in developing the
‘Guidelines for the State Action Plan for
RESIDENT BUSTARD RECOVERY PROGRAMME’.
It has played an important role in raising
awareness about the declining populations and
highlighting the importance of implementing a
focused bustard conservation programme at the
national level.

15. In India it is legally
protected and there
are severe penalties
for killing an
individual.
Protected areas have
been specifically
established for the
species, and
populations occur in
some others (Desert
National park and
Rollapadu Wildlife
Sanctuary).
Rehabilitation of
grasslands has
benefited the
species in some
areas.
Grassland
restoration -at the
GIB Sanctuary in
Maharashtra and
work is planned for
the Rollapadu GIB
Sanctuary.
Additional work
planned includes:
developing
community
awareness and an
anti-poaching squad
at the Desert
National Park
Sanctuary,
Rajasthan;
developing a
community
conservation
strategy for the
species
PROJECT GIB
recently been launched
in Rajasthan
.In Kachchh, a pilot
programme has been
established to neuter
stray dogs around the
core areas of the
Bustard Sanctuary.
NATIONAL FRONT

16. A SMALL PEEP INTO EUROSCHOOL
AIROLI AND ITS ACTIVITIES!!

17. We made a sincere
attempt to create
awareness and
made a video for the
same.
we at school have
made badges,
greeting cards ,
posters and have
sold them during
our school ..PTA
meetings.
We also have had
discussions on the
conservational
issues of the bird..
Besides the GIB,
many local birds like
the sparrow, robin ,
even crows are
decreasing in
population ,thus we
made bird feeders
and bird area in
school to help these
birds find easier
eating and roosting
places
AT EUROSCHOOL AIROLI WE STUDENTS
WORKED HARD TO BRING ABOUT
AWARENESS…

18. .
Hi I am Aanya Punatar
and Welcome to
EUROSCHOOLT.V Show!! We
have got a good news about
the protection about the
Great Indian Bustard. Lets
see what are students have
got to say.

21. TOGETHER WE SHALL BRING BACK THE
LOST PARADISE OF THE GREAT INDIAN
BUSTARD!!!

22. BY
AANYA PUNATAR
5 B
EUROSCHOOL AIROLI.