Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)

Syarifah Nur Hidayatul Afifah Bt Syed M201420021

Mohamed Adnan
68

Taxanomy
Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Otidiformes

Family

Otididae

Genus

Houbaropsis

Species

Houbaropsis bengalensis

Subspecies

H. b. bengalensis
H. b. blandini

Morphology
Size
Weight
Colour

Female
Male
66 cm 68 cm length
55 cm tall
1.7 kg 1.9 kg
1.2 kg 1.5 kg
Dark brown plumage
Black plumage from head
from head to neck
to neck
Head has no lanky crest Head has long lanky crest
Brown wing
Large white wing
Dark brown crown
Black crown

Yellow feet and legs

Dark bill and irises

Female

Male

Breeding
February early July
Male establish individual territories areas in
short grassland.
Show a characteristic flight display.
Have thick bunch of feathers under the breast.
Fly a lot during breeding season to chase away
an intruding male.

Female more secretive.

Done prepare a proper nest.
Lay eggs after scratching bare ground.
Clutch size : 2 3 eggs.
Incubated for 25 28 days by female.
Female raises young without help from male.

 Glossy
Olive-green in colour
Several have tiny purple-brown freckles and
blotches

 Mating dance done by male Bengal florican to

attract female during breeding season.

Mating dance video

Diets
Omnivorous
Feed on various seeds, grain, tender shoot of
grasses
Feed on insects like grasshoppers, ants, beetles
Some eat small snakes and frogs

Distribution

 Two disjunct populations

Indian Subcontinent (Nepal & India)
South-East Asia (Cambodia &Vietnam)
Possibly extinct in Bangladesh

Habitat

Terrestrial
Lowland dry
Seasonally inundated
Natural-semi-natural grassland
Scattered scrub or patchy open forest

Status

Total population: 350-1500 individuals

Population trend: Decreasing

Treats
Modification of grassland (human activities)
Drainage
Agriculture and plantations
Dam construction
Inappropriate and illegal development

Natural
Heavy flood
Invasion of alien species
Burning

Conservation
Protected areas
Bengal Florican Conservation Area (BFCA),
Cambodia
Awareness program, Cambodia
Villagers receive financial rewards for
reporting Bengal florican nests
Listed in IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species & CITES Appendix I and II

 Listed in the National Wildlife Action Plan

2002-2016
Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972
The species for recovery programme under
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Wildlife
Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and
Forests, Government of India.

 Training workshop on Bengal florican Survey

Technique
Awareness
through social
network

References
Gray, T. N. E.; Chamnan, H.; Borey, R.; Collar, N. J.; Dolman, P. M. (2007). Habitat preferences of a globally
threatened bustard provide support for community-based conservation in Cambodia. Biological Conservation
138: 341-350.
Gray, T. N. E.; Collar, N. J.; Davidson, P. J. A.; Dolman, P. M.; Evans, T. D.; Fox, H. H.; Hong Chanman; Borey, R.; Seng
Kim Hout; Van Zalinge, R. N. (2009). Distribution, status and conservation of the Bengal Florican Houbaropsis
bengalensis in Cambodia. Bird Conservation International 19(1): 1-14.
H. S. Baral., A. K. Ram., B. Chaudhary., S. Basnet., H. Chaudhary., T. R. Giri & D. Chaudhary. (2012). Consevation
status of Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789) (Gruiformes: Otididae) in Koshi
Tappu Wildlife Reserve and adjoining areas, eastern Nepal. Journal of Treatened Taxa 4(3) : 2464-2468.
Bengal Florican. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from http://wildlifesalvation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ScreenShot-2015-01-05-at-10.58.31-am.png
Flying Bengal Florican. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/resizedimage.ashx/__size/580x0/__key/commun ityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-01-57-64/3632.BengalFlorican _display-flight.gif
Image of Bengal Florican. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from
http://www.saevus.in/images/uploads/409/gallery/DSC_0432.JPG
Female Bengal Florican. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/images/album/photo/4898116514efff04fc9ef5.jpg
Male Bengal Florican. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from http://www.kolkatabirds.com/lesserflorican8a.jpg
Monitoring Bengal Florican Nests. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from
http://www.wcscambodia.org/Portals/133/articlephotos/Bengal%20Florican/thumbs/Monitoring-Bengal-FloricanNests_WCS-Cambodia_thumb.jpg
16 Fascinating Extinct Animals. Retrieved on April 14, 2015 from http://mom.me/pets/19184-fascinating-extinctanimals/item/japanese-river-otter/