Endangered Birds
Schedule I, Part III of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 lists rare and endangered birds which are totally
protected throughout the country, live or dead or part thereof. They include Andaman Teal, Assam Bamboo Partridge, Bazas, Bengal Florican, Blacknecked Crane, Blood Pheasants, Cheer Pheasant, Eastern White Stork, Forest spotted owlet, Great Indian Bustard,
Great Pied Hornbill, Hawks, Hooded Crane, Hornbills, Houbara Bustard, Humes Bartailed Pheasant, Indian Pied Hornbill, Jerdon's Courser, , Lammergeier, Large Falcons, Large Whistling Teal, Monal pheasant, Mountain Quail, Narcondam Hornbill, Nicobar Megapode,
Nicobar Pigeon, Osprey, Peacock-Pheasant, Peafowl or Indian Peafowl, Pinkheaded Duck, Scalter's Monal Pheasant, Siberian White Crane, Tibetan Snowcock, Tragopan-Pheasant, Whitebellied Sea Eagle, White-eared Pheasant, White Spoonbill, and Whitewinged Wood Duck.
Jerdon's Courser or Double Banded Courser
is a globally threatened species listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red
List, one of seven Critically Endangered species in India, where it is endemic. It was thought to be extinct until rediscovered in Andhra Pradesh in 1986. Though the bird is nocturnal, it is not very shy. It is attracted by imitating calls. A very small
vulnerable population remains restricted to a small area of the state.
The photograph on the right was taken by amateur photographer Mr. Vinod Goswamy, Executive at Exotic Journeys(P) Ltd, New Delhi on 9th Sep1994.
In his "Book of Indian Birds" Salim Ali describes the bird as having the size of a partridge and lapwing like in its looks. ( The drawing on the left is from the book).
The book describes the bird's distribution thus:
Indigenous to peninsular India though its nearest relations are African. Only known from the Godavari Valley in Andhra. First discovered in 1848; last authentic record
in 1900. After careful research rediscovered on 12 January, 1986 at Lankamalai Sanctuary, Cuddapah District, Andhra Pradesh.
Although Jerdon's courser is now seen relatively regularly at a few sites, little is known of its ecology, habitat use, or numbers and distribution. A research project,
funded by the Darwin Initiative is being undertaken by the Bombay Natural History Society, with help from the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department.
For attempting to see this bird, one may contact the Chief Wildlife Warden of Hyderabad.
For more information on the current status of the bird you can contact
Bird Life Society of Andhra Pradesh
P.O Box 45, Banjara Hills P.O
Hyderabad
( Contibuted by
Mr. G.T Ramani
)