Lesser Florican – Ajmer

We normally hear about falls in the number of wild animals or birds due to loss or deterioration of their habitat, but a recent survey of Lesser Florican populations in the Ajmer District shows a surprising increase in their number. This rare bird is found in the western parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and central and northern parts of Gujarat. During the last few years, a sharp fall in their number was observed in all the areas except the Velavader area of Gujarat. The reason is the loss of their habitat, i.e. grasslands and Urad (black gram) fields. Private grasslands were converted to cultivated fields due to the ever-increasing demand for food grains. The cultivation of Urad was replaced by the cultivation of soybeans and other cereals. Government grasslands are mostly of poor quality and not much liked by the birds. The bird depends on larvae and insects found in fields and grasslands. The use of chemical pesticides in field crops badly affects them. Soya beans need frequent spraying of these chemicals resulting in loss of bird population. In the Sonkhaliya area of Ajmer farmers were growing gram. Due to poor rains, gram cultivation was not economical. Therefore the farmers were advised by the Agriculture Department to shift to Mung cultivation. which takes only 60 days. Mung crop needs much less spray of chemical pesticides and is less damaging to birds. Mung cultivation in this area has been observed since 2005. One can see huge areas under Mung cultivation in Sonkhaliya and adjoining villages.

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