Latest revision as of 19:15, 20 November 2025

[edit] Habitat

[edit] Sighted at 6500 feet in Bageshwar/ 2024

Yogesh Nagarkoti TNN, Oct 5, 2024: The Times of India

Bageshwar : A rare sighting of a peacock in the mountainous regions of Bageshwar in the Kumaon Himalayas has baffled wildlife experts as the bird is usually found in lowland forests and warmer plains. Experts said peacocks are usually found at altitudes up to around 1,600 feet above sea level. However, this week, it was spotted in a forest near Bageshwar, which has an elevation of around 6,500 feet, making the bird’s presence here an unusual occurrence.


Locals first noticed the presence of the bird in Kafligair (5,200 feet), around 30km from Bageshwar, where a peacock was sighted two months ago. The forest dept thereafter set up camera traps to monitor the area and gather more information about its presence.


Experts are probing whether this is an isolated event or part of a broader environmental shift, indicative of the impact of climate change on wildlife. Wildlife researchers say that the sighting can be a possible indicator of ecological changes affecting animal migration and habitats.


B S Adhikari, a scientist from the Wildlife Institute of India, said, “This is no doubt an abnormal event. Peacocks are known to reside in plains and forested areas. Their presence in mountainous regions may indicate climate or environmental changes, which requires detailed investigation.”


Shyam Singh Karayat, a ranger with the Bageshwar forest department, added, “Due to shifts in weather patterns and habitat changes, animals are beginning to venture into new territories.”

[edit] Lesser Floricans (Sypheotides indicus)/ grass peacocks=

[edit] As of 2025

Shivani.Azad, Oct 18, 2025: The Times of India

Dehradun : The population of Lesser Floricans (Sypheotides indicus), commonly known as “grass peacocks,” has declined drastically, with researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimating the global count at only around 150–200 birds. The estimate follows sightings of just 19 male Floricans in Gujarat and Rajasthan during the peak breeding season this Aug. Known for their spectacular monsoon courtship dance, the birds are rapidly disappearing from their traditional grassland habitats, researchers said.


The figure is still being verified through ongoing analysis, but scientists said that since all three surveys conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2025 covered the same month, season, and sites, the results are comparable and support this estimate.


“We conducted surveys in Rajasthan and Gujarat because earlier studies showed breeding populations there, and the findings are alarming. We saw only 19 birds in six grids across the two states, which is very low for a critically-endangered species. The species urgently needs focused conservation interventions, including habitat restoration and possible captive breeding, before it meets the fate of the Great Indian Bustard,” said Mohib Uddin, a WII researcher who has been studying the bird for a decade. He presented the findings on Day 2 of WII’s 36th Annual Research Seminar (ARS) on Wednesday.


“They are highly elusive birds and a lekking species — they perform swayamvar-like displays during the monsoon. The males dance for hours, leaping dramatically in the grass to attract females and that’s when we track them,” he added. 
The bird’s population has plummeted by over 80% in the last 36 years — from 4,374 individuals in 1982 to around 800 in 2018. Researchers estimated populations of 4,374 in 1982, 1,672 in 1989, 2,206 in 1994, 3,530 in 1999, 2,200 in 2006, and 800 in 2018. 


The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) placed the species on its Red List as “Critically Endangered” in 1994 due to its rapid decline. It was later changed to “Endangered,” but following another fall in numbers, it was reassessed as “Critically Endangered” again in 2021.


Scientists said the species’ breeding and non-breeding habitats were originally semi-arid grasslands. However, expanding agriculture, mining, and overgrazing have altered these landscapes. As aresult, the birds have shifted to cropland ecosystems, attempting to coexist with farming communities, but mechanical farming has become a major threat, often destroying nests, eggs, chicks, and even adults as machinery cuts through fields.


Another major concern, Uddin said, is the low nest survival rate of just 27%. “As the bird hides in the fields instead of fleeing, it gets cut by machines —males, females, eggs, chicks — all are affected, since manual farming no longer happens,” he said. “Power lines, agricultural fencing, and stray dogs are also major threats,” Uddin added.


To better understand the species and strengthen conservation efforts, scientists conducted telemetry studies on 12 individuals (nine males and three females). The research offered critical insights into their wintering habitats, movement patterns, and threats. 


“In mid-Oct, they start moving to their non-breeding grounds after travelling around 1,500km from Ajmer to the Deccan. Their wintering sites include Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. The tagged birds bred in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Bihar, and also used Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during migration. Interestingly, they flew only at night.

During migration, they moved an average of 20–27km daily, but in some cases, covered over 200km in a single night,” said Uddin. 


Adult birds also face high mortality rates. “They have only a 53% annual adult survival rate, which is quite low for such a critically endangered species,” he said.


Scientists added that females are extremely elusive and rarely visible once they land. “They are highly sensitive to disturbance, and their eggs are camouflaged. Due to Juliflora infestation in grasslands, these birds are shifting to agricultural fields, where the threat is even greater,” said Uddin.


A conservation breeding programme has been established in Ajmer as insurance against total extinction in the wild. The facility includes bird cages, incubation rooms, and chick-rearing areas. “We have ten birds so far — six females and four males. We’ve learned that breeding and rearing Lesser Floricans is extremely difficult, but we are developing husbandry and breeding protocols. One of the males has even shown breeding behaviour,” Uddin said.


So far, there are about 3,000 students and 2,500 residents living near nesting sites have been educated about the species and the urgency of saving it.

[edit] Protocol for burial

[edit] Trricolour bural?

Jasjeev.Gandhiok |Cops give tricolour burial to peacock, say it’s protocol | 8 May 2018| The Times of India

Protocol reserved till now for the funerals of martyred Army personnel and national figures was extended to a peacock in the capital. On 7 May 2018, the Delhi Police wrapped the dead bird in tricolour before burying it in a wooden box.

The cops had rescued the peacock from a road outside the high court, but the bird later succumbed to its injuries. Police said they were simply following “protocol” as it was India’s national bird.

“We gave it full honour and buried it with a tricolour as it is our national bird. This is the protocol and we will follow it in the future if another such peacock comes in our custody,” said an officer at the Tilak Marg police station.

Wildlife activists said the funeral may have violated the Wildlife Act since peacock was a schedule-I bird.

The peacock was buried in Jaunapur, south Delhi, after a postmortem

Experts say there’s no protocol to bury bird, cops violated wildlife law

The police station had on 8 May 2018 received a call an injured peacock was lying outside gate number five of Delhi high court. The bird was taken to the Jain Bird Hospital in Chandni Chowk, where it was declared brought dead. Police said they then took the bird to a hospital in Jaunapur, south Delhi, for postmortem and conducted a burial in Jaunapur itself in the presence of a forest official.

“We are yet to know the cause of the death as the postmortem report will come next week, but it is suspected that the bird may have got injured after falling from a tree,” the officer said. Sunil Jain, manager at the Jain Bird hospital, said they receive an average of 10 peacock cases each month. Some suffer a heatstroke while others get injured due to dog bites or by traffic.

Experts TOI spoke to however said no such protocol existed and the activity may have been in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which states that schedule I animals found dead were state property and a burial or cremation could only be carried out by the state forest department after a postmortem. Animal activist Gauri Maulekhi said she had written a letter to the forest department last month after a dead peacock was reported at the Janakpuri police station on April 16.

“This is in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act as no NGO or police even can get a postmortem conducted or bury the animal. It needs to be handed over to forest department who are required to either cremate or bury the animal themselves to ensure no parts are smuggled. The correct protocol is not being followed in the case of peacock deaths and I have written to the forest department asking them to inform each police station on the procedure or to either empower them under section 55(b) of the act,” said Maulekhi.