~BENGAL FLORICAN~
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Houbaropsis (Sharpe, 1893)
Species: bengalensis
Occurence:
The Bengal Florican, Houbaropsis bengalensis, is a large terestrial omnivorous bird that nests on the gruond, the only member of the genus Houbaropsis. It has two disjunct populations, one in the Indian subcontinent, another in South East Asia. The former occurs from Uttar Pradesh, India, through the terai of Nepal, to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, India, and historically to Bangladesh.
Description:
The male has black from head to neck and underparts. Upperparts are buff with fine black vermiculations and black arrowhead markings, and it has a conspicuous white patch on the wing coverts. Females are larger than the male and have a buff brown colour, with a dark brown crown and narrow dark streak down the side of the neck. Larger and stockier than lesser florican, with broad head and thicker neck.
Conservation status:
It is declining dramatically and only survives in small, highly fragmented populations (220-280 birds in India and up to 100 in Nepal). Consequently, it is uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List. It is also listed in CITES Appendix I. It is usually poached for its feathers and for meat.
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