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Breeding performance of the Indian sarus crane in the agricultural landscape of western India

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Abstract

The breeding performance of the Indian sarus crane Grus antigone antigone Linn. was studied in the agricultural landscape of western India during 1996–1998. Detailed records of 70 nests were maintained from egg laying till fledging. At least one chick hatched from 50 clutches (71.43%). Nineteen clutches (27.14%) were destroyed due to various factors, but at least 7 pairs re-nested. Egg mortality was mainly due to flooding (7.35%), predation (11.03%) and conflict with farmers (8.09%). Chick mortality due to predation was 8.24% and to unknown factors was 30%. Number of chicks hatched and number fledged did not differ significantly in different microhabitats. Average breeding success was 25.74%. Breeding success was comparatively lower in paddy crop fields than in other microhabitats due to human disturbance and higher predation risk. The juveniles formed only 10.14% of the total sarus sighted during the post-breeding period. An increasing conflict of sarus crane with the farmers in the agricultural landscape is a matter of concern for sarus crane conservation. The economic loss due to nesting in the crop field, if compensated, will help in sarus crane conservation.

Introduction

The Indian sarus crane Grus antigone antigone (Linn.) is the only resident breeding crane in western India (Ali and Ripley, 1983). It is chiefly distributed in few northern states of India. It has been extirpated from larger portions of its historic range and continues to decline in areas where it still exists. Gole (1989) estimated only 13 000 sarus cranes in the country. In Gujarat state, it is concentrated in Kheda and Ahmedabad districts. In 1989, its population size in the Kheda district was estimated to be 1508 (Parasharya et al., 2000), however, it was reduced to 573 in 1998 (Mukherjee et al., 2001). Due to rapidly declining population and several other threats, the species is considered as globally threatened (Meine and Archibald, 1996).

A few studies on the breeding ecology of the sarus crane have been carried out recently, and several threats to the sarus crane population are projected (Walkinshaw, 1973, Kulshrestha and Vyas, 1989, Gole, 1991, Ramachandran and Vijayan, 1994, Parasharya et al., 1996, Borad et al., 2001a, Borad et al., 2001c). In the paddy crop agro-ecosystem, it preferred the non-cultivable agricultural marshland as a nest site (Borad et al., 2001c). A hidden conflict with the farmers was considered as a major factor behind its population decline in the Kheda district, Gujarat (Parasharya et al., 1996, Borad et al., 2001a). To quantify the conflict of farmer with the sarus crane and it's impact on the population and to draw management strategies for this threatened species, we studied the breeding performance of the sarus crane in the agricultural landscape of western India.

Section snippets

Study site and survey

The study was carried during June to December 1996–1998 in the Kheda district of Gujarat state in western India. The breeding season of the sarus crane extended from the second week of June to the second week of October with a peak during the last week of August and first two weeks of September. Total annual rainfall was 897, 1219 and 557 mm during 1996, 1997 and 1998, respectively, mainly during June to September.

The nesting sites were broadly classified into (I) agricultural marshland and

Nest account

Detailed records of 70 nests were maintained from egg laying till fledging. The data incorporated in Table 1 show details of breeding performance. From 50 clutches (71.43%), at least one chick hatched whereas 19 clutches (27.14%) were destroyed due to various factors. One complete clutch failed to hatch. Out of the 19 clutches destroyed, at least seven pairs re-nested. Since the breeding performance of re-nesting pairs was calculated separately, such cases were not considered here.

Egg mortality

A total 136

Nest account

The 70 nests studied were those which we found and survived for a few days or for the entire length of incubation. There could be many nests which were destroyed in the initial stages of construction or egg laying which were never recorded. We had seen some farmers scaring pairs establishing nesting territory in crop fields. In one case, a farmer prevented a pair from nesting in his field by installing plastic flags on the border of the crop and tying string on the border of the crop and on the

Conclusion

The sarus crane has occupied agricultural landscape of western India and it successfully breeds in paddy crop agro-ecosystem. The paddy fields being temporary wetland provide both feeding and breeding requirements to the crane. The mortality factors of eggs and chicks were unique in the agricultural landscape. The breeding success of the sarus crane in the agricultural landscape of western India was as good as any other cranes of the world breeding in protected wetland. The sarus crane has

Acknowledgements

The financial support received from Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi through an ad-hoc project on wetland birds is duly acknowledged.

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