Sypheotides indicus
The Lesser Florican, *Sypheotides indicus*, is a critically endangered bustard known for its spectacular aerial courtship display. Males in breeding plumage are strikingly distinctive, featuring a glossy black head, neck, and underparts, contrasted by a prominent white patch extending from the eye and delicate, upward-curving white plumes that emerge from behind the ear coverts. Their upperparts are mottled buff-brown with intricate V-shaped markings, and a white patch is visible on the wings...
Found primarily in tall grasslands, open thorn scrub, and rain-fed cultivation areas, typically in lowland plains.
Mainly insectivorous, consuming a wide range of insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars; supplements with seeds, shoots, and berries.
Lesser Floricans are largely diurnal and incredibly secretive, spending most of their time hidden in dense grass. They forage by walking slowly, pecking insects and seeds from the ground. During the breeding season, males establish individual display territories, forming a dispersed lek system, a...
Historically, the Lesser Florican was widespread across the vast grasslands of the Indian subcontinent. Today, its breeding range is severely fragmented and drastically contracted, primarily confined to specific pockets within western and central India, including parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madh...
Critically Endangered
- Male Lesser Floricans perform one of the most spectacular aerial courtship displays in the bird world, leaping up to 3 meters high to attract mates. - They are endemic to the Indian subcontinent, found nowhere else in the world. - The species is critically endangered, facing severe population d...