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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Status of the Critically Endangered Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789) in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal Hem Sagar Baral, Tek Raj Bhat, Sailendra Raj Giri, Ashok Kumar Ram, Shyam Kumar Shah, Laxman Prasad Poudyal, Dhiraj Chaudhary, Gitanjali Bhatacharya & Rajan Amin 26 June 2020 | Vol. 12 | No. 9 | Pages: 16006–16012 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4832.12.9.16006-16012 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2020 | 12(9): 16006–16012 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4832.12.9.16006-16012 #4832 | Received 18 January 2019 | Final received 24 March 2020 | Finally accepted 29 May 2020 C o m m Status of the Critcally Endangered Bengal Florican u n i Houbaropsis bengalensis (Gmelin, 1789) in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal c a 1 2 3 4 5 t Hem Sagar Baral , Tek Raj Bhat , Sailendra Raj Giri , Ashok Kumar Ram , Shyam Kumar Shah , i Laxman Prasad Poudyal 6 , Dhiraj Chaudhary 7 , Gitanjali Bhatacharya 8 & Rajan Amin 9 o n 1,2,3 Zoological Society of London Nepal Ofce, PO Box 5867, Kathmandu, Nepal. 4,5,6 Department of Natonal Parks and Wildlife Conservaton, PO Box 860, Babarmahal, Kathmandu, Nepal. 8,9 Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UK. 1 School of Environmental Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Albury-Wodonga, New South Wales, Australia. 7 Himalayan Nature, PO Box 10918, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected], 6 [email protected], 7 [email protected], 8 [email protected], 9 [email protected] Abstract: The Bengal Florican is one of the rarest bustard species and is listed ‘Critcally Endangered’ by the IUCN. The species is restricted to the lowland grasslands of India, Nepal, and Cambodia with fewer than 1,000 mature individuals. To assess the species status in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal, we repeated our frst comprehensive survey conducted during the 2012 breeding season. In spite of a larger area coverage we recorded only 41 adult Bengal Floricans in 2017 compared to 47 individuals in 2012. Detectability of this rare species is low in its Imperata-Saccharum grasslands. We, therefore, used a long pole with black and white clothing to mimic Bengal Florican’s display fight to stmulate male Bengal Florican. The number of adult males recorded was the same as in the 2012 survey and the adult male density remains one of the highest in the Indian subcontnent. Management recommendatons for the long-term conservaton of the species in Koshi Tappu include maintenance of Imperata-Saccharum grasslands in the reserve favoured by the Bengal Florican and working with farmers and communites adjacent to the reserve where the birds breed in order to maintain some agricultural lands with vegetaton height suitable for the species especially during the species’ breeding season. Keywords: Otdiformes, Otdidae, bustard, abundance, terai grasslands, bird, fagship species, threats. Abbreviatons: CITES—Conventon on Internatonal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | GPS—Global Positoning System IUCN—Internatonal Union for Conservaton of Nature | NGOs—Non-Governmental Organisatons. v/d'h'/ ljZjd} clt ;+s6fkGg cj:yfdf /x]sf] nf]kf]Gd'v a:68{ hfltsf] r/f xf] . of] k|hflt g]kfn, ef/t / blIf0fL OG8f]rfOgfsf] sd prfO{+df ePsf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿df ;Lldt 5 . xfn ef/tLo pkdxflåk / sDaf]l8ofsf] 6f]Gn] ;fk tfnsf 3fF;]d}bfg If]qx¿df !))) eGbf sd jo:s v/d'h'/ /x]sf] cg'dfg ul/Psf] 5 . ;g\ @)!@ df sf]zL 6Kk' If]qdf o; k|hfltsf] j[xt ;j]{If0f ul/Psf] lyof] . ;f]xL ljlw ckgfP/ of] ;j]{If0f ;DkGg ul/Psf] xf] . o; ;j]{If0fdf klxn]sf] eGbf a9L If]q cf]ul6Psf] eP klg klxn] -$& j6f_ eGbf clxn] -$! j6f_ sd jo:s v/d'h'/x¿ e]l6of] . cUnf 3fF; k|hflt / logsf] nhfn' :jefjn] ubf{ ;j]{If0fsf a]nf of] k|hflt ;lhn} b]lvof]; eGg] x]t'n] n's]sf 7fpFaf6 aflx/ lgsfNg nfdf] n¶Lsf] 6'Kkfdf k|0fosf a]nf gfRg] v/d'h'/em}+ efg x'g] sfnf];]tf] Wjhfsf] d2t lnOof] . s'n ;+Vof 36]tf klg of] ;j]{If0fdf klg klxn]sf] ;j]{If0fdf hltg} jo:s efn] v/d'h'/x¿ b]lvP . sf]zL 6Kk' If]qdf e]l6Psf] jo:s efn] v/d'h'/sf] 3gTj ef/tLo pkdxflåks} pRr dWo]sf] xf] . af;:yfgsf ?kdf /x]sf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿ ljgfz x'b} hfg' / afFsL /x]sf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿df klg Joj:yfkgsf cg'ko'Qm tl/sf ckgfOg'sf sf/0f jf;:yfgsf] u'0f:t/df Xf; x'g' v/d'h'/sf nflu k|d'v r'gf}tLsf ?kdf /x]sf 5g\ . v/d'h'/sf] lbuf] ;+/If0fsf nflu ;+/lIft If]qx¿df o; k|hfltnfO{ pko'Qm 3fF;]d}bfg Joj:yfkg ug'{sf ;fy;fy} ;+/lIft If]q cf;kf;sf :yfgLo ;d'bfo / s[ifsx¿;Fu ;xsfo{ u/L o; k|hfltsf] af;:yfgsf] plrt ;+/If0f, ljz]ift aRRffsf]/Ng] ;dodf, ug'{ kg]{ s'/f o; j}1flgs kqdf pNn]v ul/Psf] 5 . Editor: Anonymity requested. Date of publicaton: 26 June 2020 (online & print) v/d'h'/ ljZjd} clt ;+s6fkGg cj:yfdf /x]sf] nf]kf]Gd'v a:68{ hfltsf] r/f xf] . of] k|hflt g]kfn, ef/t / blIf0fL OG8f]rfOgfsf] sd prfO{+df ePsf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿df ;Lldt 5 . xfn ef/tLo pkdxflåk / sDaf]l8ofsf] Citaton:6f]Gn] ;fk Baral,tfnsf 3fF;]d}bfg H.S., T.R. If]qx Bhat,¿df !))) S.R. eGbf Giri, sd A.K.jo:s Ram, v/d'h'/ S.K. /x]sf] Shah, cg'dfg L.P. ul/Psf] Poudyal, 5 . ;g \ D.@)!@ Chaudhary, df sf]zL 6Kk' G.If]qdf Bhatacharya o; k|hfltsf] j[xt & ;j]{If0fR. Amin ul/Psf] (2020). lyof] . ;f]xLStatus ljlw ofckgfP/ the Critcallyof] ;j]{If0f ;DkGg Endangered ul/Psf] Bengalxf] . o; Florican ;j]{If0fdf klxn]sf]Houbaropsis eGbf a9L bengalensisIf]q cf]ul6Psf] eP (Gmelin, klg klxn] 1789)-$& j6f_ in eGbf Koshi clxn Tappu] -$! j6f_ Wildlife sd jo:s Reserve, v/d'h'/x ¿Nepal. e]l6of] .Journal cUnf 3fF; of k|hflt Threatened / logsf] nhfn' Taxa :jefjn] 12(9): ubf{ 16006–16012 ;j]{If0fsf a]nf of]. k|hflthtps://doi. ;lhn} org/10.11609/jot.b]lvof]; eGg] x]t'n] n's]sf4832 7fpFaf6.12 .aflx/9.16006-16012 lgsfNg nfdf] n¶Lsf] 6'Kkfdf k|0fosf a]nf gfRg] v/d'h'/em}+ efg x'g] sfnf];]tf] Wjhfsf] d2t lnOof] . s'n ;+Vof 36]tf klg of] ;j]{If0fdf klg klxn]sf] ;j]{If0fdf hltg} jo:s efn] v/d'h'/x¿ b]lvP . sf]zL 6Kk' If]qdf e]l6Psf] jo:s efn] v/d'h'/sf] 3gTj ef/tLo pkdxflåks} pRr dWo]sf] xf] . af;:yfgsf ?kdf /x]sf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿ ljgfz x'b} hfg' / afFsL /x]sf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿df klg Joj:yfkgsf Copyright:cg'ko'Qm tl/sf © BaralckgfOg'sf et al.sf/0f 2020 jf;:yfgsf]. Creatve u'0f:t/df Commons Xf; x'g' v/d'h'/ Atributonsf nflu 4.0k|d'v Internatonalr'gf}tLsf ?kdf /x]sf License. 5g\ . v/d'h'/ JoTTsf] allows lbuf] ;+/If0fsf unrestricted nflu ;+/lIft use, If]qx reproducton,¿df o; k|hfltnfO{ and pko'Qm distributon 3fF;]d}bfg Joj:yfkg of this ug'{sfartcle in ;fy;fy}any medium ;+/lIft If]q by cf;kf;sf providing :yfgLo adequate ;d'bfo / credits[ifsx¿; toFu the;xsfo{ author(s) u/L o; k|hfltsf] and the af;:yfgsf] source plrtof publicaton. ;+/If0f, ljz]ift aRRffsf]/Ng] ;dodf, ug'{ kg]{ s'/f o; j}1flgs kqdf pNn]v ul/Psf] 5 . Funding: Department of Natonal Parks and Wildlife Conservaton, Himalayan Nature, ZSL. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. v/d'h'/ ljZjd} clt ;+s6fkGg cj:yfdf /x]sf] nf]kf]Gd'v a:68{ hfltsf] r/f xf] . of] k|hflt g]kfn, ef/t / blIf0fL OG8f]rfOgfsf] sd prfO{+df ePsf 3fF;]d}bfgx¿df ;Lldt 5 . xfn ef/tLo pkdxflåk / sDaf]l8ofsf] 6f]Gn] ;fk tfnsf 3fF;]d}bfg If]qx¿df For!))) 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