Sarus Crane: Life in human-dominated landscape

Abstract

The Sarus Crane Grus antigone is one of culturally important birds of India, living in human-dominated landscapes mainly due to the tolerance of the general public. It is dependent on seasonally occurring small shallow wetlands called jheels for foraging and breeding. These jheels are under tremendous biotic pressures mainly due to expansion of agriculture and urbanization. Climate change and unpredictable monsoons are putting additional pressures on the Sarus habitat. New threats in the form of free-ranging dogs, expansion of fisheries/water-chestnut cultivation, plastic pollution, and over-head transmission wires have emerged which may impact the Sarus populations. The paper discusses the life of Sarus Crane in human-dominated landscape of central Uttar Pradesh, India.