Anthropoides Virgo Research Articles

Integrated Assessment of Survival, Movement, and Reproduction in Migratory Birds: A Study on Evaluating Reinforcement Success.

Conservation managers increasingly employ reinforcement techniques to bolster declining populations by reintroducing non-wild individuals born in captivity into natural habitats, but success rates remain modest. In this study, the success is evaluated of reinforcement efforts using satellite tracking and field observation data collected between 2010 and 2021. It focuses on 13 non-wild individuals, as follows: seven red-crowned cranes Grus japonensis, two white-naped cranes Antigone vipio, and four demoiselle cranes Anthropoides virgo, as well as five wild individuals including two red-crowned cranes and three white-naped cranes. The assessment criteria included survival, movement, and reproduction, utilizing a comprehensive scoring method. The scoring process indicates that more timely field observation records and the movement pattern scoring combining models and trajectories can improve the accuracy of estimation. From the results, although wild individuals generally achieve higher scores across these metrics, statistical differences were not significant possibly due to limited sample size. Notably, non-wild individuals frequently displayed residence, nomadic, or abnormal migration. In addition, field observations underscored the benefits of pairing non-wild individuals with their wild counterparts to enhance migration success. So in order to enhance migration success, it is advisable to release non-wild individuals approaching sexual maturity in proximity to wild subadult flocks during the breeding or summering periods. Additionally, during the overwintering phase, these individuals should be released in areas where wild populations are concentrated.

Avian Density and Diversity in Lunkaransar Lake, Rajasthan, India

Saltwater Lunkaransar which is known for mostly two things firstly the ruler of Bikaner Lunkaran and further for its Bird diversity, This is a year round investigation held monthly which mainly aims to identify the Avian Diversity and the number of Bird present in this region. Bird identified in an area of 100 square meter, A lot of birds travel to this region are migratory which are mostly seen in winter. Beside the fact that the Lake is salty this has no impact on its Bird Diversity, this makes this particular region a hotspot for Bird Watchers. One Such bird is (Kurja) Demoiselle Crane which migrates from Central Eurasia in the number of thousands, This study is based on identifying Bird density and diversity in Lunkaransar Lake, Rajasthan.

Migratory birds modulate niche tradeoffs in rhythm with seasons and life history

Movement is a key means by which animals cope with variable environments. As they move, animals construct individual niches composed of the environmental conditions they experience. Niche axes may vary over time and covary with one another as animals make tradeoffs between competing needs. Seasonal migration is expected to produce substantial niche variation as animals move to keep pace with major life history phases and fluctuations in environmental conditions. Here, we apply a time-ordered principal component analysis to examine dynamic niche variance and covariance across the annual cycle for four species of migratory crane: common crane (Grus grus, n = 20), demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo, n = 66), black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis, n = 9), and white-naped crane (Grus vipio, n = 9). We consider four key niche components known to be important to aspects of crane natural history: enhanced vegetation index (resources availability), temperature (thermoregulation), crop proportion (preferred foraging habitat), and proximity to water (predator avoidance). All species showed a primary seasonal niche "rhythm" that dominated variance in niche components across the annual cycle. Secondary rhythms were linked to major species-specific life history phases (migration, breeding, and nonbreeding) as well as seasonal environmental patterns. Furthermore, we found that cranes' experiences of the environment emerge from time-dynamic tradeoffs among niche components. We suggest that our approach to estimating the environmental niche as a multidimensional and time-dynamical system of tradeoffs improves mechanistic understanding of organism-environment interactions.

The Feature of the Use by the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides Virgo, Linneaus 1758) the European Part of the Range in the Spring-Summer and the Pre-Migratory Periods

The Feature of the Use by the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides Virgo, Linneaus 1758) the European Part of the Range in the Spring-Summer and the Pre-Migratory Periods

Assessment of Suitable Habitat of the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo) in the Wake of Climate Change: A Study of Its Wintering Refugees in Pakistan.

The inevitable impacts of climate change have reverberated across ecosystems and caused substantial global biodiversity loss. Climate-induced habitat loss has contributed to range shifts at both species and community levels. Given the importance of identifying suitable habitats for at-risk species, it is imperative to assess potential current and future distributions, and to understand influential environmental factors. Like many species, the Demoiselle crane is not immune to climatic pressures. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in Pakistan are known wintering grounds for this species. Given that Pakistan is among the top five countries facing devastating effects of climate change, this study sought to conduct species distribution modeling under climate change using data collected during 4 years of field surveys. We developed a Maximum Entropy distribution model to predict the current and projected future distribution of the species across the study area. Future habitat projections for 2050 and 2070 were carried out using two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) under three global circulation models, including HADGEM2-AO, BCC-CSM1-1, and CCSM4. The most influential factors shaping Demoiselle Crane habitat suitability included the temperature seasonality, annual mean temperature, terrain ruggedness index, and human population density, all of which contributed significantly to the suitability (81.3%). The model identified 35% of the study area as moderately suitable (134,068 km2) and highly suitable (27,911 km2) habitat for the species under current climatic conditions. Under changing climate scenarios, our model predicted a major loss of the species' current suitable habitat, with shrinkage and shift towards western-central areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan boarder. The RCP 8.5, which is the extreme climate change scenario, portrays particularly severe consequences, with habitat losses reaching 65% in 2050 and 85% in 2070. This comprehensive study provides useful insights into the Demoiselle Crane habitat's current and future dynamics in Pakistan.

BirdCollect: A Comprehensive Benchmark for Analyzing Dense Bird Flock Attributes

Automatic recognition of bird behavior from long-term, un controlled outdoor imagery can contribute to conservation efforts by enabling large-scale monitoring of bird populations. Current techniques in AI-based wildlife monitoring have focused on short-term tracking and monitoring birds individually rather than in species-rich flocks. We present Bird-Collect, a comprehensive benchmark dataset for monitoring dense bird flock attributes. It includes a unique collection of more than 6,000 high-resolution images of Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo) feeding and nesting in the vicinity of Khichan region of Rajasthan. Particularly, each image contains an average of 190 individual birds, illustrating the complex dynamics of densely populated bird flocks on a scale that has not previously been studied. In addition, a total of 433 distinct pictures captured at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur provide a comprehensive representation of 34 distinct bird species belonging to various taxonomic groups. These images offer details into the diversity and the behaviour of birds in vital natural ecosystem along the migratory flyways. Additionally, we provide a set of 2,500 point-annotated samples which serve as ground truth for benchmarking various computer vision tasks like crowd counting, density estimation, segmentation, and species classification. The benchmark performance for these tasks highlight the need for tailored approaches for specific wildlife applications, which include varied conditions including views, illumination, and resolutions. With around 46.2 GBs in size encompassing data collected from two distinct nesting ground sets, it is the largest birds dataset containing detailed annotations, showcasing a substantial leap in bird research possibilities. We intend to publicly release the dataset to the research community. The database is available at: https://iab-rubric.org/resources/wildlife-dataset/birdcollect

Comparative analysis of the gut bacteria and fungi in migratory demoiselle cranes (Grus virgo) and common cranes (Grus grus) in the Yellow River Wetland, China.

Gut microbiota are closely related to the nutrition, immunity, and metabolism of the host and play important roles in maintaining the normal physiological activities of animals. Cranes are important protected avian species in China, and they are sensitive to changes in the ecological environment and are thus good environmental indicators. There have been no reports examining gut fungi or the correlation between bacteria and fungi in wild Demoiselle cranes (Grus virgo) and Common cranes (Grus grus). Related research can provide a foundation for the protection of rare wild animals. 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing techniques were used to analyze the gut bacterial and fungal diversity of Common and Demoiselle cranes migrating to the Yellow River wetland in Inner Mongolia. The results revealed that for gut bacteria α diversity, Chao1 index in Demoiselle cranes was remarkably higher than that in Common cranes (411.07 ± 79.54 vs. 294.92 ± 22.38), while other index had no remarkably differences. There was no remarkable difference in fungal diversity. There were marked differences in the gut microbial composition between the two crane species. At the phylum level, the highest abundance of bacteria in the Common crane and Demoiselle crane samples was Firmicutes, accounting for 87.84% and 74.29%, respectively. The highest abundance of fungi in the guts of the Common and Demoiselle cranes was Ascomycota, accounting for 69.42% and 57.63%, respectively. At the genus level, the most abundant bacterial genus in the Common crane sample was Turicibacter (38.60%), and the most abundant bacterial genus in the Demoiselle crane sample was Catelicoccus (39.18%). The most abundant fungi in the Common crane sample was Penicillium (6.97%), and the most abundant fungi in the Demoiselle crane sample was Saccharomyces (8.59%). Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant correlation between gut bacteria and fungi. This study provided a research basis for the protection of cranes. Indeed, a better understanding of the gut microbiota is very important for the conservation and management of wild birds, as it not only helps us to understand their life history and related mechanisms, but also can hinder the spread of pathogenic microorganisms.

Comparative Analysis of the Behavior of the Common Crane (Grus grus) and Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo) (Gruidae, Aves) during Their Premigration Period

Comparative Analysis of the Behavior of the Common Crane (Grus grus) and Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo) (Gruidae, Aves) during Their Premigration Period

Satellite Telemetry Insights into the Winter Habitat Use and Movement Ecology of Common and Demoiselle Cranes

Using satellite telemetry, it is possible to track long-distance migrant birds with high accuracy and greater spatial coverage. However, prior to 2014, less than 1% of bird species in India had been monitored using this technology. Between January and February 2022, we deployed leg-mounted solar GPS/GSM satellite transmitters to Common Cranes and Demoiselle Cranes (two each) to study home ranges, movement, migration patterns, and habitat use. We used 95% kernels to define the total home range size and 50% kernels to delimit the core areas. The winter habitat use was assessed using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). The average home range of Common Cranes and Demoiselle Cranes was estimated as 161.22 ± 172.08 km2 and 971.40 ± 1023.57 km2, respectively. During migration, Common Crane-1 and Common Crane-2 traveled an average of 471.19 ± 442.42 and 176.97 ± 24.82 km per day, and Demoiselle Crane-1 and Demoiselle Crane-2 covered an average daily distance of 168.10 ± 203.77 and 192.97 ± 250.72 km, respectively. Water bodies and croplands were the most important habitat variables influencing crane presence positively. In recent years, the share of food grain crops within the study area has declined from 43% in 1994–1995 to 36% in 2014–2015, while the share of cotton crops has doubled from 11% to 20%, indicating a probable cause of concern in the near future.

POPULATION MONITORING AND MAJOR THREATS TO DEMOISELLE CRANE(GRUS VIRGO) AT LASBELA COAST, BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

The Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo) is one of the most threatened bird species in the world as it is indicated as “Least Concern” under the IUCN and Bird Life International category. To evaluate the current status and threats to G. virgo from Lasbela coast, two field stations were selected i. e, Siranda lake and Sonmiani area. Data were based on daily observation monitored during February, March, April, September, October, November, and December during 2020-2021. The line transit method and questionnaire-interview based survey was used to estimate the bird population and threats to birds population. Total of 322,143 numbers of cranes were observed in which 142700 in autumn and 179443 during spring season. Area wise distribution of cranes were detected at 271701 from Sarinda lake while, 50442 cranes were observed from Sonmiani area. It was also noted that during autumn overall 136850 cranes were observed in flying mode while 5850 were observed at resting stage, however in Spring 167330 were in flying and 12113 were at resting. Overall, high population was observed during spring season at 55.7% while population during autumn was observed at 44.29%. It was also noted that during present study the percentage of flying cranes are higher than the resting cranes and higher numbers were observed from Sarinda lake compared to Sonmiani area. This maybe because the Sarinda lake is far from city area so cranes prefer to rest compare to Sonmiani area. The hunting information was collected from local community, government agencies and personal visits at local areas. It was noted that total of 116 numbers of cranes were hunted during the study period from which 74 cranes were hunted using gunshot and 42 cranes were caught alive. Most of the hunting cranes were operated during March. We may assume that these sites (study area) are short term stay for these guest birds. However, due to certain reasons it may also be noted that flying cranes are higher than the resting cranes which shows that these sites also indicate the threats to the cranes. It may also suggest that hunting must be prohibited and Sarinda lake should be declared as Ramsar site for the conservation of migratory birds. Key words: Sarinda lake, Siberian crane, Endangered, Hunting, Lasbela, Pakistan

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PLUMAGE MASS OF THE DEMOISELLE CRANE (<i>ANTHROPOIDES VIRGO</i> L. 1758) AND THE EURASIAN CRANE (<i>GRUS GRUS</i> L. 1758) (AVES, GRUIFORMES)

The distribution of the mass of both down and down feathers along the pterilia of the Demoiselle crane and the Eurasian crane has been described for the first time. Fundamental differences in the plumage structure of these closely related species living in the summer in different climatic zones have been revealed. On the ventral side of the body of the Eurasian crane, the proportion of down and down feathers is significantly greater than on the dorsal side, whereas the proportion of the downy part of the contour feather vane is 1.5 to 2 times less. The additional down feather exceeds 2 cm, as a rule. Such a distribution of fluff ensures effective thermoregulation in this cold- and moisture-resistant species. In the Demoiselle crane, the abundance of down and down feathers on the ventral side of the body is 3 times less than on the dorsal side and 2 times less than in the Eurasian crane. On the dorsal side of the body, the proportion of fluff is almost 1.5 times greater than that of the Eurasian crane. The proportion of the downy part of the contour feather vane on feathers of different sizes on the dorsal and ventral sides is approximately the same. The contour feather contains predominantly umbilical fluff. Such a structure of the integument on the ventral side of the body allows the Demoiselle Crane, an inhabitant of hot climates, to better ventilate the thickness of the plumage and to increase the heat transfer of the body to the environment. The large proportion of downy structures on the dorsal side prevents heat from penetrating the skin.

Comparative analysis of the behavior of the Common crane (Grus grus) and Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) (Gruidae, Aves) during their pre-migration period

Studying of animal behavior is important to understand the evolution and ecology of species, as well as to develop strategies and measures to conserve rare species. Investigating the time budget of closely related species allows detecting species-specific patterns of behavior. A comparative analysis of the time budget of the Common crane (Grus grus) and Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) in their pre-migration period, during which they as a rule feed in agricultural fields, was carried out. Species differences in the foraging strategies were revealed. Demoiselle cranes forage while moving across the field while Common cranes forage while standing still. Thus, Common cranes, which traditionally use fields to feed, forage less energy-intensely than Demoiselle cranes that are a steppe species and began to use agricultural landscapes after virgin lands since the middle of the last century. Common cranes spent more time preening than Demoiselle cranes, and juveniles of both species spend less time to this activity than adults but no statistically significant differences were found. Both species spent the least time to rest and other activities.

Long-term monitoring of pelicans in National Chambal Sanctuary, India

Monitoring of Gharial Gavialis gangeticus in National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) since 1983 has resulted in collection of data on other ecological associates, located between 25.8474–26.4389 0N, 76.5645–79.2132 0E. One such beneficiary of this long term monitoring program are the pelicans, locally called ‘Hawaseel’. Pelican species visiting Chambal from November to March include the Dalmatian Pelecanus crispus, Great White Pelecanus onocrotalus, and Spot-billed Pelecanus philippensis. Species-wise separation of pelicans at the sites of congregation is often difficult. The total number of pelicans counted during the annual census from 2003 to 2016 was 4,429. The study area extends over 435 km comprising 12 study zones, 99% counts were made in the study zones X, XI and XII. These zones stretch over 115 km that occur near the confluence of Chambal with river Yamuna. Here, the river is deep. Other large birds seen with the pelican squadrons are groups of Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Nakta or Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos, and the Greylag Goose Anser anser. Other large birds seen on the riverbanks were the Common Crane Grus grus, Sarus Crane Grus antigon, Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus species, and Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo. The study provides a baseline about the population of pelicans and the availability of large wetland birds in NCS. The biodiversity significance of NCS got highlighted because of the ongoing gharial conservation programme. The Chambal River Sanctuary is a composite unit of several un-notified ‘core areas’. The sanctuary fulfills six of the nine criteria for possible consideration as an international Ramsar Wetland.

Spatio-temporal distribution & seasonality of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 & H5N8 outbreaks in India, 2006-2021.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and H5N8 viruses have been one of the leading causes of avian diseases worldwide, resulting in severe economic losses and posing potential zoonotic risk. There are no reports on the correlation of the seasonality of H5N1 and H5N8 viruses with the migratory bird season in India, along with the species affected. The present report describes the distribution and seasonality of HPAI outbreaks in India from 2006 to 2021. The data on the occurrence and locations of outbreaks in India and affected bird species were collated from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations database and grouped by month and year. The distribution and seasonality of HPAI H5N1 and H5N8 viruses were analyzed. A total of 284 H5N1 outbreaks were reported since 2006, with a surge in 2021. The initial outbreaks of H5N1 were predominantly in poultry. Since 2016, 57 outbreaks of H5N8 were also reported, predominantly in wild birds. Most of the outbreaks of HPAI were reported from post monsoon onwards till pre-summer season (i.e. between October and March) with their peak in winter, in January. Apart from poultry, the bird species such as owl, Indian peafowl, lesser adjutant, crows and wild migratory birds such as demoiselle crane, northern pintail and bar-headed goose were positive for HPAI. Such studies on the seasonality of HPAI outbreaks would help in the development of prevention and control strategies. The recent human infections of H5N1 and H9N2 viruses highlight the need to strengthen surveillance in wild, resident, migratory birds and in poultry along with One Health studies in India.

Миграции красавки (Anthropoides virgo) и тибетского серого журавля (Grus grus korelovi) в Казахстане

Modern data on the migration of the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo), nesting in Kazakhstan and adjacent territories in Russia, and the Tibetan Common Crane (Grus grus korelovi), inhabiting the Central Tien Shan in southeastern Kazakhstan, are presented. On the basis of remote tracking, flyways of the Demoiselle Crane have been clarified, and key territories have been identified in the premigration period and on the flyways. The features of the Tibetan common crane migration have been established, and a wintering ground on the Muzart River in China has been identified.

Migrations of the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo, Gruiformes): Remote Tracking along Flyways and at Wintering Grounds

Migrations of the Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo, Gruiformes): Remote Tracking along Flyways and at Wintering Grounds

Time and energy minimization strategy codetermine the loop migration of demoiselle cranes around the Himalayas.

Tens of thousands of demoiselle cranes' crossing the Himalayas to the Indian subcontinent have been reported for decades, but their exact spring migration route remained a mystery until our previous study found they made a detour in spring along the western edge of the Himalayas and crossed the Mongolian Plateau to their breeding areas based on satellite telemetry of 3 birds. To corroborate the loop migration pattern and explore whether demoiselle crane's loop migration route is shaped by time- and energy-minimization strategies in spring and autumn and how the temporal and spatial variation of environmental conditions contribute to crane's selection of migration routes, we tracked 11 satellite-tagged demoiselle cranes from their breeding area in China and Russia, simulated 2 pseudo migration routes, and then compared the environmental conditions, time, and energy cost between true and pseudo routes in the same season. Results show that demoiselles' spring migration obeyed time-minimization hypothesis, avoiding the colder Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, benefited by abundant food and higher thermal and orographic uplift along the route; autumn migration follows energy-minimization hypothesis with the shorter route. Our research will contribute to uncover the mechanical reasons why demoiselle crane avoids crossing the giant barrier of the Himalayas in spring, and shapes a loop migration route.

Assessment of Major Threats for Conservation of Anthropoides virgo in The Thar Desert of Rajasthan (India)

: The Demoiselle crane ( Linnaeus 1758) is one of the winter migratory bird in Thar desert of India. The study aims Anthropoides virgo, to critically analyze the major threats and post-rehabilitation scenarios faced by the crane. The scan and focal sampling methods were used for the study of crane behavior and their threats. Powerlines are considered to be havoc when contacted take a toll on almost 50% of the crane. A total of 138 birds were injured and post-rescue treatment shows only 32% healthy Individuals and 14 % of crane mortality was observed due to dog attacks. Insecticide poisoning due to Monocrotophos is a major threat. Furthermore, change in land-use pattern remains another threat with an increase of IGNP network for agricultural expansion. This species also shows lesser improvement in rehabilitation. Post rescue rehabilitation observes the death of 49% of species and only 16% of the bird can be successfully released back into the wild. With a globallydeclining trend of the majestic bird due to facing several pressures, in pertinence to their habitat, population, and above-mentioned threats. Thus, there is an urgent need for the hour to conserve this species.

Differences in on-ground and aloft conditions explain seasonally different migration paths in Demoiselle crane

BackgroundAlthough some migratory birds may take different routes during their outbound and inbound migration, the factors causing these differential migrations to and from the breeding grounds, have rarely been investigated. In Northeast Asia, Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) performs one of the most extreme “loop” migrations known to date. During outbound migration, they cross the Himalayas to non-breeding sites in northwest India. Contrastingly, during inbound migration to the breeding grounds, they fly around the western end of the Himalayas. We hypothesise that differences in prevailing environmental conditions aloft and/or on-ground during both seasonal migrations are at the core of this phenomenon.MethodsBased on the tracking data of 16 individuals of tagged Demoiselle crane, we compared conditions during actual migration with those of simulated “reverse” migration (i.e. by adding 180 degrees to the flight direction and adding and subtracting half a year to the timestamps of outbound and inbound migration, respectively).ResultsThe comparison of actual and simulated “reverse” migration indicated that cranes would have encountered poorer aloft (wind support and thermal uplift) and on-ground conditions (temperature) if they had migrated in a reverse outbound migration and poorer on-ground conditions (Normalised Difference Vegetation Indexes [NDVI]) if they had migrated in a reverse inbound direction.ConclusionsOur analyses suggest that both on-ground and aloft conditions play a key role in explaining Demoiselle cranes’ loop migration, during the periods that they chose to use these alternative routes. Knowledge on the determinants of (differential) migration routes allow predicting migration decisions and may be critical in mitigating global change effects on animal migrations.

Epizootic, Endemic and Pandemic Zoonotic Viral Infections

More than 60% human infectious diseases have zoonotic origin. Cross species transmission of pathogens is a continuous, dynamic process that occurs throughout the world, giving rise to epizootic (temporary, limited infection), endemic (on-going infection limited to a defined geographic region) and pandemic viral infections (infection spreading to every part of the world) like the current COVID-19 pandemic, which depends on the existing conditions on the ground. In Nov 2021, sudden mortality of numerous migrating demoiselle cranes was reported from their resting site near Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The symptomatic cranes became gradually weak and were unable to fly. They eventually fell dead which caused concern locally, given the current prevailing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic situation the world over. By the end of Dec 2021, the number of cranes with mortality and morbidity reduced, making it a temporary “epizootic infection”. Molecular diagnosis carried out at a specialized laboratory identified the etiological agent to be the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 (HPAIV), which has been responsible for morbidity of avian species from different parts of the world. There was no report of spreading the H5N1 AIV infection from the infected migratory cranes to nearby chicken farms or pig farms for now. In the absence of vaccines against the highly pathogenic H5N1 AIVs, and the inherent ability of influenza viruses, both avian AIV and human IAVs to constantly mutate its envelope gene or the surface antigens, resulting from the error-prone nature of the viral RNA Polymerase enzyme are the roadblocks for development of a universal, broad-spectrum influenza vaccine. Even when such a universal vaccine against H5N1 is available, vaccinating a large number of wild migratory cranes would be difficult. However, it is possible and indeed necessary to vaccinate chickens in poultry farms and pigs in farms that raise pigs for human consumption.