VTALK: Critically Endangered Species of Birds

List of 7 Critically Endangered Species of Birds in India:

1. Great Indian Bustard

The great Indian bustard is a large ground bird with a height of about one metre. It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band. The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.

Scientific Name : Ardeotis nigriceps

Class : Aves

2. Red Head Vulture

The red-headed vulture, also known as the Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture, is an Old World vulture mainly found in the Indian subcontinent, with small disjunct populations in some parts of Southeast Asia.

Scientific Name : Sarcogyps calvus

Mass : 3.5-6.3

Wingspan : 2-2.6 m

Length : 76-86 cm

3. Forest Owlet

The forest owlet is an endangered owl that is endemic to the forests of central India. The species belongs to the typical owls family, Strigidae. First described in 1873, it was not seen after 1884 and considered extinct until it was rediscovered 113 years later in 1997 by Pamela Rasmussen.

Scientific Name : Athene blewitti

Family : Strigidae

4. Bengal Florican

The Bengal florican, also called Bengal bustard, is a bustard species native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,000 individuals were estimated to be alive as of 2017. It is the only member of the genus Houbaropsis.

Scientific Name : Houbaropsis bengalensis

Phylum : Chordata

5. White Bellied Heron

The white-bellied heron, also known as the imperial heron or great white-bellied heron, is a species of large heron known from the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in India and Bhutan to northeastern Bangladesh and Burma. It is mostly solitary and occurs in undisturbed riverside or wetland habitats.

Scientific Name : Ardea insignis

Rank : Species

6. Himalayan Quail

The Himalayan quail or mountain quail, is a medium-sized quail belonging to the pheasant family. It was last reported in 1876 and is feared extinct. This species was known from only 2 locations in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, north-west India.

Scientific Name : Ophrysia superciliosa

Phylum : Chordata

7. Siberian Crane