The latest assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) reported that the population of the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) remains stable at around 110–150 birds.
The Great Indian Bustard, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, is now restricted to only 16% of its potential habitat in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.
The survey recorded around 130 Great Indian Bustards (±21 variation) along with 35 GIB flocks, 1,568 Chinkara herds and 79 Desert foxes.
Major threats include habitat fragmentation, agricultural expansion, poaching, egg predation and collisions with power transmission lines.
Conservation measures include Project Great Indian Bustard, captive breeding at Sam and Ramdevra centres, habitat improvement and power line management as directed by the Supreme Court.