Study Finds Rare Bird’s Population Halved in Six Years

 

The critically endangered Bengal florican’s population is down to just 104 in Cambodia after its numbers plummeted by half over six years, researchers said.

The large grassland bird, particularly vulnerable because it cannot perch on trees and lays its eggs on the ground, is now confined to just four areas around the country, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and Environment Ministry research, released on Monday.

The birds live mostly around the wetlands of Tonle Sap Lake, especially in protected areas in Kompong Thom province’s Stong district and Siem Reap province’s Chi Kreng district, it said.

The birds also only breed once a year and have few offspring, Chamnan added. It was nevertheless the encroachment of human activities on their habitat that was the major factor in their decline, he said.

More than 31,000 hectares around Tonle Sap had been marked as a conservation area for the birds — though their migration every year upon the lake waters’ rise complicated efforts to protect them, he said.

The bird’s worldwide population has been estimated at fewer than 1,000, with most living in India, Nepal and Cambodia.

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