Water scarcity hits sarus courtship in Etawah, Mainpuri

Kanpur: The courtship of sarus cranes has been hit by the scarcity of water in lakes, ponds and paddy fields in the habitat of the state bird in Etawah and Mainpuri districts.
Wildlife experts and environmentalists claim that only a few birds have been sighted in the region in this season. "Water crisis has turned away the birds. Their courtship rituals, which reverberate in the region with loud trumpeting calls, begin from March-April.The situation this year is not very encouraging. Earlier, a large number of birds were sighted near lakes, ponds and paddy fields during this period in Etawah and Mainpuri. But this year, these birds can be counted on fingers," a forest official said.
"Their courtship starts with dance-like movements full of love and alternate loud trumpeting calls from both the male and the female, but a very few pairs have arrived," secretary of Society for Conservation of Nature Rajiv Chauhan informed TOI.
A senior forest officer said that during this time of the year, these birds start congregating in lakes, ponds and paddy fields in the region. "This year only a few pairs of the bird have been sighted so far. Last year, nearly 100 birds were sighted in Sarsai Nawar area of Etawah while 350 had landed at Hasel Tal and 200 at Markandey Bidhnoo in Mainpuri," he said.
After the courtship period which lasts till May, these birds disperse and fly back to their territory and start building nests with the onset of rainy season, starting from July, he added.
"The birds usually begin courtship from March and the activity picks up in April. After courtship, the birds prefer nesting in nearby waterbodies and they cannot fly far and wide for food. Water scarcity will affect the feeding. We are in the process of pumping water into the lakes, ponds and canals," divisional forest officer Kanhaiya Patel told TOI.
Sarus is regarded as the threatened bird species and one of the tallest flying birds of the world. It is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. IUCN (Red List) classifies sarus crane as vulnerable. The total population of sarus bird across the globe is approximately between 13,500 and 15,500. Its population is declining primarily as a result of loss and degradation of wetlands.