On a rainy evening in central India, a slim bird shoots straight up from the grass, claps its wings over its head, and drops back like a spring—again and again. Villagers call it the “grass peacock.” Scientists call it the Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus), a monsoon breeder whose males perform a swayamvar-like leap to woo females. Recent assessments from the Wildlife Institute of India warn that this Critically Endangered bird is now on the verge of disappearing from many traditional sites.

Why It Matters

• Endemic Pride: Found only in the Indian subcontinent—mainly Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra—with local winter movements.
• Legal Shield: IUCN – Critically Endangered; Wildlife (Protection) Act – Schedule I; CITES Appendix II.
• Ecosystem Value: Healthy semi-arid grasslands that support floricans also sustain larks, coursers, wolves, foxes, and pollinators.

Threats to the Grass Peacock

• Loss and fragmentation of native grasslands due to roads, canals, mining, and year-round irrigated crops.
• Monsoon farming changes—taller crops and early mechanised harvest destroy lek sites (open patches for male display).
• Power-line collisions and disturbance from vehicles, dogs, and night-time movement.
• Pesticide use reducing insect prey.

Practical Rescue Measures

• Protect and Restore Leks: Declare seasonal conservation plots in key districts; incentivise farmers to keep monsoon fields low and open.
• Secure Grassland Networks: Strengthen Sailana & Sardarpur Kharmor Sanctuaries (MP) and Velavadar landscape (Gujarat); connect with community reserves.
• Make Wires Safe: Implement Supreme Court directions—underground lines or mark high-risk power lines in bustard–florican areas.
• Science & People First: Standardised track-plot and camera surveys each monsoon; village watcher programmes; compensation for delayed harvest.
• Funding: Use Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, CAMPA, and District Mineral Foundation funds for grassland restoration.

Key Terms

• Lek: Open display patch where males perform mating dances.
• Monsoon breeder: Species that breeds during the rainy season.
• Swayamvar dance: Male leap display to attract females.
• Semi-arid grassland: Short grass–scrub mosaic ecosystem.

Exam Hook – Takeaways

The Lesser Florican is India’s grassland test case: save seasonal leks on private farms, make power lines safe, and treat grasslands as ecosystems—not wastelands.

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

With reference to the Lesser Florican, consider the following statements:

1. It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and breeds during the southwest monsoon.
2. It is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
3. It nests in tall forests and avoids farmlands.

Answer: 1 and 2 only.

One-Line Wrap

Guard the leks, pay for open fields, and make wires safe—act now, and the grass peacock will keep dancing across India’s monsoon grasslands.