State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 10 Jun 2025

Great Indian Bustard

Why in News? 

The Rajasthan Forest Department named newly hatched Great Indian Bustard (GIB) (Ardeotis nigriceps) chicks Sindoor, Vyom, Mishri, and Sophia to honour Operation Sindoor and military personnel involved.

Key Points

• About Great Indian Bustard (GIB): 
  • GIB, Rajasthan’s state bird, is India’s most critically endangered bird.  
  • It is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world, and mainly found in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, with small populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. 
    • GIB is one among four bustard species found in India, alongside the Lesser Florican, Bengal Florican, and Macqueen's Bustard. 
    • GIB is omnivorous and vulnerable to power line collisions due to a lack of frontal vision. 
  • Ecological Importance: GIB acts as an indicator species, it reflects the health of grassland ecosystems. Their decline signals the degradation of native grasslands. 
  • Protection Status: IUCN Red List (Critically Endangered), CITES (Appendix 1), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) (Appendix I), and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Schedule I). 
  • Threats: Habitat loss from agriculture, mining, and infrastructure, along with collisions with power lines (the leading cause of adult mortality) threaten the GIB. 
    • Poaching has declined but human disturbance and unsustainable land use continue to impact the species. 
  • Conservation Efforts: Project GIB (launched in 2018), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife Institute of India, and Rajasthan Forest Department 
    • Captive breeding centres in Sudasari and Sam, Jaisalmer, use AI-enabled monitoring, incubators, and sensor-based systems to improve chick survival. 

Operation Sindoor 

• About: Operation Sindoor was a coordinated precision strike operation launched by the Indian Armed Forces on 7th May 2025, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.  
  • It was executed through the coordinated efforts of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, conducted from Indian territory.  
  • Unlike past operations with aggressive names meant to project strength, this operation’s name was chosen as a personal tribute to the victims, particularly the widows of the Pahalgam attack.  
• Targets: Under 'Operation Sindoor,' the Indian Armed Forces targeted terror facilities linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and PoJK.  
  • These strikes aimed to dismantle terrorist infrastructure used for planning attacks against India.