Species Profile: Ardeotis nigriceps

  • Heavy, ground-nesting flying bird native to open grasslands and scrublands of the Thar desert
  • State Bird of Rajasthan
  • Numbers collapsed to just 100-150 individuals
  • Disappeared from nearly 90% of its former range (including Bikaner outskirts)
  • Primary threat: habitat loss due to “green energy” land diversion (solar/wind farms)

The “Wasteland” Misclassification

  • Government uses colonial-era “wasteland” classification for western Rajasthan’s scrublands
  • These are actually vital community pastures, medicinal repositories, and critical habitats
  • Misclassification provides legal loophole to divert commons for state-backed solar/wind and infrastructure projects
  • Phog Bush (Calligonum polygonoides) — native desert plant whose flowers were traditionally mixed with curd to endure heat — now vanishing

UPSC Angle

  • GS3: Biodiversity, conservation, land use policy, renewable energy vs ecology conflict