Bengal Florican    Houbaropsis bengalensis

Etymology

• Houbaropsis : Mix of genus Houbara – bustard; opsis – appearance. { Like Bustard}

• Bengalensis : From Bengal in India

Vernacular name :   Hindi: Bengali Charas, Charg, Charat, Ben: Dahar, Terai: (M) Ablak, (F) Bor, Ass: Ulu marai, Cachar: Dao tiriling

Distribution in India: Lower lands in North East India (Manas national park & Mishmi)

Description: Size of Male 64 cm, Weight of 1250–1700 g; female size of 68 cm, Weight of 1700–2250 g. It has buffy brown upperparts and tail, vermiculated and patterned black, with broad white panel on closed wing. It has a black crest, head, neck and underparts, with elongated breast feathers. The legs are pale yellowish, bill is dark horn to plumbeous brown with yellow lower mandible. The female has buff head and underparts and has no white on wing. The crown is brown with buff central stripe. The immature is similar to adult female; first spring male partially black, often reverting to female plumage in second autumn, but thereafter retains full adult male dress.

Habitat: It is found in flat, moist, open grasslands with scattered shrubs and bushes; often prefers areas of relatively short grass, recently burnt tracts, or long grass grazed down feeding in the shorter grass and retreating in hotter parts of day to the longer grass. The male uses open areas for display and females select cover.

Food habits: It eats Shoots, flowers, grasses, seeds and berries, insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and occasionally lizards and small snakes. The vegetable matter predominates in winter and spring, invertebrates becoming important or even exclusive later in the year.

Breeding habits: They breed in Mar–Jun. The nest is a scrape in thick grass cover. They lay a clutch of 1-2 eggs. The incubation period is 25–28 days.