The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.
The Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), also called Bengal bustard, is a very rare bustard species from the Indian subcontinent. This threatened species is now almost extinct; perhaps as few as 500 adult birds are alive. Bengal floricans live in open tall grassland habitats with scattered bushes. The birds are usually encountered in the early mornings and evenings and are most easily spotted in the breeding season from March to August.
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered {CR) Photo: Nitin Bhardwaj