Linking landscapes: movement ecology and conservation priorities for the critically endangered lesser florican in India
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction Primary grassland habitats support the year-round occurrence of the critically endangered Lesser florican ( Sypheotides indicus ) across its range in India. A detailed understanding of the habitat preferences of key grassland-dependent species strengthens effective management of grassland habitats. Methods We used Resource Selection Functions (RSFs), implemented as logistic regression models contrasting used and available locations, based on satellite telemetry data from 12 Lesser floricans tagged between 2020 and 2022 and monitored until 2025. These individuals constitute the largest cohort of Lesser floricans tracked through a single tagging effort in India to date. Migration flyways were further delineated using a smoothed line-density approach. Results Grassland was the most preferred habitat at the population level during the breeding (June-September) and non-breeding seasons. While resident individuals remained grassland specialists year-round, migratory individuals showed relatively greater use of croplands and shrublands than residents, although grassland remained the most selected habitat. Habitat selection was characterised by a strong preference for proximity to grassland across all seasons. Nighttime light intensity had a stronger negative effect on nocturnal habitat use by resident Lesser floricans than by migrants. Lesser floricans exhibited significantly longer, faster movements during the monsoon season and during daytime than during other seasons and at night (p < 0.0001). The resulting flyway covered approximately 206,000 km 2 , with a high density migration corridor of ~60,000 km 2 having a mean width of 70.8 ± 56.9 km. Discussion Our findings highlight the strong dependence of Lesser floricans on intact grasslands and emphasise the need to conserve contiguous grassland landscapes that support breeding populations, seasonal movements, and migration corridors, while traditionally managed agro-grassland systems may provide complementary habitats outside the breeding season and during migration.
Institutions: Government of Gujarat, The Corbett Foundation
Language: English
Topic: Avian ecology and behavior
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W7203772069