sarus crane is the official bird of uttar pradesh.
sarus crane is the official bird of which state?
uttar pradesh
two distinct populations of sarus cranes occur in southeast asia: the northern population in china and myanmar, and the southern population in cambodia and vietnam. the sarus used to extend to thailand and further east into the philippines, but may now be extinct in both these countries. in 2011, 24 captive-bred cranes raised from five founders were reintroduced into thailand. in australia they are found only in the north-east, and are partly migratory in some areas. the global range has shrunk and the largest occupied area is now in india. with marshlands largely destroyed, these cranes are increasingly dependent on wet paddy fields in india. although now found mainly at a low elevation on the plains, some historical records exist from highland marshes further north in harkit sar and kahag in kashmir. the sarus crane breeds in some high elevation regions such as near the pong dam in himachal pradesh, where populations may be growing in response to increasing rice cultivation along the reservoir. in rice-dominated districts of uttar pradesh, sarus crane abundance (estimated as occupancy) was highest in the western districts, intermediate in the central districts, and minimal in the eastern districts. sarus crane abundance was positively associated with percentage of wetlands on the landscape, and negatively with the percentage of area under rice cultivation.
sarus crane
the species is venerated in india and legend has it that the poet valmiki cursed a hunter for killing a sarus crane and was then inspired to write the epic ramayana. the species was a close contender to the indian peafowl as the national bird of india. among the gondi people, the tribes classified as "five-god worshippers" consider the sarus crane as sacred. the meat of the sarus was considered taboo in ancient hindu scriptures. it is widely believed that the sarus pairs for life and that death of one partner leads to the other pining to death. they are a symbol of marital virtue and in parts of gujarat, it is a custom to take a newly wed couple to see a pair of sarus cranes.
sarus crane