{
  "id": 1972836,
  "title": "Study maps high-density corridors across India for endangered Lesser Florican",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/study-maps-high-density-corridors-across-india-for-endangered-lesser",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-19T16:34:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/study-maps-high-density-corridors-across-india-for-endangered-lesser-florican-101787157242020.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent study has mapped extensive high-density corridors across India for the endangered Lesser Florican, a critically endangered bird species. The study, published in Frontiers in Conservation Science, reveals that the Lesser Florican relies heavily on grasslands, even when migrating through croplands and other open habitats. Researchers fitted 12 Lesser Floricans with GPS-GSM transmitters between 2020 and 2022 and tracked their movements until 2025. The tracking process generated 160,166 location records, with 150,147 GPS fixes used for analysis. The tracking results indicated that grassland was the preferred habitat during both the breeding season (June to September) and the non-breeding season. Even during migration, grassland remained the most selected habitat for the Lesser Florican. The study emphasizes that while the birds exhibit some behavioral flexibility, such as shifting to croplands and shrublands during the non-breeding season, this flexibility is likely insufficient to offset the ongoing loss of grassland habitat due to agricultural intensification and fragmentation. The study highlights the importance of grasslands for the Lesser Florican's survival and calls for conservation efforts that extend beyond protected areas to include village pastures, community grazing lands, and degraded grasslands.",
  "summary": "Satellite tracking shows the critically endangered Lesser Florican uses a 206,000 sq km migration flyway across western and central India.",
  "key_points": [
    "Study maps high-density corridors for endangered Lesser Florican in India.",
    "Researchers tracked 12 birds with GPS-GSM transmitters from 2020 to 2025.",
    "Grasslands are preferred habitat for breeding and non-breeding seasons."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}