Seeing a bird as rare as the Lesser Florican in the wild is a bittersweet experience. Especially a male in its mating season which happens to coincide with the beginning of the monsoons. Their characteristic courtship display is to jump up two metres in the air and make a call (more a croak than a song) to attract the attention of the female. It does this in almost metronomic regularity and hence at this time of the year one of the easiest birds to spot and observe. Except there are probably only 500 individuals left in the wild. So while it's exhilarating to watch the display, you also realise that there is probably no mate around anywhere near its vicinity. It's a privilege to add this bird to my list, but I'm not sure there will be enough left for my next generation to see them in the wild.
Monday, 13th July, 2026
Lesser Florican In Ajmer
Lesser Florican (Sypheotides indicus)
Photographed this in a farmland near Dadiya village near Ajmer. Since we were a large group, we observed this from a good distance in order not to disturb the courtship ritual of this male, and hence all I managed was this record shot.
