Three GIB chicks hatch in a day at conservation centre in Rajasthan

In a significant breakthrough for conservation efforts of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (locally known as Godawan), three chicks were born in a single day and four within a week—a first in the history of the project, signaling renewed hope for the species’ survival.

According to wildlife officials, three chicks hatched at the Sudasari Breeding Centre in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district on April 2, while another chick was born earlier on March 28. This remarkable achievement brings the total to six chicks born in a single month, with previous births recorded on March 8 and 9.

The latest additions were born to four female bustards—named Aman, Tony, Rewa, and Sharky—who laid their eggs in February and March. Following careful artificial incubation, one chick emerged from Tony’s egg on March 28, while the remaining three chicks hatched simultaneously from eggs laid by Aman, Rewa, and Sharky on April 2. All chicks are currently under close veterinary observation in a controlled environment.

“ProjectGIB welcomes three new chicks of the Critically Endangered #GreatIndianBustard on April 2. Eggs laid by the females Rewa, Aman, and Sharky at the Sam Centre on 11–12 March were artificially hatched, taking the tally of captive-bred birds to six so far in 2025 and 20 since captive breeding commenced in March 2023, rekindling hope for rewilding the species in the near future,” the Wildlife Institute of India announced on X.

Speaking to HT, DFO of Desert National Park (DNP), Brijmohan Gupta, emphasized the significance of this development: “It is for the first time that three chicks have been born in a single day and four in just a week. This development is an encouraging sign for the species’ future. We are also excited that the conservation efforts for the Great Indian Bustard are yielding positive results.”

This latest success builds on months of dedicated conservation work. With these new additions, the total population of Godawans in the two breeding centres now stands at 50—comprising 22 at the Sam Centre and 28 at Ramdevra.

The current achievement follows another milestone from October 16 last year, when the Bustard Recovery Program successfully produced the world’s first Great Indian Bustard chick through artificial insemination—a technique considered crucial for saving species with dangerously low population numbers.

Standing about a meter tall and weighing between 8-15 kg, the Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan’s state bird and one of the heaviest flying birds globally. Distinguished by its brownish body, white neck, and distinctive black crown on males, the species once roamed widely across the Indian subcontinent’s grasslands.

Today, the Ardeotis nigriceps population has plummeted to fewer than 200 individuals in the wild, primarily concentrated in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park and parts of Gujarat, with smaller isolated populations struggling in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

The species faces multiple threats, including habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, fatal collisions with power lines and wind turbines, historically unregulated hunting, and naturally low reproduction rates. These factors have contributed to its critically endangered status on the IUCN Red List. The bird is also included in Appendix I of CITES and enjoys the highest level of protection under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Conservation experts remain cautiously optimistic that the increasing success of captive breeding programs, combined with habitat protection efforts, could eventually lead to the reintroduction of captive-bred birds into protected areas—offering a lifeline to this iconic species that represents India’s vanishing grassland heritage.