Unravelling the secrets of lesser florican: a study of their home range and habitat use in Gujarat, India.

ABSTRACT

The home range of a species is determined by a complex interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, which can have profound impacts on the species' resource use. Understanding these dynamics is especially important for conserving critically endangered species. In this study, we used satellite telemetry to investigate the home range of the critically endangered lesser florican (Sypheotides indicus) in Gujarat, India. We analysed GPS locations from 10 lesser floricans deployed with GPS/GSM transmitters between 2020 and 2022. The average home range size (95% KDE) was 10.73 ± 10.70 km2 (mean ± SD), while the average core area (50% KDE) was 1.95 ± 1.56 km2 (mean ± SD). The monthly and daily distances covered were 286.29 ± 599.42 km and 10.11 ± 19.78 km, respectively. Our analysis indicated that suitable habitats and movement patterns were the most important factors explaining the variation in home range size. Specifically, our results suggest that lesser floricans prefer multi-use agro-grassland habitat systems with heterogeneous structures to accommodate different life history requirements. This preference may reflect the depletion and degradation of grasslands across the species' range. Therefore, managing grassland habitats amidst croplands should be one of the key conservation strategies for the lesser florican.