Lesser Florican

Sypheotides indicus

Species Index

17 October 2013

Full Species (monotypic); i.e. no subspecies/races
Sypheotides indicus (Miller,JF) 1782

Historical notes by TC Jerdon, 1864

The Leek or Lesser Florikin is found throughout India, from near the foot of the Himalayas to the Southernmost districts, but has not, I believe, been seen in Ceylon. It is more rare in Northern India and Bengal. It is most abundant in Central and Western India during the rains, and in Southern India in the cold weather, whilst those that have occurred in Bengal and neighbouring districts have chiefly been seen in the hot weather or commencement of the rains. I saw it on the banks of the Ganges in April and May. In the Carnatic, Mysore, the Deccan, and Northern Circars, it is chiefly found in the cold weather, from October to February and March; and in the westernmost portion of Central India and Western India, Guzerat, the neighbourhood of Malwah and Indore, and the southernmost portion of Rajpootana, chiefly during the rains, from June to September. The few that I saw in Saugor and the neighbouring country, occurred during the hot weather, at which time they leave the dried-up districts of Southern India, and migrate north in search of suitable shelter and food. As great part of the eastern portion of Central India, from the Godavery to Midnapore and Chota Nagpore, consists more or less of forest and jungles, the majority are drawn westwards into Malwah, Rajpootana, and Guzerat. Few occur in Malabar, but in Southern Canara there is at least one locality where they may be found in the cold weather.

It feeds chiefly in the morning, and is then easily raised, but during the heat of the day it lies very close, and is often flushed with difficulty. The chief food of the Florikin is grasshoppers. I have found also blister beetles, scarabaei, centipedes, and even small lizards, when flushed suddenly it utters a kind of sharp 'quirk,' or note of alarm, and it is said also to have a feeble plaintive chirp or piping note, when running or feeding.

A few birds appear to breed in all parts of Southern India, from July to November, for I have put the hen bird off her nest in August in the Deccan, and in October near Trichinopoly; and have heard of the hen having been found incubating still later, up to January indeed; but the majority breed, in Guzerat, Malwa and Southern Rajpootana, from July to September. I have found the cock-bird commencing to assume the black plumage at the end of April, with the black ear-tuft just beginning to sprout, hardly any other black feathers having appeared. In other instances I have noticed that these ear-tufts did not make their appearance till the bird was quite mottled with black. The full and perfect breeding plumage is generally completed during July and August. At this season the male bird generally takes up a position on some rising ground, from which it wanders but little, for many days even; and during the morning especially, but in cloudy weather at all times of the day, every now and then rises a few feet perpendicularly into the air, uttering at the same time a peculiar low croaking call, more like that of a frog or cricket than that of a bird, and then drops down again. This is probably intended to attract the females, who, before their eggs are laid, wander greatly; or perhaps to summon a rival cock, for I have seen two in such desperate fight as to allow me to approach within thirty yards before they ceased their battle.