Breeding Ecology of Black-Necked Crane Grus Nigricollis (Family Gruidae) in Ladakh

A long-term study was conducted to understand some aspects of the breeding ecology of the Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis (Family Gruidae) (n=147 pairs) in Changthang, Ladakh. Data to assess the breeding season, courtship, mating, egg-laying and incubation period, egg morphometry, breeding productivity, and recruitment rate were collected from 2003 to 2012. The birds arrived at the breeding grounds from the last week of March to the first half of April. Courtship and mating peaked at 07:00 hrs, 11:00 hrs, and 16:00 hrs, while nest-building activity peaked in late evening (18:00 hrs). Egg-laying started in May and extended up to July. Most birds laid two eggs in a clutch with an average length, breadth, weight, and volume of 107.32 ±1.02 mm, 63.17 ±0.33 mm, 210.85 ±3.17 gm, and 218.96 ±3.67, respectively. The incubation period was 33.88 ±0.3 days. The hatching success, nestling survival rate, and fledgling increment rate were 73.3%, 0.55 ±0.03, and 0.41 ±0.02, respectively, with an overall breeding productivity of 0.73. The current population of Black-necked Cranes with an average recruitment rate of 15.7 ±1.4%, may be considered as stable. Regular monitoring of wetlands and alignment of development projects with conservation and management goals is suggested for maintaining a healthy breeding population of Black-necked Cranes in Ladakh