An indication perhaps of the high degree of protection the bird enjoys among local people, the sarus crane seems to be thriving in both natural and artificial wetlands.

The three-month long first such count by WII, conducted in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-INDIA), covered 389 wetlands sites in 113 districts of 16 states. The maximum number of sarus cranes were counted by individuals, the WII acknowledged.

Over 609 participants sent in completed questionnaires, indicating a count of over 2,000 cranes, a WII release said.

Since this comprised just 11.36 per cent of the questionnaires sent out, it would be difficult to extrapolate the population size of sarus cranes in the country based on this small butsignificant response, the institute said.

Uttar Pradesh, with its multitude of wetlands in the Gangetic flood plains, supports the largest population of sarus cranes. During the annual count, covering only 46 sites in 20 districts, as many as 1,019 cranes were counted, amounting to more than half the number for the entire country.

The semi-arid states of Rajasthan and Gujarat support the second largest concentration of sarus crane population, with approximately 700 birds being counted in June in 32 districts and 195 sites, the WII said.

However, Bihar and Haryana as a stronghold of the sarus crane was a thing of the past, it said. In the present count, Haryana contributed only three and Bihar a mere 49 cranes from nine districts with 24 sites covered.

The distribution range of the sarus crane now extends to Jammu and Kashmir, the WII report said, adding it was noteworthy to find a large congregation of over 20 sarus cranes in the border areas of India and Pakistan in the Jammu region, their well-beingdependent on the armed personnel.

Reports of sighting were also obtained from Assam and Meghalaya though it was not sure whether these were Eastern sarus cranes or Indian sarus cranes.Significantly, the largest number of sarus cranes counted in protected areas was also from Uttar Pradesh in Parrate Agra Bird Sanctuary in Gonda district, the WII report said.

The other districts with significant sarus population in the State were Etawah, Mathura, Etah and Aligarh.

Though UP boasts of the maximum number of cranes, the percentage of breeding population was the highest in Gujarat.

Conversion of wetlands into agricultural fields and their spread upto the shore line appeared to be the major threat to the crane population.