According to the latest 2024 summer census figure released by the Forest Department of Uttar Pradesh on 10 July 2024, the total population of the state bird, the Sarus Crane, has increased to 19,918, an increase of 396 compared to last year.

The summer census was conducted by the Forest Department with the help of 10,000 citizens in the state.

Uttar Pradesh has the largest Sarus crane population in India,

Increasing trend in the Sarus crane Population in the state

Over a period of time, there has been a consistent increase in the state's Sarus crane population.

In 2021, 17,329 Sarus cranes were counted, which increased to 19,188 in 2022, 19,522 in 2023, and 19,918 in 2024.

Thus, in 2024, there was an increase of 396 birds compared to last year.

For the first time in 10 years, the Mau forest division of the state reported a sighting of six Sarus cranes.

The census of the birds is done in the forest area of Uttar Pradesh and not on the private lands where these birds are also found.

Etawah Forest Division has the Highest number of Sarus cranes

According to the recently released census report, the maximum number of Sarus cranes, 3289, was sighted in the Etawah Forest Division.

After Etawah forest division, the maximum cranes were sighted in Mainpuri (2,945), Shahjahanpur (1,212), Auraiya (1,202), Kannauj (786), Hardoi (735), Sant Kabir Nagar (717), Kanpur Dehat (709), Gorakhpur (675), and Siddharth Nagar (673).

100 to 500 birds were counted in the 27 forest divisions of the state, with Raebareli reporting 428, Sitapur 427, Unnao 426, Bareilly 348, Sohagi Barwa 339, Lakhimpur 306, Banda 261, Barabanki 257, Firozabad 239, South Kheri 209, Aligarh and Amethi 194 each, Basti 186, Gautam Buddha Nagar 171, Mathura 166, Bijnor Social Forestry 143, Gonda 142, Etah 138, Sultanpur 137. The Bahraich forest division reported 135 birds, followed by Farrukhabad 134, Kanpur Nagar 133, National Chambal Sanctuary 119, Badaun 116, Fatehpur 103, and Chitrakoot and Awadh forest divisions 102 each.

There were 31 forest divisions where less than 100 cranes were found.

About Sarus Crane

The Sarus crane was declared the state bird of Uttar Pradesh in 2014. Uttar Pradesh has the largest population of the Sarus crane in India.
The Sarus crane is the world’s tallest bird which can fly.
The birds nest in the wetlands area,
The bird is included in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.