Increase in sarus crane Grus antigone (Linnaeus 1758) population in and around Alwara lake of district Kaushambi, India

The Sarus crane (Grus antigone) is a flagship species of marshland and wetlands. This is the only resident and non-migratory breeding crane of the Indian subcontinent. Its population is gradually decreasing and now globally threatened due to the shrinkage of wetlands, reduction in safe mating sites and enhanced anthropogenic activities. On the contrary, a remarkable increase of around 78% in the population of Sarus cranes was observed during a survey conducted from March 2020 to February 2021 in and around the Alwara Lake of district Kaushambi (Uttar Pradesh), India, as compared to 2013 population. This systematic survey was done to estimate an increase in the number of Sarus cranes during 2020-2021 when compared to their available population records between 2013 and 2019 from the same study area. This might be due to recent climatic, environmental and ecological progression along with continuous awareness campaigns started since 2012.