Two sites in Western Rajasthan have been included in a global plan to save the Steppe Eagle, a magnificent migratory raptor. Photo: Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Wildlife & Biodiversity

Western Rajasthan now a bastion of the Steppe Eagle

Region’s Jorbeer Conservation Reserve and Desert National Park have recorded over 2,000 Steppe Eagles in recent surveys

Vikas Choudhary

Rajasthan, especially its western part, can now take pride in the fact that it has been recognised as a stronghold of the Steppe Eagle, a magnificent raptor that winters in the state.

Two important habitats in Rajasthan, namely Jorbeer Conservation Reserve near Bikaner and Desert National Park near Jaisalmer, are part of the Global Action Plan for Conservation of the Steppe Eagle for 2026-2035, according to a report in the Times of India. 

The eagle uses the Central Asian Flyway to come and winter in Rajasthan every year.

The decade-long action plan is a major international initiative aimed at protecting the endangered migratory raptor.

It has been approved under the framework of Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), which is currently holding its 15th Conference of Parties in Brazil. 

Jorbeer Conservation Reserve and Desert National Park, the two sites named in the plan, have recorded over 2,000 eagles in recent surveys.

With over 2,000 Steppe Eagles recorded in recent surveys, Rajasthan’s Jorbeer Conservation Reserve and Desert National Park have rightly emerged as key strongholds for the species.