Great Indian Bustard chick hatches in Kutch after a decade through first inter-state 'jump-start'
On 26 March 2026 a Great Indian Bustard chick hatched in Kutch, Gujarat â the first in the state in a decade â from a captive-bred egg brought 770 km by road from Rajasthan and placed under a wild female.
Summary
A Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick hatched in Kutch, Gujarat, on 26 March 2026, the first birth in the state in a decade. Gujarat has only three surviving female GIBs and no males, so a wild female's infertile egg was replaced on 22 March with a captive-bred fertile egg from Rajasthan's conservation breeding programme. The egg was carried about 770 km by road from Sam (Rajasthan) to Naliya (Gujarat) in a handheld portable incubator over more than 19 hours. This was India's first inter-state 'jump-start' for the GIB, coordinated by MoEFCC, the Rajasthan and Gujarat forest departments and the Wildlife Institute of India. The breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra now hold 73 birds. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced it on 28 March.
Key facts
- Species
- Great Indian Bustard â critically endangered
- Hatched
- 26 March 2026, Kutch, Gujarat â first in the state in a decade
- Method
- Jump-start: wild female's infertile egg replaced (22 March) with captive-bred fertile egg
- Journey
- ~770 km by road, Sam (Rajasthan) to Naliya (Gujarat), 19+ hours, handheld incubator
- Partners
- MoEFCC, Rajasthan and Gujarat forest departments, Wildlife Institute of India
- Breeding centres
- Sam and Ramdevra (Rajasthan) â 73 birds, five new chicks this season
- Project GIB
- Envisioned 2011; formally launched 2016
Practice MCQs 4 questions
In March 2026, a Great Indian Bustard chick hatched after a decade in which region of Gujarat?
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Correct answer: D â Kutch
The chick hatched in Kutch, where only three female GIBs survive.
The Great Indian Bustard egg used in the Kutch 'jump-start' was transported by road from which place in Rajasthan?
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Correct answer: A â Sam
The egg was transported about 770 km by road from Sam (Rajasthan) to Naliya (Gujarat).
How many Great Indian Bustards are now in the conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra, as per the March 2026 announcement?
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Correct answer: C â 73
The number of birds in the breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra has reached 73, with five new chicks this season.
Consider the following statements about the Great Indian Bustard 'jump-start' in Gujarat (March 2026): 1. It was India's first inter-state jump-start initiative for the GIB. 2. Gujarat's wild GIB population still has a few males, but their eggs were infertile. 3. Project GIB was formally launched in 2016. Which of the above are correct?
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Correct answer: C â 1 and 3 only
It was the first inter-state jump-start, and Project GIB was launched in 2016. Kutch's local population had lost all its males long ago, so statement 2 is wrong.