However, the "National Bird" peacock is not currently under the threat of extinction, minister of environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan said.
"According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, 14 species of birds from India are critically endangered, which do not include peacocks," she said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
"The major threats being faced by these bird species include habitual destruction, poaching, indiscriminate use of pesticides and chemicals harmful to birds etc," she explained.
According to the IUCN list, the critically endangered birds include White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Pink-headed Duck, White-belled Heron, Sociable Lapwing, Christmas Frigatebird, Jerdon's Courser, Siberian Crane, Bengal Florican, Himalayan Quail, Forest Owlet, Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Read the full report here.
Source: Times of India, New Delhi.
