Threatened Species of India

Andaman White-toothed ShrewCrocidura andamanensis

MammalEndemic · Andaman Islands

Leaf litter of tropical evergreen forest on South Andaman Island.

A nocturnal insectivore known from a handful of specimens. One of three shrews endemic to the islands, all Critically Endangered.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Jenkins's Andaman Spiny ShrewCrocidura jenkinsi

MammalEndemic · Andaman Islands

Forest floor of Mount Harriet, now Mount Manipur, on South Andaman.

Known only from the type locality. Distinguished by stiff, spiny guard hairs.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Nicobar White-tailed ShrewCrocidura nicobarica

MammalEndemic · Great Nicobar

Coastal forest of Great Nicobar around Campbell Bay.

Restricted to a very small area now overlapped by the Great Nicobar development project.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Kashmir Stag or HangulCervus hanglu hanglu

MammalEndemic · Kashmir Himalaya

Temperate riverine and coniferous forest, 1,700 to 4,000 m, almost entirely inside Dachigam National Park.

The only surviving red deer of the Indian subcontinent and the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir. Population about 300. Project Hangul and a second home at Tral Wildlife Sanctuary are the main interventions.

Jammu & Kashmir

Elvira Rat or Large Rock RatCremnomys elvira

MammalEndemic · Eastern Ghats

Rocky slopes with dry deciduous and scrub forest in the Eastern Ghats around Salem.

A nocturnal, seed-eating rodent known from very few localities.

Tamil Nadu

Malabar CivetViverra civettina

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Lowland forest, cashew plantations and degraded coastal thickets of the Malabar coast.

Possibly already extinct. There has been no confirmed record for decades. Historically hunted for civetone, used in perfumery.

Kerala · Karnataka

Namdapha Flying SquirrelBiswamoyopterus biswasi

MammalEndemic · Namdapha

Tropical evergreen forest in the Noa-Dihing valley, Namdapha National Park.

Known from a single specimen collected in 1981. Among the rarest mammals in the world.

Arunachal Pradesh

Kondana Soft-furred RatMillardia kondana

MammalEndemic · Sinhagad plateau

Grass and scrub on the Sinhagad plateau near Pune, above 900 m.

Confined to an area of a few square kilometres under heavy tourism pressure.

Maharashtra

Chinese PangolinManis pentadactyla

Mammal

Subtropical and tropical forest, grassland and plantations of the north east and eastern Himalaya.

The world's most trafficked mammal group. Scales are smuggled for traditional medicine. Note that India has two pangolins: this one is Critically Endangered, the Indian pangolin is Endangered.

Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Meghalaya · Nagaland · Manipur · Mizoram · Tripura · Sikkim · West Bengal

Great Indian BustardArdeotis nigriceps

BirdEndemic · Indian subcontinent

Arid and semi-arid grassland, scrub and cropland. Core population in and around Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.

State bird of Rajasthan and among the heaviest flying birds. Fewer than 150 birds survive. Collision with overhead power lines is the single largest cause of adult mortality; the Supreme Court ordered undergrounding in 2021 and modified that order in March 2024. Conservation breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra.

Rajasthan · Gujarat · Maharashtra · Karnataka · Andhra Pradesh

Lesser FloricanSypheotides indicus

BirdEndemic · Indian subcontinent

Tall monsoon grassland and cropland; breeds during the south west monsoon.

The smallest bustard in the world. The male leaps repeatedly above the grass in a display flight. Uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2020 after a very steep decline.

Rajasthan · Gujarat · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Andhra Pradesh

Bengal FloricanHoubaropsis bengalensis

Bird

Alluvial grassland of the Terai and the Brahmaputra floodplain. Strongholds at Manas and Kaziranga.

Males perform a spectacular leaping display. The Indian population is the largest remaining anywhere.

Assam · Uttar Pradesh · Arunachal Pradesh · West Bengal

Baer's PochardAythya baeri

Bird

Deep freshwater lakes and marshes in winter, notably Loktak Lake and the Assam beels.

A migratory diving duck that breeds in eastern Russia and north east China.

Assam · Manipur · Bihar · Uttar Pradesh · West Bengal

Siberian CraneLeucogeranus leucogeranus

Bird

Shallow freshwater marshes. Formerly wintered at Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.

The western population that came to India has not been recorded since 2002 and is effectively lost. Its decline is the standard illustration of flyway-level conservation failure.

Rajasthan

Sociable LapwingVanellus gregarius

Bird

Dry short grassland, fallow fields and the margins of wetlands in winter.

Breeds in the Central Asian steppe. Recorded at Sultanpur, Nalsarovar and the Banni grasslands.

Rajasthan · Gujarat · Haryana · Punjab · Maharashtra

Spoon-billed SandpiperCalidris pygmaea

Bird

Intertidal mudflats and saltpans of the east coast, notably Chilika Lake and Point Calimere.

Named for its unique spatulate bill, used with a side to side sweeping action. Breeds only in north east Russia.

Odisha · West Bengal · Tamil Nadu · Andhra Pradesh

White-bellied HeronArdea insignis

Bird

Undisturbed rivers and riverine wetland in the eastern Himalayan foothills. Recorded at Namdapha and, since 2026, at Glaw Lake in the Kamlang Tiger Reserve.

One of the largest and rarest herons in the world, with perhaps 60 birds left globally.

Arunachal Pradesh · Assam

Yellow-breasted BuntingEmberiza aureola

Bird

Reedbeds, paddy stubble and tall grassland in winter.

Once one of the most abundant birds in Eurasia. Mass trapping for food in East Asia drove a collapse of about 90 per cent, taking it from Least Concern to Critically Endangered in under twenty years.

Assam · West Bengal · Manipur · Nagaland · Bihar

Bugun LiocichlaLiocichla bugunorum

BirdEndemic · Eaglenest, Arunachal Pradesh

Dense scrub and secondary growth between 2,000 and 2,350 m in and around Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

Described only in 2006, the first new bird species described from India in over half a century. Named after the Bugun community, whose community reserve protects it. Fewer than 20 birds known.

Arunachal Pradesh

Jerdon's CourserRhinoptilus bitorquatus

BirdEndemic · Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh

Sparse scrub jungle with bare ground in the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary and the Penna valley.

A nocturnal courser rediscovered in 1986 by Bharat Bhushan using traditional trapper knowledge, after being presumed extinct for 86 years. Not confirmed since 2009.

Andhra Pradesh

Himalayan QuailOphrysia superciliosa

BirdEndemic · Western Himalaya

Tall grass and scrub on steep slopes around Mussoorie and Nainital, 1,600 to 2,400 m.

Possibly Extinct. The last confirmed record is from 1876.

Uttarakhand

Pink-headed DuckRhodonessa caryophyllacea

Bird

Secluded pools and elephant grass swamps of the Ganga and Brahmaputra floodplains.

Possibly Extinct; last certain Indian record 1949. The male's pink head was unique among ducks.

Bihar · West Bengal · Assam · Uttar Pradesh

White-rumped VultureGyps bengalensis

Bird

Open country, village outskirts and forest edge across the plains.

Once possibly the most abundant large raptor in the world. Populations fell by more than 99 per cent in the 1990s from diclofenac poisoning acquired at cattle carcasses. Veterinary diclofenac was banned in 2006 and meloxicam promoted as the safe substitute.

Assam · Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Gujarat · Haryana · Punjab · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar · Maharashtra · Karnataka · West Bengal

Indian Vulture or Long-billed VultureGyps indicus

BirdEndemic · Indian subcontinent

Cliffs, gorges and ruins in the Deccan and central India. Nests colonially on rock faces.

One of the three Gyps vultures devastated by diclofenac. Vulture Safe Zones and the Jatayu conservation breeding centres at Pinjore, Rajabhatkhawa and Rani are the recovery programme.

Rajasthan · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Karnataka · Gujarat · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana

Slender-billed VultureGyps tenuirostris

Bird

Terai and Brahmaputra floodplain, nesting in tall trees rather than on cliffs.

The rarest of the Indian Gyps vultures, separated from the Indian vulture as a full species in 2001.

Assam · West Bengal · Bihar · Uttar Pradesh · Arunachal Pradesh

Red-headed VultureSarcogyps calvus

Bird

Open wooded country and dry deciduous forest, generally away from towns.

Also called the king vulture for the bare red head and neck. Solitary rather than colonial, and usually first at a carcass.

Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Maharashtra · Assam · Uttar Pradesh · Karnataka · Bihar

Masked FinfootHeliopais personatus

Bird

Shaded, slow-moving forest streams and mangrove creeks, including the Sundarbans.

An extremely secretive waterbird with lobed toes. Possibly no longer resident in India.

Assam · West Bengal

GharialGavialis gangeticus

Reptile

Deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks for nesting and basking. The National Chambal Sanctuary holds the bulk of the world population.

The only surviving member of its family and instantly recognised by the male's bulbous nasal 'ghara'. Fish-eating and almost helpless on land. Reintroduced into the Beas Conservation Reserve in Punjab from 2017.

Uttar Pradesh · Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Bihar · Odisha · Punjab

Red-crowned Roofed TurtleBatagur kachuga

Reptile

Deep flowing rivers with sandy nesting banks. Effectively confined to the Chambal.

The 'jewel of the Ganga'. Breeding males flush red, blue, yellow and white on the head and neck. Fewer than 500 adult females survive.

Uttar Pradesh · Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan

Three-striped Roofed TurtleBatagur dhongoka

Reptile

Large rivers of the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins, notably the Chambal.

Uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2019. Recorded from Rudrasagar Lake in Tripura, a Ramsar site.

Uttar Pradesh · Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Bihar · Assam

Northern River TerrapinBatagur baska

Reptile

Tidal estuaries and mangrove creeks of the Sundarbans and Bhitarkanika.

Almost extinct in the wild in India; survives largely through assisted breeding at Sajnekhali.

West Bengal · Odisha

Hawksbill TurtleEretmochelys imbricata

Reptile

Coral reefs and rocky coasts. Nests on island beaches in the Andamans and Lakshadweep.

The source of 'tortoiseshell'. It feeds largely on sponges, which helps maintain reef structure.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands · Lakshadweep · Tamil Nadu · Gujarat · Odisha

Cantor's Giant Softshell TurtlePelochelys cantorii

Reptile

Sandy or muddy beds of large rivers and estuaries, notably the Chandragiri river in Kerala.

Spends nearly all its life buried in sand with only the eyes and mouth exposed, surfacing about twice a day to breathe.

Kerala · Odisha · West Bengal · Andhra Pradesh

Leith's Softshell TurtleNilssonia leithii

ReptileEndemic · Peninsular India

Rivers and reservoirs of the Deccan, including the Cauvery, Krishna and Godavari.

Uplisted from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered in 2019 after heavy harvesting for the meat trade.

Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Maharashtra · Andhra Pradesh

Black Softshell TurtleNilssonia nigricans

Reptile

Temple ponds and the Brahmaputra floodplain. The Hayagriva Madhava temple pond at Hajo is the best known site.

Was once classified Extinct in the Wild, surviving only in temple ponds where it is fed by devotees. Wild populations have since been confirmed.

Assam · Tripura

Ganges SharkGlyphis gangeticus

Fish

Turbid, freshwater and brackish stretches of the Ganga, Hooghly and Mahanadi.

One of very few true river sharks in the world. Its tiny eyes point upwards, an adaptation to hunting in muddy water. Often confused with the bull shark.

West Bengal · Bihar · Uttar Pradesh · Odisha · Maharashtra · Gujarat

Pondicherry SharkCarcharhinus hemiodon

Fish

Inshore coastal waters and river mouths of the Bay of Bengal.

Rediscovered after decades with no confirmed record. Listed in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.

Tamil Nadu · Andhra Pradesh · Odisha · West Bengal

Largetooth SawfishPristis pristis

Fish

Shallow coastal waters, estuaries and the lower reaches of large rivers.

The toothed rostrum is used to slash through shoals of fish. Sawfishes are among the most threatened marine fish in the world.

Gujarat · Maharashtra · Odisha · West Bengal · Tamil Nadu

Green SawfishPristis zijsron

Fish

Shallow inshore waters and mangrove estuaries.

Extremely vulnerable to entanglement because the rostrum snags in almost any net.

Gujarat · Tamil Nadu · Odisha · Andhra Pradesh

Hump-backed MahseerTor remadevii

FishEndemic · Cauvery basin

Fast-flowing pools and rapids of the Cauvery and its tributaries, especially around Bhavani and the Moyar.

The 'tiger of the water', a legendary angling fish. Formally described only in 2018 and assessed as Critically Endangered the same year. Threatened by introduced mahseer stocked from other basins.

Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Kerala

Anamalai Flying FrogRhacophorus pseudomalabaricus

AmphibianEndemic · Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats

Canopy of evergreen forest in the Anamalai and Cardamom hills, 1,000 to 1,400 m.

Glides between trees using extensive webbing between the toes. Breeds in tree holes and foam nests over water.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu

Resplendent Shrub FrogRaorchestes resplendens

AmphibianEndemic · Anamudi summit

Restricted to about three square kilometres of grassland on the summit of Anamudi in Eravikulam National Park.

A stout orange-red frog with one of the smallest ranges of any vertebrate. Develops directly from egg to froglet with no tadpole stage.

Kerala

Peacock Tarantula or Gooty SapphirePoecilotheria metallica

InvertebrateEndemic · Eastern Ghats

A single reserve forest patch of dry deciduous woodland near Gooty in the Nandyal and Giddalur belt.

Brilliant metallic blue, arboreal and highly sought in the illegal pet trade. Known from an area of well under 100 square kilometres.

Andhra Pradesh

Guggul or Indian Bdellium TreeCommiphora wightii

Plant

Arid rocky tracts and sand dunes of the Thar and the Kachchh, and dry scrub in the Deccan.

Yields guggul, an oleo-gum resin tapped from the bark and used in Ayurveda for arthritis, obesity and lipid disorders. Destructive tapping plus very slow growth drives the decline.

Rajasthan · Gujarat · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Karnataka

Eulophia obtusaEulophia obtusa

Plant

Moist grassland and sal forest edges in the Terai, notably near Dudhwa and the Pilibhit belt.

A terrestrial orchid rediscovered in India in 2008 after more than a century. Depends on specific soil fungi, which makes transplanting almost impossible.

Uttar Pradesh · West Bengal · Assam

Pyrostria laljiiPyrostria laljii

PlantEndemic · Andaman Islands

Semi-evergreen forest of South Andaman, in the Wandoor and Jarawa reserve belt.

Described in 2019 and the first Indian record of its genus, a member of the coffee family Rubiaceae. Named after the botanist Lal Ji Singh. A slender tree with a distinctive hollow-based trunk.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Dipterocarpus bourdilloniiDipterocarpus bourdillonii

PlantEndemic · Western Ghats

Lowland wet evergreen forest below 800 m.

A giant emergent timber tree of the dipterocarp family. Regeneration is poor because the winged fruit needs closed canopy to germinate.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Madhuca insignisMadhuca insignis

PlantEndemic · Western Ghats, Karnataka

Riparian evergreen forest along the Kumaradhara and Netravati rivers.

Rediscovered in 2000 after being presumed extinct for over a century. Threatened by hydroelectric projects on its river banks.

Karnataka

Syzygium travancoricumSyzygium travancoricum

PlantEndemic · Western Ghats, Kerala

Fragments of Myristica swamp forest in Travancore and the Kollam belt.

Survives largely in sacred groves. Myristica swamps are among the most threatened freshwater swamp systems in India.

Kerala