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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Asiatic LionPanthera leo persica

MammalEndemic · Gir landscape, Gujarat

Dry deciduous teak forest, thorn scrub and adjoining farmland and coastal tracts of the Saurashtra peninsula.

The only wild lions outside Africa, about 891 animals in the 2025 census. Smaller than African lions, with a distinctive longitudinal fold of skin along the belly and a sparser mane that leaves the ears visible. Note the assessment nuance: the subspecies is Endangered, while the species Panthera leo is Vulnerable.

Gujarat

Lion-tailed MacaqueMacaca silenus

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Upper canopy of wet evergreen rainforest, 600 to 1,400 m. Silent Valley, Anamalai and Kudremukh are the strongholds.

Named for the tufted tail. The silver-white mane around a black face is unmistakable. One of the most arboreal macaques, rarely descending to the ground, which makes it exceptionally sensitive to forest fragmentation by plantations.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Nilgiri TahrNilgiritragus hylocrius

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Shola grassland mosaic and steep rocky slopes, 1,200 to 2,600 m. Eravikulam National Park holds the largest single population.

State animal of Tamil Nadu and the only mountain ungulate in southern India. The sole species of its genus. Adult males, called saddlebacks, develop a pale grey saddle. The 2025 synchronised census counted 2,668 animals. Project Nilgiri Tahr began in 2023.

Tamil Nadu · Kerala

Sangai or Manipur Brow-antlered DeerRucervus eldii eldii

MammalEndemic · Loktak Lake, Manipur

Phumdis, the floating mats of vegetation on Loktak Lake, inside Keibul Lamjao National Park.

State animal of Manipur and the flagship of the only floating national park in the world. Called the dancing deer for its springy gait on the unstable phumdi surface, an adaptation of the hooves to spongy ground. Distinct from the Barasingha, which is a different species.

Manipur

Pygmy HogPorcula salvania

MammalEndemic · Assam grasslands

Dense, tall, dry alluvial grassland of the Manas landscape.

The smallest wild pig in the world, about 25 cm at the shoulder. The only suid that builds a roofed nest. Once thought extinct, it was rediscovered in 1971. The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme has reintroduced captive-bred animals into Manas, Orang, Barnadi and Bornadi.

Assam

Arunachal MacaqueMacaca munzala

MammalEndemic · Western Arunachal Pradesh

High-altitude temperate forest and cultivated valleys of Tawang and West Kameng, 2,000 to 3,500 m.

Described in 2005, one of the very few primates discovered anywhere in recent decades. The name means 'monkey of the deep forest' in the local Monpa language. Lives at an unusually high elevation for a macaque.

Arunachal Pradesh

Forest OwletAthene blewitti

BirdEndemic · Central India

Dry deciduous teak forest with open glades. Melghat, Tansa and the Toranmal belt are key sites.

Rediscovered in 1997 after 113 years, in a rediscovery that also exposed a famous nineteenth century specimen fraud. Diurnal, unusually for an owl, and hunts lizards from an exposed perch.

Maharashtra · Madhya Pradesh · Gujarat · Odisha

Finn's WeaverPloceus megarhynchus

BirdEndemic · Terai belt

Tall wet grassland and sugarcane in the terai, nesting colonially in isolated trees.

Also called the yellow weaver. Unlike the common baya weaver it builds an untidy globular nest high in a solitary tree and is far more dependent on intact grassland.

Uttarakhand · Uttar Pradesh · Assam · West Bengal

Assam Roofed TurtlePangshura sylhetensis

ReptileEndemic · Brahmaputra basin

Small forest streams and hill rivers of the Brahmaputra drainage.

The smallest of the roofed turtles and the only Pangshura species with a strongly serrated rear shell margin.

Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Meghalaya · Nagaland

Purple Frog or Pig-nosed FrogNasikabatrachus sahyadrensis

AmphibianEndemic · Western Ghats

Spends almost its entire life underground in moist soil of the southern Western Ghats, surfacing for only a few days a year.

Described in 2003 and placed in its own family, with its closest relatives in the Seychelles. It is a living record of the break-up of Gondwana, having diverged over 100 million years ago. Feeds on termites through a fluted tongue pushed into their tunnels. State amphibian of Kerala.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu

Nepenthes khasiana or Khasi Pitcher PlantNepenthes khasiana

PlantEndemic · Meghalaya

Nutrient-poor, humid slopes and sandstone ledges of the Khasi and Jaintia hills.

The only pitcher plant native to India. Leaves are modified into pitchers that trap and digest insects, an adaptation to soils very poor in nitrogen. Known locally as memang-koksi, the devil's flower basket. Threatened by collection and by limestone quarrying.

Meghalaya

Globba andersoniiGlobba andersonii

PlantEndemic · Eastern Himalaya

Moist, shaded rocky slopes and stream banks in the Teesta valley, near Sikkim's border with Darjeeling.

A wild ginger known as the dancing ladies. Rediscovered in 2015 after nearly 130 years. Recognised by white flowers with a hooded orange-yellow lip and pendulous inflorescences.

Sikkim · West Bengal

Four-horned Antelope or ChousinghaTetracerus quadricornis

MammalEndemic · Indian subcontinent

Open dry deciduous forest with hills and grass, always near water.

The only wild bovid in the world with four horns. The rear pair is longer; the front pair is sometimes reduced to a stub. Solitary and largely restricted to India.

Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Rajasthan · Gujarat · Odisha · Andhra Pradesh · Telangana · Karnataka · Chhattisgarh · Jharkhand · Uttar Pradesh · Bihar

Nilgiri LangurSemnopithecus johnii

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Evergreen shola forest and moist deciduous forest, 300 to 2,000 m.

Glossy black with a golden-brown head ruff. Poached for the supposed medicinal value of its flesh and organs, a threat unusual among Indian primates.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Nilgiri MartenMartes gwatkinsii

MammalEndemic · Western Ghats

Shola forest, montane grassland and plantation edges above 1,000 m.

The only marten in peninsular India and the sole mustelid of the southern Western Ghats. Recognised by a bright yellow to orange throat patch. Very rarely seen and almost never studied in the wild.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka

Narcondam HornbillRhyticeros narcondami

BirdEndemic · Narcondam Island

Evergreen forest on Narcondam, a single volcanic island of about 6.8 square kilometres.

Has one of the smallest ranges of any bird in the world, confined to a single island. About 1,000 birds. A proposed radar installation on the island became a well-known conservation controversy.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Nicobar MegapodeMegapodius nicobariensis

BirdEndemic · Nicobar Islands

Coastal forest just behind the beach on Great Nicobar and neighbouring islands.

Does not incubate its eggs with body heat. It builds a large mound of sand and rotting vegetation and lets fermentation and solar heat do the work, regulating temperature by adding or removing material. Badly hit by the 2004 tsunami and now exposed to the Great Nicobar development project.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Nilgiri Wood PigeonColumba elphinstonii

BirdEndemic · Western Ghats

Canopy of shola and wet evergreen forest, 800 to 2,000 m.

Recognised by a chequerboard pattern of black and white on the nape. An important disperser of large forest fruit seeds.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka · Maharashtra · Goa

Green AvadavatAmandava formosa

BirdEndemic · Central India

Tall grass, scrub and cropland on the Deccan plateau and around Mount Abu.

A small green and yellow finch trapped heavily for the cage bird trade, which is the main reason for its decline.

Madhya Pradesh · Rajasthan · Maharashtra · Chhattisgarh · Gujarat

Travancore TortoiseIndotestudo travancorica

ReptileEndemic · Western Ghats

Moist deciduous and evergreen forest floor of the Western Ghats.

One of very few forest-dwelling tortoises in India, and locally hunted for meat.

Kerala · Tamil Nadu · Karnataka