Jodhpur, Nov. 10 -- Researchers have spotted a tagged Demoiselle Crane with a green band and the alphanumeric number Z15 for the first time in Jamba village of Phalodi district. Pramod Kumar Thanvi, a research scholar from the Department of Zoology at Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, said they spotted the tagged Demoiselle Crane on Wednesday in Jamba village, about 30 kilometers from the Phalodi district headquarters. Thanvi, who is conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Hemsingh Gehlot, assistant professor at JNVU, said this is the first sighting of a banded Demoiselle Crane in the region. The crane was banded by Dr. Nyamba Batbayar, Director of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center (Mongolia), on July 22, 2022, at the Khurk and Khaitan Nature Reserve, Mongolia, said Dr Elena Ilyashenko, executive director of the Crane Working Group of Eurasia (Russia), expressing delight at the sighting and stating that the tagging of migratory birds is yielding positive results. Dr. Gehlot said that 14 tagged Demoiselle Cranes were sighted in Rajasthan and Gujarat last winter. Jamba village lies on the migratory route of Demoiselle Cranes and is also a sacred site for the Bishnoi community. The cranes follow the Central Asian Flyway to migrate from their breeding grounds to their wintering grounds. Known locally as "Kurja," the Demoiselle Cranes travel thousands of kilometers across the Himalayas from their breeding grounds in Russia, Mongolia, and Central Asia to reach Rajasthan's mild winter climate. He said that around 4,000-5,000 cranes arrive in Jamba each year, making it an important eco-tourism destination for ornithologists, birdwatchers, and tourists. The local community provides food such as sorghum, millet, and pearl millet to the cranes, strengthening the cultural bond between humans and birds. He added that the residents of Jamba and Khinchan villages have significantly contributed to conservation, although threats from high-tension power lines, feral dogs, and habitat loss remain....