Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary

Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary Maharashtra
Coordinates	17°49′36.2″N 75°52′10.9″E / 17.826722°N 75.869694°E / 17.826722; 75.869694Google Maps
Area	122,200[1] hectares (472 sq mi)

Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary (established in 1979, also known as the Jawaharlal Nehru Bustard Sanctuary of Maharashtra) is a wildlife sanctuary for the great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) at Solapur, Maharashtra, India. The land is drought-prone and semi-arid.^[2] It is in the Deccan thorn scrub forests ecoregion.^[3]

Maharashtra is one of the six states of India where great Indian bustards (Ardeotis nigriceps) are still seen. The great Indian bustard at Nannaj and Karmala was first identified By Mr B.S.Kulkarni in 1972 and with his constant efforts to save the bird had resulted in Dr. Salim Ali visiting Nannaj and starting a research project. Mr Kulkarni wrote extensively in local newspapers and made people aware of its existence and he is still active in trying to protect the bird and its habitat at Nannaj, near Solapur. In former days the bustard was a common bird in the dry districts of Maharashtra.