The Bengal florican is perhaps amongst the most threatened species in the Indian subcontinent. It is virtually extinct throughout its former range due to the loss of grassland habitat, grass burning and, in earlier times, severe hunting pressure. The International Council for Bird Preservation, recognising that too little was known about the bird’s present distribution in Nepal to take steps towards its conservation, organised a project to provide the missing information. The 1982 survey described here found that probably no more than 100 Bengal floricans remain in Nepal.