Eupodotis indica has been in decline since at least the 1870s, owing to the steady conversion of its primary grassland habitat coupled with the early influence of hunting and the recent effects of drought, such that it is now restricted as a breeding bird (May--October) to tiny patches of habitat in western India (though recorded at this time in Nepal), dispersing mostly south-eastwards to south-central India for the non-breeding period (November--April). Its population is judged to have plummeted by 80% from 1982 (4,374 birds) to 1989 (750), with little optimism for its long-term survival.
The distribution of Eupodotis indica includes Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
The IUCN considers Eupodotis indicus as "Critically Endangered". CITES lists the species as "Appendix 2".