bustard, a heavy-bodied, ground-running bird of the family Otidedae. Various species are found throughout the arid regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and S Europe. Bustards range in length from 141/2 to 52 in. (37-132 cm) and include the heaviest birds capable of flight. The great bustard, Otis tarda, of Europe and central Asia, is the largest European land-bird; the adult male may be 4 ft (10.2 m) long with an 8-ft (20.3-m) wingspread and may weigh 30 lb (13.6 kg). The Australian bustard, Chorictis australis, is of similar size. Bustards are stocky birds with long necks and strong legs; their feet are built for running, with flat toes, broad soles, and no hind toe. The species vary in color from gray to brown, and many are spotted or barred above and white, buff, or black below. Bustards live mainly on grassy plains or in brushlands. Although they are strong fliers, they seldom leave the ground. They wander about in flocks of a dozen or more birds, feeding on leaves, seeds, and insects, especially beetles. The males are polygamous and fight fiercely during the breeding season. The female lays and incubates from one to five eggs, according to the species; the chicks are able to fly at the age of six weeks. Bustards have been extensively hunted for food; they are extinct in Britain and are becoming scarce in the northern part of their range. They are classified in 16 genera and 23 species of the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Gruiformes, family Otidedae.

Any of about 23 species of medium-sized to large game birds in the family Otididae, related to the cranes and rails in the order Gruiformes. Bustards are found in Africa, southern Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Guinea. A tall running bird, they have long legs, a compact body carried in a horizontal position, and an erect neck placed forward of the legs. The best-known species is the great bustard (Otis tarda), the largest European land bird. Males of this species weigh as much as 31 lbs (14 kg) and reach lengths of 4 ft (1.2 m), with 8-ft (2.4-m) wingspreads.

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Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They make up the family Otididae (formerly known as Otidae). They were renowned by the ancient Arabs for being unnaturally stupid.

Bustards are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips, and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays, such as inflating throat sacs or elevating elaborate feathered crests. The female lays three to five dark, speckled, eggs in a scrape in the ground, and incubates them alone.

Bustards are gregarious outside the breeding season, but are very wary and difficult to approach in the open habitats they prefer.

Status

Most species are declining or endangered through habitat loss and hunting, even where they are nominally protected. Two great bustard eggs were recently laid in Britain for the first time in over 150 years, but were unfertilized—probably owing to the still juvenile male population. The last bustard died out in Britain in about 1832, but the bird is being reintroduced through batches of chicks imported from Russia.

Floricans

Some Indian bustards are also called Floricans. The origin of the name is unclear. Jerdon writes in his bird of India (1862)

The Hobson-Jobson dictionary however casts doubt on this theory stating that

Species in taxonomic order

FAMILY: OTITIDAE

• Genus: Otis
• Great Bustard, Otis tarda
• Genus: Ardeotis
• Arabian Bustard, Ardeotis arabs
• Kori Bustard, Ardeotis kori, subspecies kori and struthinuclus
• Great Indian Bustard, Ardeotis nigriceps
• Australian Bustard, Ardeotis australis
• Genus: Chlamydotis
• Houbara Bustard, Chlamydotis undulata, subspecies undulata and fuertaventurae
• Macqueen's Bustard, Chlamydotis macqueenii
• Genus: Neotis
• Ludwig's Bustard, Neotis ludwigii
• Stanley Bustard, or Denham's Bustard, Neotis denhami
• Heuglin's Bustard, Neotis heuglinii
• Nubian Bustard, Neotis nuba
• Genus: Eupodotis
• White-bellied Bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis
• Blue Bustard, Eupodotis caerulescens
• Karoo Bustard, Eupodotis vigorsii
• Rüppell's Bustard, Eupodotis rueppellii
• Little Brown Bustard, Eupodotis humilis
• Genus: Lophotis
• Savile's Bustard, Lophotis savilei
• Buff-crested Bustard, Lophotis gindiana
• Red-crested Bustard, Lophotis ruficrista
• Genus: Afrotis
• Black Bustard, Afrotis afra
• White-quilled Bustard, Afrotis afraoides
• Genus: Lissotis
• Black-bellied Bustard, Lissotis melanogaster
• Hartlaub's Bustard, Lissotis hartlaubii
• Genus: Houbaropsis
• Bengal Florican, Houbaropsis bengalensis
• Genus: Sypheotides
• Lesser Florican, Sypheotides indica
• Genus: Tetrax
• Little Bustard, Tetrax tetrax

Notes

References

• Sibley, Charles G.; Jon E. Ahlquist (1990). Phylogeny and Classification of the Birds : A Study in Molecular Evolution. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04085-7.
• Knox, Alan G.; Martin Collinson, Andreas J. Helbig, David T. Parkin & George Sangster (2002). "Taxonomic recommendations for British birds". Ibis 144 (4): 707–710.
• Ecology and conservation of Steppe-Land birds by Gerard Bota et al. International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of Steppe-land birds. Lynx Edicions 2005. 343 pages. ISBN 84-87334-99-7

External links

• Bustard videos on the Internet Bird Collection