Red-crested bustard

Lophotis ruficrista

Photo by Francesco Veronesi (Flickr)

Common name:
red-crested bustard (en); sisão-de-poupa-vermelha (pt); outarde houppette (fr); sisón moñudo austral (es); rotschopftrappe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Otididae

Range:
This species is found from southern Angola and Zambia, through north-eastern Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and into southern Mozambique and northern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 50 cm long and weigh about 680 g.

Habitat:
The red-crested bustard is found in dry savannas and scrublands, favouring areas dominated by mopane Colospermum mopane, Acacia, cluster-leaf Terminalia, Zambezi teak Baikiaea plurijaga and miombo Brachystegia.

Diet:
They feed mainly on invertebrates, namely termites, beetles, grasshoppers, bugs, butterflies, ants, centipedes, solifugids and spiders, also taking seeds, berries and leaves of various plants.

Breeding:
Red-crested bustards breed in September-April. They are polygynous, with males performing elaborate displays to attract multiple females and having no further part in the breeding process after mating. Each female lays 1-2 eggs, either directly on the ground or in a shallow scrape in the soil, often among dense leaf litter. She incubates the eggs alone for 20-23 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but rely on the mother for food during the first few days. Afterwards they begin feeding themselves, but continue to rely on the mother for protection, and fledge 5-6 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common in much of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African houbara

Chlamydotis undulata

Photo by Andrey Kovalenko (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
houbara bustard (en); abetarda-moura (pt); outarde houbara (fr); avutarda hubara (es); kragentrappe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Otididae

Range:
This species occurs in two separate sub-species. C. u fuertaventurae is restricted to the islands of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Lobos and La Graciosa in the Canary islands, while C. u. undulata is found in North Africa, from Morocco and Mauritania to Egypt and possibly northern Sudan.

Size:
These birds are 55-65 cm long and have a wingspan of 135-170 cm. The females are smaller, weighing 1-1,7 kg while the males weigh 1,2-2,4 kg.

Habitat:
The houbara bustard is mostly found in sandy and stony arid areas with no trees and sparse scrub and herb cover, including hot and temperate deserts, dry grasslands and, to a lesser extent, pastures.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, taking seeds and other plant material, as well as beetles and other invertebrates and even small lizards.

Breeding:
Houbara bustards breed in February-May. The males make a flamboyant display to attract the female and have no further part in the breeding process after mating. The female lays 2-3 eggs in a small crape on the ground, which she incubates alone for 21-22 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are able to feed themselves, following the mother around for protection.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimate at 13.000-33.000 individuals. In the period between 1984 and 2004 the population was estimated to have declined by 35%, but the rate of decline has now slowed down or even been reversed thanks to conservation efforts in North Africa. The main threat to houbara bustards is the high level of hunting, especially by falconers, but other threats include habitat loss and degradation and, in some areas, collisions with power lines. Captive breeding programmes in North Africa have successfully halted population declines in some areas and even lead to some population increases.

Indian bustard

Ardeotis nigriceps

Photo by Csaba Barkoczi (Animal News) 

Common name:
Indian bustard (en); abetarda-da-Índia (pt); outarde à tête noire (fr); avutarda india (es); hindutrappe (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Otididae


Range:
Previously widespread across India and Pakistan, this species is now restricted to scattered populations in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, in India; and in Sind, Pakistan.


Size:
This large bustard is sexually dimorphic, with the smaller females measuring 90-95 cm in length and weighing 3,5-7 kg, while the males are a20-a25 cm long and weigh 8-14,5 kg.


Habitat:
The Indian bustard is found in arid and semi-arid grasslands with scattered low scrubs and bushes in open, stony and frequently slightly rolling semi-desert country. They can also be found in arable land.


Diet:
They are omnivorous opportunist, taking advantage of seasonally abundant food items. These include invertebrates such as grasshoppers, beetles, locusts, crickets, mole-crickets, mantids, termite alates, large ants, caterpillars, centipedes, spiders and worms. Also various small vertebrates including lizards and snakes, frogs, birds and eggs, mice, rats, gerbils and other small mammals. Their diet also includes a large vegetable portion, namely seeds, shoots, leaves, herbs, wild berries, oil seeds, cultivated grains and pods of legumes.


Breeding:
Indian bustards can breed all year round, but mostly in March-September. The nest is a depression on the ground, either on open ground or hidden in stony or scrubby areas. The female lays a single eggs, which she incubates alone for 27-40 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and can feed by themselves after 1 week, but are only able to maintain sustained flight after 7 months and remain with their mother for up to 1 year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - CR (Critically endangered)
This species has a large breeding range, but this range contracted by 90% during the last century. At present, the global population is estimated at just 50-250 individuals and it declined by over 80% over the last 3 generations. This decline was mostly caused by hunting for sport and food, as well as egg collection and habitat loss due to agricultural development. Livestock grazing and mining are further threats to this species. The Indian bustard is legally protected in India and several protected areas have been specifically established for the species, but some poaching still takes place.

Great bustard

Otis tarda

Common name:

great bustard (en); abetarda-comum (pt); grande outarde (fr); avutarda común (es); großtrappe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Otididae

Range:

The great bustard is found scattered across the temperate latitudes of Europe, northern Africa and Asia, breeding in Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and China.

Size:

The males of this species are the heaviest flying animals currently in existence, being 90-110 cm long, having a wingspan of 2,1-2,5 m and weighing up to 16 kg. Females are smaller with a length of 80 cm, a wingspan of 1,8 m and a weight of 3,5-5,3 kg.

Habitat:

The great bustard occurs in open, flat or somewhat rolling landscapes, usually with a mixture of steppic grassland, crops (cereals, oilseeds, fodder plants) and bare ground. Areas with little to no disturbance and an abundant supply of insects are required for successful breeding.

Diet:

These birds are omnivorous eating both green plants, seeds, fruits and invertebrates. Among their invertebrate prey are mollusks, oligochaetes, spiders, crickets, beetles, ants and caterpillars.

Breeding:

Great bustards start breeding in March-April. The males form leks, where they attempt to impress females with their displays. After the female has chosen a male and mated with him, she digs a shallow pit on the ground, where she lays 1-3 eggs. The female incubates the eggs alone for 25-28 days. The female will rear the chicks alone, but the chicks can stand soon after hatching and will forage alone after 10 days. The chicks fledge 30-35 days after hatching but stay with the mother for several months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

Although this species has a very large breeding range, it is mostly found in small scattered pockets of favourable habitat. The current population size is estimated at 45.000 individuals and, although populations in its Iberian stronghold have stabilised and possibly increased, future land-use changes in eastern Europe, Russia and central Asia may have a significant impact on this species's population and the extent of its remaining habitat, such that it is likely to undergo a rapid population reduction over the next three generations. The main threats to this species include habitat fragmentation and habitat loss due to agricultural intensification, increased chick mortality caused by mechanized agriculture, hunting and collision with power lines.