Bustards: Otididae

Bustards range from solitary, or, living alone, to highly social, forming groups of as many as thousands in the case of the little bustard. Bustards that occupy semi-desert habitats generally tend to be more solitary. Many species of bustards migrate, moving from a breeding habitat to a wintering habitat. Asian bustard species, in particular, frequently migrate to avoid harsh winter conditions.

Bustards often breed during the rainy season in their habitat. Males perform elaborate courtship displays to attract females. These can involve booming calls, showing off long feathers that only the males possess, fanning out the tail, and performing leaps. Males generally do not participate in either nest building, incubating (warming) the eggs, or raising chicks. The female lays anywhere from one to six eggs at a time. These hatch after twenty to twenty-five days. Bustard young are precocial (pree-KOH-shul), meaning that they hatch at a fairly advanced stage of development. They are covered with down and are able to move, usually walking within a few hours of hatching.