Bustards: Otididae - Physical Characteristics, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Great Bustard (otis Tarda): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, BUSTARDS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
Bustards are found across much of the Old World, including Africa, Europe, and Asia, as well as in Australia.
Bustards are found primarily in grassland habitats with low vegetation where they are able to look out over long distances. Some bustards occupy taller grasslands or even slightly wooded areas. Bustards are also frequently found in cultivated fields.
Bustards play an important role in agriculture in some parts of their range by eating large numbers of insect pests. On the other hand, they are hunted in some parts of the world for food or sport. (In Asia, hunting has caused population declines in several species.) Some hunters use trained falcons to hunt bustards.
Of the twenty-six species of bustards in existence, four are considered Threatened with extinction and six are considered Near Threatened, in danger of becoming threatened. Most other species are also declining. Bustards are threatened primarily due to hunting (particularly in India and Indochina), habitat destruction, and pesticide use.
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Bustards vary in size from 15 to 47 inches (40 to 120 centimeters) in length. They are among the heaviest flying birds, weighing 1 to 42.2 pounds (0.45 to 19 kilograms). Male bustards are generally larger than females, although there is less difference between the sexes in smaller bustard species. Bustards have stout bodies with long legs and long necks. The bills tend to be short and straight. Bu…
Bustards are omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter. They are opportunistic feeders who are often able to take advantage of any food. In most species, the diet consists mostly of plant matter, including leaves, shoots, flowers, roots and bulbs, fruit, and seeds. Individuals that occupy cultivated areas frequently eat crops as well. Bustards eat insects such as beetles and grasshoppers. …
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. Bu…
Physical characteristics: Male great bustards reach lengths of 41 inches (105 centimeters) and can weigh between 13 and 40 pounds (5.8 to 18 kilograms). Females are smaller, at 30 inches in length (75 centimeters) and 7 to 12 pounds (3.3 to 5.3 kilograms) in weight. Great bustards have black and gold barred backs and tails and white bellies. The head is pale blue-gray in color in females and nonbr…
Physical characteristics: The blue bustard has a brown back and blue-gray neck and belly. It is about 21.5 inches (55 centimeters) in length and 2.5 to 3.5 pounds (1.1 to 1.6 kilograms) in weight. Geographic range: Blue bustards are found in eastern and central South Africa and in Lesotho. Habitat: Blue bustards are found in grasslands as well as in cultivated fields. They are a high altitude spec…
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