Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large,

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s living mainly in

dry grassland The key characteristic of dry grasslands is that they have low-growing plants, causing the area to be quite open. They also have a mottled structure, which leads to a biome with sunny or semi-shaded areas. On top of that, their soil is relatively ...

areas and on the

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

s of the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

. They range in length from . They make up the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae). Bustards are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

and opportunistic, eating leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, small

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...

s, and

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s.del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (editors). (1996) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks''. Lynx Edicions. There are 26 species currently recognised.

Description

Bustards are all fairly large with the two largest

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, the

kori bustard The kori bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species ( ...

(''Ardeotis kori'') and the

great bustard The great bustard (''Otis tarda'') is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus ''Otis''. It breeds in open grasslands and farmland from northern Morocco, South and Central Europe, to temperate Central and East Asia. European po ...

(''Otis tarda''), being frequently cited as the world's heaviest flying birds. In both the largest species, large males exceed a weight of , weigh around on average and can attain a total length of . The smallest species is the

little brown bustard The little brown bustard (''Eupodotis humilis'') is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Found in Ethiopia and Somalia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. As indi ...

(''Eupodotis humilis''), which is around long and weighs around on average. In most bustards, males are substantially larger than females, often about 30% longer and sometimes more than twice the weight. They are among the most

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

groups of birds. In only the floricans is the sexual dimorphism the reverse, with the adult female being slightly larger and heavier than the male. The wings have 10 primaries and 16–24 secondary feathers. There are 18–20 feathers in the tail. The plumage is predominantly cryptic.

Behaviour and ecology

Bustards are

, feeding principally on seeds and

s. They make their nests on the ground, making their eggs and offspring often very vulnerable to predation. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. Most prefer to run or walk over flying. 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.

Evolution

Genetic dating indicates that bustards evolved 30 million years ago in either southern or eastern Africa from where they dispersed into Eurasia and Australia.

Taxonomy

The family Otididae was introduced (as Otidia) by the French

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

in 1815. Family Otididae * Genus †'' Gryzaja'' Zubareva 1939 ** †'' Gryzaja odessana'' Zubareva 1939 * Genus †'' Ioriotis'' Burchak-Abramovich & Vekua 1981 ** †'' Ioriotis gabunii'' Burchak-Abramovich & Vekua 1981 * Genus †'' Miootis'' Umanskaya 1979 ** †'' Miootis compactus'' Umanskaya 1979 * Genus †'' Pleotis'' Hou 1982 ** †'' Pleotis liui'' Hou 1982 * Subfamily Lissotinae Verheyen 1957 non Benesh 1955 ** Genus ''

Lissotis ''Lissotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. Some authorities, such as the IUCN, consider it part of '' Eupodotis''; the separation adopted here follows the ''Handbook of the Birds of the World''. It contains the following sp ...

'' Reichenbach 1848 *** Hartlaub's bustard, ''Lissotis hartlaubii'' (Heuglin 1863) *** Black-bellied bustard, ''Lissotis melanogaster'' (Rüppell 1835) **** ''L. m. notophila'' Oberholser 1905 **** ''L. m. melanogaster'' (Rüppell 1835) * Subfamily Neotinae Verheyen 1957 ** Genus ''

Neotis ''Neotis'' is a bird genus in the family Otididae Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and on the steppes of the Old World. They range in length from . They make up the ...

'' Sharpe 1893 ***

Nubian bustard The Nubian bustard (''Neotis nuba'') is a species of bird in the Otididae, bustard family. This is a medium-large bustard found in the sparsely vegetated interface between the southern margins of the Sahara desert and the northern part of the Sah ...

, ''Neotis nuba'' ***

Ludwig's bustard Ludwig's bustard (''Neotis ludwigii'') is a species of bird in the bustard family, and named after Baron von Ludwig. It is a medium-to-large sized species. Description The Ludwig's bustard can weigh from , with a mean of for the much larger ma ...

, ''Neotis ludwigii'' ***

Denham's bustard Denham's bustard, Stanley bustard or Stanley's bustard (''Neotis denhami'') is a large bird in the bustard family. It breeds in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of open ground, including agricultural land, grassland, flood-plains and ...

, ''Neotis denhami'' **** ''N. d. denhami'' (Denham's bustard) **** ''N. d. jacksoni'' (Jackson's bustard) **** ''N. d. stanleyi'' (Stanley bustard) ***

Heuglin's bustard Heuglin's bustard (''Neotis heuglinii'') is a species of bird in the bustard family. Description It is a fairly large species, at up to in length.''Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi'' by Stevens ...

, ''Neotis heuglinii'' ** Genus ''

Ardeotis ''Ardeotis'' is a genus of birds in the family Otididae. The genus was described in 1853 by the French naturalist Emmanuel Le Maout to accommodate the Arabian bustard The Arabian bustard (''Ardeotis arabs'') is a species of bustard which i ...

'' Le Maout 1853 ***

Arabian bustard The Arabian bustard (''Ardeotis arabs'') is a species of bustard which is found across the Sahel region of Africa and south western Arabia. It is part of the large-bodied genus, ''Ardeotis'', and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typi ...

, ''Ardeotis arabs'' (Linnaeus 1758) **** ''A. a. lynesi'' (Bannerman 1930) (Moroccan bustard) **** ''A. a. stieberi'' (Neumann 1907) (great Arabian bustard) **** ''A. a. arabs'' (Linnaeus 1758) **** ''A. a. butleri'' (Bannerman 1930) (Sudan bustard) ***

Australian bustard The Australian bustard (''Ardeotis australis'') is a large ground dwelling bird which is common in grassland, woodland and open agricultural country across northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It stands at about high, and its wingspan is ...

, ''Ardeotis australis'' (Gray 1829) ***

Great Indian bustard The great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') or Indian bustard, is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of t ...

, ''Ardeotis nigriceps'' (Vigors 1831) ***

Kori bustard The kori bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species ( ...

, ''Ardeotis kori'' (Burchell 1822) **** ''A. k. struthiunculus'' (Neumann 1907) (Northern Kori bustard) **** ''A. k. kori'' (Burchell 1822) (Southern Kori bustard) * Subfamily Otidinae Gray 1841 ** Genus ''Tetrax'' Forster 1817 *** †'' T. paratetrax'' (Bocheński & Kuročkin 1987) ***

Little bustard The little bustard (''Tetrax tetrax'') is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus ''Tetrax''. The genus name is from Ancient Greek and refers to a gamebird mentioned by Aristophanes and others. Distribution It breeds in South ...

, ''Tetrax tetrax'' (Linnaeus 1758) Forster 1817 ** Genus ''Otis'' Linnaeus 1758 *** †'' O. bessarabicus'' Kessler & Gal 1996 *** †'' O. hellenica'' Boev, Lazaridis & Tsoukala 2014 ***

Great bustard The great bustard (''Otis tarda'') is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus ''Otis''. It breeds in open grasslands and farmland from northern Morocco, South and Central Europe, to temperate Central and East Asia. European po ...

, ''Otis tarda'' Linnaeus 1758 **** ''O. t. tarda'' Linnaeus 1758 (Western great bustard) **** ''O. t. dybowskii'' Taczanowski 1874 (Eastern great bustard) ** Genus ''

Chlamydotis '' Chlamydotis '' is a genus of large birds in the bustard family. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khlamus'', a horseman's cloak with weights sewn into the corners, and ''otis'', bustard. Members of this genus show very little sexual d ...

'' Lesson 1839 *** †'' C. affinis'' (Lydekker 1891a) Brodkorb 1967 *** †'' C. mesetaria'' Sánchez Marco 1990 ***

Macqueen's bustard MacQueen's bustard (''Chlamydotis macqueenii'') is a large bird in the bustard family. It is native to the desert and steppe regions of Asia, west from the Sinai Peninsula extending across Kazakhstan east to Mongolia. In the 19th century, vagrant ...

, ''Chlamydotis macqueenii'' (Gray 1832) ***

Houbara bustard The houbara bustard (''Chlamydotis undulata''), also known as African houbara, is a relatively small bustard native to North Africa, where it lives in arid habitats. The global population is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2014. ...

, ''Chlamydotis undulata'' (Jacquin 1784) **** ''C. u. fuertaventurae'' (Rothschild & Hartert 1894) (Canary Islands houbara bustard) **** ''C. u. undulata'' (Jacquin 1784) (North African houbara bustard) ** Genus ''Houbaropsis'' Sharpe 1893 ***

Bengal florican The Bengal florican (''Houbaropsis bengalensis''), also called the Bengal bustard, is a bustard species native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because fewer than 1,00 ...

, ''Houbaropsis bengalensis'' (Statius Müller 1776) Sharpe 1893 **** ''H. b. bengalensis'' (Statius Müller 1776) Sharpe 1893 **** ''H. b. blandini'' Delacour 1928 ** Genus ''Sypheotides'' Lesson 1839 ***

Lesser florican The lesser florican (''Sypheotides indicus''), also known as the likh or ''kharmore'', is the smallest in the bustard family and the only member of the genus ''Sypheotides''. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent where it is found in tall gras ...

, ''Sypheotides indicus'' (Miller 1782) Lesson 1839 ** Genus ''

Lophotis ''Lophotis'' is a genus of bustard in the family Otididae. The genus contains three species, all found in Africa. All three species are sometimes placed in the genus ''Eupodotis'', and are closely related to that genus and the genus ''Afrotis ...

'' Reichenbach 1848 ***

Red-crested korhaan The red-crested korhaan or red-crested bustard (''Lophotis ruficrista'') is a species of bird in the family Otididae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Description The red-creste ...

, ''Lophotis ruficrista'' (Smith 1836) ***

Savile's bustard Savile's bustard (''Lophotis savilei'') is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Otididae are an Old-World and understudied family of birds mostly found in Afro-Tropical regions. It is found in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gambia ...

, ''Lophotis savilei'' Lynes 1920 ***

Buff-crested bustard The buff-crested bustard (''Lophotis gindiana'') is a medium-sized bird of East Africa belonging to the family Otididae. The populations are stable and the species is of least concern. Description The buff-crested bustard is a medium-sized East ...

, ''Lophotis gindiana'' (Oustalet 1881) ** Genus ''

Eupodotis ''Eupodotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family Otididae. It contains the five species, all restricted to Africa. Species in the genera '' Afrotis'' and '' Lophotis'' are sometimes included in this genus; however some authorities separate ...

'' Lesson 1839 ***

Little brown bustard The little brown bustard (''Eupodotis humilis'') is a species of bird in the family Otididae. Found in Ethiopia and Somalia, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. As indi ...

, ''Eupodotis humilis'' (Blyth 1855) ***

Karoo korhaan The karoo korhaan (''Eupodotis vigorsii''), also known as karoo bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae, from Southern Africa. The species is sometimes placed in the genus '' Heterotetrax''. It is the sister-species to Rüppe ...

, ''Eupodotis vigorsii'' (Smith 1831) **** ''E. v. namaqua'' (Roberts 1932) **** ''E. v. vigorsii'' (Smith 1831) ***

Rüppell's korhaan Rüppell's Korhaan (''Eupodotis rueppellii''), also known as Rüppell's bustard, is a species of bird in the family Otididae. The species is a small bustard Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainl ...

, ''Eupodotis rueppellii'' (Wahlberg 1856) **** ''E. r. fitzsimonsi'' (Roberts 1937) **** ''E. r. rueppellii'' (Wahlberg 1856) ***

Blue korhaan The blue korhaan or blue bustard (''Eupodotis caerulescens'') is a species of bird in the family Otididae which is native to South Africa. Its call is a series of frog-like croaks, usually uttered in flight. Its natural habitat is plateau gra ...

, ''Eupodotis caerulescens'' (Vieillot 1820) ***

White-bellied bustard The white-bellied bustard or white-bellied korhaan (''Eupodotis senegalensis'') is an African species of bustard. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa in grassland and open woodland habitats. Description It is rather small for a bustard ...

, ''Eupodotis senegalensis'' (Vieillot 1821) **** ''E. s. barrowii'' (Gray 1829) (Barrow's/southern white-bellied Bustard) **** ''E. s. canicollis'' (Reichenow 1881) (Somali white-bellied knorhaan) **** ''E. s. erlangeri'' (Reichenow 1905) **** ''E. s. mackenziei'' White 1945 **** ''E. s. senegalensis'' (Vieillot 1821) (Senegal bustard) ** Genus ''

Afrotis ''Afrotis'' is a genus of bustard in the family Otididae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa, and contains two species. It is sometimes included in the genus ''Eupodotis ''Eupodotis'' is a genus of bird in the bustard family Otididae. It ...

'' Gray 1855 ***

Southern black korhaan The southern black korhaan (''Afrotis afra''), also known as the black bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. This small bustard is found in southwestern South Africa, from Namaqualand, south to Cape Town and east to Mak ...

, ''Afrotis afra'' (Linnaeus 1758) ***

Northern black korhaan The northern black korhaan (''Afrotis afraoides''), also known as the white-quilled bustard, is a species of bird in the bustard family, Otididae. It is widely distributed across Southern Africa. Its habitat is primarily open grassland and scrub ...

, ''Afrotis afraoides'' (Smith 1831) **** ''A. a. etoschae'' (Grote 1922) **** ''A. a. damarensis'' Roberts 1926 **** ''A. a. afraoides'' (Smith 1831)

Status and conservation

Bustards are gregarious outside the breeding season, but are very wary and difficult to approach in the open habitats they prefer.Bota, G., J. Camprodon, S. Mañosa & M.B. Morales (Editores). (2005). Ecology and Conservation of steppe-land birds. Lynx Editions. Barcelona ; 978-84-87334-99-3. Most species are declining or endangered through habitat loss and hunting, even where they are nominally protected.

United Kingdom

The birds were once common and abounded on the

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

. They had become rare by 1819 when a large male, surprised by a dog on

Newmarket Heath Newmarket Heath is a 279.3-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Newmarket in Suffolk. It covers most of Newmarket Racecourse. Most of this site is chalk grassland, and it has areas of chalk heath, a rare habitat in Britain. ...

, sold in Leadenhall Market for five

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

. The last bustard in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

died in approximately 1832, but the bird is being reintroduced through batches of chicks imported from Russia. In 2009, two

chicks were hatched in Britain for the first time in more than 170 years.Bird Guides 2009
''The first Great Bustard chicks in the UK''
Bird Guides, June 2009. Reintroduced bustards also hatched chicks in 2010.Biodiversity Lab 2010
''Reintroduced Great Bustards Breed Again''
The Biodiversity Lab, University of Bath.

Floricans

Some Indian bustards are also called Floricans. The origin of the name is unclear. Thomas C. Jerdon writes in ''The Birds of India (1862) The

Hobson-Jobson ''Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive'' is a historical dictionary of Anglo-Indian words and terms from Indian languages which came in ...

dictionary, however, casts doubt on this theory stating that

Notes

References

* Bota, Gerard, et al. ''Ecology and conservation of Steppe-Land birds''. International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of Steppe-land birds
Lynx Edicions 2005
343 pages. . * * * * * *

External links

Bustard videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q21755 Extant Miocene first appearances * Serravallian first appearances Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque