Bustards

Bustards, including floricans and korhaans, are large, terrestrial birds living mainly in dry grassland areas and in steppe regions. They range in length from . They make up the family Otididae (, formerly known as Otidae).

Bustards are omnivorous and opportunistic, eating leaves, buds, seeds, fruit, small vertebrates, and invertebrates.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.

Etymology

The word ''bustard'' comes from the Old French ''bistarda'' and some other languages: ''abetarda'' ( pt), ''abetarda'' ( gl), ''avutarda'' ( es) used for the great bustard. The naturalist William Turner listed the English spelling "bustard" and "bistard" in 1544.

All of the common names above are derived from Latin ''avis tarda'' or ''aves tardas'' given by Pliny the Elder, these names were mentioned by the Pierre Belon in 1555 and Ulisse Aldrovandi in 1600. The word ''tarda'' comes from ''tardus'' in Latin meaning "slow" and "deliberate", which is apt to describe the typical walking style of the species.

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 dictionary, however, casts doubt on this theory stating that

Taxonomy

The family Otididae was introduced (as Otidia) by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. ''Otididae'' and before that ''Otidae'' come from the genus ''Otis'' given to the great bustard by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758, it comes from the Greek word ''ōtis''.

Family Otididae

;Extinct genera
* 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

Description

Bustards are all fairly large with the two largest species, the kori bustard (''Ardeotis kori'') and the great bustard (''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 (''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 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 omnivorous, feeding principally on seeds and invertebrates. 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.

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. They had become rare by 1819 when a large male, surprised by a dog on Newmarket Heath, sold in Leadenhall Market for five guineas. The last bustard in Britain died in approximately 1832, but the bird is being reintroduced through batches of chicks imported from Russia. In 2009, two great bustard 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.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* 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. .
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External links

Bustard videos
on the Internet Bird Collection

{{Authority control

Extant Miocene first appearances
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Serravallian first appearances
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque