Great bustard
The great bustard, known as the "flying fortress," is the largest species of the bustard family and holds the title of the heaviest bird capable of flight. These ground-dwelling birds are native to grasslands and plains across Europe and Asia, where they can often be seen walking or running swiftly. Great bustards are notable for their impressive size, reaching lengths of 35.5 to 45.3 inches and weights between 6.5 to 40 pounds, with wingspans nearly eight feet wide. Their plumage features a blend of tan, white, gray, black, and chestnut colors, providing effective camouflage against predators.
Historically, great bustards faced significant population declines due to hunting and habitat destruction linked to mechanized farming and urban development. Although they have received legal protection and conservation efforts are underway, they remain classified as a vulnerable species. Their breeding patterns occur from April to August, with females laying two to three eggs after creating a shallow nest in the ground. These birds primarily feed on seeds and insects, playing a beneficial role in agriculture by controlling pest populations. Despite ongoing challenges, initiatives by governments and conservationists aim to safeguard the future of the great bustard.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Great bustard
The great bustard, called the flying fortress, is the largest of the 26 species of the bustard family and the world's heaviest bird of flight. They live on the ground and quickly walk or run across grasslands and plains. They make low, barking sounds.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Otis
Species: Tarda
Great bustards once populated the grasslands of Europe and Asia. In the nineteenth century, great bustard populations began declining as they were hunted and trapped in large numbers for food and their habitats were destroyed by increased mechanical farming, pesticides, roads, and buildings. Governments have since created laws protecting great bustards, and individuals have asserted great effort to save them from extinction. Still, they are a vulnerable species.
Great bustards look like turkeys. Their heads, necks, and bodies are 35 1/2 to 45 1/3 inches (90 to 115 centimeters) long and covered with tan, white, gray, black, and chestnut plumage (feathering). This plumage provides camouflage from predators like foxes. Though they grow to weigh as much as 6 1/2 to 40 pounds (3 to 18 kilograms), they can fly nearly 300 feet (90 meters) high because of their nearly eight-foot (2 1/2-meter) wingspans.
A female great bustard is mature and able to mate when she is three to four years old and a male when he is five to six years old. The birds mate between April and August. The female scrapes out a shallow hollow in the ground for a nest but does not line it with any nesting material. She lays two or three gray or green, gray-and-brown-spotted eggs and incubates them for about 25 days. They remain with their parents for 10 months while their mother feeds them insects and plants. They are called fledglings when they fly and find their own food, which happens around 30 to 35 days after hatching. At 80 to 120 days, they reach adult size size.
Great bustards are omnivorous, eating mainly seeds and insects. These foods are abundant in most grasslands and plains where bustards live. Human activity threatens bustards and is the most significant cause of their declining global population. In many areas, too much mechanized farming and the use of pesticides and herbicides have destroyed the birds' habitats. Some farmers, however, grow crops without harming great bustards. The birds help farmers by eating insects that would otherwise eat crops. Governments and private citizens have worked hard to ensure great bustards do not become extinct.
Bibliography
"Great Bustard." Animalia, animalia.bio/great-bustard. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
"Great Bustard." British Trust for Ornithology, www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/great-bustard. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.