Bustard

A bustard is a medium-to-large game bird that belongs to the Otididae family, which is related to the cranes and rails in the order Gruiformes. There are around 23 species, which are restricted to Africa, southern Europe, Asia, Australia, and a small portion of New Guinea. Bustards have lengthy legs that are geared to running. They only have three toes, as the hind toe is missing (hallux). In the way of other tall running birds, the body is compact, carried in a rather horizontal position, and the neck stands erect, forward of the legs. The most well-known bustard is the great bustard (Otis tarda), Europe's biggest land bird, with a male weighing up to 14 kg (31 pounds), a length of 120 cm (4 feet), and a wingspan of 240 cm (8 feet). From central and southern Europe through Central Asia and Manchuria, it can be found on grainfields and open steppes.

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Great Indian Bustard

The Indian bustard, sometimes known as the great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), is a bustard that lives in the Indian subcontinent. This species is among the heaviest of the flying birds, with a horizontal body and long naked legs that give it an ostrich-like look. The species is critically endangered due to hunting and loss of its habitat, which consists of large expanses of dry grassland and scrubs on the Indian subcontinent. Fewer than 150 individuals were estimated to survive in 2018 (down from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011), and the species is critically endangered due to hunting and loss of its habitat, which consists of large expanses of dry grassland and scrub. These birds are frequently seen in the same areas as blackbuck. It is protected by India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

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Description

The great Indian bustard is a huge ground bird that is around one metre tall. With its black hat contrasted with the whitish head and neck, it is recognisable. The body is brownish with a white splotch on the black patch. The male is a rich sandy buff colour with a black breast band during the mating season. The crown of the head is black and crested and displaying males puff it up. The head and neck of the female, who is smaller than the male, are not completely white, and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken, or absent. This species is just slightly smaller than the Kori bustard and the big bustard among bustards.

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In its native area, it is also the biggest land bird. Bustards are all quite huge birds, with the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) and the great bustard (Otis tarda) being often regarded as the world's heaviest flying birds. Large males in both the biggest species may weigh more than 20 kg (44 lb), average 13.5 kg (30 lb), and reach a total length of 150 cm (59 in). The little brown bustard (Eupodotis humilis) is the smallest species, measuring approximately 40 cm (16 in) in length and weighing around 600 g (1.3 lb) on average. Males in most bustard species are significantly bigger than females, measuring up to 30 per cent longer and weighing up to twice much anyway. The great Indian bustard is around 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, with a long neck and long legs.

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Female bustards, like other members of the bustard family, are generally much smaller. Males have a well-developed gular pouch, which inflates during display calls and aids in the production of deep resonant sounds. There have been reports of birds that are abnormally leucistic or near albino. They are one of the most sexually dimorphic bird species. The sexual dimorphism is reversed in only the floricans, with the adult female being somewhat bigger and heavier than the male. There are ten primary feathers and 16–24 secondary feathers on the wings. The tail has around 18–20 feathers. The plumage is cryptic for the most part.

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Distribution and Habitat

This species used to be common in India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, the bustard is highly endangered because of a lack of protection and widespread poaching. A study of the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan in September 2013 found a few birds. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu were historically home to the bird. The bustard is now found only in a few isolated areas in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan (shared with Pakistan). 

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Although it is known that populations disperse after the monsoons, great Indian bustards conduct limited migrations that are not well understood. During the mating season, males are reported to be solitary, but in the winter, they form tiny flocks. Males, on the other hand, may cluster together, and they, like other bustards, are thought to employ a mating system known as a "exploded or scattered lek." Polygamy is practised by the male. Arid and semi-arid grasslands, open terrain with thorn scrub, tall grass mixed with agriculture are the most common habitats where they may be found. It stays away from irrigated regions. 

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They are known to breed mostly in central and western India, as well as eastern Pakistan. Irrigation canals have changed the arid semi-desert regions where it was located in portions of Rajasthan, transforming the region into an intensively farmed area.

Behaviour and Ecology

The great Indian bustard eats everything. Insects, mostly Orthoptera, but also beetles (especially Mylabris species), appear to be favoured in the diet. Grass seeds, berries (mostly from the species Ziziphus and Eruca), rodents, and reptiles are further options (in Rajasthan they are known to take Indian spiny-tailed lizards Uromastyx hardwickii). They eat crops including exposed peanuts, millets, and legume pods in farmed regions. If water is available, they will drink it and will occasionally sit down to sip or suck it before lifting their heads at an angle. Hens are said to carry newborn chicks under their wings when they are threatened. Bustards are omnivores who eat mostly seeds and insects.

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Because they build their nests on the ground, their eggs and chicks are frequently preyed upon. They travel slowly, pecking for food with their powerful legs and large toes. Most people would rather run or walk than fly. In-flight, they feature long wide wings with "fingered" wingtips, as well as distinctive patterns. Many have unique mating behaviours, such as inflating neck sacs or raising complex feathered crests. In a scrape in the ground, the female lays three to five black, speckled eggs and incubates them alone.

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Reproduction

The male's inflated fluffy white feathers are inflated and displayed throughout the breeding season, which lasts from March to September. Males may strut next to each other, leap against each other with legs, and land down to imprison the opponent's head under their neck in territorial battles. During a courting display, the male inflates the gular sac, which opens behind the mouth and hangs down from the neck like a huge wobbling bag. The tail is cocked up over the back of the body. In addition, the male lifts his tail and folds it on his back. Periodically, the male emits a resonant loud, booming cry that may be heard for over 500 metres.

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A solitary egg is laid by the female in an unlined scrape on the ground. Only the females are responsible for incubation and child care. Other animals, notably ungulates and crows, pose a threat to the eggs. Females may do a zigzag show with dangling legs as a distraction. 

Bustard Species

1. Houbara Bustard

The houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), commonly known as the African houbara, is a big bustard that occurs in desert environments in North Africa and southern Asia. Since 2014, the IUCN Red List has classified the worldwide population as Vulnerable. In 2015, the European population was classified as Near Threatened since it is limited to the Canary Islands. It has a dark brown body with black patterns on the wings, a greyish neck, and a black ruff running down the side of the neck. Male bustards are taller and more powerful than females. MacQueen's Bustard, a native of Asia, was once included in the houbara bustard.

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2. Lesser Florican

The smaller florican, usually known as the likh or kharmore, is the smallest bustard and the sole member of the Sypheotides genus. It is indigenous to the Indian Subcontinent, where it may be found in tall grasslands, and is well known for the males' monsoon-season jumping breeding displays. The male has unique extended head feathers that reach behind the neck, as well as contrasting black and white breeding plumage. During the summer, these bustards are mostly found in northern and central India, but they are more extensively spread across India in the winter.

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3. MacQueen's Bustard

The MacQueen's bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) belongs to the bustard family and is a big bird. It is found in Asia's desert and steppe areas, stretching east from the Sinai Peninsula through Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Vagrants were discovered as far west as Great Britain in the nineteenth century. Between 1984 and 2004, population declines ranged from 20 to 50 per cent, owing mostly to hunting and changes in land use. The MacQueen's bustard is a part-time migratory, but the houbara bustard (C. undulata) is a more stationary species. The genus Chlamydotis is made up of only two species. The MacQueen's bustard was once thought to be a subspecies of the houbara bustard, dubbed the "Asian houbara."

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4. Australian Bustard

The Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) is a big ground-dwelling bird found across northern Australia and southern New Guinea in grassland, forest, and open agricultural area. It stands approximately one metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, with a wingspan around twice as long. The species is migratory, flying to places where food is abundant and capable of long-distance travel. They were originally numerous and ubiquitous over Australia's broad plains but became scarce in areas inhabited by Europeans during the settlement of the continent.

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The bustard is an omnivore that eats primarily plant fruit and seed, but also invertebrates like crickets, grasshoppers, small mammals, birds, and reptiles. The species is also known as the plains turkey and the bush turkey in Central Australia, where it is hunted by Aboriginal people, but the latter term can also apply to the Australian brushturkey and the Orange-footed scrubfowl.

5. Kori Bustard

The kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) is possibly Africa's largest flying bird. It is a member of the great bustard family, which is only found in the Old World and belongs to the Otidiformes order. It is one of four species in the large-bodied genus Ardeotis, which range from Africa through India to Australia. The male kori bustard is thought to be the heaviest living creature capable of flying.

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This species is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore, like other bustards. Male kori bustards, which may weigh more than twice as much as females, try to procreate with as many females as possible before abandoning their offspring. The nest is a small hole in the ground that is frequently hidden by adjacent obstructive items like trees.

Bustard IUCN Ranking

The Peter Scott lUCN/SSC Action Plan Fund was created in 1990 by the Sultanate of Oman. The Fund assists in the creation and execution of Action Plans to far, the Fund has awarded over 80 grants to Specialist Groups. As a result, the Action Plan Program has advanced at a faster pace, and the network has considerably increased and matured. The SSC appreciates the Sultanate of Oman's belief in and support for global species protection. The Red List of Threatened Animals serves as a wake-up call, drawing global attention to the plight of many species.

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This Red List differs from all of its predecessors and previous Red Data publications in its methodology. It utilises a more rigorous approach for determining the degree of extinction threat, one that reflects current population biology understanding in connection to conservation issues. This more objective approach could aid in focusing attention on the causes that contribute to the shrinking geographic ranges, falling populations, and tiny numbers that define many species in peril. Because we are unaware of the overwhelming majority of living forms on the earth, most of which are invertebrates and another microfauna, the Red List is incomplete.

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The study suggested that about 20–40,000 years ago, there was a population reduction or near extinction. In the 1970s, attempts to breed them in captivity failed. The IUCN Red List lists this species considered as "critically endangered."

Nonetheless, the Red List's position for bigger species is indicative of the situation for many smaller species that share the same habitats as the larger species. In this regard, a significant accomplishment in the compilation of this edition of the Red List was the evaluation of all mammalian species. Two vertebrate classes have now been evaluated thanks to this study and previous work by BirdLife International. 

Bastard Status

Birdlife International changed the status of this species from Endangered to Critically Endangered in 2011, since it has been extirpated from 90% of its previous habitat and the population was estimated to be less than 250 individuals in 2008. Hunting and habitat loss are the two most serious concerns. They were widely hunted in the past for their flesh and fun, and poaching of the species may persist now. Greater irrigation by the Indira Gandhi canal has led to increased agriculture in certain locations, like Rajasthan, and the changing ecosystem has resulted in the extinction of species in these areas. Some populations relocate to Pakistan, where there is a lot of hunting pressure.

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The bird may be found in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Some populations are supported by the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer and the coastal grasslands of the Abdasa and Mandvi talukas of Gujarat's Kutch District. The sanctuaries of Ghatigaon and Karera in Madhya Pradesh previously housed large populations.

Conclusion

The Great Indian Bustard (Otis tarda) is Europe's biggest land bird, with a length of 120cm (4 feet) and a wingspan of 240cm (8 feet) The species is critically endangered due to hunting and loss of its habitat. The great Indian bustard is around 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, with a long neck and long legs. Males in most bustard species are significantly bigger than females, measuring up to 30 per cent longer and weighing up to twice much anyway. Great Indian bustards are omnivorous omnivores who eat seeds and insects. They have unique mating behaviours, such as inflating neck sacs or raising feathered crests. Hens carry newborn chicks under their wings when they are threatened by predators. The Red List of Threatened Animals serves as a wake-up call, drawing global attention to the plight of many species. Oman's Sultanate of Oman appreciates the SSC's belief in and support for global species protection. The Fund assists in the creation and execution of Action Plans.