OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etmology: Otis ("bustard") tarda ("slow")
Mature adult male Great Bustard (subspecies O. t. tarda) in grasslands in Castille-La-Mancha, Spain - April 2016
Weight: 10-19kg / Length: 90-105cm / Wingspan: 2.1-2.7m
The Great Bustard is a huge bird - the male in particular is possibly the heaviest living flying animal, rivaled only by other large bustard species. They are I saw this species near Madrid on a guided tour with Luis Sitges who was familiar with where best to see them, though unfortunately due to disturbance caused by people walking along the fields, this was the only individual we saw of this massive species. It was formerly resident in the UK, but due to hunting became extinct by 1840s, but as of 2002 a reintroduction project has begun to re-establish this spectacular bird as a breeding species in England.
Related Species:
Order: Otidiformes
Family: Otididae
Genus: Otis
Subspecies: O. t. tarda, O. t. dybowskii
- Sighting Locations -
- MADRID 2015 TRIP: One male seen at great distance on the farmlands around Madrid
- MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant in the surroundings of Laguna del Longar (multiple flocks of around 10 birds, one flock of 90)
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-Canto
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