The Great Bustard or otherwise known as the Otis tarda is from the bustard family of the genus Otis. In central and southern Europe, the Great Bustard is the biggest bird species; it is also in these places where they breed. The Great Bustard can also be found in the temperate part of Asia, where they move further south during the winter. Most Great Bustard bird found in some countries are considered endangered, especially the Great Indian Bustard of Mumbai.
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The male Great Bustard is considered to be the biggest bird that can fly. A male Great Bustard has a brown color above and a white color below. It also has a long grey neck. Males have long white neck bristles during mating seasons and they have a long white colored wingspan.
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The female Great Bustard is 3 times smaller than its male counterpart. Because of this, the male and the female Great Bustard have a skewed sex ratio. Female Great Bustards have buff breast. Great Bustard birds that are not yet adult look more like the female Great Bustard birds. Both male and female birds are silent kind of birds.
Great Bustards are endangered species. The Great Indian Bustard is one of the most endangered Great Bustard birds. The Great Indian Bustard is almost extinct with only 250 left. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, with its partner Bird Life International named the Great Indian Bustard as an endangered species. The bird is actually considered critically endangered by these organizations. This is because these birds are being hunted, disturbed, they lose their habitat and fragmentation. The Great Indian Bustards used to live in the grasslands of India and Pakistan. However, presently, they are pushed to much smaller and isolated places. There have been efforts to breed these birds, but most of these efforts only failed significantly.
Great Bustard birds are large birds that need large spaces to live in. However, the world is getting more and more crowded disturbing the habitat of these birds. Now, these birds are losing their habitats, and soon they will be extinct, and if they get extinct people will lose the benefits that these birds can give. This is why it is very important to protect the Great Bustard birds and their habitat as well. If these birds get extinct, the next generation will not have the pleasure of seeing these birds alive anymore.
Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.
