Great Indian Bustard

Ardeotis nigriceps

Critically Endangered · IUCN Red List

CRCritically EndangeredEndemicOmnivoreGrasslandScrapeHuge · 7.2 kg

ID tip

The great Indian bustard is a large ground bird with a height of about one metre. It is unmistakable with its black cap contrasting with the pale head and neck. The body is brownish with a black patch spotted in white. The male is deep sandy buff coloured and during the breeding season has a black breast band. The crown of the head is black and crested and is puffed up by displaying males. In the female which is smaller than the male, the head and neck are not pure white and the breast band is either rudimentary, broken or absent.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Great Indian Bustard

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 6 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.

About the Great Indian Bustard

The great Indian bustard or Indian bustard is a bustard occurring on the Indian subcontinent. It is a large bird with a horizontal body, long bare legs and is among the heaviest of the flying birds. Once common on the dry grasslands and shrubland in India, as few as 150 individuals were estimated to survive as of 2018, reduced from an estimated 250 individuals in 2011. It is critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss. It is protected under the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

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