bustard

bustard , a heavy-bodied, ground-running bird of the family Otidedae. Various species are found throughout the arid regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and S Europe. Bustards range in length from 14 1/2 to 52 in. (37-132 cm) and include the heaviest birds capable of flight. The great bustard, Otis tarda, of Europe and central Asia, is the largest European land-bird; the adult male may be 4 ft (10.2 m) long with an 8-ft (20.3-m) wingspread and may weigh 30 lb (13.6 kg). The Australian bustard, Chorictis australis, is of similar size. Bustards are stocky birds with long necks and strong legs; their feet are built for running, with flat toes, broad soles, and no hind toe. The species vary in color from gray to brown, and many are spotted or barred above and white, buff, or black below. Bustards live mainly on grassy plains or in brushlands. Although they are strong fliers, they seldom leave the ground. They wander about in flocks of a dozen or more birds, feeding on leaves, seeds, and insects, especially beetles. The males are polygamous and fight fiercely during the breeding season. The female lays and incubates from one to five eggs, according to the species; the chicks are able to fly at the age of six weeks. Bustards have been extensively hunted for food; they are extinct in Britain and are becoming scarce in the northern part of their range. They are classified in 16 genera and 23 species of the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Gruiformes, family Otidedae.

bustard bird of the genus Otis. XV (earlier as a surname). perh. — AN. *bustarde, blending of OF. bistarde and oustarde (mod. outarde) :- L. avis tarda ‘slow bird’; but the bustard is a swift bird, and the L. term may be a perversion of a foreign word.