Biology:Little bustard
| Little bustard | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Otidiformes |
| Family: | Otididae |
| Genus: | Tetrax T. Forster, 1817 |
| Species: | T. tetrax
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| Binomial name | |
| Tetrax tetrax | |
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| Range of T. tetrax Breeding Resident Non-breeding Passage Probably extinct Extinct
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| Synonyms | |
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Otis tetrax Linnaeus, 1758 | |
The little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) is a bird in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Tetrax. The genus name is from Ancient Greek and refers to a gamebird mentioned by Aristophanes and others.[3]
Distribution
It breeds in Southern Europe and in Western and Central Asia. Southernmost European birds are mainly resident, but other populations migrate further south in winter. The central European population once breeding in the grassland of Hungary became extinct several decades ago. The species is declining due to habitat loss throughout its range. It used to breed more widely, for example ranging north to Poland occasionally.[4] It is only a very rare vagrant to Great Britain despite breeding in France. On 20 December 2013, the Cypriot newspapers 'Fileleftheros' and 'Politis', as well as news website 'SigmaLive', reported the discovery of a dead little bustard in the United Nations Buffer Zone. The bird had been shot by poachers hunting illegally in the zone. The shooting was particularly controversial amongst conservationists and birders since the little bustard is a very rare visitor to Cyprus and had not been officially recorded in Cyprus since December 1979.[5]
Description
Although the smallest Palearctic bustard, the little bustard is still pheasant-sized at 42–45 cm (17–18 in) long with a 90–110 cm (35–43 in) wingspan and a weight of 830 g (29 oz).[6] In flight, the long wings are extensively white. The breeding male is brown above and white below, with a grey head and a black neck bordered above and below by white.
The female and non-breeding male lack the dramatic neck pattern, and the female is marked darker below than the male. Immature bustards resemble females. Both sexes are usually silent, although the male has a distinctive "raspberry-blowing" call: prrt.
Diet
This species is omnivorous, taking seeds, insects, rodents and reptiles.
Breeding
Like other bustards, the male little bustard has a flamboyant display with foot stamping and leaping in the air. Females lay 3 to 5 eggs on the ground.
Habitat
The bird's habitat is open grassland and undisturbed cultivation, with plants tall enough for cover. Males and females do not differ markedly in habitat selection.[7] It has a stately slow walk, and tends to run when disturbed rather than fly. It is gregarious, especially in winter.
Tracking of male Little Bustards has revealed that they are nocturnal migrants that make frequent stopovers in non-irrigated and irrigated croplands to reach more productive agricultural post-breeding areas. [8]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Tetrax tetrax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22691896A129913710. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22691896A129913710.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22691896/129913710. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ↑ "Appendices | CITES". https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php.
- ↑ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 383. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4. https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling.
- ↑ Tomek, Teresa; Bocheński, Zygmunt (2005). "Weichselian and Holocene bird remains from Komarowa Cave, Central Poland". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 48A (1–2): 43–65. doi:10.3409/173491505783995743. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/download?pub=infobike%3a%2f%2fisez%2fazc%2f2005%2f00000048%2fF0020001%2fart00005&mimetype=application%2fpdf.
- ↑ "Little Bustard Shot". 17 December 2013. http://cyprusbirdingtours.com/2013/12/17/little-bustard-shot/.
- ↑ "BTO BirdFacts: Little Bustard". British Trust for Ornithology. https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob4420.htm.
- ↑ Devoucoux, Pierrick; Besnard, Aurélien; Bretagnolle, Vincent (2019). "Sex-dependent habitat selection in a high-density Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax population in southern France, and the implications for conservation" (in en). Ibis 161 (2): 310–324. doi:10.1111/ibi.12606. ISSN 1474-919X.
- ↑ Alonso, H.; Correia, R.A.; Marques, A.T.; Palmeirim, J.M.; Moreira, F.; Silva, J.P. (2020). "Male post‐breeding movements and stopover habitat selection of an endangered short‐distance migrant, the Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax". Ibis 162 (2): 279–292. doi:10.1111/ibi.12706.
External links
- Oiseaux.net Little bustard photos
- "Little bustard media". Internet Bird Collection. http://www.hbw.com/ibc/species/little-bustard-tetrax-tetrax.
- Little bustard photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- BirdLife species factsheet for Tetrax tetrax
- "Tetrax tetrax". Avibase. https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=.
Wikidata ☰ Q188601 entry
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