Australian bustard
Australian bustard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Otidiformes |
Family: | Otididae |
Genus: | Ardeotis |
Species: | A. australis
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Binomial name | |
Ardeotis australis (Gray, JE, 1829)
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The Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) is a large ground-dwelling bird that is common in grassland, woodland and open agricultural country across northern
The species is also commonly referred to as the plains turkey,[3] and in Central Australia as the bush turkey,[4] particularly by Aboriginal people, who hunt it, although the latter name may also be used for the Australian brushturkey, as well as the orange-footed scrubfowl.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by
Placement within the family
Common names for Ardeotis australis include bustard, Australian bustard, plains turkey, wild turkey and native turkey.
Description
The only Australian species of Ardeotis, a genus occurring in the African, Indian and Australasian regions, this bustard is a large terrestrial bird that resembles an American turkey in its form and behaviour. It is readily distinguished by its large size, long legs and habits while slowly striding across open plains. The general coloration of A. australis is black at the crown and nape, the long neck is pale grey at the front, and brown plumage cover the wings and upper body. The sexes are similar in appearance, females are smaller in stature, wingspan and weight than the males.[10] The abdomen is white and separated from the light grey of the neck by a black band of feathers. The
Males are up to 1.2 m (47 in) tall with a 2.3 m (7.5 ft) wingspan. The average weight for males is 6.3 kg (14 lb), with a range of 4.3 to 12.76 kg (9.5 to 28.1 lb).[12][13] The female is quite a bit smaller at 80 cm (31 in) tall, with a 1.8 m (5.9 ft) wingspan and an average body mass of 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) in a range of 2.4 to 6.35 kg (5.3 to 14.0 lb) but is similarly coloured.[12][13][14]
The largest male recorded was 14.5 kg (32 lb),
Behaviour
The species is mostly terrestrial and usually seen walking slowly alone or in pairs. When disturbed, Australian bustards often adopt a cryptic pose with neck erect and bill pointed skywards. They may stalk gradually away or run if alarmed, taking flight as a last resort. When leaving the ground they take to the air with heavy beats of the wings.[9] A brooding female will crouch and move away if disturbed, flightless juveniles will remain still and rely on the camouflage of their plumage to evade detection. Despite the apparent labour in flying, they have strength and stamina that allows them to travel long distances. The roost is at a high point on an open plain or in trees when they are available.[10]
Greater numbers of the bird are seen during the breeding season.[16] The habits of the bird are usually discreet and shy of disturbance, however, the display of males during the breeding season is a conspicuous performance that is accompanied by loud booming. The male is able to expand a sac at the neck to display their longer feathers as a swaying skirt, with the head held proud and upward facing, the wings are pointed toward the ground and tail feathers arched over the back; they stride about an area while adopting this posture and emit deep roaring noises.[10] The voice of the courting male has been transliterated as "who-o-o-o".[8] Males have been observed in close proximity during territorial disputes, using the breeding display and call to challenge each other, but the direct conflict seen in smaller bustard species is rare with this bird. One incident involving physical combat at a height around 25 metres was recorded in Arnhemland, after a period of posturing and chasing by the males in dispute, but this may be unusual behaviour due to the greater risk of injury in this larger species of bustard.[17]
Ardeotis australis does not make any attempt to construct a nest. The clutch size is usually one egg, sometimes two, laid close to a small shrub or bush on unadorned ground. The shell is marked with olive-brown blotching and streaks over most of the surface, perhaps more completely covering the larger end of the egg, the background colour is a lighter shade of olive-brown or olive-green. Incubation of the brood is maintained by the female. The dimensions of the egg are 75 × 55 millimetres. The chick will leave the site after emerging from its shell to avoid predation, and relies on the mottled black and brown coloration of their downy plumage to evade detection by squatting and remaining motionless.[8]
Brooding females may be driven from the egg by the raptor
The species is strongly attracted to capers, fruit of the plant
Distribution and habitat
The distribution range of the species includes a wide area of the Australian continent and occasionally extends to southern parts of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The occurrence in the southeast of Australia has contracted and it no longer occurs in areas where it once recorded.[1]
Individual range has been studied by tracking of the birds, via satellite and tagging or community derived surveys, indicating that local populations in wetter regions are more permanent and localised than the greater range of those inhabiting more arid regions.[16][1] The birds may become locally abundant after land clearing or during outbreaks of grasshoppers. The greatest fidelity to a local region is reported in areas of high rainfall in the north and northwest of Australia.[16]
The habitat favoured by the species is open grasslands, perhaps with some trees, spinifex plains and low shrublands. This bustard will enter denser areas of vegetation after fire, and is observed on artificial cleared areas such as golf courses and farmland.[1]
The historical range in
Conservation status
This bird remains relatively common and widespread across most of northern Australia
The assessment of IUCN in 2016 maintained its status as least concern, but noted a declining population trajectory. The total population is thought to exceed 10 000 and be no greater than 100 000 individuals.[1]
The Australian bustard is not listed as threatened on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Regional status
Ardeotis australis is listed in state conservation registers, providing evaluation and protection to the species under each region's legislation. In Western Australia and the Northern Territory the classification is near threatened by extinction, the states of South Australia and New South Wales record it as endangered, and the status of least concern in Queensland.[20] The Australian bustard is listed as threatened on the Victorian
Cultural references
There are important
Hunting of the bush turkey was noted as difficult, the elusive habits requiring a lot of manoeuvring for a clear target, but greater success was found by the colonists, first from horseback and later from motor vehicles. The bustard was protected by legislation introduced during the later nineteenth century, which included closed seasons for hunting and eventually a prohibition on shooting. The value of the species to agriculture, arriving to control outbreaks of grasshoppers, was acknowledged and promoted to discourage the continued hunting of the bird. Aboriginal peoples were exempted from any prohibition on hunting.[9] The illegal hunting of the bustard continued during the twentieth century.[10] John Gould's early description of the bustard noted the difficulty of shooting of the bird due to their wariness around settled regions, but he was able to stalk and kill the bird more easily in areas remote from the colonies in New South Wales; Gould described the flesh as delicate and well-flavoured.[26]
Bustard Bay, on Queensland's Discovery Coast, was named by Lt. James Cook, who anchored the Endeavour there on 23rd May 1770. The next day, he made his second Australian landing, at the location now known as Seventeen Seventy. While investigating the area, Cook's party shot and killed a bustard. It was declared "the best bird we had eaten since we left England" and the bay was named in honor of the bird.
Bustard Head, at the Northern end of the bay, is the site of the first lighthouse erected in Queensland (1868).
Barossa Valley winery Turkey Flat takes its name from the Australian bustard. 'Turkey Flat' was the local name given to Lot 1, 100 of Moorooroo (where the winery now sits) on settlement in reference to the large flocks of the Australian bustard found along the river banks. The winery's logo features an Australian bustard as drawn by renowned local artist, Rod Schubert.[27]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Tony Howard & Isobel Crawford. "The Australian Brush-Turkey In The Act: Further Discussion" (PDF). Canberra Bird Notes. 24 (3): 173–176.
- ^ a b Bush Turkey. mjhall.org
- ^ Gray, J.E. 1829. In Griffith's Animal Kingdom; Vol. 8 (Aves, 3), London: Whittaker, Treacher & Co. [305]
- ^ Gould, J. (1841). "Proceedings of meeting Dec. 8, 1840". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1840. Academic Press, [etc.]: 169–178 [176].
- ^ a b c Department of the Environment and Energy. "Species Ardeotis australis (J.E. Gray, 1829) Australian Bustard, Plain Turkey, Wild Turkey". Australian Faunal Directory.
- ^ a b c d e f Serventy, D. L.; Whittell, H. M. (1951). A handbook of the birds of Western Australia (with the exception of the Kimberley division) (2nd ed.). Perth: Paterson Brokensha. pp. 171–172.
- ^ a b c d e Abbott, I. (2008). "Historical perspectives of the ecology of some conspicuous vertebrate species in southwest Western Australia" (PDF). Conservation Science W. Aust. 6 (3): 12–15.
- ^ ISBN 0909486638.
- ^ Place Name, Lyons, NT, Australia. nt.gov.au
- ^ a b Ziembicki, M (2010) Australian Bustard Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, CSIRO Publishing
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ Australian Bustard – Ardeotis australis. Oiseaux.net (2009-10-25). Retrieved on 2012-08-21.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.
- ^ doi:10.1071/PC070128.
- ^ Brady, C.J. (December 2008). "Male-male Conflict and Breeding of the Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis in Rehabilitated Mine Land in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory". Australian Field Ornithology. 25 (4): 203–206.
- .
- ^ "Recently recategorised species". Birdlife International (2012). Archived from the original on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Ardeotis australis : Australian Bustard". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act – Listed Taxa, Communities and Potentially Threatening Processes. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
- ^ Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act: Index of Approved Action Statements. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
- ISBN 978-1-74208-039-0.
- ^ Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery – ELIZABETH NAKAMARRA MARKS. aboriginal-desert-art.com.au
- ^ Art Mob Magazine September 2005 Archived August 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. artmob.com.au. Retrieved on 2012-08-21.
- ^ Gould, E.; Gould, J.; Richter, H.C. (1848). The birds of Australia. Vol. 6. London: Printed by R. and J. E. Taylor; pub. by the author. pp. Plate 4 et seq.
- ^ "Turkey Flat Vineyards".
- Frith, H (ed) ISBN 0-909486-50-6
- Simpson, K and Day, N,. ISBN 0-7136-6982-9
External links
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Threatened Species Information sheet (PDF accessed 27 July 2006)
- Bird Flight Diverter: An Initiative -Bird Collision Saving Device by Indolite Devices